A week has passed since Electric Picnic and I am just coming down from the high now, it was such fun. I am used to the stage, having done cookery demostrations for so many years but Electric Picnic was quite different.
I played vinyl dance tunes to a crowd of several hundred people, the biggest I have ever played in front of. It was supposed to be a 45-minute set but it ended up being two hours of 90s music. I began with Felix - Don’t You Want My Love which was the first record I ever bought back in 1992. It was great to see so many smiling faces and people happily dancing, including some of the Irish Farmers Journal team. A big thank you to John and Sally McKenna and their son, Samuel, who run the Theatre of Food, for inviting me.
I felt like a VIP for a night. But I remind myself that this is a very enjoyable hobby. I am a chef and this is not a new career. Though I would be happy to play at Electric Picnic again, if asked.
For the next six weeks my Ulster Food Trails will be on RTE1 at 8.30pm on Wednesday nights.
Imagine, it was my first time filming in the north of Ireland. Thank you to Tourism Northern Ireland and to my producer, David Hare and team.
I had great fun hovercrafting and visiting the Marble Arch Caves, which are not far from Blacklion. But I must tell you I had the scariest time of my life near Ballintoy, in Co Antrim, on the rope bridge that links the mainland to Carrickarede Island.
It is 20 metres long and 30 metres high and I had to do four takes, probably because I was shaking so much. It’s good to challenge ourselves though.
I had the great treat of cooking with my former head chef, Glen Wheeler, in Enniskillen in 28 At The Hollow. He now runs the restaurant with his wife Zara, who used to be front of house at MacNean. In fact, that’s where they met. The restaurant is a great success and it was fun to cook together again.
Now, to this week’s recipes. I have been making this Italian Chicken Pasta Bake at home for a few years because the children love it. Recently Lucia, who is 13, has begun to make it herself.
As a chef, I still think one of my best culinary experiences was travelling in Italy. There are so many different shapes and sizes of pasta, and I believe that there could be one for every day of the year. Keep an eye out for bronze dye pasta. It is the best you can get and has a texture that catches the sauce and is most enjoyable to eat.
This meal is packed with cheese with the mascarpone, cheddar and mozzarella. The mascarpone is there to give creaminess to the sauce. I am suggesting this spicy ‘nduja Italian sausage again but you could use chorizo instead. And the basil pesto adds a lovely flavour.
The first time I ever came across pesto was in Roscoff in Belfast, a Michelin star restaurant. It was back when I was training and I still remember tasting it with a piece of grilled chicken and I just went ‘wow’.”
I later worked in Roscoff for a while. It shows how much our food options have changed. Back then, it was a speciality ingredient but now it is readily available.
Simply Better recently launched an Italian Pinsa bread, which is an Italian flatbread which works very well with the chicken and bacon pasta bake, and as a bruschetta.
The fermented garlic cloves are an interesting ingredient. We make our own sticky fermented cloves in the restaurant. They take about three weeks to dry out in a rice steamer.
Taylor’s of Lusk in north Co Dublin, a family farm since the 1800s now specialise in Irish grown garlic and chilli, and their range is superb.
Italian chicken
pasta bake
Ingredients: Serves 4
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 chicken breast fillets
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp Italian ‘nduja
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
4 heaped tbsp creamy Italian mascarpone
300g rigatoni pasta
75g mature cheddar grated
1 Italian mozzarella , drained
1 carton Italian basil pesto
Achill sea salt
Ground black pepper
Dressed lettuce salad, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Season the chicken and fry for 4-5minutes or until lightly golden. Using a tongs, transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to low on the pan. Tip in the onion and saute gently for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ‘nduja and cook for another minute. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar and season to taste. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to allow it to thicken, then stir in the mascarpone.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes until ‘al dente’. Drain and toss with the remaining oil, then fold in the tomato sauce and reserved chicken. Tip into a 25cm square ovenproof dish.
4. Scatter over the cheddar and break the mozzarella into pieces on top. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Drizzle over most of the pesto and serve straight to the table with a bowl of salad. Hand around the rest of the pesto, so everyone can help themselves to some extra, if liked.
Chicken and bacon pasta with garlic and rosemary pinsa
Chicken and bacon pasta with garlic and rosemary pinsa.
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g tagliatelle pasta
1 pack Irish corn fed mini chicken breast fillets
1 jar Italian creamy carbonara pasta sauce
1 pack Italian pinsa bread
Small handful tiny fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fermented black garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pack Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
Achill sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion with some seasoning over a low heat for 5 minutes to soften.
2. Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes until ‘al dente’.
3. Cut the chicken fillets into bite-sized pieces and season generously Add to the pan and continue to saute for another 4-5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Stir in the carbonara sauce and bring to a simmer.
4. Put the pinsa bread on to a baking sheet. 5 Toss the rosemary and fermented garlic with the rest of the oil, then drizzle over the bread. Scatter half of the Parmigiano shavings on top. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then transfer to a board and cut into slices.
Drain the tagliatelle and reserve a small cupful of the water. Fold into the chicken mixture with enough of the reserved water to make a smooth sauce, then divide among bowls. Scatter over the rest of the Parmigiano shavings and serve with the pinsa bread alongside.
A week has passed since Electric Picnic and I am just coming down from the high now, it was such fun. I am used to the stage, having done cookery demostrations for so many years but Electric Picnic was quite different.
I played vinyl dance tunes to a crowd of several hundred people, the biggest I have ever played in front of. It was supposed to be a 45-minute set but it ended up being two hours of 90s music. I began with Felix - Don’t You Want My Love which was the first record I ever bought back in 1992. It was great to see so many smiling faces and people happily dancing, including some of the Irish Farmers Journal team. A big thank you to John and Sally McKenna and their son, Samuel, who run the Theatre of Food, for inviting me.
I felt like a VIP for a night. But I remind myself that this is a very enjoyable hobby. I am a chef and this is not a new career. Though I would be happy to play at Electric Picnic again, if asked.
For the next six weeks my Ulster Food Trails will be on RTE1 at 8.30pm on Wednesday nights.
Imagine, it was my first time filming in the north of Ireland. Thank you to Tourism Northern Ireland and to my producer, David Hare and team.
I had great fun hovercrafting and visiting the Marble Arch Caves, which are not far from Blacklion. But I must tell you I had the scariest time of my life near Ballintoy, in Co Antrim, on the rope bridge that links the mainland to Carrickarede Island.
It is 20 metres long and 30 metres high and I had to do four takes, probably because I was shaking so much. It’s good to challenge ourselves though.
I had the great treat of cooking with my former head chef, Glen Wheeler, in Enniskillen in 28 At The Hollow. He now runs the restaurant with his wife Zara, who used to be front of house at MacNean. In fact, that’s where they met. The restaurant is a great success and it was fun to cook together again.
Now, to this week’s recipes. I have been making this Italian Chicken Pasta Bake at home for a few years because the children love it. Recently Lucia, who is 13, has begun to make it herself.
As a chef, I still think one of my best culinary experiences was travelling in Italy. There are so many different shapes and sizes of pasta, and I believe that there could be one for every day of the year. Keep an eye out for bronze dye pasta. It is the best you can get and has a texture that catches the sauce and is most enjoyable to eat.
This meal is packed with cheese with the mascarpone, cheddar and mozzarella. The mascarpone is there to give creaminess to the sauce. I am suggesting this spicy ‘nduja Italian sausage again but you could use chorizo instead. And the basil pesto adds a lovely flavour.
The first time I ever came across pesto was in Roscoff in Belfast, a Michelin star restaurant. It was back when I was training and I still remember tasting it with a piece of grilled chicken and I just went ‘wow’.”
I later worked in Roscoff for a while. It shows how much our food options have changed. Back then, it was a speciality ingredient but now it is readily available.
Simply Better recently launched an Italian Pinsa bread, which is an Italian flatbread which works very well with the chicken and bacon pasta bake, and as a bruschetta.
The fermented garlic cloves are an interesting ingredient. We make our own sticky fermented cloves in the restaurant. They take about three weeks to dry out in a rice steamer.
Taylor’s of Lusk in north Co Dublin, a family farm since the 1800s now specialise in Irish grown garlic and chilli, and their range is superb.
Italian chicken
pasta bake
Ingredients: Serves 4
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 chicken breast fillets
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp Italian ‘nduja
2 tins chopped tomatoes
1 tsp sugar
4 heaped tbsp creamy Italian mascarpone
300g rigatoni pasta
75g mature cheddar grated
1 Italian mozzarella , drained
1 carton Italian basil pesto
Achill sea salt
Ground black pepper
Dressed lettuce salad, to serve
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Heat 2tbsp of the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a medium to high heat. Season the chicken and fry for 4-5minutes or until lightly golden. Using a tongs, transfer to a plate.
2. Reduce the heat to low on the pan. Tip in the onion and saute gently for 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and ‘nduja and cook for another minute. Tip in the tomatoes and sugar and season to taste. Simmer uncovered for a few minutes to allow it to thicken, then stir in the mascarpone.
3. Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a large pan of boiling salted water for 8 minutes until ‘al dente’. Drain and toss with the remaining oil, then fold in the tomato sauce and reserved chicken. Tip into a 25cm square ovenproof dish.
4. Scatter over the cheddar and break the mozzarella into pieces on top. Bake for 25 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Drizzle over most of the pesto and serve straight to the table with a bowl of salad. Hand around the rest of the pesto, so everyone can help themselves to some extra, if liked.
Chicken and bacon pasta with garlic and rosemary pinsa
Chicken and bacon pasta with garlic and rosemary pinsa.
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
300g tagliatelle pasta
1 pack Irish corn fed mini chicken breast fillets
1 jar Italian creamy carbonara pasta sauce
1 pack Italian pinsa bread
Small handful tiny fresh rosemary sprigs
2 fermented black garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 pack Parmigiano Reggiano shavings
Achill sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas Mark 6). Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan and sauté the onion with some seasoning over a low heat for 5 minutes to soften.
2. Cook the tagliatelle in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10 minutes until ‘al dente’.
3. Cut the chicken fillets into bite-sized pieces and season generously Add to the pan and continue to saute for another 4-5 minutes until cooked through and golden brown. Stir in the carbonara sauce and bring to a simmer.
4. Put the pinsa bread on to a baking sheet. 5 Toss the rosemary and fermented garlic with the rest of the oil, then drizzle over the bread. Scatter half of the Parmigiano shavings on top. Bake for 5-6 minutes, then transfer to a board and cut into slices.
Drain the tagliatelle and reserve a small cupful of the water. Fold into the chicken mixture with enough of the reserved water to make a smooth sauce, then divide among bowls. Scatter over the rest of the Parmigiano shavings and serve with the pinsa bread alongside.
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