There are many aspects to the restaurant business, but one that I particularly enjoy is meeting our customers. Over the years my role has changed a little in that regard. From my early days I would chat with people after their meal, because I didn’t want to interrupt them earlier.
However, Amelda and I were eating in France and we noticed in a number of places that the chef came out before the meal and was happy to chat and talk through the menu. We both liked the idea, but somehow, I didn’t feel confident enough to do it at home.
Gradually, Amelda encouraged me, and now, it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my evening. I meet all kinds of interesting people from all over the country and further afield, and I am happy to chat about the food if people want to. Or not if they know precisely what they are going to eat. It is always good to see familiar faces. Ian and Ger Dempsey come every year and it was good to see them recently. Ian of Today FM fame is very interested in food. Sometimes, I think that in another life he might have liked to be a chef!
Over the years the media has been very kind to me. I always enjoy being on Ian’s show on Today FM, and then, of course, I have my regular Friday slot with Marty on Lyric FM. I won’t ask you to guess who is the better cook. I hope Marty doesn’t read this!
In all seriousness, our media outlets have played a huge part in increasing interest in Irish food, and a lot more people, I believe, are now cooking at home with good Irish ingredients and getting great satisfaction from it.
I also meet people after the meal and sometimes, my head chef, Carmel McGirr, does too. Carmel is the real boss and has been with me for 22 years and was one of my students in Fermanagh College. She is fantastic and so consistent which is no small feat with thirteen chefs.
I was also delighted to meet my teacher Marion Campbell, and her husband Kieran, again last week. I am so grateful to Marion for all that she taught me in my early years. She really has been a huge influence in my life and I feel so lucky that our paths crossed.
This week I have a roasted tomatoes recipe that is really two recipes in one as you can use it to make your own tomato sauce. Plum tomatoes are in season now and I was lucky enough to visit Grantstown Nurseries in Ballygunner, on the outskirts of Waterford recently.
Inspirational producer
David Currid grows many varieties of tomatoes there and he really is an inspirational producer. This dedicated family business have been suppling much of the Irish market for nearly forty years now.
If you grow your own tomatoes you could make the sauce in bulk and freeze it. It will be ideal during the year to use with pasta or pizza. Roasting is an amazing way to intensify the flavours and the resulting pile of soft, sticky tomatoes are spooned over soft goat’s cheese so that they all melt into each other. This is a kind of ‘build it up’ recipe.
Over the years, I have come to really like black olives and I like to serve this with a peppery rocket. Goat’s cheese is very popular in the restaurant and it works well with lemon rind.
This filo pie came into being one evening when there was nothing much in the fridge. So, I grilled some vegetables which I love doing. Grilled vegetables with just a little balsamic and lemon drizzled over is fabulous. Or they make a nice accompaniment to some tasty grilled lamb chops. Sometimes, I use the air fryer or a baking tray. The filo pastry is nice and light and easy to get, though you could use puff pastry or shortcrust. Be a little careful with the chilli flakes as they are very hot. This meal is best eaten straight away. Enjoy.
Roasted tomatoes and garlic with goat’s cheese
Ingredients: Serves 4
500g baby plum tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
and squashed with a sharp knife
1 tsp tiny fresh thyme sprigs
1 tsp tiny fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 ciabatta loaf, sliced
2 x 150g logs of fresh goat’s cheese,
roughly chopped
150g natural yoghurt
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Black olives
Roasted Spanish almonds (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (350°F/gas mark 4).
2. Put the baby plum tomatoes in a baking dish. Scatter over the garlic, thyme and rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the oil. Roast, tossing once, for 20–25 minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered and beginning to burst.
3. Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot.
Toast the slices of ciabatta on both sides until nicely marked.
4. Mix the goats’ cheese, yoghurt, lemon rind and four of the roasted garlic cloves in a bowl and season to taste. Tip onto a plate, then smear to the edge of the plate with the back of a spoon, making a well in the middle. Spoon the hot tomatoes into the well and scatter the parsley on top.
5. Serve family-style at the table with a basket of the toasted ciabatta rolls and bowls of olives and roasted almonds to serve, if desired.
Crispy Greek-style filo pie
Crispy Greek-style filo pie.
Ingredients: Serves 4
Large red pepper, cut into chunks
Large red onion, cut into chunks
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into slices 2cm thick
Garlic cloves, minced
1tsp chopped fresh rosemary
40g butter
Bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
150g baby spinach leaves
3 tbsp cream
3 eggs
1 250g carton of ricotta cheese
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese,
plus extra shavings
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of chilli flakes
6 sheets of filo pastry, thawed if frozen
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Rocket and pine nut salad
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°c (425°F/gas mark 7).
2. Put the pepper and onion on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle over half of the oil. Toss to coat and season. Then cook in the oven for 25 minutes, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, toss the sweet potatoes in the rest of the oil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season, then roast for about 15 minutes, until tender. Scatter over the garlic and rosemary for the last few minutes.
4. Heat a knob of the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and quickly sauté the spring onions for 1 minute. Tip in the spinach, then season and sauté for another minute or so, until wilted. Pour in half of the cream and bubble down. Transfer to a bowl and snip with scissors into small pieces. Then mix in the eggs, ricotta and Parmesan. Season to taste.
5. Tip the roasted pepper and onion into a bowl with the tomatoes, vinegar, chilli flakes and the rest of the cream. Season and blitz to a purée.
6. Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan. Unroll the filo pastry and cut each sheet in half again. Brush a little of the butter into a shallow baking dish. Use four pieces of the filo to drape all over the tin, brushing with butter. Cover with the sweet potato. Then use the spinach and ricotta mixture to cover them completely.
7. Spread with an even layer of the roasted pepper purée, then pull up the sides of the pastry. Use the rest of the filo to cover, gently scrunching it up. Then brush with the rest of the butter. This can be covered with cling film and kept in the fridge or is perfect for freezing.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°c (350°F/gas mark 4). Bake the pie for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Cut into slices and serve on plates with the salad and Parmesan shavings.
There are many aspects to the restaurant business, but one that I particularly enjoy is meeting our customers. Over the years my role has changed a little in that regard. From my early days I would chat with people after their meal, because I didn’t want to interrupt them earlier.
However, Amelda and I were eating in France and we noticed in a number of places that the chef came out before the meal and was happy to chat and talk through the menu. We both liked the idea, but somehow, I didn’t feel confident enough to do it at home.
Gradually, Amelda encouraged me, and now, it is one of the most enjoyable parts of my evening. I meet all kinds of interesting people from all over the country and further afield, and I am happy to chat about the food if people want to. Or not if they know precisely what they are going to eat. It is always good to see familiar faces. Ian and Ger Dempsey come every year and it was good to see them recently. Ian of Today FM fame is very interested in food. Sometimes, I think that in another life he might have liked to be a chef!
Over the years the media has been very kind to me. I always enjoy being on Ian’s show on Today FM, and then, of course, I have my regular Friday slot with Marty on Lyric FM. I won’t ask you to guess who is the better cook. I hope Marty doesn’t read this!
In all seriousness, our media outlets have played a huge part in increasing interest in Irish food, and a lot more people, I believe, are now cooking at home with good Irish ingredients and getting great satisfaction from it.
I also meet people after the meal and sometimes, my head chef, Carmel McGirr, does too. Carmel is the real boss and has been with me for 22 years and was one of my students in Fermanagh College. She is fantastic and so consistent which is no small feat with thirteen chefs.
I was also delighted to meet my teacher Marion Campbell, and her husband Kieran, again last week. I am so grateful to Marion for all that she taught me in my early years. She really has been a huge influence in my life and I feel so lucky that our paths crossed.
This week I have a roasted tomatoes recipe that is really two recipes in one as you can use it to make your own tomato sauce. Plum tomatoes are in season now and I was lucky enough to visit Grantstown Nurseries in Ballygunner, on the outskirts of Waterford recently.
Inspirational producer
David Currid grows many varieties of tomatoes there and he really is an inspirational producer. This dedicated family business have been suppling much of the Irish market for nearly forty years now.
If you grow your own tomatoes you could make the sauce in bulk and freeze it. It will be ideal during the year to use with pasta or pizza. Roasting is an amazing way to intensify the flavours and the resulting pile of soft, sticky tomatoes are spooned over soft goat’s cheese so that they all melt into each other. This is a kind of ‘build it up’ recipe.
Over the years, I have come to really like black olives and I like to serve this with a peppery rocket. Goat’s cheese is very popular in the restaurant and it works well with lemon rind.
This filo pie came into being one evening when there was nothing much in the fridge. So, I grilled some vegetables which I love doing. Grilled vegetables with just a little balsamic and lemon drizzled over is fabulous. Or they make a nice accompaniment to some tasty grilled lamb chops. Sometimes, I use the air fryer or a baking tray. The filo pastry is nice and light and easy to get, though you could use puff pastry or shortcrust. Be a little careful with the chilli flakes as they are very hot. This meal is best eaten straight away. Enjoy.
Roasted tomatoes and garlic with goat’s cheese
Ingredients: Serves 4
500g baby plum tomatoes
8 garlic cloves, peeled
and squashed with a sharp knife
1 tsp tiny fresh thyme sprigs
1 tsp tiny fresh rosemary sprigs
2 tbsp olive or rapeseed oil
1 ciabatta loaf, sliced
2 x 150g logs of fresh goat’s cheese,
roughly chopped
150g natural yoghurt
Finely grated rind of 1 lemon
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Black olives
Roasted Spanish almonds (optional)
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°c (350°F/gas mark 4).
2. Put the baby plum tomatoes in a baking dish. Scatter over the garlic, thyme and rosemary, season with salt and pepper, then drizzle over the oil. Roast, tossing once, for 20–25 minutes, until the tomatoes are blistered and beginning to burst.
3. Meanwhile, heat a griddle pan over a high heat until it’s smoking hot.
Toast the slices of ciabatta on both sides until nicely marked.
4. Mix the goats’ cheese, yoghurt, lemon rind and four of the roasted garlic cloves in a bowl and season to taste. Tip onto a plate, then smear to the edge of the plate with the back of a spoon, making a well in the middle. Spoon the hot tomatoes into the well and scatter the parsley on top.
5. Serve family-style at the table with a basket of the toasted ciabatta rolls and bowls of olives and roasted almonds to serve, if desired.
Crispy Greek-style filo pie
Crispy Greek-style filo pie.
Ingredients: Serves 4
Large red pepper, cut into chunks
Large red onion, cut into chunks
1 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into slices 2cm thick
Garlic cloves, minced
1tsp chopped fresh rosemary
40g butter
Bunch of spring onions, thinly sliced
150g baby spinach leaves
3 tbsp cream
3 eggs
1 250g carton of ricotta cheese
4 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese,
plus extra shavings
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
2 tsp red wine vinegar
A pinch of chilli flakes
6 sheets of filo pastry, thawed if frozen
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
To serve
Rocket and pine nut salad
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 220°c (425°F/gas mark 7).
2. Put the pepper and onion on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and drizzle over half of the oil. Toss to coat and season. Then cook in the oven for 25 minutes, until tender.
3. Meanwhile, toss the sweet potatoes in the rest of the oil on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Season, then roast for about 15 minutes, until tender. Scatter over the garlic and rosemary for the last few minutes.
4. Heat a knob of the butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat and quickly sauté the spring onions for 1 minute. Tip in the spinach, then season and sauté for another minute or so, until wilted. Pour in half of the cream and bubble down. Transfer to a bowl and snip with scissors into small pieces. Then mix in the eggs, ricotta and Parmesan. Season to taste.
5. Tip the roasted pepper and onion into a bowl with the tomatoes, vinegar, chilli flakes and the rest of the cream. Season and blitz to a purée.
6. Melt the rest of the butter in a small pan. Unroll the filo pastry and cut each sheet in half again. Brush a little of the butter into a shallow baking dish. Use four pieces of the filo to drape all over the tin, brushing with butter. Cover with the sweet potato. Then use the spinach and ricotta mixture to cover them completely.
7. Spread with an even layer of the roasted pepper purée, then pull up the sides of the pastry. Use the rest of the filo to cover, gently scrunching it up. Then brush with the rest of the butter. This can be covered with cling film and kept in the fridge or is perfect for freezing.
8. Reduce the oven temperature to 180°c (350°F/gas mark 4). Bake the pie for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is crisp and golden brown. Cut into slices and serve on plates with the salad and Parmesan shavings.
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