Every time I turn on the radio these days, I hear about Mercosur. Now, the details of it are a bit away from my area of expertise, but when I hear the words ‘Irish beef’, I prick up my ears and am ready to fly the flag for Irish farmers.
Regular readers will know that I am a great fan of our grass-fed Irish beef, which enjoys PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status throughout the whole island. This is an EU system where the exceptional quality of a product is linked to an area.
Other Irish products with PGI status include Clare Island Salmon, Connemara Hill Lamb, Waterford Blaa, Timoleague Brown Pudding, Sneem Black Pudding and Armagh Bramley Apples.
We buy our beef from John Stone in Ballymahon, Co Longford, which has fantastic flavour, and, most importantly for us, is consistent. It remains the most regular choice on our menu.
People may not be aware how closely the food we serve is monitored by the environmental health inspector. We would get at least two visits a year where they look at the menu, check our purchase records and our food. The beef is something that is always inspected. Without exception.
At home, I often cook the Simply Better rib on the bone, which comes from Martin Jennings in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, and it is excellent. It also boasts the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark.
So with all that said, what’s better this week than to have two delicious beef meals with cuts I always enjoy. Think of it as an Irish beef showcase. Roast rib of beef is just a very tender melt-in-your-mouth meal. It is a traditional Sunday lunch for lots of people and is ideal for any special occasion. It never disappoints. A rib of beef is perfect when you’ve got a crowd to feed.
Try to start with a piece of beef that has been hung for 21 days for the best flavour and texture. Ask your butcher, and they will be happy to help. Always let it come back up to room temperature before roasting. Seal in the flavours in a pan before cooking the roast.
Like Mum used to make
This sauce is one that my mother, Vera, made regularly, and I associate it with many enjoyable Sundays. She always loved the taste of the few spoonfuls of port. Cashel Blue is a wonderful cheese which, after 40 years, is still being made by hand by the second generation of the Grubb family on their farm in Fethard, Co Tipperary. That is an impressive achievement.
You could keep it simple and just use a plain gravy. If there are any leftovers, it is delicious cold the next day in a sandwich for a school lunchbox. Or try it with some horseradish or mayonnaise, a little rocket and ciabatta.
The beef and noodle stir fry is a recipe we make when we have secondary school students in our cookery school. It is ideal for people who are trying their hand at some cooking because it is easy to make and very satisfying to eat.
For students who are away from home for the first time, this is a good recipe to have on hand. It is one of those dishes that once you have mastered it – it’s not difficult, by the way – you will come back to time and again.
Stir frying is a very easy way to cook and, if you don’t have a wok, it is well worth buying one. You will get a lot of use from it.
You could marinate the meat overnight in some soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil. You can also bulk it up with vegetables. Red onion works very well, peppers of all colours and courgettes at this time of year. I often serve this with rice.
Neven’s English Food Tour continues on RTÉ 1 at 8.30pm on Wednesdays.
Roast rib of Irish beef on the bone with port and Cashel Blue gravy
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp English mustard powder
1.5kg French-trimmed rib of beef on the bone, at room temperature
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions, peeled and quartered with root left intact
2 large carrots, halved lengthways
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
Small handful of soft thyme leaves,
plus extra to garnish
2 tsp plain flour
4 tbsp ruby red port
400ml beef or chicken stock
75g Cashel Blue cheese, rind removed and cheese crumbled into small pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Creamed horseradish sauce, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark 8). Toast the peppercorns in a dry frying pan until aromatic, then put in a pestle and mortar and grind until cracked. Mix in the mustard and 2 teaspoons of salt. Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and rub with the mustard mix.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan that’s large enough to take the rib of beef. Add the beef and quickly sear until lightly browned on all sides.
3. Pour the rest of the oil into a roasting tin, then add the onions, carrots, garlic halves and thyme, tossing to coat. Season to taste, then sit the seared beef in the middle of the vegetables. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6) and roast for 10 minutes per 450g for rare, 12 minutes for medium-rare and 20-25 minutes for well done. A joint this size will take just under 1 hour to cook to medium-rare. Take out and baste halfway through the cooking time.
4. When the beef is cooked to your liking, transfer to a platter with the garlic halves, cover with tin foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes while you make the gravy.
5. Pour the juices from the roasting tin into a jug and leave the fat to settle on top, then skim off and discard. Put the roasting tin on the hob and stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to remove any residue.
6. Gradually stir in the port and allow to bubble down completely. Pour in the stock and reserved juices and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring, until reduced by one-third. Strain into a clean pan, then whisk in the Cashel Blue until it has melted. Season with pepper and pour into a gravy boat.
7. To serve, carve the rested beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with the roasted garlic and a dollop of creamed horseradish and garnish with extra sprigs of fresh thyme. Hand round the gravy separately.
Irish beef and noodle stir-fry
Neven Maguire recipes April 2022. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp sesame oil
4 x 100g thin-cut sirloin steaks,
trimmed and sliced into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced
75g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
400g medium egg noodles
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Heat the rapeseed and sesame oils in a wok or large frying pan. Add the steak and garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the meat is sealed. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the egg noodles and cook for 3 minutes, then drain and add to the beef and vegetable mixture in the wok, tossing to combine.
3. Add the chicken stock to the beef and noodle mixture along with the soy, oyster and sweet chilli sauces and allow to heat through. Divide among warmed bowls, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds to serve.
Every time I turn on the radio these days, I hear about Mercosur. Now, the details of it are a bit away from my area of expertise, but when I hear the words ‘Irish beef’, I prick up my ears and am ready to fly the flag for Irish farmers.
Regular readers will know that I am a great fan of our grass-fed Irish beef, which enjoys PGI (Protected Geographical Indication) status throughout the whole island. This is an EU system where the exceptional quality of a product is linked to an area.
Other Irish products with PGI status include Clare Island Salmon, Connemara Hill Lamb, Waterford Blaa, Timoleague Brown Pudding, Sneem Black Pudding and Armagh Bramley Apples.
We buy our beef from John Stone in Ballymahon, Co Longford, which has fantastic flavour, and, most importantly for us, is consistent. It remains the most regular choice on our menu.
People may not be aware how closely the food we serve is monitored by the environmental health inspector. We would get at least two visits a year where they look at the menu, check our purchase records and our food. The beef is something that is always inspected. Without exception.
At home, I often cook the Simply Better rib on the bone, which comes from Martin Jennings in Ballinrobe, Co Mayo, and it is excellent. It also boasts the Bord Bia Quality Assured mark.
So with all that said, what’s better this week than to have two delicious beef meals with cuts I always enjoy. Think of it as an Irish beef showcase. Roast rib of beef is just a very tender melt-in-your-mouth meal. It is a traditional Sunday lunch for lots of people and is ideal for any special occasion. It never disappoints. A rib of beef is perfect when you’ve got a crowd to feed.
Try to start with a piece of beef that has been hung for 21 days for the best flavour and texture. Ask your butcher, and they will be happy to help. Always let it come back up to room temperature before roasting. Seal in the flavours in a pan before cooking the roast.
Like Mum used to make
This sauce is one that my mother, Vera, made regularly, and I associate it with many enjoyable Sundays. She always loved the taste of the few spoonfuls of port. Cashel Blue is a wonderful cheese which, after 40 years, is still being made by hand by the second generation of the Grubb family on their farm in Fethard, Co Tipperary. That is an impressive achievement.
You could keep it simple and just use a plain gravy. If there are any leftovers, it is delicious cold the next day in a sandwich for a school lunchbox. Or try it with some horseradish or mayonnaise, a little rocket and ciabatta.
The beef and noodle stir fry is a recipe we make when we have secondary school students in our cookery school. It is ideal for people who are trying their hand at some cooking because it is easy to make and very satisfying to eat.
For students who are away from home for the first time, this is a good recipe to have on hand. It is one of those dishes that once you have mastered it – it’s not difficult, by the way – you will come back to time and again.
Stir frying is a very easy way to cook and, if you don’t have a wok, it is well worth buying one. You will get a lot of use from it.
You could marinate the meat overnight in some soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil. You can also bulk it up with vegetables. Red onion works very well, peppers of all colours and courgettes at this time of year. I often serve this with rice.
Neven’s English Food Tour continues on RTÉ 1 at 8.30pm on Wednesdays.
Roast rib of Irish beef on the bone with port and Cashel Blue gravy
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tbsp English mustard powder
1.5kg French-trimmed rib of beef on the bone, at room temperature
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 large onions, peeled and quartered with root left intact
2 large carrots, halved lengthways
1 garlic bulb, cut in half
Small handful of soft thyme leaves,
plus extra to garnish
2 tsp plain flour
4 tbsp ruby red port
400ml beef or chicken stock
75g Cashel Blue cheese, rind removed and cheese crumbled into small pieces
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper Creamed horseradish sauce, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 230°C (450°F/gas mark 8). Toast the peppercorns in a dry frying pan until aromatic, then put in a pestle and mortar and grind until cracked. Mix in the mustard and 2 teaspoons of salt. Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and rub with the mustard mix.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a frying pan that’s large enough to take the rib of beef. Add the beef and quickly sear until lightly browned on all sides.
3. Pour the rest of the oil into a roasting tin, then add the onions, carrots, garlic halves and thyme, tossing to coat. Season to taste, then sit the seared beef in the middle of the vegetables. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 200°C (400°F/gas mark 6) and roast for 10 minutes per 450g for rare, 12 minutes for medium-rare and 20-25 minutes for well done. A joint this size will take just under 1 hour to cook to medium-rare. Take out and baste halfway through the cooking time.
4. When the beef is cooked to your liking, transfer to a platter with the garlic halves, cover with tin foil and leave to rest for 30 minutes while you make the gravy.
5. Pour the juices from the roasting tin into a jug and leave the fat to settle on top, then skim off and discard. Put the roasting tin on the hob and stir in the flour, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to remove any residue.
6. Gradually stir in the port and allow to bubble down completely. Pour in the stock and reserved juices and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring, until reduced by one-third. Strain into a clean pan, then whisk in the Cashel Blue until it has melted. Season with pepper and pour into a gravy boat.
7. To serve, carve the rested beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with the roasted garlic and a dollop of creamed horseradish and garnish with extra sprigs of fresh thyme. Hand round the gravy separately.
Irish beef and noodle stir-fry
Neven Maguire recipes April 2022. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
2 tsp sesame oil
4 x 100g thin-cut sirloin steaks,
trimmed and sliced into thin strips
2 garlic cloves, sliced
75g chestnut mushrooms, trimmed and sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
400g medium egg noodles
150ml chicken stock
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp oyster sauce
2 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Heat the rapeseed and sesame oils in a wok or large frying pan. Add the steak and garlic and stir-fry for 3 minutes, until the meat is sealed. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil. Add the egg noodles and cook for 3 minutes, then drain and add to the beef and vegetable mixture in the wok, tossing to combine.
3. Add the chicken stock to the beef and noodle mixture along with the soy, oyster and sweet chilli sauces and allow to heat through. Divide among warmed bowls, sprinkle toasted sesame seeds to serve.
SHARING OPTIONS