I can only assume there is not so much as a sprig of holly left up at this stage. We’ve made it to the middle of what is supposedly a gloomy month of anti Christmas climaxes and post holiday blues. While we remembered Jesus in December for his birthday you’ll probably only here the name now as people everywhere open their credit card bills. That’s January for you!
From a food point of view though, there is much to be celebrated in January. While non food shops are in great disarray with previously shiny gifts now defaced with large red sale stickers and looking slightly worse for wear, food shops have a vast range of unspoiled treasures. If you’re a marmalade maker or a marmalade fan, Seville oranges appear in our shops around January. While they have a relatively short shelf life they can be bought, prepared and frozen so you could have a steady supply for the whole year. I’m a great fan of lemon curd but I never make it myself. I leave it to those who are good at it, but this year I was also introduced to orange curd! The curd maker in my circle took a step of faith and along with a hot, fresh from the oven, crumbly scone invited me to try her first ever batch. Nothing short of a triumph and I scurried home with a jar under my arm. My wife tried it on a light pan crepe the next morning and declared it a success and later found that it worked very well in a shop bought meringue nest for an emergency dessert that appeared like it had a great deal of thought put into it. Three cheers for orange curd.
When it comes to meat, well, really there’s very little that’s not available these days all year round, but there are some meats that are popular now. Most people are still slightly allergic to turkey and ham with the Christmas memory still lingering, so lamb makes a nice alternative. A rack of lamb is great or how about a leg of lamb? I love to make little holes all over the top side and stuff the holes with a sprig of rosemary and a little fresh garlic. We usually have enough meat left over to create a simple curry the next day which always goes down well. In fact as a tip I would always keep a can of coconut milk in the cupboard just for this purpose. Offal is popular in January too. Perhaps it’s the simplicity or maybe it’s the body’s way of craving different nutrients perhaps. Try a little liver and onions, buttery mash and add a decadent glass of red wine and you’ll be amazed at how good it all tastes. Lamb’s liver is always popular and don’t over cook it, it only takes a few minutes on each side. A good tip is to soak the liver in a glass of milk for an hour or two before cooking. Indeed it is possible to combine all those citrus fruits we were talking about earlier with lamb for a hearty Moroccan tagine. Anyone who attended the Tipperary Food Producers Christmas Extravaganza at the end of last year will remember a good recipe for just that. I particularly love the Italian dish Osso bucco; effectively slow cooked shin of beef, on a wintry day. There’s a recipe for it in my book An Irish Butcher Shop, but there are several versions on the web as well. Duck and venison also make the cut in January.
We still have great tasty root vegetables around and mushrooms are also plentiful now. It’s great to see so many varieties available and luxurious soups can be concocted that will warm the heart of anyone. For a lunch or evening supper or even an accompaniment don’t forget that the larger mushrooms can be stuffed, baked or grilled. Mushrooms also work really well with chicken and another supper treat is a creamy mushroom and chicken vol au vent. Again a little retro, but I found it on a restaurant menu recently and couldn’t get over how great it tasted. Cabbages, leeks, celery and celeriac are also particularly good at this time of year and should taste sweet and crisp thanks to the frost; and we had plenty of that in December!
If one of your new year’s resolutions is to eat a little healthier then you’ll be glad to know that such a goal is very easy to achieve in Tipperary. We are blessed with the food producers in the area and while I have an obvious vested interest in James Whelan Butchers and I am very proud of what we do, I can honestly say that there are many other fantastic producers also. By buying from local producers not only are you buying in season and saving food miles, but you are also supporting the local food industry; it’s a win-win for everyone. I can’t encourage you enough to seek out local food for taste and value this January. I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie
