Bloom was a great success this year. Thank you to everyone who came to my demos, and to Daragh Lawless and the Dunnes Stores team for all their hard work. I really enjoyed working with Taste of Bloom again for lunchtimes, and as usual, Hylda Adams and Bord Bia did an exceptional job organising the event. It was also great to see Marty Whelan and the Lyric FM team. Happy birthday Marty!
My first salad today has a Thai influence, and you know how much I enjoy Thai food. Make sure your mango is fully ripe and the red chilli adds some nice heat. I love Dublin Bay prawns, but not everyone is a fish lover. I have also made this salad with chicken in the past.
Lemongrass is the most aromatic of flavours and is grown in small quantities in Ireland now, making it easily available. I was delighted to meet O’Hanlon Herbs recently. They cultivate a fabulous range in Glenealy, Co Wicklow.
Our second recipe boasts a wonderful range of colours. Grantstown Nurseries in Ballygunner, Co Waterford, grow a selection of delicious tomato varieties.
Close to my home is Corleggy, who produce raw-milk handmade cheeses that I use often in the restaurant. Another good option is Ardsallagh, which is a family-run business in Co Cork. In addition to making cheese, St Tola in Co Clare have a goat farm with a visitor tour. If you prefer cow’s milk cheese, Toons Bridge Dairy produce plenty of good mozzarellas in west Cork.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
Juice of 1 lime
2 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
2 tbsp light soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp palm sugar
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 lemongrass sticks, trimmed and very finely chopped
1 red chilli, seeded and finely chopped
400g cooked tiger prawns, thawed if frozen
1 firm, ripe avocado
1 small, firm, ripe mango
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
2 shallots, thinly sliced
100g watercress
Method
1 Mix the lime juice with the Thai fish sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, palm sugar, garlic, lemongrass and red chilli. Add the tiger prawns and mix well to combine.
2 Cover with cling film and leave to marinate in the fridge for 1 hour.
3 When you are almost ready to serve, cut the avocado in half, take out the stone, peel away the skin and cut the flesh into slices. Do the same with the mango.
4 Heat a wok until it’s smoking hot. Toss the spring onions and shallots into the marinating prawns, then tip the whole lot into the wok. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, until just heated through. Be careful not to overcook.
5 Arrange the watercress on plates or use one large platter. Divide the avocado and mango slices among the plates. Scatter over the stir-fried prawns and drizzle any extra dressing left in the wok to serve.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
400g cooked baby beetroot, halved (drained from a jar)
100g red cherry tomatoes, halved
100g vine-ripened tomatoes, sliced into thin wedges
100g yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
12 goat’s cheese balls, drained
1 tbsp toasted flaked almonds
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp chopped fresh basil, plus extra sprigs to garnish
5 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp harissa paste
Finely grated rind of ½ lemon
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 To make the salad dressing, place all the ingredients in a large bowl and season with salt and pepper. Whisk until emulsified.
2 Add the beetroot and various tomatoes and gently fold together to combine.
3 Divide the beetroot salad between four plates or put on one large platter and arrange the goat’s cheese balls on top.
4 Scatter over the toasted almonds and garnish with plenty of basil sprigs to serve.
SHARING OPTIONS