Smoked Mackerel & Chive Scrambled Eggs

 
You may or may not know that I am fantatical when it comes to eggs.

I'm afraid I don't keep to the  recommended "an egg a day is ok" For me, an egg a day just doesn't cut it. I gave up fags so I'm entitled to my vices. Mines eggs, it could be worse in all fairness. 

The pairing of smoked mackerel and eggs is an oldie but a goodie. Have a read of my recipe. Everyone cooks scrambled eggs arseways in my opinion. I've never enjoyed scrambled eggs until about two years ago when I discovered how it's meant to be done. Believe it or not, scrambled eggs are not meant to be rubbery and sweaty. This dish is a sophisticated twist which turns the humble scrambled egg into a cheffy creation 


Served 2 as a big breakfast/supper/midnight feast 

Ingredients 
2 smoked mackerel fillets, skin removed & chopped (mine had a pepper coating) 
4 large free range eggs. 
1 tablespoon of snipped chives, the smaller you snip, the better. The food's got to be pretty. 
1oz butter 
1 oz grated Parmesan (just coz) 
A squeeze of lemon juice to serve. 

Method
On a cold pan, crack in the eggs (no need to pre whisk) add in the butter 

Turn on to a medium/low heat, and using a spatula, keep the eggs moving slowly, no need to over mix 

Add in chopped mackerel and chives and continue until the eggs are almost set, turn off the heat and the eggs will continue cook 

Consistency should be soft, but lightly set, add in Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon. It would be at this point you would season the eggs, but mine needed none, as the mackerel had enough salt in it and they were peppered too. 

Served on toasted brown bread a cuppa tea. I think this could be classed as comfort food, creamy, delicious, heart and belly-warming. 

Cheese & Thyme Soufflé

ALL RISE- well that's the goal

Prepare the ramekins with butter and a dusting
 of finely grated Parmesan

I'm a girl on a mission. It's the whole 'feel the fear and do it anyway' approach. Of course there's no fear as such, I'm tackling recipes that to most of us, are deemed difficult and should be left to the experts. I'm far from an expert and am under no illusions as to my weaknesses in the kitchen (the biggest being food). But one recipe I'd never even researched or attempted to consider was soufflé. Notoriously renowned for being finicky and sinky. Nope, let me dispel your fears. It's actually earned an unfair rep. Essentially, its a thick béchamel with folded egg whites. It's a puffy omelette in fairness. Give it a go and impress your friends.

I did my usual gig of reading a dozen recipes before creating my own.

Serves 6

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees-prepare 6 ramekins with butter and dust with finely grated Parmesan

Did I mention Thyme is my fav herb?

Ingredients
1 oz butter
1 oz flour
1/2 pint of milk infused with one sliced onion, a couple of peppercorns, a few thin slices of carrot, a bay leaf and sprig of thyme.
2 oz of grated Gruyere (all recipes seemed to use this, but all I had was a strong market bought cheddar, so used that)
2 oz grated Parmesan
freshly grated nutmeg
pinch of cayenne pepper
a couple of sprigs of Thyme leaves, leaves picked
salt & pepper
4 egg yolks
4 egg whites





Method
Firstly, put the milk and the ingredients listed above on the hob under a medium heat and bring to a simmer.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan and when it begins to foam, add the flour and cook for 2-3 minutes over a medium heat.

Add the milk (strained) and stir using a balloon whist until a thick smooth consistency is achieved. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting, and add the cheese, grated nutmeg, thyme leaves, cayenne pepper and season well. Remember the flavour needs to be concentrated as it will be diluted with the egg whites. Add the egg yolks and whisk well.

Transfer the mixture to a big bowl that will eventually host the egg white folding exercise.

Whisk the egg whites in a clean dry bowl (I feel I have to say that as all recipes harp on about clean bowls with egg whites-I've yet to whisk mine in a dirty bowl) until stiff peaks are formed

Transfer a couple of tablespoons into the silky cheese mixture and fold in. Don't be heavy handed but don't be scared either. Add the remainder of the egg whites in two batches. I used a spatula and turned the bowl to help fold as lightly as possible. It's all about keeping the air in, and not over mixing. Don't over think it.

Working swiftly, transfer the mixture into the 6 ramekins, filling almost, but not quite to the top.

With a clean finger, wipe around the top of the ramekin to leave a groove around the mixture, which will help them rise well.

Place on a baking tray and cook for about 8-10 mins, or until golden brown on top. Serve immediately with a tossed salad, and a round of applause from your guests...

Creamy Tomato, Chilli & Prawn tagliatelli

Prawns and chilli are as good together as tomato and basil, so fuze the four ingredients and you've got a serious taste sensation that packs a punch.This delivers, there's no doubt in that but I'd suggest you discover your chilli tolerance by adding in half what I've suggested, and taste before adding the rest, or more if your palate likes it. I sprinkled mine with more flakes before serving, as I love the kick.

I've potentially two dishes in one here, as the base sauce for this is a simple tomato sauce, which, when tossed through pasta, mozzarella, and torn basil is just such a wonderfully simple clean dish.  It's like pasta was invented for it.

Serves 4
Ingredients:
For the basic tomato sauce:
Knob of butter and splash of olive oil
2 shallots, finely chopped
3 fat garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar
I dessertspoon of muscavado sugar
2 tins of chopped plum tomatoes
I teaspoon of dried basil (or if you can get it fresh, even better- 3 tablespoons, chopped)
Season to taste

2 tablespoons cream (or creme fraiche)
500g  raw prawns
1 heaped teaspoon dried chilli flakes

Method
Over a very low heat, sweat the onions and garlic in the oil & butter until soft. Turn up heat and add balsamic and stir continuously until reduced by half.

Add sugar and tomatoes and bring to a simmer. Reduce for about 15 mins. Add in basil and season.

This is my basic tomato sauce as I mentioned above.

Continue the dish by adding in the chilli, cream and prawns. Cook for a couple of minutes until the prawns turn pink.

Toss through freshly cooked tagliatelli and garnish with fresh basil leaves.

Busy people- why not double the tomato basic sauce recipe and freeze it? Healthy fast food. Can't beat it with a big stick! 

I tell you what I want what I really really want.....

"Chilli con Cronin" 

aka

Chilli Con Carne

"Feel my breath mammy" says my 4 year old as he breaths on me like the fiercest dragon in Limerick. Yeah, our chilli is spicy and we love it! 
When I was weaning him as a baba, I slowly introduced the mildest curries to his diet, determined that I wouldn't spawn a fussy eater. It worked. (kinda) Tj's favourite food, hands down is Chilli Con Carne, or Chilli Con Cronin as I named it years ago, (my maiden name, but that's another story) and I dont scrimp on the chilli, Theres little point, there's creme fraiche or a dollop of Greek yogurt for the bantom weights. My Chilli's got punch. I guess everyone's got their own version, mines evolved quite considerably from my teens when my version of chilli was leftover bolognese with tabasco and kidney beans thrown in. This IS perfected, if I urge you to try any recipe from My blog, try this. It will be the best you've ever tasted. A bold statement, but then again, I'm very bold. 

I've loads of oregano growing in my garden,
you could use dried or fresh coriander would
be good too.

Ingredients
500g of best quality round mince
1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, crushed
3 fresh big red chillis, deseeded and chopped
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of ground coriander
1 teaspoon of smoked paprika
1 dessert spoon of dark brown muscavado sugar
2 tins of plum tomatoes chopped
1 tin of kidney beans, drained
1 large bunch of fresh oregano, chopped
1 oz of dark chocolate 70% min (don't ask, it works)

** Use big heaped teaspoons of the spices

Method

Heat a splash of oil in a heavy saucepan and gently fry onions, chili and garlic until soft. Turn up heat and add mince and cook until nicely browned. Add salt, sugar and spices and keep stirring for about 2 minutes to cook off the spices.

Inhale. Its something else. 

Add the tomatoes and bring to the boil, reduce heat and allow to reduce to your liking. I don't like to reduce too much, about 20 mins is fine for me. 

Finish with beans, chopped oregano and chocolate. The chocolate to me is nearly as important as the chilli, it brings a depth to the dish that I can't articulate. Just do it. You'll note the difference but it won't taste chocolatey.

Serve with rice, tortilla chips, a sprinkle of cheddar and a dallop of creme fraiche or Greek yogurt. 

If you're not happy, take it up with tj.

Nachos-Cinema style

Processed cheese is key

As we are on the mexican theme, I thought I'd throw in a wild card. Some of you may be disgusted, others intrigued. But this is unadulterated Food Goo pleasure. I did a few food experiments to try and perfect the nacho sauce, but I couldn't figure out how putting a bucket full of cheddar just didn't seem to give it punch. It wasn't 'plasticky' enough. And therein lies the answer. Plastic cheese! Ok, obviously not literally, but processed cheese is the key to this sauce. TJ goes bananas for it, but due to it's obvious calorific and processed qualities, this is a guilty pleasure and rare treat. The tumeric is purely for colour as it needs to be vibrant to imitate those cinema night indulgences. 

It's bright and silky

Gooey Nacho sauce (makes enough for about 6-8 people)

2 oz butter

2 ox plain flour

1 teaspoon of tumeric

1 pint of milk

200g of processed cheese. (I used Charleville slices)

salt & pepper to taste (surpringly, I needed quite a bit of salt)

Method

Melt the butter, add the flour and tumeric and stir for a couple of minutes until the flour has cooked. add the milk and stir continuously with a baloon whisk until the sauce thickens. Add the cheese and season to taste.

Preheat the oven to about 200 degrees. Put the torilla chips in the hot oven for a couple of minutes to warm through. Serve with the Gooey Nacho sauce.I like it with firey jalapenos, Tj likes it with some salsa. You could also serve it with sour cream and guacamole, refried beans or a cold beer and a sombrero if the mood takes you.

Griddled Rib-Eye steak with Béarnaise sauce

I rarely order steak in a restaurant, mainly because why risk it when you can cook it exactly as you want it at home? Everyone has their favourite cut of steak, mine was fillet, but after being introduced to rib-eye, it wins hands down every-time. The beautifully marbled steak has an awesome flavour and the melt in the mouth texture, so I decided to cook this as a treat for my folks and 4 year old boy, tj (he demolished it) on Sunday. Here's the recipe:

Griddled Ribeye steak with béarnaise sauce, roasted vine cherry tomatoes and asparagus wrapped in serano ham. Serve with really posh chips (see previous recipe) 

Serves 4
4 best quality angus ribeye Irish steaks, room temp, lightly seasoned and rubbed with olive oil. (Nb, oil the steak, NOT the griddle pan or smoke city will ensue) 
Bunch of asparagus spears, wrapped in serano (or streaky bacon)
Vine cherry tomatoes

For the béarnaise sauce 
One tablespoon of finely chopped shallots
One tablespoon of chopped fresh tarragon
Sprig of thyme
1 bayleaf
2 1/2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
2 egg yolks, mixed with a little water
4 oz butter
Salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 220

Firstly prepare your asparagus. Snap them at the end and they will naturally break where the woody part starts. Wrap in bacon, place tomatoes in roasting pan too. season with salt & pepper. Set aside

Prepare posh chips if using, and put them into a really hot oven until golden and crispy.

You can add the roasting pan of asparagus and tomatoes for 10 mins at the end, that's all they need. Limp asparagus? No thanks!

Heat a griddle pan until really hot. Place the seasoned and oiled steaks down and sear, turn 90 degrees to get a nice crisscross pattern on the steak. Allow steaks to rest between two warms plates. See cooking guide below. I like mine bloody and squishy... Sorry! If you like it more medium/ well done, I'd suggest searing with a high heat and then reducing the temperature to avoid it becoming charred and bitter.

Preparing béarnaise 
The key to this sauce, like hollandaise is to have a very low heat and a good heavy saucepan. I use a gas hob and have discovered a way to have the heat on a tinny winny flame, which means my sauces pretty much never split. If you are nervous, have a glass of ice water to hand, and add a teapoon or two in if you think it's splitting. This might save it.

Method:
Add the shallots, herbs and vinegar into heavy saucepan over a medium
Heat and cook until the pan is almost dry. Turn the heat down to the absolute minimum. Add the egg and water mixture and stir until thickened. Add the butter, bit by bit until you have a gorgeous thick, silky tangy béarnaise sauce. This cannot be reheated, but it can't be kept warm over a bain Marie or over a very low heat for a few minutes. I'd be nervous to leave it longer than that.

Serve to really appreciative friends and family. This is a lovely treat, a celebration of the steak dinner and not an onion or mushroom in sight. 

Steak Cooking times:

The times given here are a guide only and refer to a steak that is approximately 2.5cm or 1" thick. Thicker steaks may require a longer cooking time, and vice versa for thinner steaks.

Rare: 1-2 minutes per side - rest for 6-8 minutes

Medium rare: 2-2.5 minutes per side - rest for 5 minutes

Medium: 3 minutes per side - rest for 4 minutes

Well done: 4.5 minutes per side - rest for 1 minute

Ham & Pea Risotto

A cheap dish that tastes expensive 
I'm a risotto addict. I love the cooking of it, and moreso I love the eating of it.  I think risotto has earned an unfair reputation that it's a difficult dish, where you have to stir non stop and you end up with a dead arm. Leaving it for a minute or two makes no difference, maybe that's too relaxed for the purists, but hey, the end result is always good. This is a yummy mid week dish, it's so simple and everyone will love it. 




Ingredients
Serves 4-6
300g of arborio rice (I like the tesco ingredients brand)
2 shallots, finely diced
2 garlic cloves crushed
2 oz butter
Glass of white wine
1 1/2 pints of chicken or veg stock
2 small packs of smoked bacon lardons
Frozen peas (have no idea of weight common sense should prevail here)
A handful of best quality grated Parmesan
freshly grated nutmeg

Method 
Use a heavy saucepan. Melt the butter on a low heat and add the shallots and garlic, cook very slowly, for about 10 mins. Turn up heat, add the lardons and fry until lightly browned

Turn the heat to medium and add the rice, stirring continuously for about two minutes, until the rice is totally coated in the buttery wonderfulness.

Add the glass of wine and stir until almost absorbed

Add the hot stock in, one ladle at a time, allowing the stock to be almost totally absorbed before adding the next ladle, stirring (almost) continuously. Repeat this process until all the stock is used.

Add the peas,Parmesan and nutmeg. Season to taste (will prob need no salt what with bacon and Parmesan)

Turn off the heat and cover with lid and allow to stand for 2 minutes. This makes the risotto even creamier. The consistency should be similar to that of creamy porridge, don't be afraid to add some hot water if it seems too thick.

Top with more grated Parmesan

As comfort food goes, this is up there! 

Really Posh Chips

I'm not a spud fan per se, could never embrace the "balls of flour" concept. If you eat with your eyes, why would floury balls be enticing? Anyway, moving on, rooster spuds would frequent most in my press because of their handiness for mash or wedges. I don't own a deep fat fryer nor do I want one, so my chips always come from the oven.... These chips have a certain 'je ne sais quai" 


Baked once, no soaking, palava free... 

Serves 2 posh people
2 large rooster spuds, I like to cut them into straight cut thick chips, wedges are far too common
2 garlic cloves, squished 
One sprig of rosemary, leaves picked
A decent shake of salt and freshly cracked pepper 
A good glug of extra virgin olive oil
A generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan.

Preheat the oven to the highest setting. Mines 220

Toss the ingredients, put them
In the oven, shake them around a couple of times

Ready in 25 mins. 

Get in.