I am buzzing. There is no other word for it. I always enjoy when a demo goes well, and my recent demo in the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny was one of the very best.
My brother, Kenny, who looks after my demos, and lots of other people’s too, lives in Letterkenny. He was there with all the equipment for cooking so that 550 people could see and hear everything. The event was organised by Barry Quinn of Portnoo Market Garden, and he did a great job.
As well as the demo, there were 12 stallholders. Clare Beasley, my cookery school manager, was there to help, and Clare, like everybody, did this on a voluntary basis. Thanks also to the hotel who did not charge and the staff could not have been more helpful. The event was to raise money for the local community around the Portnoo area via the Downtrends Family Resource Centre, which gives a helping hand to local people who are going through a tough time.
We raised €25,000, and that will do a lot of good, so it is no wonder that I am buzzing. I believe that there are about 70 families that are currently being given some much-needed assistance, and this money will make a big difference to the chances some families will have in life. And I particularly think of children, where a little will have a welcome impact.
A big thank you to everyone who did their bit to make this a success. And as I said, it was all voluntary.
I had the usual fun with some people on stage to help me. I started with chicken satay skewers. Next was a warm steak salad with blue cheese. Then I prepared hake with a red pepper dressing and chicken and a chorizo rice bake.
Finally, a dessert of lemon curd cheesecake. My audience members and helpers were well fed!
I think a good night was had by all, but I am certain it was a good night for me, and I still haven’t come back down to earth. The ingredients were all sponsored by Simply Better, and thank you to them also.
This week, I have two meals for the bitterly cold March weather we have been experiencing. They are something of a celebration of some of our best ingredients in this country.
This beef bourguignon is the perfect comfort food for our four-seasons-in-one-day weather. This is also a good recipe to keep in your back pocket because it is one I suspect you will go back to again and again. In other words, this is a fail-safe recipe that will go down well with all the family.
The key to it is to get Quality Assured beef. For as long as I can remember, I have been singing the praises of Irish beef. We have always been very proud to serve it in the restaurant and I believe Irish beef is the best in the world.
Beef bourguignon is a great meal to make ahead in batches and it really is the ultimate comfort food – rich, filling and comforing.
When you cook with wine, I always say, ‘If it’s not good enough to drink, it’s not good enough to cook with’. With this in mind, pick a nice quality bottle of red Burgundy wine to provide a depth of flavour to the dish. It really is worth it, in my opinion.
For dessert, this rice pudding always makes me think of my father, Joe. When I was a youngster, he used to take me to the Railway Hotel in Enniskillen for rice pudding as a treat. Our twins absolutely love it now.
Sometimes, I use the Simply Better Arborio rice for this recipe, which is absolutely delicious.
I also like to make it with coconut milk topped off with some pineapple. This adds a lovely sweetness to this traditional pudding dish that always make me think of my childhood.
Enjoy it!
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
25g butter
2 tbsp sunflower oil
350g small shallots, peeled
100g pancetta or rindless streaky bacon
675g chuck steak,
cut into bite-sized pieces
50g flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 bottle red Burgundy wine
150ml beef stock
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp brandy
225g small chestnut mushrooms, trimmed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, to serve
Method
1. Heat half of the butter and one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and fry for 3-4 minutes, until they’re just beginning to brown, then tip in the pancetta or bacon and fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2. Place the beef pieces in a ziplock bag with the seasoned flour. Toss until the beef is well coated with the flour, then remove, shaking off any excess. Add the beef to the frying pan and fry until lightly golden on all sides.
3. Transfer to a casserole dish with a lid. Add a little of the red wine to the frying pan and scrape the bottom to remove any sediment. Then pour this in on top of the beef with the rest of the red wine and the stock, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme.
4. Add the sautéed shallots and pancetta and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender but still holding its shape.
5. Halfway through cooking, heat the remaining butter and remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, until just tender and lightly browned, stirring.
6. Add the brandy and cook for another few minutes. Stir the mushrooms into the casserole dish and return to the oven for the remaining cooking time.
When the beef bourguignon is ready, season to taste and serve straight to the table with a separate bowl of crusty French bread.
Rice pudding and jam. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
500ml (18fl oz) milk
200ml cream
100g short-grain pudding rice
75g caster sugar
25g butter
½ vanilla pod, split in half lengthways,
or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Raspberry jam (optional)
Method
1. Place the milk and cream in a heavy-based pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice, sugar, butter and vanilla pod or extract and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the rice is tender and creamy, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.
3. Remove the vanilla pod from the pan and discard. Spoon the rice pudding into warmed bowls and add a little raspberry jam, if liked, to serve.
I am buzzing. There is no other word for it. I always enjoy when a demo goes well, and my recent demo in the Clanree Hotel in Letterkenny was one of the very best.
My brother, Kenny, who looks after my demos, and lots of other people’s too, lives in Letterkenny. He was there with all the equipment for cooking so that 550 people could see and hear everything. The event was organised by Barry Quinn of Portnoo Market Garden, and he did a great job.
As well as the demo, there were 12 stallholders. Clare Beasley, my cookery school manager, was there to help, and Clare, like everybody, did this on a voluntary basis. Thanks also to the hotel who did not charge and the staff could not have been more helpful. The event was to raise money for the local community around the Portnoo area via the Downtrends Family Resource Centre, which gives a helping hand to local people who are going through a tough time.
We raised €25,000, and that will do a lot of good, so it is no wonder that I am buzzing. I believe that there are about 70 families that are currently being given some much-needed assistance, and this money will make a big difference to the chances some families will have in life. And I particularly think of children, where a little will have a welcome impact.
A big thank you to everyone who did their bit to make this a success. And as I said, it was all voluntary.
I had the usual fun with some people on stage to help me. I started with chicken satay skewers. Next was a warm steak salad with blue cheese. Then I prepared hake with a red pepper dressing and chicken and a chorizo rice bake.
Finally, a dessert of lemon curd cheesecake. My audience members and helpers were well fed!
I think a good night was had by all, but I am certain it was a good night for me, and I still haven’t come back down to earth. The ingredients were all sponsored by Simply Better, and thank you to them also.
This week, I have two meals for the bitterly cold March weather we have been experiencing. They are something of a celebration of some of our best ingredients in this country.
This beef bourguignon is the perfect comfort food for our four-seasons-in-one-day weather. This is also a good recipe to keep in your back pocket because it is one I suspect you will go back to again and again. In other words, this is a fail-safe recipe that will go down well with all the family.
The key to it is to get Quality Assured beef. For as long as I can remember, I have been singing the praises of Irish beef. We have always been very proud to serve it in the restaurant and I believe Irish beef is the best in the world.
Beef bourguignon is a great meal to make ahead in batches and it really is the ultimate comfort food – rich, filling and comforing.
When you cook with wine, I always say, ‘If it’s not good enough to drink, it’s not good enough to cook with’. With this in mind, pick a nice quality bottle of red Burgundy wine to provide a depth of flavour to the dish. It really is worth it, in my opinion.
For dessert, this rice pudding always makes me think of my father, Joe. When I was a youngster, he used to take me to the Railway Hotel in Enniskillen for rice pudding as a treat. Our twins absolutely love it now.
Sometimes, I use the Simply Better Arborio rice for this recipe, which is absolutely delicious.
I also like to make it with coconut milk topped off with some pineapple. This adds a lovely sweetness to this traditional pudding dish that always make me think of my childhood.
Enjoy it!
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
25g butter
2 tbsp sunflower oil
350g small shallots, peeled
100g pancetta or rindless streaky bacon
675g chuck steak,
cut into bite-sized pieces
50g flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
1 bottle red Burgundy wine
150ml beef stock
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery sticks, chopped
2 bay leaves
2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
2 tbsp brandy
225g small chestnut mushrooms, trimmed
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty French bread, to serve
Method
1. Heat half of the butter and one tablespoon of the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and fry for 3-4 minutes, until they’re just beginning to brown, then tip in the pancetta or bacon and fry until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2. Place the beef pieces in a ziplock bag with the seasoned flour. Toss until the beef is well coated with the flour, then remove, shaking off any excess. Add the beef to the frying pan and fry until lightly golden on all sides.
3. Transfer to a casserole dish with a lid. Add a little of the red wine to the frying pan and scrape the bottom to remove any sediment. Then pour this in on top of the beef with the rest of the red wine and the stock, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme.
4. Add the sautéed shallots and pancetta and season with salt and pepper. Stir to combine, then cover and simmer gently for 1 ½ hours, or until the meat is tender but still holding its shape.
5. Halfway through cooking, heat the remaining butter and remaining tablespoon of oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the mushrooms for 3-4 minutes, until just tender and lightly browned, stirring.
6. Add the brandy and cook for another few minutes. Stir the mushrooms into the casserole dish and return to the oven for the remaining cooking time.
When the beef bourguignon is ready, season to taste and serve straight to the table with a separate bowl of crusty French bread.
Rice pudding and jam. \ Philip Doyle
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
500ml (18fl oz) milk
200ml cream
100g short-grain pudding rice
75g caster sugar
25g butter
½ vanilla pod, split in half lengthways,
or 1 tsp vanilla extract
Raspberry jam (optional)
Method
1. Place the milk and cream in a heavy-based pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice, sugar, butter and vanilla pod or extract and bring to the boil, stirring until the sugar has dissolved.
2. Reduce the heat to the lowest setting and cook for 30-40 minutes, until the rice is tender and creamy, stirring frequently to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom.
3. Remove the vanilla pod from the pan and discard. Spoon the rice pudding into warmed bowls and add a little raspberry jam, if liked, to serve.
SHARING OPTIONS