Last week was our first cookery school of the year, and I really enjoyed it. It was the Taste of Italy, and as you know, I am a lover of Italian food, as were our 12 guests.
People often ask me, ‘Do you need to be a good cook to do one of our days?’ Not at all is the answer. You just have to enjoy food.
The day begins at 10am with tea or coffee and scones. Then I do a demo of some of the recipes we will be doing during the day. Claire Beasley, who manages the cookery school, works alongside me. Everything is weighed in advance to make it easy for guests, and some love to hear there is no washing up!
We began with a ragu using a recipe I got from a chef in Florence. It uses half beef mince and half pork. Then we did a wild mushroom risotto. People often think risotto is difficult, and I think everyone was surprised at how easy it was to make.
Next up we made a basil pesto and a sun-dried pesto. Then a stuffed breast of chicken with mozzarella. All of that was followed by a tiramisu. That’s all in one single day. There was plenty of cooking, eating and fun. Finally, each student made some madeleines to take home before finishing with some cheese and wine.
Today, I have two meals which are each ideal for lunch or brunch. This haddock dish was inspired by the wonderful natural smoked haddock that has now become so widely available. Ask your fishmonger. In the restaurant, we get ours from Sally Barnes of the wonderful Woodcock Smokery in west Cork, where she has been using and promoting traditional handmade methods for over 45 years. The haddock is naturally smoked without dye. Check out woodcocksmokery.com.
I was thinking of Sally when I was filming in the northeast of England a while back for my current RTÉ 1 series. I visited the seaside village of Craster, home of the Craster kipper. Historically, Craster was a major hub of kipper production, but as herring stocks dwindled, the local smokehouses went into decline.
However, the last remaining kipper smokehouse in Craster is still thriving and operated by the Robson family. I met owner Neil Robson whose smoke house dates back to 1856. Neil has preserved the traditional craft of smoking herrings by lighting fires made with oak shavings directly under the racks of fish to produce the famous kippers.
Balanced dishes
This haddock would also make a delicious light supper that will satisfy the most discerning guests. I remember asking fishermen what was their favourite fish when we were filming our Irish Seafood Trails, and haddock was a clear winner.
This recipe is really three recipes in one. It is how to make the perfect poached egg, a delicious potato mash, and a quick simple sauce. The hash potatoes have a lovely texture, and, as you know, I am a great fan of our potatoes.
The poaching liquid is an ideal base for the sauce. Add in a little English or Dijon mustard which gives it a bit of a kick.
Bircher muesli was invented by a Swiss doctor, Dr Maximilian Oskar Bircher-Benner around 1900, and has gone from strength to strength in the years since. His idea was that a raw food diet would help patients with digestive issues and general health and it was first known as the ‘apple juice diet’.
It is one of our staples in the restaurant for breakfast. This recipe uses the very best of Irish products with oats from Flahavans, apple juice from Con Traas in Tipperary and a plain yoghurt from Killowen in Enniscorthy. Simply Better has great granola sprinkles made by Siobhan Lawless from Foods of Athenry.
This must be made 12 hours in advance, but will keep for two days if covered with cling film in the fridge. But only add the apple when serving as they may go brown.
Neven’s English Food Tour is on RTÉ 1 at 8.30pm on Wednesdays.
Ingredients: Serves 4
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
4 large eggs (preferably free-range)
300ml milk
1 onion, finely sliced
1 bay leaf
4 x 100g natural smoked haddock fillets, pin-boned
1 tsp prepared English mustard
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tsp water
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
75g watercress sprigs
For the hash potatoes:
450g starchy potatoes (such as Rooster), peeled and grated
25g butter, melted
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
About 1 tsp olive oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Place a large pan of water on a high heat. Add the vinegar and a pinch of salt. Bring to a rapid boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, whisk the water and crack in two of the eggs.
Cook for 3 minutes, until the eggs are just poached and holding their shape. Remove with a slotted spoon and put straight into a bowl of iced water. Repeat with the remaining two eggs. These eggs will keep happily in the fridge for up to two days.
2. Meanwhile, pour the milk into a large frying pan and add the sliced onion and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then carefully place the haddock into the milk, skin side down. Simmer for 2 minutes, then turn over and simmer for another 2 minutes, until the smoked haddock is just cooked through and tender. Lift the haddock out of the milk. Carefully remove and discard the skin and keep the haddock warm.
3. Strain the poaching milk through a sieve into a small clean pan to remove the onion and bay leaf. Put over a medium heat and whisk in the mustard and lemon juice and the cornflour mixture. Bring to the boil to thicken, whisking continuously.
Season to taste, remove from the heat and keep warm, whisking in the chopped chives at the last minute. Place the grated potatoes, melted butter, parsley and seasoning in a bowl and mix well. Heat a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to low heat and spray the base with olive oil.
4. Place large spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan, flatten with a fish slice and cook for 5-6 minutes on each side, until crisp and golden brown. You will need 12 in total, allowing 3 per serving. Spray the pan with olive oil for each batch.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
225g jumbo porridge oats
200ml cream
150ml freshly pressed apple juice
150ml natural plain yoghurt
2 tbsp clear honey
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 Granny Smith apple
For the granola sprinkles:
100g mixed seeds (such as sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds)
3 tbsp maple syrup
25g flaked almonds
Method
1. To make the bircher muesli, mix the oats in a large non-metallic bowl with the cream, apple juice, yoghurt, honey and vanilla extract. Cover with cling film and set aside overnight in the fridge to soak.
2. To make the granola sprinkles, preheat the grill to medium. Line a Swiss roll tin with non-stick baking paper.
3. Place the mixed seeds in a bowl and drizzle in the maple syrup, stirring continuously until evenly combined. Tip the seeds onto the lined Swiss roll tin and spread out in an even layer. Place under the grill for 8-10 minutes, until lightly golden, stirring occasionally to break up any large lumps in the mixture. Add the flaked almonds, stirring to combine, and cook for another 5-10 minutes, until lightly golden, again stirring occasionally to prevent the edges from overcooking. Remove from the grill and leave to cool and harden. Transfer to an airtight container until needed.
4. In the morning, finish making the bircher muesli. Remove the core from the apple and then grate the apple into the softened oat mixture. It’s important to keep the mixture quite wet. To serve, divide the bircher muesli among martini glasses or similar and scatter over the granola sprinkles to serve.
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