Early September is set to be an exciting time with the launch of my new My Ulster Food Trails programme on RTÉ1. There are six episodes in total, and we had a great time making them all around the province.
The RTÉ Guide came up to Blacklion recently to do an interview. The team also spoke to my gardener, Kevin Ashley, who has been with us for 15 years now and is an invaluable part of the team all year round.
What began with a few polytunnels has become one of our main attractions and an essential part of the restaurant operation. It is interesting to see how many of our guests take a walk in the garden, and if Kevin is there, he is always happy to answer questions.
The garden slopes up from where people have a drink before and after dinner, and it has become a very regular topic of conversation. Kevin bases his work around the seasons, and at the moment, there are a lot of courgettes, tomatoes and basil. I am delighted that so much of what we cook comes from our own garden, and our guests are fascinated by the ways we use our homegrown produce.
I have noticed a big increase in people interested in growing their own vegetables at home, so we are always delighted to have them wander in our garden, and hopefully, they may pick up some tips. Everyone will tell you there is a particular pleasure in eating vegetables and herbs that you have grown and nurtured in your own garden.
Today, I have two quick, tasty chicken recipes for you to try at home. Chicken is so versatile, and I am very partial to chicken thighs. I think they have the best flavour. These days, you can get them skinned and boned in your supermarket, and that is a great time saver.
This chicken satay is also a great recipe to make ahead of time or batch cook. You can eat it hot or cold over the next couple of days. I am happy to recommend Noone’s Poultry in Inishowen, Co Donegal, where for more than a decade, Gerard Noone and his family have been producing Bord Bia Quality Assured chickens.
I was really happy to meet the Noone family recently. I am a big fan of their corn-fed chicken because it has so much flavour and is beautifully moist. You may have seen the Noones last year on the RTÉ1 show Ear to The Ground.
My mother loved this satay sauce. She came to Thailand and Indonesia with Amelda and I a few times, and without fail, she ordered this sauce. It is not too spicy. More sweet and sour.
For me, it is the perfect sauce and the key to it is the lime juice. If you don’t have coconut milk, you could use 75ml of boiling water. This is a good sauce to drizzle over a salad and maybe with a little leftover roast chicken.
If you eat a lot of rice, a rice steamer is a very handy thing to have in the kitchen and would be well worth buying. I sometimes add a little chicken stock to rice for a little more flavour.
You will find the edamame beans in the freezer section of an Asian supermarket, or you could use broad beans or peas as an alternative. The mango adds a lovely freshness, and I just love toasted sesame seeds. There are really no rules when it comes to salads like this. Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge that you think will work well with the satay sauce.
This sticky teriyaki chicken is very popular with children and is good with noodles or steamed rice. Rice noodles are now widely available. This is a great marinade too and I often use it with turkey or pork. Just be careful with the chilli flakes, as making it too spicy will ruin the meal for some people. I always keep root ginger in the freezer. I just use what I need and wrap what is left in cling film and freeze it.
Pak choi is much more widely available than it used to be. It is one of the many new vegetables that Kevin is growing in our garden in Blacklion. Enjoy!
Ingredients: serves 4-6
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g chicken fillets or skinless,
boneless thighs, diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
For the satay sauce
1 tin of coconut milk
6 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
Juice of ½ lime
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
For the salad
300g short grain brown rice
150g edamame beans
1 small head of broccoli,
cut into bite-sized florets
1 small ripe mango, peeled and diced
(or use pre-prepared mango chunks)
6 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
Sea salt and freshy ground black pepper
Method
1. Cook the rice. Rinse it well under cold running water, then put it in a pan with a tight-fitting lid with a good pinch of salt. Pour in 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 15-20 minutes without disturbing it. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for another 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Fluff up the rice with a fork.
2. Heat the rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.
3. Add the chicken and season generously, then sauté for 4-5 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden. Drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil and continue tossing until the chicken is coated and all the liquid has evaporated.
4. Blanch the edamame beans and broccoli for 2-3 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then drain on kitchen paper.
5. To make the satay sauce, pour the boiling water into a bowl and add the peanut butter. Stir until smooth, then stir in the lime juice, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and sugar.
6. To assemble, divide rice between bowls. Then arrange the chicken, edamame beans, broccoli, mango, radishes, carrots and spring onions on top. Scatter over the sesame seeds and drizzle over satay sauce.
Sticky teriyaki chicken and noodles
Sticky teriyaki chicken and noodles.
Ingredients: serves 4
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
25g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely gated
120ml soy sauce
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 large boneless,
skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
300ml hot chicken stock
225g dried flat rice noodles
200g baby pak choi, cut into quarters
2 tsp sesame oil
To garnish
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced into rings
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°c (400°F/gas mark 6).
2. Mix the garlic, ginger, soy, sugar and chilli flakes in a large bowl. Tip in the chicken thighs and smear until well coated. Arrange the chicken in a roasting tin. Then pour the hot stock into the bowl with the remaining marinade and whisk to combine – you will use this later.
3. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes, adding a little water to the bottom of the tin if the teriyaki mixture starts to catch. Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to soak for 5 minutes, then drain.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a plate. Pour in the reserved teriyaki-flavoured stock, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to remove any sediment. Add the drained noodles and with a tongs, flip them over to coat them in the liquid.
5. Arrange the chicken thighs back on top. Nestle in the pak choi and drizzle lightly with the sesame oil. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is completely cooked through and tender.
6. To serve, cut the chicken into strips and divide between four serving bowls with the noodles. Then scatter over the chilli, spring onions and sesame seeds.
Early September is set to be an exciting time with the launch of my new My Ulster Food Trails programme on RTÉ1. There are six episodes in total, and we had a great time making them all around the province.
The RTÉ Guide came up to Blacklion recently to do an interview. The team also spoke to my gardener, Kevin Ashley, who has been with us for 15 years now and is an invaluable part of the team all year round.
What began with a few polytunnels has become one of our main attractions and an essential part of the restaurant operation. It is interesting to see how many of our guests take a walk in the garden, and if Kevin is there, he is always happy to answer questions.
The garden slopes up from where people have a drink before and after dinner, and it has become a very regular topic of conversation. Kevin bases his work around the seasons, and at the moment, there are a lot of courgettes, tomatoes and basil. I am delighted that so much of what we cook comes from our own garden, and our guests are fascinated by the ways we use our homegrown produce.
I have noticed a big increase in people interested in growing their own vegetables at home, so we are always delighted to have them wander in our garden, and hopefully, they may pick up some tips. Everyone will tell you there is a particular pleasure in eating vegetables and herbs that you have grown and nurtured in your own garden.
Today, I have two quick, tasty chicken recipes for you to try at home. Chicken is so versatile, and I am very partial to chicken thighs. I think they have the best flavour. These days, you can get them skinned and boned in your supermarket, and that is a great time saver.
This chicken satay is also a great recipe to make ahead of time or batch cook. You can eat it hot or cold over the next couple of days. I am happy to recommend Noone’s Poultry in Inishowen, Co Donegal, where for more than a decade, Gerard Noone and his family have been producing Bord Bia Quality Assured chickens.
I was really happy to meet the Noone family recently. I am a big fan of their corn-fed chicken because it has so much flavour and is beautifully moist. You may have seen the Noones last year on the RTÉ1 show Ear to The Ground.
My mother loved this satay sauce. She came to Thailand and Indonesia with Amelda and I a few times, and without fail, she ordered this sauce. It is not too spicy. More sweet and sour.
For me, it is the perfect sauce and the key to it is the lime juice. If you don’t have coconut milk, you could use 75ml of boiling water. This is a good sauce to drizzle over a salad and maybe with a little leftover roast chicken.
If you eat a lot of rice, a rice steamer is a very handy thing to have in the kitchen and would be well worth buying. I sometimes add a little chicken stock to rice for a little more flavour.
You will find the edamame beans in the freezer section of an Asian supermarket, or you could use broad beans or peas as an alternative. The mango adds a lovely freshness, and I just love toasted sesame seeds. There are really no rules when it comes to salads like this. Use whatever vegetables you have in the fridge that you think will work well with the satay sauce.
This sticky teriyaki chicken is very popular with children and is good with noodles or steamed rice. Rice noodles are now widely available. This is a great marinade too and I often use it with turkey or pork. Just be careful with the chilli flakes, as making it too spicy will ruin the meal for some people. I always keep root ginger in the freezer. I just use what I need and wrap what is left in cling film and freeze it.
Pak choi is much more widely available than it used to be. It is one of the many new vegetables that Kevin is growing in our garden in Blacklion. Enjoy!
Ingredients: serves 4-6
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
500g chicken fillets or skinless,
boneless thighs, diced
1 tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
For the satay sauce
1 tin of coconut milk
6 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
Juice of ½ lime
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp sweet chilli sauce
1 tsp light muscovado sugar
For the salad
300g short grain brown rice
150g edamame beans
1 small head of broccoli,
cut into bite-sized florets
1 small ripe mango, peeled and diced
(or use pre-prepared mango chunks)
6 radishes, thinly sliced
2 carrots, julienned
3 spring onions, finely sliced
2 tsp toasted black sesame seeds
Sea salt and freshy ground black pepper
Method
1. Cook the rice. Rinse it well under cold running water, then put it in a pan with a tight-fitting lid with a good pinch of salt. Pour in 600ml of water and bring to the boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer very gently for 15-20 minutes without disturbing it. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside for another 10 minutes without lifting the lid. Fluff up the rice with a fork.
2. Heat the rapeseed oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat.
3. Add the chicken and season generously, then sauté for 4-5 minutes, until cooked through and lightly golden. Drizzle over the soy sauce and sesame oil and continue tossing until the chicken is coated and all the liquid has evaporated.
4. Blanch the edamame beans and broccoli for 2-3 minutes in a pan of boiling salted water. Drain and refresh under cold running water, then drain on kitchen paper.
5. To make the satay sauce, pour the boiling water into a bowl and add the peanut butter. Stir until smooth, then stir in the lime juice, soy sauce, sweet chilli sauce and sugar.
6. To assemble, divide rice between bowls. Then arrange the chicken, edamame beans, broccoli, mango, radishes, carrots and spring onions on top. Scatter over the sesame seeds and drizzle over satay sauce.
Sticky teriyaki chicken and noodles
Sticky teriyaki chicken and noodles.
Ingredients: serves 4
2 garlic cloves, finely grated
25g fresh root ginger, peeled and finely gated
120ml soy sauce
2 tbsp light muscovado sugar
1 tsp chilli flakes
4 large boneless,
skinless chicken thighs, trimmed
300ml hot chicken stock
225g dried flat rice noodles
200g baby pak choi, cut into quarters
2 tsp sesame oil
To garnish
1 fresh red chilli, thinly sliced into rings
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°c (400°F/gas mark 6).
2. Mix the garlic, ginger, soy, sugar and chilli flakes in a large bowl. Tip in the chicken thighs and smear until well coated. Arrange the chicken in a roasting tin. Then pour the hot stock into the bowl with the remaining marinade and whisk to combine – you will use this later.
3. Roast the chicken for 25 minutes, adding a little water to the bottom of the tin if the teriyaki mixture starts to catch. Put the noodles in a heatproof bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover. Set aside to soak for 5 minutes, then drain.
4. Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer to a plate. Pour in the reserved teriyaki-flavoured stock, scraping the bottom of the tin with a wooden spoon to remove any sediment. Add the drained noodles and with a tongs, flip them over to coat them in the liquid.
5. Arrange the chicken thighs back on top. Nestle in the pak choi and drizzle lightly with the sesame oil. Return to the oven for another 5 minutes until the noodles have absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is completely cooked through and tender.
6. To serve, cut the chicken into strips and divide between four serving bowls with the noodles. Then scatter over the chilli, spring onions and sesame seeds.
SHARING OPTIONS