Ingredients

½ kg (3 lbs) silverside or brisket corned beef
1 carrot
2 celery sticks
2 leeks
1 teasp. peppercorns
250ml (½ pt) dry cider

Serves 6

Parsnip Mash

• ½ kg (1 lb) potatoes, peeled and chopped
• ½ kg (1 lb) parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 125ml (¼ pt) mixture of milk and cream
• Knob of butter
• Salt and black pepper

Irish Mustard and Cider Sauce

• 50g (2 oz) butter
• 25g (1 oz) flour
• 1 tablesp. mustard
• 250ml (½ pt) mixture cooking liquid and dry cider
• Dash of cream
• 2 tablesp. scallions (spring onions), chopped

To Cook

Method

Place the joint in a large saucepan. Add the chopped vegetables, peppercorns and cider. Add enough water to cover the joint. Bring to the boil, then simmer for approx. 40 mins per ½ kg (1 lb) or until the meat is tender. Leave in the liquid until ready to serve.

While the meat is cooking, place the potatoes and parsnips in a large pot. Cover with water. Season, bring to the boil, then simmer until both parsnips and potatoes are cooked. Drain well, then mash really well with the milk, cream and butter. Whip in the scallions, season well. Keep warm.

To make the sauce

Melt the butter, stir in flour. Cook for a minute or two. Add mustard, whisk in the cooking liquid and cider. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the cream and scallions and taste for seasoning.

Serve the corned beef sliced with the parsnip mash, sauce and buttery cabbage.

So there I was last week wondering whether I was sad or glad that the summer was over when, emerging from a tea time function, I bumped into an acquaintance and his wife and the obligatory stop and chat ensued.  Naturally as good Irish people we discussed the weather, lamented the end of summer, but in order to finish on a more positive note we all agreed that one of the best things about late August beginning of September was blackberry picking. It is amazing how the mere mention of the bramble fruit reduces Irish adults to misty eyed recollections of their childhood.  It transports us back and is possibly still one of the memories that we can easily recreate and give to our own children.

We all rolled our eyes at the mention of the supermarket punnet variety that are currently retailing somewhere around €3 for seven tasteless berries.  (Now that is an outrageous exaggeration.  There are possibly 8 or maybe 10!)  Why would you buy washed and cleaned berries when you can have the adventures of blackberry picking for free?  The risks are massive, but the rewards are marvelous.  There’s the driving into the countryside in the hope of finding abundant briars that haven’t already been stripped by other foraging humans, the birds or the rain or stunted by early autumn frost.  There’s the constant eating as you pick that often renders the exercise quite lengthy in order to find enough blackberries for the jam or the tart that you had in mind.  Then there are the bramble injuries to the upper body and the nettle stings to the lower.  There’s the biting into the odd berry that is already occupied by another living creature or has started to spoil and you just hadn’t noticed, but your tongue registers the unpleasantness instantly.  There are the jewel bright, rich purple stains on your fingers and around your mouth from the constant picking and occasional eating.  Pick three, eat one.  Some have even more exciting war stories; angry bulls, errant farmers, wasps nests, sheer drops at the other side of hedgerows and such like.  Blackberry picking can not be considered a mundane pursuit.    Indeed it is possibly one of life’s most divine pleasures and the window of opportunity is so fleeting that if put off, you have to wait another full year before you can do it again.

So there we were, a merry little band in the evening sunshine trading our various blackberry jam stories.  By now we had been joined by one or two more; eager to bandwagon jump on our foraging discussion. One woman was quite adamant that the addition of an apple when making blackberry jam was blatant bastardisation and unacceptable in the eyes of the purist.  The conversation was full of irreverent fun and I was enjoying myself immensely when my wife’s friend upped the stakes considerably by stating that she had not bothered with the jam this year but instead had spent the previous weekend making a blackberry liqueur.  It was currently developing and would be ready for drinking in a week or two.  In my innocence I had imagined blackberries in every conceivable state but never as alcohol.

I instantly mined this woman for information.  A simple procedure of mixing a bottle of red wine, a bottle of vodka (white rum would work just as well) and about 2kgs of blackberries and a few spoons of sugar.  Put them all in a pot, bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 30 minutes.  A sort of warm punch, then strain it through a sieve, transfer it to sterilised bottles, seal properly and leave for about fourteen days to develop.  It will also keep unopened for at least 12 months.  I also had the thought that if you bottled it in smaller bottles rather than pint size, it would be lovely throughout the winter.  I’m sure a blackberry tart from the freezer would be suitably enhanced by a shot of blackberry liqueur after dinner some time in late November.   Yes, indeed when it comes to delicious food I am always thinking ahead.

On returning home I had a further look at the whole idea of blackberry alcoholic drinks.  Obviously the cooking process will remove much of the alcohol content but don’t assume that it renders it fully non alcoholic.  However if you want to preserve the alcohol content you can make it without the warming element; but there is a little bit more work and tending involved.  That recipe is below.

I have little need to tell you where you will find the Whelan family this weekend.  We will be at the edge of a field getting stung with nettles, scraped by briars and stuffing ourselves with juicy berries, while also collecting them in containers for my new project.  If we’re not in the field we’ll be in the kitchen making gallons of blackberry moonshine and maybe, perhaps, a pot of jam.  After all the children will need to see some fruit of their labour and the jam is possibly a more responsible parental choice than the liquid stuff. I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Homemade Blackberry Liqueur Recipe

5 cups of whole blackberries
1 bottle of Vodka or White Rum
2 cups of sugar
2 cups of water

Method.

Make a sugar syrup by combining the water and sugar and heating slowly in a saucepan.  Once the sugar is completely dissolved, cool the syrup to room temperature.

Sterilize a wide mouth glass jar. (About a gallon size, the usual wine making type with lid)

Put all the blackberries into the jar.  Add the vodka and then pour in the syrup and put the lid on tightly.

Turn the jar upside down several times to mix it all up.  Don’t stir it as it may crush the berries and you don’t want to do that.

Put the jar in a cool dark place and leave for at least 10 days.

Strain out the berries into a clean glass container careful not to CRUSH OR SQUEEZE the  BERRIES. Now strain the berries first, through a colander, then re-strain through a fine wire kitchen strainer and finally through a clean, white, tightly woven cloth. You should have a clear ruby red liqueur.

Transfer to sterilized bottles and cap tightly.  Store bottles in a cool dark place to age.  After a few days the liqueur can be enjoyed any time, but it will improve with age.

This year, for the sake of variety and given the increased interest, the event was held simultaneously at four different venues throughout Tipperary.   In all 237 people sat to eat at the same time with four different menus constructed entirely of food sourced in Tipperary.  Indeed some of the people attending had travelled further than many of the ingredients.   In thought I had devoured each of the menus finding it hard to choose where I most wanted to eat.  Fully aware that I have yet to master the power of bi-location I was left with a dilemma.  In the end, thankfully, the decision was taken out of my hands and I was told to be in Chez Hans in Cashel.  The other venues were The Old Convent in Clogheen, Brocka on The Water in Nenagh and Inch House in Thurles.

Events like this are always a risk.  We boast in the advance publicity that it will be a triumph.  We promise Epicurean delights and orgasmic bursts of flavour.  We assure quality and guarantee that you will be inspired, stimulated and enthused by the food on offer.  Then the night arrives and while I have true faith in the producers involved in Tipperary Food Producers Network, nerves make a concerted effort to move me towards fear.  You see with food there are ten thousand variables from the storage of it, delivery to the kitchen, preparation, cooking and ultimate presentation.

I shouldn’t have paid any attention to the doubting Thomas inside me.  As each course came, one was more perfectly prepared than the previous and it was hard to choose a favourite.  We tasted lamb, pork and beef and sampled an array of vegetables, fruit and cheese all locally produced and brilliantly used in original recipes for each of the eight courses.  Once the starting gun went off and the first course of Mushroom Soup, Lovage Cappuccino arrived the bar was set very high.  Soon however, all nerves were allayed and as we settled into a perfectly paced culinary jaunt around the county I found myself marvelling once again at the variety of flavoursome food we have on our doorstep.  We should be shouting it from every rooftop and not hiding our light under a bushel.  The taste sensations never let up.  Each meat course and its various accompaniments was a stand alone success.  The cheese course was transformed from the common to an exhilarating and exceptional taste explosion involving mature Crozier Blue cheese, warm plums, toasted brioche, candied walnuts and aged balsamic.  Indeed just listing the ingredients does this fusion no justice whatsoever as it was a feast for the eyes also.  Right to the very end there was no let up.  This wasn’t a slow climb to the summit and then a quick run back down the other side.  Oh no, this was a continuous gentle caress, a slow build to the fireworks of the homemade vanilla ice cream and hand made biscotti.

While the food was the obvious star of the show let us not negate the chef’s magic touch.  Jason Matthiae of Chez Hans is a true original and if cloning is ever perfected we should make ten of him and keep them in cold storage!  His ability is outstanding and the preparation of each course while witty, daring and youthful still achieved a traditional precision that is sometimes hard to find these days.  Of course a true food experience is a combination of many elements.   While we like to think that what we are eating is the most important part, the setting, the service and the atmosphere all either add or subtract to the overall.  In this instance nothing fell short and once again it is a testament to the entire staff of Chez Hans.  If you haven’t ever eaten in this true shrine to wonderful cuisine at the foot of the Rock of Cashel I urge you to do so.  You won’t be disappointed.

The feedback from the other three restaurants was equally good but obviously I can only truly comment on where I was.  Indeed for anyone enjoying the new social media of Twitter #tipperaryfood, a quick glance at last Wednesday night’s duelling tweets from TJ Crowe of Crowe’s Meat Dundrum and Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wines will confirm that each restaurant involved was equally fantastic.  I wanted to be at them all.

Regardless of where we were last Wednesday evening the truth is that we have something very special in our local food and our local food producers.  Perhaps it’s the passion of the people involved, perhaps it’s the Tipperary soil and environment in which we all do our thing, maybe it’s a combination of God given gifts, talents and our location.  Whatever the reasons we can be confident of where Tipperary food is today.  We can hold our heads high and stand at our farm and plant gates as proudly as any French or Italian.  It may have taken us a few years to shake off our modesty and proclaim such parity but in Tipperary we have certainly earned and achieved it.

Please God next Sunday will be as successful for the hurlers as The Long Table Dinner was for the food sector.  Up Tipp!  Now where’s that book I had on bi-location? I welcome feedback always. pat@jwb.ie

Pan-fried Pork Chops with orange and rosemary

These pork chops are cooked until they’re beautifully golden but still tender and moist. Of course they would also be delicious cooked on the barbecue or under the grill.

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 orange
2 tablesp. olive oil
1 teasp. good quality mustard
1 teasp. rosemary, chopped
4 x 150g bone-in loin pork chops, each about 2.5cm thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Jacket potatoes and lightly dressed mixed salad, to serve

To Cook

Preparation time
30 minutes

Method

Finely grate the rind from the orange into a bowl and then squeeze in the juice. Whisk in the olive oil, mustard and rosemary. Season and pour into a shallow non-metallic dish. Add the pork chops, turning to coat. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge to allow the flavours to penetrate the meat.

When you are ready to cook, preheat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Shake off the excess marinade from the pork and add to the griddle pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes until cooked through, turning once. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a couple of minutes.

Serving Suggestions

Arrange the pork chops with the jacket potatoes on warmed plates. Have a bowl of salad to hand around separately.

Thousands of us have visited Spain on holiday so we’re not totally unfamiliar with the food.  However in beach resorts we often tend to miss out on the real native dishes and instead get a very poor version of what they consider Irish or English food to be.  Sometimes when I’m in Spain I think how superior our food and restaurants are here and I often think that if we had Spain’s weather we could lose the run of ourselves completely.  Occasionally I have strolled down a side street or into a less touristy village and found a local joint that has been incredible.  There is nothing finer than a day spent soaking up the sun and working up an appetite followed by an evening of fine food and wine enjoyed at leisure with no worries of the following day.  And if you are going to Spain don’t be fooled by price.  Just because it is an expensive place with fancy tablecloths it doesn’t always follow that the food will live up to expectations. 

So what exactly is Spanish food and is it really just paella and expensive plates of cured meats?  There are wide and varying ingredients used in Spanish food.  Yes, Chorizo sausage and other cured hams and meats are consumed in great quantities.  They also grow oranges, lemons, olives, tomatoes, melons and other produce that lends itself to tasty, tangy natural dishes.  But Spanish cooking isn’t fancy.  It is accessible, down to earth, and based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until the last half of the 20th century. This is one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to region.  But there is commonality; food in Spain is fresh, abundant and full of taste and the Spanish love their food.

Garlic and olive oil feature largely and are often the only common ingredients to foods from the various regions.   Ham is revered and you will even find museums of ham on mainland Spain.  Walk through any supermarket and the cured meats section is a sight to behold.  Surrounded on three sides by water it is not surprising that fresh seafood is always popular in coastal regions.  Wonderful cheeses of every type can be found made from sheep, cow and goat milk.  From aged hard cheeses to the soft creamy types, the range is staggering.  Eggs are big.  They form part of most dishes. Spain is a country of nuts and that’s not an insult as they are the top producers of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.  Traditionally the Spanish prefer meat grilled over coals or sautéed in a sauce and they seem to veer towards veal, suckling lamb and pig but roasted meats are popular for holidays and festive occasions.  Chicken is also eaten widely.  When you take this list and add in local legumes, vegetables and fruit you can see how many different and tasty options suddenly appear.

So if you want to go all Spanish you could try a Tortilla Espanola, a Spanish omelet, made of eggs, potatoes and onions.  Jamon Serrano is Spanish Ham, and just sliced with fresh crusty bread it is delicious.  Break out the Chorizo sausage and, taken seriously, a good paella will have them crying out for more. Paella de Marisco which translates to Spanish Seafood Rice originated in the fields of Valencia. People in the country mixed rice with rabbit, snails and vegetables and cooked it over an open fire. It has evolved into a dish where fish, shellfish, meat, pork and/or chicken may be used.

Finally, we cannot talk about Spanish food without mentioning tapas.  Little colourful bowls of olives, ham and chorizo create tapas and are eaten nationwide.  It would be very easy to create your own.  Finish it off with the eggy, smooth texture of a crème caramel and you might as well be sitting in Madrid.  Viva Espana! I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Spanish Omelette with Spicy Tomato Salsa 

This is a Great Illustration of Simple, Enjoyable Food 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 tablesp. olive oil
• 8 potatoes, cut into small dice
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 6 Quality Assured eggs, whisked in a large bowl
• A little salt and black pepper

Spicy Tomato Salsa  

• 4-6 well-flavoured tomatoes, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 fresh chilli, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablesp. basil or coriander, chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablesp. olive oil
• A little salt and black pepper

To Cook

Method

Lightly oil a large non-stick pan. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Add the mixture to the eggs, season and mix well together.

Reheat the pan again with a little oil. Add the egg mixture. Cook until the under side is set. Put a large plate on top of the pan and turn the omelette onto it. Then slide it back into the pan and cook the other side. (If the pan is not super non-stick just finish under the grill).

To make the Salsa: Mix all the ingredients well together and set aside until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

Slide onto a board and cut into 4 wedges. Serve with the Spicy Tomato Salsa and mixed leaves.

Thawing meat is a process that should be carefully considered, as bacteria are ever present in every environment and should be avoided if possible. The meat to be thawed should be placed into a large dish to avoid any possibility of drips onto other food. It should be thawed out overnight in the fridge and it’s vital that it be thawed completely before cooking. Large joints will take longer than 24 hours to thaw, and 2 days should be allowed to ensure it is ready for cooking. Of course busy life-styles dictate that meat is often defrosted in the microwave, which is perfectly safe, although the end result is definitely taste-compromised.

If using meat fresh from the fridge there are some differences to consider between the various types of meat purchased. Minced meat is best cooked on the day of purchase, as is poultry and offal. Beef, lamb and pork can be stored for days before cooking. ‘Use by’ and ‘Best Before’ dates are handy modern guides but if you really want to know if something is alright I recommend natures free gift and essential guide, the nose!
I welcome to your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Roast Ribeye of Beef

 Ingredients
• 2 kg ribeye of beef
• 2 teasp. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teasp. sweet or smoked paprika
• ½ teasp. English mustard powder
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 tablesp. Dijon style mustard
• 1 tablesp. olive oil
 • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
 • 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
 • 2 teasp. plain flour
 • 300ml beef or chicken stock
 • Creamed horseradish, roasted root vegetables, to serve

To Cook
Method
Place the thyme, paprika and mustard powder in a bowl with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then mix to combine. Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and then spread a thin layer of the mustard all over the fat side of the joint. Sprinkle the spice powder on top, patting it down gently to help it stick.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220ºC (425ºF). Pour the olive oil into roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Add the onion and carrot, tossing to coat. Season with salt and black pepper. Sit the beef on the bed of vegetables. Place the roasting tin in the pre-heated oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to Gas mark 5,190ºC (375ºF). Roast the beef for 1 hour and 15 minutes for rare, an extra 15 minutes for medium-rare and an extra 30 minutes for well done.
Remove the beef from the tin and place on a large dish. Rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving. To make the gravy, stir the flour into the juices in the roasting tin and then gradually stir in the stock. Place directly on the hob to heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any sediment. Season and pour through a sieve into a gravy boat, discarding the vegetables that the beef has been roasted on. Carve the beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with a dollop of creamed horseradish and the roasted root vegetables. Hand round the gravy separately.

• 1. Relax – this is meant to be fun!
• 2. Make sure you have the right tools. Don’t stab meat with sharp knives and this allows the lovely locked in flavours and juices to run out; use a tongs to turn meat or fish instead.
• 3. If cooking meat, and steak particularly, give it a rest for a few minutes after grilling. This allows the juices to redistribute. A drizzle of olive oil or a pat of butter gives the steak a handsome sheen and spectacular flavor and finish.
• 4. Keep it clean! Always brush your barbecue grill with a stiff wire brush to clean it. (If you don’t have a brush, use a piece of crumpled tin foil.) Oil the grate with a folded paper towel dipped in oil and rubbed over the bars of the grate. Food will stick to a dirty grate.

One of the most often asked questions about barbecuing steak is; how will I know when it’s done?  As any good chef will tell you it’s really difficult to give precise times as all barbecues differ and, as mentioned here last week, you really must get to know your own.  However with regard to steak being cooked many professional chefs use the ‘touch method’.  It’s pretty fool proof, depending of course on the fool, but here it is.  For rare, let your left hand hang loose in front of you and poke your right index finger into the fleshy part of your left hand between your index finger and thumb. It will offer very little resistance and is soft and pliable. This is how a steak cooked rare will feel to the touch.  For medium rare, extend the left hand again but this time spread your fingers and poke the same spot with your right index finger. You’ll see that it is firmer and a little springy to the touch. This is how a steak cooked medium rare will feel.  For medium, make a fist with your left hand and poke again. It should feel firm and only give a little. For those who like their meat well done, it should feel very firm!   If you want something a little more scientific then get yourself a meat thermometer available at any good kitchen shop