Middle Eastern Flavours

Grilled Mushrooms w Couscous

Serves 4 – fab as a starter or lite lunch

8 Large Field Mushrooms

½ cup Couscous

½ red pepper finely chopped

1 tbls ex virgin olive oil

1 tsp ground cumin

¼ cayenne pepper

2 tbls coriander

2 tbls fresh mint

3 tbls lemon juice

½ cup veggie stock

1. Remove the stalks of the mushrooms, pop them under the grill top side up for about 3 mins.

2. Place the Couscous, olive oil, cumin, cayenne pepper, & lemon juice into a bowl.

3. Pour the veggie stock over the Couscous, cover with a clean cloth for 5 mins then fluff with a fork.

4. Pop the red pepper, coriander, mint into the couscous mixture and fluff again with a fork.

5. Fill each mushroom with the couscous mixture and pop under the grill until nice & golden.

These are very simple but tasty morsels, which take very little time to prepare ….

Serve them with some mixed leaves drizzled with chilli oil for a spicy kick!!

Chermoula

Coriander, Flat leaf parsley and mint are the traditional herbs used in Moroccan cooking and combined with spices, coriander, cumin, garlic and chillies they can be used to form the basis of chermoula.

Chermoula, can be used as a marinade or a sauce and probably was used in ancient times as a method of preserving the food for longer as no refrigeration was available. There are many different varieties of chermoula and in Morocco each cook has their own way of preparing it and adding their own flavours.

Here is our recipe which I hope you will really enjoy ;)

3 Garlic Cloves

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons paprika

Pinch of dried chilli flakes

Small bunch of coriander chopped

150ml olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

Place all the ingredients in a food processor (except the olive oil & lemon juice) blend for about 1 min then slowly pour in the olive oil and juice of lemon to make a smooth paste. Transfer to a clean glass jar and top with olive oil… Chermoula will keep in the fridge for about 4 days…

Chicken breast skewers with chermoula & mixed leaf salad

Serving 4 people

3 medium sized chicken breasts

Lemon Wedges (garnish)

Chermoula - recipe above

1 generous handful of mixed leaves per person

Drizzle of olive oil per person.

Fresh lemon juice

Slice Chicken breasts lengthways into 3 strips per breast . Pop the chicken skewers onto a plate and spoon 4 teasp of chermoula mixture over the chicken skewers and combine … marinade for a couple of hours. Heat the grill or bbq to a high heat & cook for about 5 mins on each side. Toss the salad in a large bowl with a drizzle of olive oil and fresh lemon juice. Transfer to each plate and top with the Chermoula Chicken Skewers.

Tagines

A Tagine is basically an earthenware pot, it has a conical shaped lid, which fits very snugly to prevent the food from drying out when cooking. A casserole dish with a tight fitting lid will work just perfectly..

A Tagine is also a Moroccan stew, they are usually cooked slowly which tenderises the meat and also allows the flavours to mature.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine

2 kilos – shoulder of lamb trimmed of any fat cut into cubes

6 garlic cloves

1tablespoon clear honey

1 tablespoon of tomato paste

4 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander

2 teaspoons paprika

2 teaspoons of ground cumin

300ml chicken stock

1 cinnamon stick

250g can of chickpeas

250g raisins

250g carrots

Marinate the lamb in a casserole dish with, the garlic, honey, olive oil, coriander, paprika, cumin & tomato paste, combine.

Season with salt and pepper and marinade overnight or for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Remove from fridge one hour prior to cooking (to allow it to come to room temperature) add the carrots, cinnamon & stock.

Combine all ingredients and cook covered in a preheated oven to 200 C for 1.5 hours. Stir in the chick peas and raisins and cook for 20 minutes.

Garnish with coriander sprigs and serve with Harissa and couscous..

Harissa

Harissa originated in Tunisia and is now used extensively in Morocco and Algeria. Basically it is a fiery blend of red chillies, onions, garlic and spices that adds life to dishes. Moroccans use it when preparing food to add spice and it also sits as a condiment in small bowls on the table at meal times. Why not try it with some grilled chicken to add flavour and contrast.

2 red peppers, roasted and skinned

1 or 2 fresh red chillies, chopped with seeds (to your taste)

2 Garlic cloves crushed

½ teaspoon coriander seeds toasted

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

Olive oil

Salt

Blend all the ingredients in a food processor, adding enough oil to make a thick paste. This will keep in a clean jar topped with olive oil and covered for weeks in the fridge.

To toast coriander seeds, pop onto a non stick pan over a low heat for about 2 Mins…

Middle Eastern Baked Fish Parcels

Serves 4

4 fillets of white fish

3 tbls of olive oil

1 tsp of cumin

¼ tsp of chilli powder

1 tsp of coriander

1 lemon juiced

1 lemon sliced ( 4 thin slices)

1 large red chilli (for garnish)

1 small bunch of flat leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 200 c – 400f/gas 6

1. Combine the olive oil, cumin, chilli powder, coriander & lemon in a small bowl stir until well combined.

2. Tear 4 pieces of foil – enough to take a fillet & make generous parcels.

3. Place a fillet on each piece of foil and brush each fillet with the olive oil marinade.

4. Pan fry the lemon slices in a little olive oil with a little cumin until slightly charred.

5. Pop a lemon slice on top of each fillet .

6. Wrap each parcel tightly and place in the fridge to marinate for about 1 hour.

7. Meanwhile finely chop the chilli & flat leaf parsley .

8. When you are ready to cook the fish – pop into an oven proof dish and bake for 8/10 mins.

9. To serve, place the parcels on individual serving plates and serve open with scattered chilli and flat leaf parsley.

Serve with steamed rice & lovely fresh greens…..

Get Started for Christmas with a Cooking Club

‘Thank You' Project launched

The Irish Hospice Foundation has launched a very special fundraising initiative - the 'Thank You' project - involving a beautifully produced 'gratitude journal' and a range of very original thank-you cards, all leading up to Ireland's first ever National Thank-You Day, which will take place on Thursday, 25th November. Log on to www.Irish-Hospicefoundation.ie to have a look in more detail about this very special project.

So I was thinking what a lovely idea this is and how great would it be to share a meal with friends 1 month before our Mad Christmas Season. Keep it very simple by using the old Cooking Club model which began in Italy where many villages, towns and even cities shared communal cooking facilities. You could also say that we had our own model of it here in Ireland where Grandparents, Parents & Kids lived closely together in citiestown/villages or even on the same Farm and they would come together to make food from the harvest chutneys &jams or Sunday lunch and then the annual project of the Christmas cakes, puddings& mince pies.

Now many of us live far away from our families and find it difficult to cook other than for our everyday meals. Bringing a group of friends together to share the planning, prep, cooking & eating!!! Is such a fun way to spend time cooking & you also learn from others...

Produce based Cooking Clubs....

How they work is that you get a group of people together and 1 person volunteers their kitchen each time you meet. You choose what you wish to produce,

Some clubs meet once a week and cook batches of soups and casseroles for the week.

Other clubs meet once a month and produce food for their freezers.

While others go down the 'chutneys, jams & sauces' route. These can then either be used as presents or for personal use.

Its also a FUN way to make Christmassy Stuff llike Christmas Puddings, Christmas Cakes & Mince pies.

The costs are divided evenly between members with either one person doing the shopping or the list is split between members.

These cooking clubs are great at getting people together, sharing recipes, shopping & cooking tips and are a great way to spend a cold wet day in the company of likeminded foodie people.

Halloween Recipes

The Celts celebrated Halloween as Samhain –which means the Feast ofthe Dead’.

The celebration also marked the end of summer and the start of the winter months.

Then in Christian Times, The first of November was and still is celebrated as All Saints Day – a celebration for those saints that do not have a specific day of remembrance.

The night before was known as ‘All Hallows Eve which, over time became known as Halloween!!

Some fun stuff for kids…

Toffee Apples

6 dessert apples

6 lollypop sticks for holding apples

225g brown sugar

25g butter

110ml water

2 tbsp golden sugar

½ tsp vinegar

Pop the sugar and water into a saucepan together, stir over a moderate heat until sugar is dissolved (its not cloudy) add the vinegar, golden syrup and butter.

Bring to the boil and cook without stirring until it reaches whats called (hard crack stage) 138c or hardens into a ball when dropped into a jug of cold water. This takes about 10 mins of boiling time.

Pierce each apple with its wooden stick , once the toffee is ready dip each apple into the hot toffee, swirl it round to coat it fully.

Leave to set on a lightly oiled tray. If you’re not going to eat immediately wrap in cellophane to keep

Also a great idea for pressies is to wrap in cellophane with ribbons.

Chocolate Dipped Apples

6 Irish eating apples

225 grams chocolate

2 tbls of butter

Sprinkles, or whatever decorations you fancy..

Simply melt the chocolate & butter over a pan of simmering water

Spike the apples with lollipop sticks

Twirl them around in the hot chocolate mixture

Have the sprinkles on a plate ready to dip the choc apples into... simple but very delicious.

Wrap in cellophane with ribbon for a great pressie.....

Colcannon

Comfort food at its best – this recipe differs depending on where you come from in Ireland…

6 medium sized potatoes 1 cup boiling milk

1 medium green cabbage Salt & Pepper

3 tablespoons butter

Cook potatoes in their jackets in cold salted water bring to the boil and after 10 mins strain off most of the water.

Place lid on pan and allow to steam until fully cooked, this method steams the potatoes and prevents them from getting too mushy…

Remove dark leaves from cabbage and cut into quarters, and then slice finely. Barely cover cabbage in water add a little salt and cook until tender. Mash potatoes, cabbage butter, salt & pepper, and boiling milk until combined nicely… just delicious..

Variations…

· Add some finely sliced onions boiled in milk

· Cook 2 parsnips and combine into potato & cabbage mixture

· Ulster Champ, 2 cups of peas & 4 tablespoons of chopped parsley

· Top with a fried or poached egg.

To serve you just place a few good heaped tablespoons onto the centre of the plates, place a knob of butter on top and scatter with chopped parsley..

How about cooking some fab ham to go with the Colcannon

I’ve found the best way to cook a ham is to first steep it for a couple of hours in cold water, then change water and bring to the boil..

If you don’t have time to do this then bring ham to the boil in cold unsalted water.. strain once boiled and refill with cold water bring back to the boil and repeat the process before settling down to a simmer… the reason for this is that ham can be very salty and these methods get rid of the excess salt…

Cooking times vary a little however if you allow 20 mins per pound and then check by inserting a a skewer into the centre if it comes away easily when inserted into centre its perfectly cooked if not allow another 10 mins and try again.

Drain all the water from ham, transfer to a baking dish, leave to cool a little and then trim ham of excess fat..

Meanwhile make a Honey Mustard Glaze

6 tablespoons of brown sugar

4 tablespoons of honey

2 heaped tablespoons of wholegrain mustard

Combine the above ingredients in a bowl, coat the entire ham with the glaze and roast @ 180 for 30 minutes… cool a little before slicing..

Quick but tasty alternatives

· Butcher Thick Smokey bacon rashers

· Butcher Gammon steaks