I love balls.

Meatballs to be precise. Don't know what you were thinking. This is, however, only a recent liking. I don't know where (maybe a restaurant, or friends house) but when I was younger, all I remember of meatballs were that they dry, hard bullets of overcooked, under seasoned meat. We stopped eating beef when I was relatively young. This was because my mother developed a severe allergic reaction to it (think anaphylatic shock). As such I never really developed a taste for beef, except in its purest form - steak. Man I could eat medium rare steak till the cows (metaphorically) come home (that was slightly off topic). It took my mam a while to try using pork or lamb mince for making burgers but we never used it for meatballs. 

While perusing Pintrest one evening I came across a recipe that looked interesting..meatballs in a spicy sauce. Tried it, and fell in love with meatballs. There's something about well cooked, seasoned meatballs that attract my sense of OCD. It's not all messy and mushy like spag bol, mince flying all over the place. Nope, the mince is parcelled nicely into bite sized balls and don't require fiddly chopping. Chopping balls should never happen. 

The particular recipe that I'm going to give here was firstly tried out this last weekend for a house warming party. Me and my friends do try to be grown up when the occasion calls for it. So it wouldn't be just a drinking party..nope, soakage would be provided. (Classy we are). Anyways my contribution to house warming gifts would be shallot, gouda and wild garlic pesto bruschetta, chilli cheese fries with a homemade ranch dressing, spicy meatballs in a bourbon sauce and the mojito macarons. I'll get around to posting the recipes for the others at some point, but the meatballs can be eaten for any mid week meal and can be frozen too. 

WARNING: Make sure to have the food before the drinking..I'm not being held responsible for drunken oven usage.

Makes: a lot. small meatballs - 40 bite sized balls.
You will need:
for the meatballs :
2 lbs of minced meat (beef, lamb or pork)
one medium red onion
4 garlic cloves minced finely
2 tsp chili flakes
2tsp paprika
2tsp cumin
2tsp mustard powder
2tsp Worcestershire sauce
2tsp oregano
1tsp chilli powder
pinch cayanne pepper

For the sauce:
240ml keptchup
220g brown sugar (i used dark brown sugar)
120ml bourbon
2tsp lemon juice
2tsp Worcestershire sauce

1. Dice the onion and garlic finely and fry in a little olive oil (2tsp) over a low heat until very soft. Remove from the heat and cool fully.
2. While you're waiting for the onions to cool, make the sauce. Put all the ingredients into a bowl and mix well.

3. In a large bowl, put the mince and all the other ingredients for the meatballs. Add the onion mixture when cool. Mush together with your hands untill well mixed. (some people find it gross to handle raw meat, I'm that way with chicken but mince is kinda fun in a totally inappropriate way)

4. Form the mince into small balls. 

5. Fry off the meatballs in batches in a large frying pan until browned on the outside. ( they don't need to be cooked the whole way through, this will happened in the sauce)
6.When all the meatballs have been browned, transfer to a slow cooker or casserole dish and add the sauce. 

7. Cook uncovered on a medium heat (i.e. bubbling) for at least an hour until the sauce has reduced and the smell of the bourbon has turned sweet. 
8. These can easily be reheated in the oven or on the hob and can be frozen either before the meatball are cooked or afterwards with the sauce. 

9. Serve with cocktail sticks and a beer - perfect football/party/finger food. 

Mojito Macarons. Yes.

The first time I ever had a macaron was in a small village in Alsace. The town was a typical French medieval village, all stone and wood and small narrow streets.  It was a sleepy little town, surviving on tourism and wine making and wine tourism. The place was festooned with storks. All over the place the long gangly birds kept watch from roof tops.

And in the centre of this village were two shops (there were more obviously but there are only two I want to talk about). The first was a bakery, small, plain and homely. We got talking to the owner/baker, who it turned out had worked in America for ten years and was also the world champion (his words) for making a traditional Alsatian sweet bread, Koglehof. The best was to describe Koglehof is to compare it to Pannetone. All sweet buttery bread studded with brandy soaked fruit..sigh....foodgasm thinking about it.

Across the road from his bakery was a modern, brightly lit shop front. In the window was towers of pastel shaded macaroons. Pale green, pink, blue, yellow, flavoured with pistachios, cassis, strawberry and mint. The shop was a symbol of modern France. Franchises taking over small rural towns,family run business, around for generations being swallowed up by the capitalist machine. This particular shop had branches in many towns all over France. Their stock, no doubt made in a factory and delieverd each morning for distribution. While there is nothing wrong with the quality of the product...there is still something much nicer about purchasing handmade produce from a local artisan.

As well as food, there is nothing nicer to enjoy on holidays than cocktails. And nothing says summer than mojtios. A good friend of mine (Lisa ;) ) made the most amazingly potent mojtios I think I'v ever had. Rum, Ice, Lime and Sugar. Thats it. And boy are they amazing!! So to combine two holiday favourites..mojito macarons!

Macarons are notoriously fiddly. Even though it's only meringue and a simple filling so much can go wrong. I'll state it now..they're time consuming. But if they turn out right, they are so satisfying. A real sense of achievement. So before the recipe, some tips that need to be followed.

1. blitz the icing sugar and almonds together for about 5 mins in a food processor. Then sieve. DON'T SKIP THIS STEP.
2. Its best to use egg whites that are a day or two old. (not sure why but the texture is better)
3. Buy a good pipping bag.
4. don't divide the recipe to make different flavours. The measurements need to be completely correct

This recipe makes 120 shells at 2 cm diameter. (so 60 macaroons in all) but you make make them bigger or smaller.

Ingredients

For the macaron shells:Green food colouring
100g room temperature egg whites (take them out of the fridge 2h beforehand)
66g caster sugar
120g ground almonds
180g icing sugar
Raw sugar or golden granulated sugar, to decorate

For the ganache filling:Small handful of fresh mint leaves (about 4-5 sprigs or 10g)
40g whipping cream
150g white chocolate
40g white rum
2 drops mint extract (optional)

Directions

To make the macaron shells:1.  Line three or four flat baking sheets with baking paper and set aside.  Prepare a piping bag with a plain round piping tip.  

2.  Blend the icing sugar and ground almonds together (don’t skip this step!).  Sift them through a medium sieve into a large bowl.  Sift them again if necessary.

3.  Make the French meringue by whisking the egg whites into glossy firm peaks, gradually adding the caster sugar. This takes about 5 minutes. 

4.  Incorporate the French meringue into the dry ingredients using a large spatula and mix well. Add the food colouring. Now work on the mixture by pressing down well with the spatula, going backwards and forwards, to press out the oxygen from the egg whites (this is the macaronnage stage), until you have a smooth mixture.  Don’t do this for longer than 5 minutes.  The result should be a soft and brilliant mixture that forms a “ribbon” on the spatula.

5.  Transfer the mixture to the previously prepared piping bag and pipe out the desired size of rounds (mine were about 1.5-2cm in diameter).  Press the nozzle right down on the paper and finish off with a flourish to obtain a nice round.  Leave a good space between them so they can spread out.

6.  Bang the tray down to release trapped air. leave the shells to set for about an hour.(this helps to produce the feet).  Preheat the oven to fan-oven 160°C  (gas 3).  When you can feel that a skin has formed over the top, they are ready to go into the oven.

7.  Bake one tray at a time in the centre of the oven for about 8-10 mins (to see if they are done, touch the top – if there is a “wobble,” leave them in 2-3 mins longer).  Leave them to cool on the baking trays, and when they are completely cool, carefully remove them and pair them up by size.

To make the ganache filling:8.  Whilst the macarons are setting and cooking, make the ganache filling.  Remove the mint leaves from their stalks if necessary, and finely chop.  Set aside.

9.  Heat the cream, and as soon as it starts boiling, add the white chocolate (broken into pieces), the rum and mint extract and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth (don’t let it boil or you will boil off the alcohol and we wouldn’t want that now, would we?).  Once smooth, stir in the chopped mint leaves.  Allow the mixture to thicken in the fridge (or freezer if necessary).

10.  Once cool, use a teaspoon to deposit a dollop of ganache onto one shell of each pair.  Then place the partner shell on top, and use a slight twisting motion to squash the shell down onto the filling.

11.  Leave in the fridge for at least 24h before serving

Enjoy! 

Mexican spiced vegetarian stuffed peppers..drool

When I was eight our family holiday was, as usual, to France. But this year it was going to be slightly different. Instead of taking the ferry from Ringaskiddy to Roscoff, we were going through England. Why? Because, my friends, I was been taken to Disneyland. Even now, I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who'd get excited by the thought of a trip to the land of dreams (actual dreams not possibility dreams like America). I was so excited by the thought that I didn't sleep for a month before hand. I wasn't quite sure what to expect, and without the internet I wasn't able to check, but hell, it was Disneyland! It was going to be awesome. 

On our journey through England, we were to stop off at my aunt and her husband in London. This would be my first time in the English capital and my first time visiting them. Usually I'd only see them once a year when they came home to Ireland during her school break. I'm not going to lie..my aunt's husband terrified me when I was little.  He was over 6 foot and Egyptian. I don't know if it was a cultural thing or not but   I was a very shy child and he was a very straightforward and blunt man.It felt I was on trial at every visit.

 As part of that visit to them in London we were to go for dinner. After we arrived at their house following a tumultuous journey which included a 4 hour delay after mam put petrol into the diesel car, things on the food front got off to a bad start. Anyone that knows me, knows that I NEVER turn down tea. Unless I'm suffering a particularly bad bout of the flu. It never occurred to my eight year old brain that there would be any other type of tea other than Barry's or Lyons. FYI I'm a Lyon's girl.

 Anyways..what I got was neither of those. Oh god. It still haunts me. It was...Earl Grey. With MILK. I gagged. That's not a taste anyone should have to suffer. EVER. 

I should have cut my losses, played the tired child card and gone to bed. But no..Dinner. Now, I don't remember anything about the dinner,..I'm sure it was perfectly fine..but what I do remember .was the roasted peppers. Ok..so for a foodie to admit this is big..but I HATED peppers when I was little. I mean, really really despised them. But whether it was a cultural thing or a personality thing I was forced to eat one by my aunt's husband. This time I did actually get sick. That was traumatic. It put me off peppers for a good ten years. 

I'll be the first to admit that I was wrong about peppers they're lovely (apart from the green ones...they're not meant to be eaten people, they're not RIPE!) and for a healthy, simple, easy and delicious dinner there is nothing nicer than a stuffed pepper. You can stuff them with anything from minced meat to quinoa but this particular version is filled with caramelised spicy onions, goats cheese and breadcrumbs. They can be prepared in advance so can be served as a starter for a dinner party or made the night before for a midweek dinner. 

Either serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a main 

You will need:

2 peppers (the long thin ones)

2 slices of white bread with the crusts removed

2tbsp olive oil

2 banana shallots or 4 small regular shallots chopped finely

8 fresh thyme springs, leaves picked and roughly chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 heaped tsp chipotles en adobo or chipotles paste (tesco stocks this)

*this is what I use>

Juice of 1/2 a lemon

120g goats cheese crumbled (for vegetarians, use vegetarian goats cheese)

75g grated vegetarian Parmesan style cheese

1. Halve the peppers lengthways and remove the seeds. Plunge them in boiling salted water for 2-3 mins to blanch.Refresh in cold water. Then drain. This will soften them.

2. Meanwhile, whizz the bread in a blender to make breadcrumbs. 

3.Heat olive oil in a frying pan over a low heat. Add the shallot, thyme and some seasoning. Cook for 10 minutes until the shallots are soft. Add the garlic and chipotles and cook fo ranother 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. 

4. When the mixture has cooled, stir in the lemon juice and then the goats cheese.

5. Place the peppers in a shallow baking dish. Divide the stuffing between the peppers and scatter  with the breadcrumbs. 

6.When you're getting ready to eat preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinke with the grated cheese. Bake for 20-25 minutes until golden. 

Raspberry and coconut..best combination ever?

When I was younger and attending my babysitters I have few very clear memories. One, is when I cut my own fringe and ended up with less hair on my head than a Buddist monk. Another, is  the vivid smell of freshly cut grass on a summers evening and the beginning notes of the Live with Pat Kenny show on a morning, usually accompanied with the click of the boiled kettle. One of the clearest memories though is food related.

My babysitter had three children and one of these was a girl who had taken Home Ec. She was still in school while I was there and was always completed baking projects for class. One of the most vivid early memories of baking I have comes from this time. I must have been of school going age, because we came into the house in the early afternoon to the smell of freshly baked goods. It was the meltingly beautiful smell of butter and sugar. Now..I never remember being given any of her other baked good but this I do. They were little fairy cakes (buns). BUT they were jam and dessicated coconut versions. I'm convinced that's where my love affair with coconut began. It took me years to identify what coconut was. Living in rural Ireland in the early to late 90's, coconut was not a common ingredient. Anyway, I will never forget the moment I tasted that fairy cake. IT WAS DELICIOUS. And so freaking simple. I remember thinking when I started secondary school that I'd get to make those very same buns. As it turned out we didn't and it took me years to find a similar recipe..but they weren't the same..until I found something that replicated the flavours..just in a different format.

Its a recipe that makes you feel better just looking at it. Cause it's simple. And it's satisfying. And it takes no more than an hour. Then, you have something to chew on over a cup of tea and ponder the important things in life. Like who was the first person to eat an octopus. Or decided running a marathon was fun. Or that people can be trusted. Life.

You will need:

For the base:
100g butter
200g self raising flour
50g caster sugar
2 egg yolks

for the topping:
7tbsp raspberry jam
3 egg whites
100g caster sugar
150g dessicated coconut
Toasted coconut flakes (optional)

1.Preheat the oven 180C/Gas 4. Grease a deep, non-stick baking tin (17 by 27 by 4)
2.In a large bowl, rub the butter into the flour, then stir in the sugar.

 Mix in the egg yolks with 2tbsp cold water to form a moist dough. Press evenly into the base of the tin, and spread the jam on top.

3.In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites to soft peaks.Use a large metal spoon, fold in the sugar and coconut. Spread over the jam, and sprinkle with the toasted flakes if using. Bake for 20 minutes, or until golden. Cool in the tin and cut into squares.

Enjoy with tea and ponder the strange unfairness and joys of the world.

Home-made Wurther's Originals (kinda)

Phew..I deserve this glass of wine. While achieving the goal of the walking to Rivendell (not reallly) in the last 87 days, I figure I should relax and put my feet up. 397 miles is no mean feat. I started the jounrney on foot of a life changing event and have ended it with a new persecptive on life. No, I won't bore you with the self-helpy preaching but setting a goal when your life is turned upside down is a good thing. It focuses your mind and stops you dwelling. And also, it's a Friday night, I'm boring and want to enjoy watching Top Gear. And it's much more fun with alcohol. 

In a previous life of a Friday evening I'd bring my Granny to bingo. This is a long time ago..when there was Bingo in Straide..and that was A LONG time ago. Now, I know what you're thinking..Bingo? WTF? what kid goes to Bingo? but truth be told, I liked going with my Granny..cause I like spending time with her. And I won money. It was all good. And at the break in the bingo when they'd sell raffle tickets and people would head to the '''shop'' we'd crack open the bag of Wurther's Orignals and have a few. Wurther's are ridiculously adivcitve once you start eating them, and I've never been able to figure out why.. I mean they're butter caramel..it's like a sugar overload. But they're soooo good. Plus, I think it's the adverts. Everyone remembers them..and have a nostalgic memory of them..even if they've never eaten a single one their life. The grandad in the ad is just so damn adorable! 

So when I was bringing my grandmother to an appointment during the week the topic of sweets came up. I'm not sure how or why, but it reminded me of the Wurthers. And so I began to wonder..can you make them yourselves? I done a few internet searches..but not that succesffully, so then I tied Pintrest. Eurreka! A possible recipe. 

Now..its Autumn..and what do you think of when you think of Autumn? Apples. And when you think of apples? Cider. So what better than Salted cinnamon Apple cider caramels?


you will need:
945ml cider
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 tsp flaky sea salt
115g unsalted butter, chopped
200g granulated sugar
100g light brown sugar
80ml double cream

1.Boil the apple cider in a 3- to- 4- quart saucepan over high heat until it is reduced to a dark, thick syrup, between 1/3 and 1/2 cup in volume. This takes about 35 to 40 minutes on my stove. Stir occasionally

2.Meanwhile, get your other ingredients in order, because you won’t have time to spare once the candy is cooking. Line the bottom and sides of an 8- inch straight- sided square metal baking pan with sheets of parchment. Set it aside. Stir the cinnamon and flaky salt together in a small dish.

3.Once you are finished reducing the apple cider, remove it from the heat and stir in the butter, sugars, and heavy cream. Return the pot to medium- high heat with a candy thermometer attached to the side, and let it boil until the thermometer reads 252 degrees, only about 5 minutes. Keep a close eye on it. (If you don’t have a candy or deep- fry thermometer, have a bowl of very cold water ready, and cook the caramel until a tiny spoonful dropped into the water becomes firm, chewy, and able to be plied into a ball.)

4.Immediately remove caramel from heat, add the cinnamon- salt mixture, and give the caramel several stirs to distribute it evenly. Pour caramel into the prepared pan. Let it sit until cool and firm—about 2 hours, though it goes faster in the fridge. 

5.Once caramel is firm, use your parchment paper sling to transfer the block to a cutting board. Use a well- oiled knife, oiling it after each cut, to cut the caramel into 1-by-1-inch squares. Wrap each one in a 4-inch square of waxed paper, twisting the sides to close. Caramels will be somewhat on the soft side at room temperature, and chewy/firm from the fridge.

The solution to all of life's problems?

You know when someone or something makes you angry? I mean really, really, angry. When you're so pissed off that you actually run out of words and the ability to speak is replaced with an uncontrollable desire to smash plates or faces or walls. The type of anger that only comes around once or twice in your life (or monthly depending on how things go for you).
There are two options with this type of anger. You can succumb to it..which may result in having to buy a whole kitchen worth of crockery or a restraining order and time in court..OR you can beat the crap out of a punch bag(or pillow) and then use the remaining energy to create something fabulous. Or two things fabulous, which will both sooth and relax you and make you forget why you were angry in the first place. Because nothing could be wrong in a world that contains these two beauts.

The first is a seasonal recipe. Summer to be precise, but who doesn't want a bit of sunshine on the darker days of autumn and winter. It is also alcoholic. Win win. The second is a Asian salad which can soak up the alcohol.
I love making cocktails. Especially ones that aren't easily available in rural Ireland. Every back street pub can throw together a mediocre Mojito or Sex on the Beach (And charge handsomely for it). So on a trip to Dublin this year I was lucky enough to stay in a fabulous hotel who's cocktail bar was sheer nirvana. The cocktail menu was 5 pages long, peppered with ingredients I never knew existed and I had great fun picking out cocktails for me and my mother. The only problem was that 2 cocktails set me back 20 euro..so I savoured them.

This cocktail is a take on the traditional pairing of peaches and cream. The problem with peaches in Ireland is that no matter when you by them, even at the height of the season, they are always under-ripe. Nothing nice about a hard peach. One of the nastiest things available.

You will need for 1 cocktail:
55ml Bacardi
17.5 ml Créme de Péche ( you can use Peach Snchapps but it won't be as thick -tastes fine though)
35.5 ml low fat cream
Dash of sugar syrup
8 large ice cubes

To make sugar syrup

1. Blend all the liquid ingredients with the ice.
2. Pour into a pre-chilled coupe glass.

The second recipe is a really simple, but incredibly tasty salad. I know some people don't consider salad a meal..I really think it's a culturally hang-over here in Ireland (and other places too). It's not a proper meal unless its meat and 3 veg. That kinda attitude makes me cringe. The amount of times I've eaten in ''restaurants'' in Ireland in the past where an over-cooked (or reheated) piece of meat is presented with cold balls of mashed potato, rock hard strips of carrot and boiled to death cabbage is passed off as ''cusine''..all drowned in packet gravy. Shudder. No, I'm not a snob. But if you're going to charge for food and least make the effort to make it taste nice. Just because you proffer up a plate big enough to feed 3, doesn't equate to value. Thankfully such ''restaurants'' are becoming a rarity..thought the ubiquitous carvery is still guilty of much of this. That was all slightly off the point. However, I would be more than delighted to get this salad served to me in any restaurant, and it's perfect for after a cocktail. The chicken needs to be marinated, all the prep can be completed in advance,  the work load is minimal and doesn't require the manipulation of dangerous kitchen implements. 

You will need: (serves six)
4tbsp soy sauce
4tbsp hoisin sauce
4tbsp tomato ketchup
3tbsp honey 
2 garlic cloves finely chopped
1tbsp grated fresh ginger
1tsp sesame oil
1/4tsp five spiced powder
4small free-range skinless chiken fillets
2 red peppers, quartered
40g shiitake mushrooms
4tbsp oilive oil
4tbsp orange juice
1tbsp lime juice
200g sugar snap peas, trimmed
lettuce or spinach

1. combine the sauces, honey, garlic, ginger, sesame oil and five spice in a plastic box. Add chicken and turn to coat. Cover and chill for at least 4 hours or over night.
2. Preheat the grill to high ad the oven to 180C/Gas 4. place the peppers on a baking tay lined with baking paper and grill, skin side up for 5-10 mins until blistered and blackened. Put in a plastic bag and leave for 10-15 minutes. 
3. Once cool enough to handle, remove the skins, then slice.
4. Meanwhile, place the chicken on the baking sheet. Keep the leftover marinade.. Bake for 15-20 minutes. Turn over the chicken,add the mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil and bake for a further 10 minutes until both are cooked. 
5. Set aside to cool.
6. Place 125ml reserved marinade in a pan with the oil, orange juice, lime juice and 1tsp honey. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 mins until reduced and thickened. Let cool
7. When ready to serve, slice the chicken and toss in a large bowl with the mushrooms, peas, peppers and salad leaves. Drizzle over the cooled dressing 

EAT! 

Both dishes will relax you and will highlight the good things in life. Also good for a night in with friends or a pre night- out dinner.