Irish Blog full of easy recipes & a little romance – by Irish Author – Sheila Kiely
Author: sheila kiely
Irish Author - Dubut romantic fiction novel 'Good Enough' published in 2021.
'Gimme Dinner' a collection of 50 great dinner recipes published in 2022.
'Enjoy' published by Mercier Press in 2016 .'Gimme the Recipe' published in 2012. Work in admin of our Food Safety Consultancy business - Industrial Management Systems with my husband Denis.
This week I celebrated the release of my second cookbook ‘Enjoy!’ (food you’ll love) at Puccino’s Cafe in conjunction with Easons bookshop in Ballincollig, Co. Cork. I’m blessed with a very supportive group of friends and family many of whom took time off and cut holidays short to be there to celebrate with me. I’m sure you’ll agree that though these gatherings may be rare they are cherished in the memory box of happy times and perhaps also captured by some photograph to be revisited from time to time. Life is busy but it’s important to stop the clock sometimes, to step out of the schedule and just Enjoy!
Mary Feehan MD Mercier Press & Sheila Kiely author of Enjoy! & Gimme the Recipe at Puccino’s Cafe / Easons Bookshop Ballincollig 31st March 2016
My book is all about taking as much pleasure as you can from the food you are about to prepare and eat. It is packed full of the food that I love to eat and I hope you will love it too.
If you happen to be in the vicinity of Cork City next weekend I would love you to stop by Waterstone’s Bookshop on Patrick Street in Cork City where I’ll be sharing some samples for you to taste and also signing Enjoy! It’s at 2.30 to 4.30pm on Saturday 9th April.
Would love to see you there!
‘Til next time, Sheila
Enjoy!
Hmmm Easter. Eggs. Chocolate. I know, I’ll make some cute chocolatey meringue nests and will fill them with sweetness and appeal to kids. After all Easter Eggs are just for the kids, right? Yeah right. Much as you swear you will not attack, a crumb passes your lips and then you are finished, you swoop and crack piece after piece until the egg has disappeared and you dissolve into a chocolate coma much like the indulgent town mayor in this scene from Chocolat.
My plans for meringue nests soon changed as after several minutes of beating egg whites with sugar and cocoa powder I realised that nope, fluffy meringue was not about to happen – I think it was the weight of the cocoa powder. So what to do but to throw in some flour and the egg yolks and fill some heart-shaped cases for chocolate buns. They looked good as they came out of the oven but upon tasting them I realised that I had forgotten to add some butter – disaster. The cakes were over spongey and it was difficult to get them out of the cases but I persevered. There was surely something that could be done to salvage the situation. And the answer was cream and fruit. One of my all time favourite desserts is simply fresh fruit and cream, you just can’t go wrong with it. I sliced my hearts in two so they became platforms for a good dolloping of fresh Irish cream and some succulent pear slices adorned with shavings of chocolate and one of my favourite chocolate sweets. I may have hailed these a scrumptious triumph in the title but they weren’t really. They were grand. They were alright but at least they didn’t head in the direction of the bin and each one was a sweet mouthful enjoyed with a cup of tea.
On occasion things will go wrong in the kitchen but unless you’ve absolutely cremated the dish beyond recognition there is usually something you can do to alter and turn it towards a palatable direction. Don’t despair, believe in yourself and you will be able to turn every disaster to triumph.
‘Til next time, Sheila.
What is ‘farmer cheese’ you may well ask, as did I. Imen McDonnell the author of ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ explains it as a simple cheese made with just raw milk and white vinegar.
Have no fear, I did not dip my toe in the whey of cheese-making and asked instead for a suitable substitute and was told either a cottage cheese or a soft goat’s cheese and I opted for the latter. Ardsallagh is one of my favourite Irish cheeses and in advance of making this recipe I was lavishing it on toasted sesame bagels embellished with red onion relish. Divine. The other cheeses pictured grated above are gruyere and parmesan. Also pictured is a set of measuring cups. I picked these up eons ago because I liked how they look but most of my baking etc. is done in grams or ounces so I usually use a scales. Today I pulled out the cups and used both and found measuring flour by the scoopful is much faster than having to weigh it out. Imen McDonnell is an American living in Ireland and has just launched her cookbook ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ on both sides of the Atlantic hence my use of cups though they are not a necessity as Imen gives metric measurements too.
I hope you are as impressed as I am by my beautifully risen and golden souffles (just ignore the tad overdone one bottom-right please, still tasted delicious). Sublime. Knowing that oven heat is all important in souffle making I made sure my oven was pre-heating in advance of starting to cook. Milk and cream was infused with carrot, onion, herbs and peppercorns and allowed to cool. A roux was made and coaxed into a silken sauce with the infused creamy milk, then joined by the grated and crumbled cheeses, egg yolks and finally whisked egg whites. My mixture filled 9 standard kitchen ramekins plus 2 slightly larger ones.
I made these on a leisurely Sunday morning when the eight of us were all around to enjoy them served with crispy bacon and golden buttery mushrooms.
Imen’s book is breathtakingly beautiful. When you peruse it first you might think it’s one for the coffee table, starting off with a chapter on Traditional Dairy Skills not only informing you on dairy products such as buttermilk, various cheeses, butter, yoghurt and ice-cream etc. but also teaching you how to make them if you will. But as you move onwards the chapter ‘In the Bread Box’ presents you with a variety of breads, scones and baked goods with images that have you declaring ‘I’m going to try that.’ Onwards through the potato patch into the ‘Orchard’, a chapter then ‘From the Sea’ followed by a foray into foraging if you’re up for gathering wild garlic, nettles perhaps, lavender maybe, wild hazlenuts and crab apples etc. For now I will mostly be an armchair forager as that much wilderness is not outside my door but I usually do get to raid the hedgerows in West Cork towards the end of the summer and we have been known to make jams and pies from foraged fruits. Moving from armchair onwards to a chapter on ‘Sweet and Savoury Pies and Tarts’ with recipes for the various pie crusts and some amazing looking pies there’s plenty here to please. Country Suppers is where the ‘Irish Farmer Cheese Souffle’ is nestled though we had ours for breakfast. Imen’s photography is stunning (see the image at the end of this post).
The picture of the ‘McDonnell Family Christmas Pudding’ has you wishing for a Christmas dusted with snow and full of stuffed roasts followed by decadent cakes. There’s a glorious chapter called ‘Puddings, Cakes and Confections’ which stating the obvious is laden with temptation including Imen’s spectacular ‘Rich Chocolate ButterMilk Cake.’
Having tried the souffle I can’t wait to try more. Imen’s instruction is clear and easy to follow and even if you don’t feel like cooking just pull up a stool and a mug of coffee and she will speak to you through each recipe introduction and after you’ve flicked through go back to the beginning and read how ‘Girl Meets Farmer’ and how this American girl ends up living ‘with grace in the Irish countryside.’
A beautiful book.
Here is the recipe for IRISH FARMER CHEESE SOUFFLÉ from ‘The Farmette Cookbook’ by Imen McDonnell.
Makes eight 6-ounce (177-ml) ramekins or one 2-quart (17.75-liter) soufflé
5 tablespoons butter, plus extra for greasing the ramekins
1 cup (240 ml) heavy cream
1 cup (240 ml) milk
1 small carrot, peeled and diced
1 small onion, quartered
4 to 5 black peppercorns
1 lemon thyme sprig with flowers, if in season, a few flat-leaf parsley stalks, and 1 bay leaf
½ cup (60 g) all-purpose flour
5 large organic eggs, separated
1 cup (110 g) farmer cheese, crumbled
¾ cup (75 g) Gruyère cheese, finely grated
½ cup (50 g) mature Parmesan or Coolea cheese, finely grated
Generous pinch of salt, cayenne, freshly ground black pepper, and nutmeg
2 teaspoons fresh lemon thyme leaves and flowers, for garnish
Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C). Brush the bottom and sides of six 3-inch-deep ramekins (or six soup bowls) with melted butter; set aside.
Pour the cream and milk into a saucepan, add the carrot, onion, peppercorns, and fresh herbs. Bring slowly to a boil over low heat, then remove from the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. Strain, discarding the flavorings.
Melt the butter, stir in the flour, and cook for 1 or 2 minutes. Whisk in the strained cream and milk, bring to a boil, and whisk until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and cool slightly. Add the egg yolks, farmer cheese, Gruyère cheese, and most of the Parmesan or Coolea cheese (reserving some for the topping). Season with salt, peppers, and nutmeg. Taste and correct the seasoning if needed.
Whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, and fold them gently into the mixture to make a loose consistency. Spoon into the prepared dishes, scatter the lemon thyme leaves on top, and sprinkle with the reserved Parmesan or Coolea cheese.
Bake for 12 to 15 minutes (9 to 11 minutes for the individual soufflés), or until the sides and top are nicely puffed up and golden—the center should still be creamy. Garnish with lemon thyme leaves and flowers, and serve immediately.
Disclosure:
Image and Recipe were furnished to me by a PR company for Bord Bia however the book review was unsolicited and book I used is my own copy of ‘The Farmette Cookbook.’ I was not asked to review this book. I only write about and promote what I LOVE!!!
Bacon, Spinach and Potato Frittata This delicious looking dish has been provided by Bord Bia and looks just right in advance of all things Patriotic and Green. We are headed for an exciting and eventful few weeks with St Patrick’s Day followed very quickly by numerous commemoration events all around the country for the 1916 rising (click that events link for info).
Okay, enough with the historic and back to the food. Using Irish eggs, bacon and ham, potatoes, cheese, spinach (or you could use kale) I would encourage you to use Irish rapeseed oil in the cooking of this meal to celebrate a simple, delicious, Irish meal with the best of Irish ingredients.
The recipe here says 2 large potatoes peeled and cooked – that would mean boiling until tender – I would cheat on this and use 10 or so baby Irish potatoes, unpeeled, sprinkled with water and microwaved until tender – 6 to 8 minutes – depending on how many you put in the microwave and its wattage so check after 5 minutes. I would use them thickly sliced keeping their skins on for added fibre.
Image provided by Bord Bia
Bacon, Spinach and Potato Frittata
Time: 30 minutes
Serves 4
You will need:
125g Bord Bia Quality Assured bacon lardons, streaky bacon rashers, chopped or cooked ham, chopped
1-2 tablesp. rapeseed or olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 large potatoes, peeled, cooked and allowed to cool
150g spinach, washed and roughly torn
10 eggs
85g cheddar cheese, grated
A little salt and black pepper
To Serve: Green salad and wholemeal or crusty bread
Method:
Preheat the grill.
Heat a little oil in a medium, non-stick frying pan (approx. 24 cm). Add the onion and bacon and cook for about 5 minutes over a medium heat. Cut the potatoes into cubes about 1 cm thick. Add a little more oil to the pan then add in the potatoes. Allow to cook for another 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir through about half the spinach.
In a bowl beat the eggs, then stir in half the cheese, the rest of the spinach and a little salt and black pepper.
Add the egg mixture to the pan. Move the pan around to let the egg mixture run in under the potatoes and get to the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle over the remaining cheese. Turn the heat to low, then cook for about 10 minutes until nearly set. Place under a medium grill, and cook for about another 10 minutes until the top is set and golden
Slice into wedges and serve with a green salad and bread.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila
If ‘con’ means with then ‘sin’ means without in Spanish – at least according to wikipedia. If it’s wrong you know who to blame and it isn’t me. So ‘Chilli Sin Carne’ is chilli without meat.
My eldest is in college, living away from home during the week and cooking for himself. Over the last few years he and his friends have become more interested in their diet and especially protein in the interests of bulking up. I blame you Conor McGregor. They are also pretty interested in going out which requires funds hence the lack of dosh for procuring premium beef. This is where a packet of Soya Mince pops up in the shopping trolley, a good alternative source of protein and cheap enough for a student on a budget.
Soya mince needs to be given a huge kick of flavour as it has none of it’s own, tasting like what I imagine sawdust would taste like but then I’m not about to prove that.
I’ve tried it successfully in this chilli recipe and didn’t tell the guinea pigs kids what it was before they tried it and it went down well. This is for you Johnnie:
Chilli Sin Carne
Serves 4 You will need:
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 red onion
2 cloves garlic
2 tsp mild chilli powder
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp dried oregano
2 red peppers
2 tbsp tomato puree
100g soya mince
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1 tin red kidney beans
500ml vegetable stock Method:
Peel and finely chop the red onion.
Heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan to a medium heat, add the onion turn down the heat and leave to soften for 5 minutes.
Peel and crush or mince the garlic cloves and add to the softening onion.
After a few minutes add the spices – chilli powder, coriander, paprika and oregano and stir well.
Deseed and cube the red peppers and add into the spiced onions.
Mix in the soya mince and tomato puree turning the heat up to medium stirring well, imparting flavour to the soya mince, after a couple of minutes add the chopped tomatoes, red kidney beans and vegetable stock. Raise the heat until it bubbles and then reduce heat to simmer for a further 20 minutes at least adding more water if it looks too dry.
Serve with rice.
Also good in a wrap with a dollop of sour cream and fresh chopped coriander.
Enjoy!
‘Til next time, Sheila.
