EAT REAL FOOD

There has been so much about obesity in the media recently, adult and child obesity rates are on the rise. Today people are getting fatter and fatter, whose fault is that? As an adult it’s your fault. I can’t imagine that there is anyone out there who wants to be obese. Being overweight or obese makes lives harder and is one of the major causes of illness and death. Being overweight is bad for our health. So, if we had a choice, would anyone really choose to be obese? I believe not. We as adults have a choice, but our children do not as they are dependent on us, as providers, as teachers, as guardians we are responsible for shaping their lives.

So let's give our children the best and lead by example. What our children eat will determine their future health and well-being. Research in Ireland shows approximately one in four primary school children are now overweight or obese, with 6% of three-year-olds classed as being obese.

BLACK MAGIC

I spent the past weekend putting a nice layer of garden compost on my raised beds. As vegetables grow, the plants take nutrients from the soil, so it is important every autumn to add garden compost which provides organic matter to return the nutrients and improve your soil for the growing season ahead. Compost is decomposed kitchen and garden waste, including teabags, coffee grains, eggshells, old potting compost, cardboard, shredded paper and grass clippings. You can make homemade garden compost by simply heaping the materials up in a corner, using a plastic compost bin or for the more hardcore composter there are timber compost bins or bays.

a FONDNESS for FISH

I really do enjoy eating all seafood, fish and shellfish, but where did this fondness for fish come from, it wasn't always that way. Growing up, I didn't live terribly far from the coast, but my only introduction to fish was fish fingers or some whiting on Fridays and in early adulthood occasional fish and chips from a takeaway. A generalisation I know, but it certainly appears Irish people are for some strange reason predisposed not to eat fish and don't even suggest shellfish. Why is this when one of the greatest resources we have in Ireland is a bountiful supply of fish and shellfish. In a country that is surrounded by fish in the sea, the fish consumption is unusually low and most of our fish is exported to other countries. Understandably we export most of our seafood because there just isn't a market for it here.

PEA and MINT Soup (V)

INGREDIENTS:
                         
Large white onion, peeled and finely chopped
Medium Potato,peeled and chopped
50g Butter
900ml Vegetable stock
300ml Milk
350g Peas (frozen)
Large bunch of Mint, finely chopped
Salt and black pepper

Serves 4

GROW your own PEA SHOOTS

I have seen pea shoots in restaurant dishes, very posh but I have never seen them for sale in supermarkets or elsewhere, so I thought I would try growing my own. Pea shoots are the tiny, tender leaves and vines of young pea plants. They are tasty and when you grow your own they will be on hand for use in a recipe or as a garnish.

Everybody has a windowsill, whether you live in a city or the country. This is a very simple and quick way of growing your own pea shoots, unlike others where I have seen them grown mainly in a compost I have simply grown them using kitchen paper, which is a much cleaner approach altogether.

MUSSELS with PESTO

THE RECIPE

This is a perfect starter or light lunch for serving when your time is short, as both the pesto and the mussels can be prepared in advance, and the dish assembled and cooked just before serving.

INGREDIENTS:

24+ Fresh mussels
100ml Water
2 tbsp Breadcrumbs
2 tbsp Grated cheddar cheese
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Small jar of pesto
Salt and Black Pepper

MUSSEL TIELLA

THE RECIPE

This is my take on a dish that originates from Puglia in southern Italy.

INGREDIENTS:

675g Mussels
250ml water
5 tbsp Olive Oil
1 Onion, thinly sliced
6 tbsp Flat-leaf parsley finely chopped
400g can of chopped tomatoes
Salt and Black Pepper
4 medium potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
450g courgettes, thinly sliced
75g Grated Parmesan cheese
2 Garlic Cloves, minced
225g Large red tomatoes, thinly sliced
Salt and Black Pepper

EASY peasy PORK BELLY

THE RECIPE

Many people are intimidated by the thought of cooking pork belly. But, slow roasted for Sunday lunch, perfectly cooked pork belly yields beautiful soft flesh and crisp crackling and is always worth the wait. It is really not difficult, give it a try! Serves 6.

INGREDIENTS:

1kg Piece of Pork Belly
6 tbsp Olive oil
3 Large red onions, cut into eights
4 Large Potatoes, cut into wedges
4 Garlic gloves, finely chopped
1 heaped tbsp Fresh Thyme
600ml Vegetable stock
300ml Cider
250g Mushrooms, halved
1 tsp Sea Salt
1 tsp freshly ground Black Pepper

Steamed Broccoli to serve

MICK and the BEANSTALK

Once upon a time a man called Mick was tired of poor food choice at his local supermarket, imports of highly-processed and unseasonal produce. One day Mick discovered some garlic he was about to buy in his local supermarket had been imported 10,000 miles from China. He quickly resolved to grow his own magic beans (garlic). However he quickly realised that he was seriously lacking in skills and growing knowledge and needed to hook up with other Beanstalk growers to learn more. So in 2009, GIY, Grow it Yourself (the Beanstalk) was founded by Michael Kelly with the very first meeting in Waterford, it grew and spread quickly throughout Ireland. It grew into a giant beanstalk and through people coming together in groups to support each other and share tips, expertise and encouragement a Golden egg (knowledge) was realised. The Beanstalk helps reach the Golden egg through GIY programmes, events and projects to inspire and support people who want to learn about and grow their own food. The Beanstalk journey to the Golden egg is not always a straight one, with the Giant (Large Companies control of food production) limiting food choice and food misguidance through marketing and advertising, people have lost their way!

CHICKEN BIRYANI

A LITTLE ABOUT THE BIRYANI

The recipe for biryani originated with mutton, but its popularity led to versions using other ingredients, like prawns and chicken. This biryani recipe has been in my wifes family for many years, picked up originally from a kind old Indian woman, when they lived in the Middle East. I am sure the recipe has evolved with time and travel as it has made its way back to these shores. As with all biryanis this is a meal in itself and needs no accompaniment. This dish is equally at home on the family table or as a dinner party centrepiece. This is a dish I could happily get up in the middle of the night to eat!

THE RECIPE

This recipe is not complicated and is perfect if you are entertaining and want to spend more time with your guests than in the kitchen. Serves 6.

The MILK MARKET Pizza

The best way to cook pizza is in a fiercely hot wood-fired oven. The pizza is charred, blistered and ready in a couple of minutes, tasting sensational. A proper pizza has to have a balance between a thin crisp base and the softer fresh ingredients (toppings), which means you have to eat it within 5-10 minutes of it coming out of the oven to be at its best and truly enjoyed . So buy it from someone who knows how to make real pizza and ideally from a wood-fired oven. Don't buy pizza from the freezer section in a supermarket or delivered from a takeaway franchise, you really are missing out on the joy of the real thing. The perfect wood-fired pizza oven is a work of art and I have a dream to construct one in my back garden one day, but this is a long term plan, maybe five years, (I think I have been talking about it for at least two years already) better get a move on. I have a vision of having great pizza parties at home, for the kids and adults alike. Someday.... In the meantime I keep myself satisfied by searching out and occasionally finding great pizza. On a recent visit to The Milk Market, Limerick I was overjoyed to find such pizza, it ticked all the boxes and yes it was from a wood-fired oven too!

The artisanal maestro, with all the dedication and respect that goes into making real pizza is a guy called Billy, very passionate about what he does and more than willing to discuss and share his knowledge. Of course with my very keen interest in wood-fired pizza ovens and pizza I bombarded him with questions which gladly I have to say he was more than happy to entertain. Then came the pizza, after all the discussion I couldn't wait to try, as Billy worked his magic of course I photographed every step.

It starts with the dough!

HALLOUMI Salad

A LITTLE ABOUT THE HALLOUMI

Halloumi is a Cypriot semi-hard, unripened brined cheese made from a mixture of goat and sheep milk, and sometimes also cows milk. Halloumi cheese originated in Cyprus subsequently gaining popularity throughout the Middle East region.The cheese is white, with a distinctive layered texture, similar to mozzarella and has a salty flavour. The cheese is often used in cooking and can be fried until brown without melting, owing to its higher-than-normal melting point. This makes it an excellent cheese for frying or grilling and served with vegetables, or as an ingredient in salads.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients:

250g Halloumi cheese, cut into 8 slices
8 Baby potatoes
12 Cherry tomatoes
1 bunch mixed salad leaves of your choice
Large handful of rocket
4 spring onions, chopped
Handful of flat-leaf parsley or coriander leaves.
Handful of Nasturtium flowers

Sea BREAM & Melted LEEKS

A LITTLE ABOUT THE FISH

Sea Bream are a variety of fish species that are very popular for eating, an esteemed food fish, especially in Europe. The most common variety in this group is the European Sea Bream, mainly silver in colour, it is commonly found in oceans surrounding Europe and is considered to be a temperate-water fish, preferring water that is cool, but not extremely cold. Despite their popularity as seafood, these species remain very plentiful throughout. Sea Bream have traditionally been cultured extensively in coastal lagoons and saltwater ponds and has become an important aquaculture species, primarily in the Mediterranean area. Current reported production dwarfs the capture fisheries production. Sea Bream are sought after because of their mild, white meat, considered some of the best of any white-meat fish.

THE RECIPE

Ingredients:

2 Sea Bream Fillets
Salt and Black Pepper
8 Baby Leeks
1 tbsp Olive Oil
150g Butter
2 tbsp chopped chives
4 tbsp chopped parsley

 Method:

Cut off the dark green leaves from the tops of the leeks, slit the leeks about half way down the centre and rinse well under cold running water, then slice into thin rounds. Melt 50g of butter in a heavy saucepan over a medium heat, when the butter foams, add the sliced leeks and gently toss until coated with butter. Season with salt and pepper. Cover with a paper lid and a tight-fitting saucepan lid. reduce the heat and cook very gently for about 20 minutes until the leeks are soft and moist. Check and stir every now and then and add a couple of tablespoons of water if necessary.

CHOCOLATE and HAZELNUT Brownies (V)

This is a really quick and simple recipe. You can use plain chocolate, why not include a bit of dark chocolate or use white chocolate and replace the nuts with any you desire, walnuts, pistachio nuts, use your imagination!

Ingredients:

225g Plain chocolate
75g Chopped Hazelnuts
115g Butter and a little extra for greasing
115g soft brown sugar
115g Self-raising flour
2 Eggs