6 Hour Slow Roast Shoulder of Pork

I wanted to make something impressive, but stress free when the in-laws to be came to dinner, and have Jamie Oliver to thank for a very successful dinner party. I decided to cook a shoulder of pork, really slow, so I set about on the internet looking for the best slow roast recipe and I came across Jamie Olivers, which involved leaving the crackling on till the end, making my life very easy. I added herbs for extra flavour. Though finding a shoulder of pork proved more difficult than thought. I ordered the shoulder from Nugents Butchers on Glasheen Road, and never expected when I went to pick it up on the day it would be so big. The lovely guys at Nugents cut up the pork for me to a size that would feed 10 adults and boned and tied it. They gave me the option of mincing some of the meat, dicing it, making sausages etc. I decided to get 2 smaller joints cut and scored and tied and vacuum packed and to portions of diced pork vacuum packed. Talk about value for your euro!!! They scored the meat as well, which is guaranteed to give the best crackling. I'm serving this pork with a sweet apricot stuffing and roast carrots, onions and potatoes.

Serves 10

Ingredients

• 3.5 kg pork shoulder, scored and boned.
• 3 tbsp of sea salt
• 1 tbsp of finely chopped rosemary
• 2 tbsp of thyme leaves
• Salt and Pepper

Vegetables

• 8 carrots, chopped chunky
• 16 potatoes, peeled and quartered, and par boiled.
• 2 cooking onions, quartered with skins on.
• 4 garlic cloves left in their skins

Apricot and Pinenut Stuffing

• 8 dried apricots
• 4 tbsp of pinenuts
• 100g of fresh breadcrumbs
• 4 tbsp of thyme leaves
• 1 cooking onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, finely chopped

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 220 degrees
2. To prepare your meat, turn it upside down and season with salt and pepper.
3. Turn it over skin side up and generously rub in the sea salt, getting it right into the slashes.
4. Place in the oven for 30 minutes
5. After 30 minutes, remove the meat, turn the oven down to 170 degrees and cover the meat with a double layer of tin foil.
6. Cook for 4 and half hours.
7. Meanwhile to make the stuffing, simply sweat the diced onion and garlic on a low heat for 10 minutes.
8. Allow to cool completely. Add remaining stuffing ingredients to a food processor and blitz.
9. Combine the onions and garlic with the blitzed ingredients
10. Add to a loaf tin and cover with tin foil, and place in the oven for the last 30 minutes of cooking the meat.
11. Remove from the oven again after the 4.5 hours, take the pork out of the roasting tin and pour out the fat into a jug
12. Place chunky chopped carrots in the roasting tray and quartered cooking onions.
13. Place the pork back on top of the carrots and cook for further 20 minutes, uncovered.
14. Place quartered par cooked potatoes and garlic in their skins around the meat, and pour th ecooking fat over the meat and the potatoes and return to the oven for a final 40 minutes.
15. Remove the meat from the oven, cover with foil and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
16. Cover the vegetables with foil and keep warm in the oven.
17. Serve with some apricot and pinenut stuffing.
18. For easy serving cut the crackling off the meat and break up. Its difficult to slice the meat as its so tender and just breaks away, best to chop it up and serve it at the centre of the table for your guests to help themselves.

Chorizo and Potato Frittata

This frittata is the perfect solution to a lazy Sunday, where you've slept in past breakfast time and its a little too early for lunch. Its a really easy recipe that's extremely filling. The red oil released from the chorizo, give the eggs a beautiful colour, not to mention a fantastic smoky and spicy flavour. For best results use organic eggs, the difference between the quality of cheap factory eggs and organic eggs is huge.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 medium organic/free range eggs
• Half a spicy chorizo sausage, sliced
• 5-6 baby potatoes
• 1 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley
• Salt/pepper
• A dash of milk

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes from boiling point.
2. Remove the potatoes from the water and allow them to sit for a few mintues for the steam to release so that they dry out a little.
3. Slice the potatoes into thin slices and set aside.
4. Slice the chorizo into even rounds and fry in a pan on a medium heat. No need for oil, as there is enough oil in the chorizo that's released when fried.
5. Add the sliced pototoes to the pan and allow to fry with the chorizo for 2-3 minutes.
6. Break the eggs into a jug/bowl and whisk, adding salt and pepper and a dash of milk.
7. Preheat the grill to medium.
8. Whilst still whisking, pour the egg mixture into the frying pan. This will give the eggs a nice fluffy consistency.
9. Leave the eggs to cook for 2-3 minutes in the pan, scatter over the parsley.
10. Place the frying pan under a grill to finish cooking the top of the eggs, and add some more parsley if you like.
11. This is best served with a mug of coffee and some crusty bread, or a fresh green salad.

       

Chorizo and Potato Frittata

This frittata is the perfect solution to a lazy Sunday, where you've slept in past breakfast time and its a little too early for lunch. Its a really easy recipe that's extremely filling. The red oil released from the chorizo, give the eggs a beautiful colour, not to mention a fantastic smoky and spicy flavour. For best results use organic eggs, the difference between the quality of cheap factory eggs and organic eggs is huge.

Serves 2

Ingredients

• 4 medium organic/free range eggs
• Half a spicy chorizo sausage, sliced
• 5-6 baby potatoes
• 4-5 mushrooms, sliced
• 50g of frozen peas
• 1 tbsp of chopped flat leaf parsley
• Salt/pepper
• A dash of milk

Method

1. Boil the potatoes in salted water for 10 minutes from boiling point.
2. Remove the potatoes from the water and allow them to sit for a few mintues for the steam to release so that they dry out a little.
3. Slice the potatoes into thin slices and set aside.
4. Slice the chorizo into even rounds and fry in a pan on a medium heat. No need for oil, as there is enough oil in the chorizo that's released when fried.
5. Add the sliced pototoes to the pan and allow to fry with the chorizo for 2-3 minutes.
6. Break the eggs into a jug/bowl and whisk, adding salt and pepper and a dash of milk.
7. Preheat the grill to medium.
8. Whilst still whisking, pour the egg mixture into the frying pan. This will give the eggs a nice fluffy consistency.
9. Leave the eggs to cook for 2-3 minutes in the pan, scatter over the parsley.
10. Place the frying pan under a grill to finish cooking the top of the eggs, and add some more parsley if you like.
11. This is best served with a mug of coffee and some crusty bread, or a fresh green salad.

       

Sushi For Beginners

Having had my first trip to Ballymaloe Cookery School for a Sushi course, I’m super excited to tell all. Having never made sushi before, the whole experience was very exciting. For those of you interested in going to a cookery course in Ballymaloe, and wondering should they or not……..do it! Our course was merely an afternoon demonstration, 1pm – 5pm, but in that time I’ve added a new cuisine to my repertoire, and learnt a whole bunch about sushi, from etiquette to styles.

I brought my sister along for moral support. The courses in Ballymaloe do not come cheap, but with two vouchers from lots of friends from my birthdays, I decided to treat Tracy who has a keen interest in cooking and learning sushi. We were greeted with welcome packs and name badges and shown to beautifully decorated table for a ‘light lunch’. Lets put it this way, if that was a light lunch…….then what would be a full-on lunch, or even just a regular lunch!!!! We were given bowls of pea and mint soup to start. Wowzers. De-vine!!! I’m definitely giving that one a try at home! The main course for lunch was buffet. There was amazing salad with courgette flowers, an array of potato salads, roast peppers, beetroot and a sweet sauce, fennel and orange, pickled cucumber to name a few. And the meats!!! Streaky turkey, streaky bacon and my personal favourite, tongue. I was in a brave mood, glad I was, because the tongue was melt in the mouth sublime. As if that feed wasn’t enough, once our plates were licked clean almost, we were ushered to the dessert table, where there was an array of stewed fruits, raspberry coulis, a nutty semifreddo, and what looked like a vanilla parfait. The gooseberry fruit in syrup was delicious, as were the stewed pears. So with our bellies full to the brim, off we went to the demonstration room for an afternoon of sushi. We were sitting in with approx 30 students who were in the middle of a 12 week full time cookery course. (approx €11,000 I saw on the brochure!!!). It wasn’t as intimidating as I imagined. In fact the students go out of their way to make the afternoon gatecrashers welcome, ushering us up to front of lines and just being extra friendly.

When one thinks of sushi, one thinks of raw fish in rolls. When I told my mom that I was going on a sushi course, her reaction was ‘yuk, raw fish?! Disgusting!’ For many people this is a common misconception. It’s not all raw, there doesn’t even have to be fish at all for that matter. This is where my own misconceptions were disregarded. Apparently, sushi isn’t even all about the seaweed rolls. The most important thing about sushi is the rice. The special sushi rice, is what makes sushi, sushi.  Once the rice is mastered, you can pretty much do anything with it. Darina Allen demonstrated this by doing Scattered Sushi. Basically sushi rice scattered on a plate, and a vinegar water mixed through with spring onions and soy, and unconventionally but tasty, mozerella and sundried tomato and basil scattered sushi.

The course was presented by Shermin  Mustafa with Darina Allen. Shermin has a Turkish/Cypriot background, so we were very fortunate to get a taster of a few Turkish dishes also. She made dolma, which is rice and mince beef and spices, stuffed into vine leaves, peppers, onions and aubergines. I’ll definitely be making them. They are my type of food. She also showed a bulgar wheat, and a Turkish flat bread pizza, with the dough made only with flour and natural yogurt.

For  the sushi, we learned that the rice is crucial, and there is a science behind it. The steps need  to be followed to the ‘T’. The rice is the most difficult part to master. Once you perfect the rice making, the rest of sushi make is quite easy really. I’ll try my hand at this rice for the blog, and I think then a sushi dinner party, where guests roll their own is on the cards.

Between herself and Darina, they made a host of sushi dishes, I never saw or heard of, but were actually very easy to make once the rice is correct. Apparently it takes years to perfect the art of sushi making. 7-9 years to become a sushi master, where the skill involved is to get each grain of rice pointing in the same direction. The thought of it really is a mad one, and seems like an impossible task. And having experienced the art of sushi making now, I give totally respect to sushi masters.

During the break of the course, students were invited to come to the top of the class to have a go at rolling the sushi with different ingredients. Myself and Tracy only jumped at the chance to give it a try. Shermin came over to watch we were doing it correctly, and we didn’t do half bad for first time rollers. I’ll definitely but scooting to Tesco to by my seeweed and rolling mat.

At the end of the course, we all queued up with our chop sticks and plates to sample all the yummy dishes made during the afternoon. It was definitely a day of firsts, with me trying raw tuna and raw salmon in rolls as well. So glad again that I did because they were fab, and so healthy. Though I did take a little too much wasabi at one point and nearly choked on the heat of it.

All in all, it was a thoroughly enjoyable afternoon, and great to learn a new skill too. I’ll definitely be tring them out sooner rather than later, I’ll keep ye posted!

Pesto Goats Cheese Puff Rolls

These goats cheese pastry rolls are simply perfect for canapés, but it could work equally as well as an elegant starter, just make the rolls bigger, just add some leafage.They aren't my lowest fat recipe by a long short, but for a treat and for entertaining, they are fantastic.They can be prepared in minutes, making cooking for a crowd less pressurised. They also keep well, and once refridgerated, they came be consumed the following day. They are just as delicious warm as they are cook, so the preference is yours.

Ingredients

• 1 rolled sheet of puff pastry
• 2 tbsp of good quality pesto (alternatively check out my earlier pesto recipe)
• 4 sundried tomatoes roughly chopped
• 200g of goats cheese, roughly chopped
• 3 tbsp of pine nuts
• 1 beaten egg to glaze.

Method

1. Preheat oven to180 degrees
2. Line a baking tray with parchment paper
3. Lay out the pastry on a floured surface
4. Spread the pesto over the full surface of the pastry
5. Scatter randomly with goats cheese, pine nuts and the sundried tomatoes
6. Fold the pasty at each end, half way towards the centre, then fold again, so each end meets at the centre.
7. Then lay one end on top of the other and slice in one clean swoop, into bitesize pieces.
8. Place cut side up on baking tray, careful not to touch each other.
9. Glaze with egg wash and place in oven for 12-15 minutes.
10. Remove from oven and cool on wire rack

Heaven in bitesize - Cream Puff Squares

These are the most simplest, yet visually impressive sweet treat. They are a doddle to make and are prepared from start to finish in under 30 minutes. and lets put it this way, if I can make these................. then anyone can. I'm using pre made pastry. Pastry is such a finiky business. Chefs can spend years in France learning how to make the perfect pastry. Seeing as I am no chef, I'm definitely taking the express route. The way I see it, if the store bought one is good....then why kill your self making a pastry.........if nothing else think of the washing up you spare yourself :)

Ingredients

• 1 sheet of ready rolled puff pastry
• 1 pint of whipping cream
• 3 tbsp of caster sugar
• 1 egg, beaten for glazing
• Berries to decorate
• Icing sugar to decorate

Method

1. Defrost the pastry (if using frozen) according to packet instructions.
2. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
3. Lay out the pastry sheet, and cut into first even strips, then horizontally into even squares
4. On a floured baking tray, spread the squares out careful they not touching.
5. Prick each square with a fork to prevent too much rising
6. Brush the beaten egg on each square. Be careful not to spread the egg wash on the sides though, just the top.
7. Pop in the oven for 10-12 minutes
8. Meanwhile, to make the cream filling, whip the cream to soft peaks, adding a little sugar at a time.
9. Once the squares are ready, pop them on a wire rack to cool.
10. When they are fully cooled, take a butter knife and half them, leaving you with a sandwich
11. Put a dollop of cream one sqaure, cover it with its top, add more cream on the top and then decorate with some berries.
12. To finish, put some icing sugar in a sieve and sprinkle over the finish dish.

Now, how impressive is that!!

Old Fashioned Tea Party

I’ve been absent of late on posts due to a busy work schedule, and some wedding organisation, this coupled with planning the menu for an old fashioned tea party for my Hen weekend. So anyways, logged back into the matrix now and have tonnes of recipes to talk about. For those of you who may follow me you will know that I do not have a sweet tooth and baking is not my forte at all. But with the Tea Party looming closer, I decided to give baking another try, with the help of my most creative sister Tracy. Plus, it gave me the opportunity to try out my new Magimix food processor, bought for me by my wonderful fiancé. (Yes I realise I’m spoilt).

So the theme for the tea party was 50’s/Stepford Wives. It was great fun to dress up in old fashioned tea party attire, and really get into the spirit of things. Tracy’s extremely talented and creative friend Emma, was appointed art director of the shindig and she came up trumps with paper mache lanterns, old fashioned cushions and vintage style  tea cups and tea pots, which she hung from the lights by ribbons. Tracy selected an amazing flower arrangement and was in charge of the table décor. It was beginning to truly look like a scene from a high society 1950s tea party.

So now for the food, on the menu were both sweet and savoury treats. This is where I come in………..

Cream Pastry Puffs

Pesto Goats cheese rolls

Smoked salmon & cream cheese on soda bread

Chicken & Basil Mayo sandwiches

Love heart Scones

Lemon cupcakes with Pink butter cream frosting

Blueberry cupcakes with blueberry butter cream frosting

Tea buns with iced tops

Chocolate cake

Baileys cheese cake

Irish Tea

Green Tea

Berry Tea

Bellini cocktails

Now I didn’t make everything on the list, but what I did make, I’ll certainly post the recipes, and if I’m lucky the other contributors might share their recipes with me, and in turn I’ll share with you. As you don’t want to miss out on those heart scones and those blueberry cupcakes.

We ate and drank till our bellies were full, it was such an elegant relaxed affair, I enjoyed every minute of it and I hope that all my ladies, especially my Mom & my bridesmaids, Tracy, Lisa and Paula know that I really appreciated all their hard work. Oh, of course, a shout out to Emma for her effort in the area of things arty, and Sarah and Gillian for their yummy contributions to the table.

The fun definitely didn’t stop there, for those of you who think that it sounds like a terribly refined Hen Party. The champagne cruise around the Lakes of Killarney was epic, the mojitos and daquiris delish, the food in Robertinos, scrummy, and the dancing in the Crypt niteclub, hilarious!!!!!!

For those of you looking for something unique to do for a dear friend, then may I recommend an old fashioned tea party! I’m unbelievably calorie conscious, but just this one time I did allow myself to indulge, and boy did I ever!!!!!