Last week, I was back on the road doing one of the parts of my job that I enjoy most – meeting food producers and making videos with them for Simply Better.
I spent a fascinating day in Drogheda at McCloskey Craft Bakery, a business that is now in its fourth generation. It was set up in the 1940s by Paddy McCloskey Snr and his wife Vera. A big expansion happened in 1983 when his son, Paddy Jnr, bought the well-known Moorland Café and Tea Rooms.
I was delighted to be shown around by the next generation, Patrick, who, along with his wife Daphne, now runs the bakery and bakery cafés in Drogheda, Navan, Dundalk and Donaghmede. It is a great success story, and the business now employs over 250 people. The fourth generation is now getting involved in the business.
Hot cross bun fun
Patrick showed me how to make hot cross buns, as Good Friday is not far away, and told me the story of how the recipe came from monks in the UK who used leftover bread and spices like cinnamon and then put a cross made of a paste of flour and water on top. The buns were then distributed to the poor.
I really do feel privileged to meet people like Patrick on my travels, and every day is a school day for me.
After our filming was completed, Patrick and Daphne took us to the wonderful Moorland Café, right in the centre of Drogheda. It seats 120 people, and we had a very memorable lunch, including some fresh cakes and buns and some delicious sandwiches.
Another good part of filming days is that we do get a bit spoilt. A big thank you to our team from Nomos, a production company that excels in making videos about food.
They are a pleasure to sit down and eat with afterwards too. I have always enjoyed working with them over the years.
Hearty meals
This week I have two comforting recipes for you to try out in the kitchen. My French onion beef is a warm, hearty, rich stew – light enough for the season, while bringing a layer of much-needed comfort – as we look out at yet more rain and hope for brighter days to come.
You could do it in a slow cooker, and it would be amazing. I sometimes serve it with a buttery mash or with rice, but I love the bit of fun with the all-butter croissants set on top of this, just like little hats.
I love the flavour of slow-cooked onion. The key to the great flavour is to cook slowly and caramelise the onion.
I have also made this recipe with diced chicken thighs or diced pork shoulder, and it works well with both.
The garlic butter with parsley is good with lots of meals, and I make it often. Make sure you get a good quality Parmigiano Reggiano for the richest taste.
I made this cheesy bolognese hotpot for a Simply Better video a while back, and I got a lot of nice comments from people who made it, so I thought I would share it with our lovely Irish Country Living readers to try out.
Make sure to get beef with 10% fat to keep it nice and moist. You can batch cook the mince base and have it ready to finish off with sliced potatoes.
One of the great things about my job is coming across new tastes. I have long believed that the Italians grow some of the best tomatoes in the world.
It was only a year or so ago that I first came across datterini tomatoes, and they are beautiful – small and packed with flavour and well worth trying. The name means ‘little dates’ in Italian, due to the fact these sweet cherry tomatoes are shaped a bit like dates.
French onion beef with cheesy-crusted croissants
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 packets of frozen all-butter croissants
75g butter, softened
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp white granulated sugar
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus minced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
500g casserole beef pieces
50g plain flour
300ml red wine
1 pack Irish-made slow-cooked bone broth
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley,
plus extra to garnish
60g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
60g French Comté 12-month matured,
finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F/Gas Mark 5). Put the croissants on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then cut each one in half again.
2. Melt a knob of the butter with 1 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions, then season generously and sauté with the lid on for 10 minutes until soft. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramelised. Add the sliced garlic and the thyme for the final few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a casserole dish over a high heat. Dry the beef with kitchen paper. Put the flour into a bowl and season generously. Tip in the beef and toss until evenly coated. Add half the oil and sauté the beef in batches until golden brown.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Put the beef back into the casserole, then pour in the wine and allow to bubble down, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour in the bone broth and then stir in the onions. Bring to a simmer and then put the lid on and transfer to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 2 hours until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce has nicely reduced.
5. Half an hour before you are ready to serve, put the rest of the butter into a bowl and mix in the minced garlic and parsley. Put the Comté in a separate bowl and the Parmesan in a third bowl. Line them up and dip the bottom of the croissants into the garlic butter so that it comes up the sides with the help of a teaspoon. Then roll the sides in the Comté and finally dip the bottoms into the Parmesan.
6. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle any remaining cheese around the edges. Bake on the top shelf for 10-12 minutes until the croissants are crisp. Drain off excess butter and leave for 2 minutes for the cheese to firm up. Divide the French onion beef between bowls, top with a crusted croissant, season and serve immediately.
Cheesy bolognese hot pot. Photographer: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
500g beef steak mince
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, cored and diced
1 tbsp Mediterranean seasoning
2 heaped tbsp tomato purée
300ml chicken stock
1 jar Italian tomato and sweet garlic sauce
1 jar Italian sweet red or yellow datterini sauce
1kg potatoes
25g butter
1 pack Italian mozzarella cubes
4 heaped tbsp freshly grated
Parmigiano Reggiano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh green salad, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F/Gas Mark 5). Remove the beef mince from the packaging and allow it to warm back to room temperature. Heat a shallow casserole over a high heat. Add the oil and then tip in the onion and the pepper. Sauté for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the beef mince and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes until browned.
2. Sprinkle the Mediterranean seasoning over the beef mixture and stir in the tomato purée and cook it out for another minute or two. Pour in the chicken stock and allow to bubble down. Add the tomato sauce with the datterini tomatoes. Stir, season to taste and bring to a simmer.
3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into slices. Starting at the outside of the casserole, arrange the potatoes in an overlapping layer on top. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan and brush on top, then season with salt. Cover with a circle of parchment paper (cartouche). Bake for 1 ½ hours, then remove from the oven and take off the parchment.
4. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately with a side salad and season to taste.
Last week, I was back on the road doing one of the parts of my job that I enjoy most – meeting food producers and making videos with them for Simply Better.
I spent a fascinating day in Drogheda at McCloskey Craft Bakery, a business that is now in its fourth generation. It was set up in the 1940s by Paddy McCloskey Snr and his wife Vera. A big expansion happened in 1983 when his son, Paddy Jnr, bought the well-known Moorland Café and Tea Rooms.
I was delighted to be shown around by the next generation, Patrick, who, along with his wife Daphne, now runs the bakery and bakery cafés in Drogheda, Navan, Dundalk and Donaghmede. It is a great success story, and the business now employs over 250 people. The fourth generation is now getting involved in the business.
Hot cross bun fun
Patrick showed me how to make hot cross buns, as Good Friday is not far away, and told me the story of how the recipe came from monks in the UK who used leftover bread and spices like cinnamon and then put a cross made of a paste of flour and water on top. The buns were then distributed to the poor.
I really do feel privileged to meet people like Patrick on my travels, and every day is a school day for me.
After our filming was completed, Patrick and Daphne took us to the wonderful Moorland Café, right in the centre of Drogheda. It seats 120 people, and we had a very memorable lunch, including some fresh cakes and buns and some delicious sandwiches.
Another good part of filming days is that we do get a bit spoilt. A big thank you to our team from Nomos, a production company that excels in making videos about food.
They are a pleasure to sit down and eat with afterwards too. I have always enjoyed working with them over the years.
Hearty meals
This week I have two comforting recipes for you to try out in the kitchen. My French onion beef is a warm, hearty, rich stew – light enough for the season, while bringing a layer of much-needed comfort – as we look out at yet more rain and hope for brighter days to come.
You could do it in a slow cooker, and it would be amazing. I sometimes serve it with a buttery mash or with rice, but I love the bit of fun with the all-butter croissants set on top of this, just like little hats.
I love the flavour of slow-cooked onion. The key to the great flavour is to cook slowly and caramelise the onion.
I have also made this recipe with diced chicken thighs or diced pork shoulder, and it works well with both.
The garlic butter with parsley is good with lots of meals, and I make it often. Make sure you get a good quality Parmigiano Reggiano for the richest taste.
I made this cheesy bolognese hotpot for a Simply Better video a while back, and I got a lot of nice comments from people who made it, so I thought I would share it with our lovely Irish Country Living readers to try out.
Make sure to get beef with 10% fat to keep it nice and moist. You can batch cook the mince base and have it ready to finish off with sliced potatoes.
One of the great things about my job is coming across new tastes. I have long believed that the Italians grow some of the best tomatoes in the world.
It was only a year or so ago that I first came across datterini tomatoes, and they are beautiful – small and packed with flavour and well worth trying. The name means ‘little dates’ in Italian, due to the fact these sweet cherry tomatoes are shaped a bit like dates.
French onion beef with cheesy-crusted croissants
Ingredients: Serves 4
2 packets of frozen all-butter croissants
75g butter, softened
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 large onions, thinly sliced
1 tsp white granulated sugar
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced, plus minced
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
500g casserole beef pieces
50g plain flour
300ml red wine
1 pack Irish-made slow-cooked bone broth
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley,
plus extra to garnish
60g Parmigiano Reggiano, finely grated
60g French Comté 12-month matured,
finely grated
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F/Gas Mark 5). Put the croissants on a non-stick baking sheet and bake for 25 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Remove from the oven and leave to cool, then cut each one in half again.
2. Melt a knob of the butter with 1 tbsp of the oil in a large heavy-based pan. Add the onions, then season generously and sauté with the lid on for 10 minutes until soft. Sprinkle in the sugar and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until caramelised. Add the sliced garlic and the thyme for the final few minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat a casserole dish over a high heat. Dry the beef with kitchen paper. Put the flour into a bowl and season generously. Tip in the beef and toss until evenly coated. Add half the oil and sauté the beef in batches until golden brown.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°C (350°F/Gas Mark 4). Put the beef back into the casserole, then pour in the wine and allow to bubble down, scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon. Pour in the bone broth and then stir in the onions. Bring to a simmer and then put the lid on and transfer to the middle shelf of the oven and cook for 2 hours until the beef is meltingly tender and the sauce has nicely reduced.
5. Half an hour before you are ready to serve, put the rest of the butter into a bowl and mix in the minced garlic and parsley. Put the Comté in a separate bowl and the Parmesan in a third bowl. Line them up and dip the bottom of the croissants into the garlic butter so that it comes up the sides with the help of a teaspoon. Then roll the sides in the Comté and finally dip the bottoms into the Parmesan.
6. Arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet and sprinkle any remaining cheese around the edges. Bake on the top shelf for 10-12 minutes until the croissants are crisp. Drain off excess butter and leave for 2 minutes for the cheese to firm up. Divide the French onion beef between bowls, top with a crusted croissant, season and serve immediately.
Cheesy bolognese hot pot. Photographer: Philip Doyle. Food styling: Janine Kennedy.
Ingredients: Serves 4-6
500g beef steak mince
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large red pepper, cored and diced
1 tbsp Mediterranean seasoning
2 heaped tbsp tomato purée
300ml chicken stock
1 jar Italian tomato and sweet garlic sauce
1 jar Italian sweet red or yellow datterini sauce
1kg potatoes
25g butter
1 pack Italian mozzarella cubes
4 heaped tbsp freshly grated
Parmigiano Reggiano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh green salad, to serve (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (370°F/Gas Mark 5). Remove the beef mince from the packaging and allow it to warm back to room temperature. Heat a shallow casserole over a high heat. Add the oil and then tip in the onion and the pepper. Sauté for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the beef mince and continue to sauté for 3-4 minutes until browned.
2. Sprinkle the Mediterranean seasoning over the beef mixture and stir in the tomato purée and cook it out for another minute or two. Pour in the chicken stock and allow to bubble down. Add the tomato sauce with the datterini tomatoes. Stir, season to taste and bring to a simmer.
3. Meanwhile, peel the potatoes and cut into slices. Starting at the outside of the casserole, arrange the potatoes in an overlapping layer on top. Melt the butter in the microwave or in a small pan and brush on top, then season with salt. Cover with a circle of parchment paper (cartouche). Bake for 1 ½ hours, then remove from the oven and take off the parchment.
4. Scatter over the mozzarella and Parmesan and bake for another 30 minutes until bubbling and golden. Serve immediately with a side salad and season to taste.
SHARING OPTIONS