Clodagh McKenna's Recipe page
TOMATOES
When I was a kid I hated tomatoes. Then in my early twenties, when I was still very prejudiced against them, a French friend prepared a tomato and tuna salad. I wasn t looking forward to it but my very first mouthful taught me an indelible truth tomatoes, ripened outside in the sun and eaten in season, are a wonderful thing. The hard, watery, tasteless, tomatoes of my childhood bore no resemblance to these deep red, sweet, flavoursome, fruits. Most of the supermarket tomatoes we get are cheap imports from Spain and the Canary isles. So that they can withstand the traveling they are picked unripe (green) and ripened in storage. While these tomatoes may last longer the flavour suffers, they have a mealier texture and rarely reach the lovely deep red colour of a tomato ripened outside in the sun. Irish growers are getting a foothold in the market as people become more aware of food miles and the buy local message. Most Irish tomatoes, because of our climate, are grown under glass. This allows the farmers to extend the season, harvesting from March through to November. Growing under glass is certainly more sustainable than flying tomatoes in from Spain or North Africa. It is also more economical on water used for irrigation and means pesticides have almost been eliminated; farmers introduce insects to the glass houses that act as natural predators. But for my money you can t beat a locally produced tomato, grown outside and ripened in the sun. True, in Ireland the season is short, July to October but believe me they are best. It is not just the flavour, texture and colour that are superior but local, seasonal tomatoes are packed with the vitamins and nutrients that early harvesting and long distances deplete. Tomatoes have a growing reputation as one of natures miracle foods; a good source of vitamin C A and E; they also contain potassium which has been linked to lowering blood pressure and calcium which is good for teeth and bones. One of tomatoes great benefits is that it is full of anti oxidants that are thought to combat cancer causing fee radicals. Recent research has shown that the pigment lycopene, the stuff that makes most ripe tomatoes red, may be particularly active in protecting the body against heart disease and some forms of cancer. For me the greatest thing about the tomato is its stunning versatility. It is a soup, a wonderful addition in stews, gorgeous with buffalo mozzarella a few shredded basil leaves and a drizzle of olive oil; great roasted or stuffed or poured into a pastry case with beaten eggs to make a delicious flan. Unripened it makes a hearty relish; just add chilli, garlic and lime for a zingy salsa a perfect accompaniment for burgers or fish. But it is as a sauce for pasta that tomatoes take centre stage, they have an acidic property that is used to bring out other flavours, enhancing the taste of chopped pancetta of fresh prawns or just basil and garlic. I must thank my French friend for my conversion, and for inadvertently pointing up the benefits of local, seasonal produce. Grab those tomatoes while they are in season like all great things in life they don t last long!
Gazpacho
Serves 8
1kg (2lb 4oz) ripe tomatoes, skinned and chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 red chilli
1 onion, chopped
3 slices white bread
250ml (9fl oz) cold water
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
pinch of paprika
salt and freshly ground
black pepper, to taste
For the garnish:
1/2 cucumber, diced
2 spring onions (scallions), finely chopped
Put all the ingredients (omitting the garnish) in a blender or food processor and process until completely smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and leave to chill in the fridge. Serve chilled, garnished with cucumber and spring onion.
Notes:
Sarah Raven¹s ŒGarden Cook Book¹ if you are looking for inspirational to grown and cook your own food, then this is the book! The book has over 160 fabulous recipes for salads, vegetables and fruits all based on ingredients that Sarah has grown or seen in markets abroad. Available in all good book shops or at www.amazon.co.uk.
Irish Seed Savers have a bank of lots of interesting varities of tomatoes such as Golden Peacevine, Marsel or Polen. They also have ever other vegetables seed you can immagine. Log on to www.irishseedsavers.ie or call 061 921856 to order a pack to be delivered to you
REDCURRANTS, AUGUST
Delicious Red Currants are in season at the moment. The tangy flavour is great with game, roast pork, summer desserts and preserves. Store them in the fridge and they will last about 4 days.
STRAWBERRIES
I just have to hold a strawberry to my mouth and the smell, even before I taste it, evokes memories of picnics past and tasting my Aunts strawberry shortcake for the first time, when I was seven. There are few foods that we associate as strongly with one season as we do the strawberry with summer. Everything about strawberries from the vivid colour to the delicious sweet taste, to the wonderful fragrance evokes abundance, fertility and hazy sunny days. Sweet and sensual strawberry desserts have become as much a part of the wedding package as the brides bouquet and as traditional at sporting events and festivals as chocolate eggs at Easter. So has the supermarket supply of summer foods all year round dampened the strawberrys allure?
Strawberries available all year round are imported mainly from Spain. They have none of the flavour of a locally grown, seasonal strawberry and virtually no smell. Besides why would you buy a punnet of strawberries that has burned up thousands of food miles when you can buy them fresh from Irish farms or from roadside stalls selling them on the day they were picked just meters from the field they were grown in?
Wexford, in the sunny south east has a perfect climate for strawberry farming. In season the roads are lined with sellers and in June everyone celebrates the fruit at the County Wexford Strawberry festival at Enniscorthy. A great family day out is to visit a Pick Your Own farm. There are plenty such farms around Ireland and its a wonderful, fun, way of putting children in touch with where their food comes from. There is also the benefit of a delicious healthy reward too. This mighty little fruit is not just packed with flavour but also with goodness; rich in vitamin C and A, Calcium, potassium and Folic Acid.
The great thing about strawberries is that they are so quick and easy to prepare. If you have succulent, sweet strawberries in season they need little more than a splash of fresh cream. I always leave the stalks in when Im washing them to prevent them becoming water logged. For a change I like to toss the strawberries in balsamic vinegar with a little maple syrup and a handful of shredded mint leaves. For dinner parties strawberries make great, quick to prepare, sophisticated desserts; try cooking the strawberries with limoncello liquor and serve with a daub of chilled whipped cream, the contrast of hot and cold really works.
The fashion for fusion cooking has really extended strawberries repertoire with a lot of cooks using them in savoury dishes. Spinach and strawberry salad is a classic and I love strawberries with creamy goats cheese. Strawberry soup is a refreshing, sophisticated starter and a strawberry daiquiri is a delicious aperitif to any meal.
So whatever youre doing this summer, listening to the opera at Wexford; getting married, getting out and about with the kids or setting out to seduce your hearts desire dont forget your strawberries and do buy them locally!
RECIPE
Strawberry Meringues
Makes 4 small or 1 large
Ingredients:
3 egg whites
175g caster sugar
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp white wine vinegar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
whipped cream
For the strawberries:
200g strawberries (cut in quarters)
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
20g caster sugar
Method:
Place the strawberries in a large bowl and sprinkle over the caster sugar and the balsamic vinegar, cover and leave for an hour.
For the meringues line a baking sheet with non-stick baking paper. Whisk the egg whites in a large, clean bowl until stiff, and then whisk in the sugar gradually until the egg whites have a glossy shine. Fold in the cornflour, vinegar and vanilla extract.
Divide the meringue mixture into 4 heaps on the baking paper and, with a spoon, shape and swirl each one into a circle, leaving a dip in the centre. (Alternatively, you can make 1 large meringues by spooning the meringue onto the baking paper in 1 heap.) Cook in a preheated oven at 1500C, 3000, Gas Mark 2 for
40 minutes until the meringue is pale brown and dry on the outside but soft on the inside.
Arrange the individual meringues on 4 serving plates. Place a big dollop of whipped cream in the centre of each one and then arrange the strawberries on top. Decorate with mint leaves.
For a quick delicious Strawberry Sauce place 100g of strawberries (hulled), 2 tbsp of icing sugar and a splash of water in a blender and mix until smooth. Fantastic for drizzling over chocolate cake, vanilla ice cream or cheesecake. Store in a fridge and it should last for about a week.
Christmas Suppers
After each Chritmas I always wish that I had cooked a Christmas supper for old friends or relatives that I don't see very often, as this is what Christmas is all about. I am sure that there are lots of you out there that feel the same way and probably a lot of you have a ful house with kids etc home from the holidays. So I have put together 3 delicious Christmas Suppers that you can make very easily and either freeze or prepare the day before to
eliviate any stress! I won't bother about a starter and instead I would serve a very ripe Cashel Blue cheese (its best at this time of year) on a large plate, with slices of apple and some good cheese crackers. Dessert a selection of nice chocolates (that hopefully you have received as a present!) and some good quality coffee.
Beef Casserole with Cranberries and Red Wine
You can prepare this dish ahead and freeze
Serves 10
Ingredients:
3 kg stewing beef
olive oil
3 large onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
3 sticks of celery chopped
1 tablesp. whole grain mustard
2 glasses of red wine
600ml beef stock
3 bay leaves
2 tablesp. thyme, chopped
300g (approx) cranberries
2 tablesp. flour
salt and pepper
Method:
Place the flour in a bowl and season with salt and pepper, then toss in the diced beef. Heat the approx. 3 tablesp of oil live in a large pan and brown the beef. Then transfer to a large flameproof casserole dish. Add the onions, garlic and celery to the pan and saut for 3-4 minutes, then add mustard and wine. Bring to the boil and reduce for a few minutes. Pour the wine mixture over the beef in the casserole dish and add in the stock, herbs and cranberries.
Cover and place in an oven at 180 C/375 F/Gas Mark 4 for approx 2 hours until the meat is tender. Delicious served with creamy mashed potatoes.
Leg of lamb with Moroccan Spices
Serves 8-10
1 leg of lamb (2-3 kg) well trimmed
Spice Mixture
1 tablesp. ground turmeric
1 tablesp. ground cumin
1 teasp. Cayenne pepper
1 teasp. cinnamon
1 lemon, rind and juice
1 tablesp. honey
1 tablesp chopped fresh ginger
Other Ingredients
2 tablesp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic
Salt and black pepper
1 glass white wine
100g dried apricots, chopped
salt and pepper
Method:
A day ahead if possible, mix the spice mixture and rub over the lamb, leave in the fridge overnight. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and saut the onions and garlic. When browned transfer to a roasting pan. Place the leg of lamb on top and season well with salt and pepper. Cook in a pre-heated oven at 180 C/350 F/Gas Mark 6. Then add the wine and apricots and continue cooking for a further 30-40 minutes for medium lamb, 50 minutes for medium well done.
When the lamb is cooked wrap in foil and keep warm. Boil up the juices until you have a nice syrupy sauce. Check the seasoning, add more lemon if necessary. Good served with a large bowl of cous cous.
Roast Rack of Pork with Fennel and Stuffed Apples
Serves 8-10
1 rack of pork, 2-3kg chined and rind scored.
Marinade
2 tablesp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teasp. fennel seeds, toasted
Juice and rind of one lemon
Black pepper
Other Ingredients:
8-10 red eating apples, cored
16-20 prunes, stone removed
Glass of white wine
Selection of root vegetables - parsnips, carrots, potatoes - 8-10 of each
8-10 red onions
3 tablesp. olive oil
2-3 tablesp runny honey
salt and pepper
Method:
A day ahead, if possible, mix the marinade ingredients and spread over the pork joint. Leave in the fridge overnight. Place the pork on a roasting tray, season well and roast for 2 hours in a pre-heated oven at 200 C/400 F/Gas Mark 6
Reduce the oven temperature if necessary when the crackling is crisp and well browned. Stuff the apples with prunes and add to the meat tray with the glass of wine. Continue cooking for another 35-40 minutes until the pork and apples are fully cooked. Roast the vegetables at the same time - toss them in olive oil and seasoning, place them in another tray in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. Twenty minutes before the end of cooking time drizzle the pork, apples and vegetables with the runny honey.
To serve, lift the pork and apples out of the roasting tray and keep warm. Boil up the juices with a knob of butter, check the seasoning. Carve the pork and serve with the stuffed apples and roasted vegetables. Left-overs are very good cold in a sandwich with the stuffed apple mashed up!
SALAD LEAVES
The evenings are starting to get longer and salad leaves are being picked all over the country. Salad is one of those food stalwarts that have made a comeback. Like Burberry or Hush Puppies it has reinvented itself and flounced back into fashion with great flavour, texture, colour and style. There really is a tremendous variety of leaves out there to choose from. When you’re putting your salad together choose the freshest leaves you can to build your foundation; as well as taste think about; form, texture and colour. There’s a wide variety of forms available from the delightful frilly leaves of the frisee lettuce to the softer, pretty leaves of the oak leaf lettuce. Some leaves give great texture, the crisp, clean, crunch of a fresh Cos and others add colour from a delicate green to the deep purple of radicchio.
Get to your local markets to find good growers, in Cork Rupbert Hugh Jones of ‘Ballycotton Organics’ grows an incredible range available at Mahon Point, Midleton and Kinsale markets as does Caroline Robinson available on the Coal Quay market on Saturday mornings. Heading West, Cait Curran grows a great range of Organic leaves available at the Galway Saturday market. Then across to the East Sheridan Cheesemongers sell beautiful fresh locally grown leaves in their stores on Pembroke Lane and in their Galway store. But my best advice is to ask in your local deli, market or good food store.
I tend to think of salad leaves as three different flavours; bitter – e.g. chicory or radicchio; peppery – e.g. water cress or rocket or sweet like Cos and Iceberg. Here’s a checklist of the more readily available leaves:
COS: Also called romaine. Long leaves, crisp, succulent and sweet – commonly used in Cesar salad. The most nutritious of all the leaves it is high in vitamin C.
ICEBERG: A very common lettuce – good for wrapping but I do find it one of the least tasty and a little watery.
OAK LEAF: Oak shaped leaves, a mild, soft lettuce.
RADICCHIO: Dark red leaves with a bitter taste – a little goes a long way in a mixed leaf salad. Great for grilling.
SPINACH: I love spinach in salad. Darker leaves have the most nutrients and are good for stimulating the metabolism.
WATERCRESS: Watercress is has a great peppery flavour and is rich in potassium, calcium, sodium and magnesium.
ROCKET: My favourite, a nutty, peppery taste works great on its own or tossed with other leaves.
Salad leaves are also fantastic as a garnish. Try mixing the leaves with herbs such as basil, mint, parley chives, lemon thyme, chervil, garlic or tarragon. And remember the leaves from both daisy and dandelion flowers are edible, look pretty and are growing in everyones garden! The more robust leaves like radicchio and chicory are great cooked. I love rocket added at the last minute to risotto – it gives it a wonderful peppery, nutty flavour.
We all have our own signature dressing and there are a number of really great tasting nutritious oils available for use in salad but do remember to dry the leaves first to make sure the dressing coats each leaf when you toss it.
One last word. Salad leaves, fresh and local are widely available at the framers markets and SO much better for you than salad bags. Bagged salad leaves are harvested in Southern Europe the UK and America. The leaves are cut and separated by gangs of workers. They are washed in Chlorine, and packed in MAP (new packaging technology), which keeps the leaves fresh for up to ten days. Typically in MAP the oxygen is reduced from 21% to 3% and CO2 levels correspondingly raised. The British Journal of nutrition suggested that MAP was responsible for destroying the vital nutrients present in salad leaves.
When you buy salad you are doing your body a favour. It is good for you, it tastes delicious it looks great. So buy the best, buy local and fresh and have a fantastic summer.
RECIPES
Below are some delicious recipes but I must admit if I get my hands on some beautiful leaves, I just add a dollop of good quality extra virgin oil, some shaving of parmesan or Desmond and I’m a very happy lady!
Desmond Caesar Salad
Desmond is a hard raw milk cheese that is made by Bill Hogan in West Cork available in good deli’s all over the country, it is Ireland’s answer to Parmesan. Arbutus is the famed bakery in Cork city owned and run by Declan Ryan, available throughout markets in Cork, but there are plenty of other good sourdough’s available around Ireland, check out your local markets.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 clove of garlic, crushed
extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1lemon
Desmond cheese
Arbutus white sourdough bread
2 heads of cos leaves
8 anchovy filets
Method:
Cut up the bread into cubes, and put in a large bowl. Pour over a big dollop of olive oil and coat all the bread, then place on a roasting tin and pop in a pre-heated oven at 180oC until the bread has become nice and golden (toss around with a wooden spoon regularly). Put 1/2 cup of olive oil in a bowl, the juice of 1 lemon, a crushed garlic clove and mix well. Place the cos leaves in a large serving bowl, with the anchovies, mix in the dressing and grate over lots of Desmond cheese.
Knocklara Greek Salad
The delicious Knocklara cheese is produced by Wolfgang and Agnes Schliebitz in Co. Waterford and it tastes better than any feta cheese that I have ever tasted. But I am a realist and know that you can’t always get your hands on it so you can substitute it with a good feta.
Serves 4
Ingredients:
mixed leaves
200g knocklara cheese, crumbled
1 cucumber
1 spring onion
extra virgin olive oil
8 ripe cherry tomatoes
salt and pepper
Method:
Cut the cucumber up into 1cm cubes, slice up the spring onion and half the cherry tomatoes. Place the cucumber, spring onion, the crumbled knocklara, the cherry tomatoes and mixed leaves into a large serving bowl. Dress with a good quality extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
Organic Chicken is it really that expensive?
I remember when I was a kid a sandwich was cheese or tuna with salad cream or maybe corned beef. A chicken sandwich would have been a real treat. A roast chicken on Sunday was a gorgeous thing. Now chicken is everywhere; corn fed, free range, organic, spit roasted in glass cabinets, in every sandwich combination under the sun, battered and breaded, in burgers and pastas and noodles and you name it. But does all this quantity and rock bottom prices equate with quality? Of course not.
I could walk into a supermarket today and a buy a chicken flilet for 1 euro. Ask any free range or organic producer and they’ll tell you it’s just not possible to produce a chicken at that cost. So how do the big battery farms do it?
Well, the broilers, chickens who account for 98% of our chicken consumption, are bred to grow and put on weight as quickly as possible, (assisted by growth hormones), that is six weeks from birth to slaughter. A bird naturally reared would take twenty weeks. They are pumped full of antibiotics and fed on high protein feed which makes them obese (one bird produces a pint of fat) which as they’re sold by weight, is money. They are packed in, each bird with less space than an A4 piece of paper to move in, which means more volume.
What is sacrificed apart from, obviously, any pretence at animal welfare, is the nutritional value of the meat you go on to consume, and the taste. When you cook an intensively reared broiler just look at the water and fat that comes out. This means that the bird dries out in the oven so you lose the succulence. The taste? Well the inner sole of your trainer probably has more. Compare that to a free range or organic chicken; crisp skin on the outside, succulent meat on the inside. And what’s more you can enjoy it with a conscience as clear as the juices running into the roasting tin.
I know that one of the big problems with organic and free range chicken is the cost. But let me put it to you this way: It is not that it is more expensive than a battery broiler it is because that IS how much it costs to rear the chicken. It is a realistic price.
Secondly two chickens will provide three meals for a family of six; that is still cheaper than any kind of steak. And finally, if you use the carcass for stock – which is as easy as covering it with water, season, throw in a bunch of your favourite herbs and half an onion, (you don’t even need to peel the onion), then you have the base of a further twelve meals; soups, risottos, tomato sauces, stews, casseroles and curries. Now that organic chicken is starting to look like value for money and has the bonus of being safe to feed to your family.
So the next time you’re in the supermarket and you see a chicken for 4.99 Euros. See it for what it is and plump for the organic or free range option.
RECIPES
Chicken Broth
A good chicken broth should feel like coming home. You can adapt this recipe by adding a couple of potatoes, the meat from the chicken and roughly chopped vegetables to produce an equally hearty casserole.
Ingredients:
1 chicken carcass (free-range)
2 carrots
1 onion
1 tomato
2 bay Leaves
A sprig of thyme
a few peppercorns
Method:
Put all the ingredients in a large pot, cover with cold water and bring
to the boil. Leave to simmer for 3 hours, skimming the fat as it cooks.
After 3 hours strain through a sieve and serve hot.
Roast Chicken with lemons, fresh thyme and sliced roasted potatoes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 organic chicken
2 lemons
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
salt and pepper
butter
6 potatoes (waxy), peeled and thickly sliced
Method:
Rub the chicken with butter, leaves from the thyme, juice from the lemons and season with salt and pepper. Place the sprigs from the thyme and the lemon peel in the cavity and roast in a pre-heated oven at 180oC. After a half and hour place the sliced potatoes around the chicken in the roasting tin and spoon all the juices from the chicken over the potatoes. Cook for a further 40 minutes. To check that your chicken is cooked pierce the meat and the juices should be clear.
Bucket of Spicy Chicken Wings with sour cream
The fact is not everyone can afford to buy an organic chicken, so for the days when you are feeling a pinch in your pocket and a craving for chicken these are the answer. I can buy 4 for a euro at my local market.
Serves 2
Ingredients:
12 organic chicken wings
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
1 tbsp paprika
olive oil
salt and pepper
sour cream
Method:
Put the paprika in a bowl and mix in a big dollop of olive to form a runny but thick paste. Season the chicken wings with salt and pepper and pour of over the paprika paste and give a good mix until the wings are nicely coated. Place in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for about half an hour. Serve with a big bowl of sour cream.
CHOCOLATE
It pours forth from fountains; there have been films made about it, novels written about it; it is the last word in luxury; it is wrapped in gold leaf and compared to fine wine. The last word in seduction and desire, Chocolate! What is it about chocolate?
Well, the scientific explanation for the pleasure it gives us is that its melting point is slightly below human body temperature so it melts in our mouths. Also it releases serotonin in the brain, which produces feelings of pleasure in a similar way to sunlight. Good quality dark chocolate is full of flavonoids epicatechin and gallic acid, antioxidants that help protect blood vessels, promote cardiac health, and prevent cancer. But do bear in mind that while dark chocolate is low in sugar it is high in calories and milk chocolate or white chocolate don’t have the same health benefits.
Chocolate got its name from the Aztecs who originally drank it with chili. It is made from the fermented, roasted and ground beans taken from the pod of the tropical cacao tree, native to Central America. Cocoa is the solid part of the bean and cocoa butter is the fat component. Chocolate bars are made by combining the solids and fat from the bean with the addition of sugar and other ingredients.
There main varieties are:
· Dark chocolate: chocolate without milk as an additive; sometimes called plain chocolate. European rules specify a minimum of 35% cocoa solids.
· Milk chocolate: chocolate with milk powder or condensed milk added. European rules specify a minimum of 25% cocoa solids.
· White chocolate: chocolate based on cocoa butter without the cocoa solids.
· Semi-sweet chocolate: used for cooking purposes; a dark chocolate with higher sugar content and often lower cocoa content than true dark chocolate
· Cocoa powder: made by pulverizing partially defatted chocolate liquor, removing nearly all cocoa butter. Natural cocoa is light in color and somewhat acidic with a strong chocolate flavor.
· Couverture: this is the finest quality chocolate rich in cocoa butter and at least 70 % chocolate liquor content, with pure vanilla added, NOT vanilla flavouring. But the real distinction is the variety of cocoa bean, couverture is made from the superior CRIOLLO bean, (The bulk cocoa bean is the inferior Forastero bean) this is the chocolate that is often compared to fine wine because of the subtlety of taste!
There is a world of difference between good chocolate and bad chocolate. Let me put it in perspective for you; Bittersweet chocolate is chocolate liquor (or unsweetened chocolate). The rule is the higher the percentage of liquor the better the chocolate will be. Good chocolate will contain at least 70% chocolate liquor; your average chocolate bar contains maximum 25% - the rest of the bar is hydrogenated fats, flavouring, additives and stabilisers. Ignore those bars of chocolate – with really good chocolate now widely available, O’Connaills, Cocoa Bean, Green and Black, Skelligs, Eve’s, there is no excuse!
A Trip to Chocolate Heaven! O’Connaill’s Chocolate shops sit on the Cork streets like a siren, luring in passers by with the intoxicating smell of chocolate. I succumbed recently, lured not least by the beautiful interior (which the son, Casey, designed and built himself!) but by the fantastic range of chocolate Santa Clauses, packs of hot chocolate and incredible hand-made chocolates. O’Connaill’s chocolates is a family run business with mum, Lulu, at the helm (like all good women!). Lulu learned her trade from her father who was a chocolatier in the Rhineland, Germany – and now she is passing on her skills to her son, Casey. But if you’re not in Cork don’t fret – the O’Connaill family have managed to distribute the chocolate Santa’s and bars all over the country! Call 021 437 3407 for more details.
Interview with Sara Hehir and Emily Sandford of Cocoa Bean Chocolates in Limerick
When did your passion for Chocolate begin?
We’ve always been passionate about food in general. We started experimenting with creating chocolates in 2001. Our mum always preferred dark chocolate, that’s what we were used to when we were growing up, so it was natural to use dark chocolate when we began making our own chocolates. We became obsessed by the way the natural tones of the chocolate complimented and enhanced the flavours we blended with it. It’s the reason we use natural flavours from fresh ingredients; they create a subtle balance of cocoa and flavour.
When did you start 'Cocoa Bean Chocolates'?
Cocoa Bean was started officially in late 2003 but before that we’d done about 2 years of experimenting. We started selling fresh truffles at Limerick Gourmet Food Market and got a really positive response and a loyal following. It all took off from there really so we started to develop a range of chocolates with a naturally longer shelf life so w e could start supplying to same of the great independent food shops in Ireland. We have always stuck to our original principles.
Being sisters do you find it easier or harder being in business together?
Nobody can believe that we don’t argue all the time! Remarkably we don’t. We’ve always got on well and we sort of compliment each other, one of us will be really positive and the other realistic and then we’ll swap roles and end up reaching a middle ground. It’s a good way to even out the highs and the lows of business. We are still excited about the business and find ourselves on the phone to each other at 1am; family get togethers turn into Cocoa Bean product development meetings! I’d say it’s worse for Paulina and Helen who work with us, we constantly finish each other’s sentences – it must drive them mad!
Where do you source your chocolate?
Our cocoa comes from selected small plantations and it is then blended by the Cluizel family in Paris. One day we’d love to roast our own beans but for now we are happy for experts to do it! The cocoa is harvested at the perfect time and is allowed to ferment and dry in the sun on the plantation. This gives it the most incredible depth of flavour. The chocolate has been awarded the Noble Ingredients award, which recognises the quality and purity of ingredients. Our base chocolate only contains cocoa mass, cocoa butter, cane sugar and Madagascan vanilla, and then we add our flavours.
What range of chocolates do you make?
We specialise in incredible dark chocolate and our range is growing by the day. Flavours are still what inspire us and I think we now have close to 30 different flavoured bars plus seasonal specials. We have just developed 2 collections of flavours, the Classic Collection and the Wild Collection, and these run through our Gift Wrapped Bars (wrapped in bright tissue paper and metallic confetti), our mini bars and our Stacks (released in funky new packaging mid November). The Classic Collection is for the chocolate purist while the Wild Collection is for the thrill seeker! We also have the utterly addictive Crunch Clusters and Fruit and Nut Clusters, which are incredible eaten in the bath with a cup of tea. Our range of chocolates presented in wooden boxes, are ideal for dinner parties. The cocoa coasters are big, brittle discs of chocolate individually flavoured and wrapped in bright tissue so that each one feels like you are opening a present. The Connoisseur Collection, with chocolates from single plantations, is like the chocolate equivalent of wine tasting and is perfect served with coffee at the end of a meal. The hot chocolate we have developed for this Christmas is fabulous, it’s made of real chocolate rather than cocoa powder and it is blended with crushed cardamoms. We recommend you either serve it espresso style as a thick, rich grown up shot in a demitasse or for a bit of fun add more hot milk and dunk one of chocolate lollipops in it!
What’s the most exciting thing about your job?
We still love experimenting and trying out new ideas, whether it is a new flavour, combination, shape or packaging idea. We get our inspiration from all over the place. Flavours often are inspired by other cuisines, especially since dark chocolate works so well with savoury flavours. Packaging has to be exciting too; we hand wrap everything. We chose vibrant colours because we love them. The most exciting thing overall though has got to be people’s reactions to the chocolate, it really opens some people’s eyes to what chocolate can be like.
Where can we get it!
Our chocolates are stocked in select delicatessens, wine shops and design shops nationwide. We are gradually getting Ireland covered but if anyone can recommend a shop in their area we’d be delighted. Most of our stockists are listed on our website w but call us for an up to date list – 061 446615. Our chocolates are still available at Limerick Gourmet Food Market (every Saturday 8am - 1.30pm) and mail order direct from us.
End of Interview.
Eve St. Leger set up her mini chocolate factory (think Willie Wonka!) in 1993 after she returned from learning her craft in Switzerland. She makes an incredible range of lip smacking chocolates; fresh cream truffles, corkies (a combination of chunky chocolate, rich cream caramel, and crisp hazelnut), florentines with nuts and fruit, and a fantastic range for kids; chocolate covered marshmallows and chocolate honeycomb bars. For those of you that are serious chocolate lovers you will love her 1 metre stick of chocolate! Eve is based in Cork but does postal deliveries throughout Ireland call 021 4347781 for more details.
My Favourite Chocolate Books
Chocolate - by Delia Smith
Real Chocolate - by Chantal Coady
Chocolate Recipes - by Green and Black
Chocolate: The Definitive Guide - by Sara Jayne-Stanes
How to spot good quality Chocolate
A very good quality Chocolate should have all the following:
Shiny brown texture
Breaks cleanly
Free of lumps
Tiny burst bubbles
White specks
Melt in your mouth like butter
Neither greasy nor sticky
Recipes
Hot Chocolate Puddings with Raspberries
Makes 6
Ingredients:
4 eggs, plus 4 egg yolks
4 oz caster sugar
7oz butter
7oz dark chocolate (high cocoa content)
2 oz plain flour
24 raspberries (4 for each pot)
Method:
Melt the chocolate and butter together over a low heat, while they are melting beat the egg and sugar together in a bowl. When the chocolate mixture has melted beat in to the egg and sugar. Fold in the flour and the raspberries (holding back 6 for decoration). Pour into buttered mould and place in a pre-heated oven at 180oC for 10 minutes.
Turn out on to a serving plate, sprinkle with caster sugar and top with a raspberry!
Chocolate Bread and Butter
Serves 6
Ingredients:
400ml cream
400ml milk
100g caster sugar
6 free-range eggs
150g high cocoa content dark chocolate, broken into squares
14 good quality bread (day old)
Method:
Preheat the oven to Gas 1/140oC. In a saucepan mix together the cream, milk, sugar and vanilla pods. Gently heat through, stirring now and then, until the sugar has dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie (a heatproof bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water). Mix the chocolate into the cooled milk mixture.
Break the eggs into a large mixing bowl. Pour the chocolate mixture into eggs and lightly whisk together.
Place the sliced bread in a large shallow ovenproof dish, slightly overlapping the slices. Pour over the chocolate mixture.
Bake the bread and butter pudding for 45 minutes.
Chocolate Truffles
Ingredients:
200g dark chocolate, (at least 70% cocoa content), broken into pieces
200ml double cream
cocoa powder, for dusting
Method:
In a bowl suspended over a pan of simmering water, slowly melt the chocolate until smooth and glossy. Gently heat the cream in a saucepan until warm. Pour the warm cream onto the melted chocolate and mix well until incorporated. Place aside to cool and firm up. Once firm, take teaspoons of the mixture, dust with cocoa powder and roll into balls, then leave to set.
BUTCHERS
We all know that the supermarkets threaten small traditional business; that the fish mongers, newsagents and butchers are disappearing from our high streets. But I wonder if we truly understand the extent of that loss. Will we only know how much the local butcher meant to us when they are gone?
The meat and poultry is beautifully displayed in my local butcher; the meat is plump, with a good colour and carefully laid out on pristine white trays, not stacked in a heap. The label on each tray tells me not just which cut of meat and the price but also where the meat has come from. The different cuts are separated by small thickets of fresh watercress or occasionally bay leaves. On top of the counter are baskets of herbs, dried mushrooms and seasoning. Hanging from steel meat hooks are skinned rabbits and fresh poultry, in the window are sides of beef, rolled shoulder of lamb and beautiful succulent looking steaks. Sometimes I stand outside on the pavement, fixating on a cut of meat, just imagining the meal I’m going to cook. And that’s the point, it all looks so good it inspires you, makes you want to cook and try new ideas. Tell me the last time a supermarket made you feel like that!
As any good local butcher would mine produce their own sausages, black pudding, home made pies and sausage rolls. The cold cabinet is a godsend if you have to make lunch in a hurry. My butcher makes a stunning pasty, thick chunks of beef in a rich gravy and vegetables that you can actually see and taste, all wrapped in a golden, flaky pastry crust, crisp on the outside and soft on the inside from absorbing the delicious juice. On top of the cold cabinet are chutneys made by local producers, a great accompaniment with a plate of cold cuts and a fresh salad.
I like that I see local produce in there. That I recognise the name of the person who made the chutney. It matters to me that the meat is from local farms and that the butcher can tell me what kind of cattle they buy, what the cattle are fed on and how they are reared. Because the meat is sourced locally it is fresher, less food miles are used getting it from the field onto my plate. I get peace of mind knowing where the meat has come from – I don’t have to worry that it traveled 5,000 miles, frozen in the tank of a container ship, produced in a country that has far less stringent animal welfare rules than we do.
I can request the cut of meat I want; I can place special orders – a goose for Christmas, woodcock for a special dinner party. I can ask for the size cubes I want cut when I’m making stew and I can ask them to leave on a little of the fat for flavour. This is important to me. Supermarkets are catering to a mass market not to individual taste or requirement. In a supermarket I don’t “choose” my meat I take what I am given. Supermarkets have decided that fat is unfashionable so I can’t pick up a beautiful cut of marbled (threads of fat that runs through the meat), beef which would give a dish fantastic flavour. Farmers supplying supermarkets rear breeds that reach slaughter age quickly. As a result the meat has no time to mature, hence no marbling. My butcher buys from farmers that rear the cattle slower and slaughter them when the meat is mature. He gives me the choice.
I value the relationship I have with my butcher. I learn from his expertise; I benefit from his skill; he’ll recommend a good cut of meat or suggest a particular recipe and he welcomes feedback. I trust him. I know where his meat has come from, I know it hasn’t been pumped full of hormones and additives and hosed down with water to increase the weight and I know the meat has been well hung. My butcher told me he doesn’t hang whole carcasses in the front of the shop because people don’t like to see it. Why is that? Do we not like to be reminded of where the meat has come from?
Anyway, next time your in a supermarket try asking one of the assistants where they meat they are serving came from or for how long it was hung. Supermarkets don’t hang meat because it takes time, space and because the carcass loses moisture during hanging, which means less weight which is less profit. As a result most of their meat is immature, pale, flavourless and dries out when you cook it.
I pay a little more in my local butchers than I would in a supermarket. I’m prepared to pay more for the service and for the quality of the meat. It costs to produce good meat. We all know the supermarkets keep the price down by factory farming and squeezing the farmers dry. To buy their meat makes you culpable in that system. Besides, do you really want wet, pale, slippery, flavourless meat, weeping blood and excess water onto a polystyrene tray, displayed under white strip lights, served by people who have no passion for meat? I don’t. I am happy to pay a little more, perhaps eat meat a little less often but to have the choice, quality and expertise I get from my local butcher.
The only way we can safeguard the great tradition of local butchers is by using them. Develop a relationship with your butcher; learn from them, give them feedback about their product, ask for their advice. Butchers are like great lovers, they’re skilful, they know how to please you but if you don’t go there you’ll wake up one day and find them gone.
Slow Food Ireland Awards:
O’Flynn’s Butchers in Cork won best retailer 2005 – Congratulations and well deserved!
Great Butchers in Ireland:
Cork
O'Flynns Butchers , Marlboro Street - his big speciality is that he hangs his beef for longer - the best rib in Ireland and they have the most fantastic sausages and they have a picture gallery of customers dogs - you get free bones for your dogs! They have a fantastic freezer that is stocked with quail, rabbit, venison, partridge - you name it!
Dublin
John and Mark Downey and in Terenure, - been in business for over 50 years - famous for their spiced beef and corned beef
Danny O'Toole in Terenure and Glasthule – Incredible range of Organic Meat
Galway
McGeough's - barrack st., - 2nd generation butcher - connemara lamb - which they smoke and cure and then cut in to thin slices of parma ham. They also make amazing sausages with the connemara lamb.
Tipperary
James Whelan butcher - real revolutionary butcher. Angus and Hereford Beef from Pat Whelans farm (the fathers) they deliver to all over the country www.jameswhelanbutchers.com
O'Flynns Rib of Beef with Mustard Mash
Serves 4
Ingredients:
3-4 Ibs rib of beef (on the bone)
cracked pepper
sea salt
a pint of cream
a bunch of rosemary
4 cloves of garlic
Method:
With a knife make 4 holes in the rib of beef - push a sprig of rosemary and a clove of garlic in to the hole. Rub a teaspoon of salt and the same of cracked pepper in to the meat. Place on a roasting tin in a pre-heated oven for 35-40 minutes - this will give you medium done beef . When the beef is cooked transfer to a serving dish. Place the roasting tin over a warm hob and pour in the cream and a dessertspoon of cracker pepper in to the roasting tin. With a whisk gather all the delicious juices from the beef and mix it with the cream. The creamy gravy will begin to thicken after a couple of minutes. Serve the gravy hot with the beef.
Mustard Mash
serves 4
Ingredients:
400g potatoes
a knob of butter
a drop warm milk
salt and pepper (as required)
2 tablespoons of mustard powder
Method:
Clean and peel the potatoes removing only a thin layer of skin. Boil or steam the potatoes and wipe them dry. Beat them well with a potato masher adding the butter, mustard powder and milk as you do. Transfer to a warmed dish and serve.
Tagine of Lamb with Cous Cous
Serves 2
Ingredients:
2 lamb shanks
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves, crushed
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cup dried apricots, roughly chopped
1 tin of tomatoes
1 bunch of fresh coriander
1 packet of cous cous (boil in the bag is perfect)
1 tablespoon of flaked almonds
salt and pepper
olive oil
Method:
Heat a heavy bottomed saucepan on a medium heat. Add a tablespoon of olive oil, then add the cumin seeds and leave to toasted for a couple of minutes. Then add the onions, sweet potatoes, and garlic, cover and leave to simmer for 5 mins. Now add the lamb shanks, lie them on there sides until they brown then turn them over. Add the tomatoes, apricots, season with salt and pepper. Cover and leave to simmer for 2 hours.
Heat a frying pan on low heat and add the almonds tossing all the time as they burn quite easily – you want a light brown shade. Follow the instructions on the box for the cous cous when it has cooked add a sprinkle of olive oil and fold in the almonds.
Bed your plate with the cous cous then add your tagine on top with lots of fresh coriander sprinkled on top – serve hot!
Bread
Really good bread isn’t just sustenance it is the centre piece of a meal. I don’t mean the supermarket loaves that stick to the back of your teeth and line your stomach like glue. I mean great artisan bread with crumb texture, made from the finest flour and baked with true skill and care. Nothing beats that smell of fresh baked bread first thing in the morning, even better if you’ve baked it yourself.
Traditional Soda bread was born out of necessity. Yeast won’t make bread rise unless the baker uses “strong flour” which was scarce in rural Ireland 150 years ago but baking soda could be counted on to leaven the bread. Soda bread is quick and the great thing about buttermilk is that it’ll keep in your fridge for up to four weeks.
If you are too pressed for time to bake your own bread from scratch but still crave the smell of home baked bread try one of Louise Delaney’s bread mixes. Louise saw a gap in the market for high quality bread mix when her son was born and she didn’t have the time to bake her own bread. She developed a bread mix which she sold to O’Herlihy’s in St Lukes, Cork. Now her son is at school Louise has developed a whole range of bread mixes, using Ballybrado flour for the Spelt bread and Dove organic flour for the rest of her range. She does a plain brown bread mix made with Rye, wholemeal flour and oatflakes; a walnut wholegrain mix; a sunflower seed and wholegrain with sesame and a superspelt with added oatflakes, oatbran and sesame seeds. The great bews, and you heard it here first, is that Louise is about to launch her range nationwide. Meantime you can get the mixes at O’Herlihy’s or she will do mail order louised@indigo.ie or phone 087 662 3998.
Try some of our fabulous artisan bakers’ breads. Former Michelin starred restauranteur, Declan Ryan runs Arbutus Bakery. He uses the finest French and Irish stone-ground flours to produce a range of West Cork soda bread, rye, wholemeal, white sourdough and continental breads. You can find Arbutus at Middleton market and Deli’s throughout Cork. The ABC (Alternative bread Company) have an impressive range of breads sold throughout Dunne’s Stores. Watch out for the ‘Soul Bakery’ formerly known as the ‘Gourmet Bakery’ around the farmers markets in Dublin – call Laurence Kiely on 087 284 4842 – he does the most fantastic range of Foccacia’s.
Bread really is “the staff of life”. We have a great tradition of good bakers and wonderful breads. My advice is seek out the best and don’t mess with the rest!
Best Bread Book
The Bread Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It is what it claims to be ‘the bible’ – fantastic recipes from pizza doughs to crumpets to baguettes.
Cheese and Thyme Scones
Ingredients
oil, for greasing
225g strong white flour
1 tbsp Baking powder
pinch of sea salt
125g mature Cheddar cheese, such as Hegarty’s or Bandon Vale
1 tsp Thyme
125-150ml Milk
Method
Sift the flour, baking powder and sea salt into a bowl. Rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in two-thirds of the grated cheese, followed by the thyme. Gradually pour in enough of the milk to make a soft dough.
Roll out the dough on a floured surface to a thickness of 1.5cm. Cut into circles with a pastry cutter or upturned glass.
Place the circles on the greased baking sheet. Sprinkle them with the remaining cheese and bake in a pre-heated oven at 200oC for 12-15 minutes.
Transfer to a wire cooling rack for 5 minutes, then eat hot with lashings of Glenilen country butter – YUM!
Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients
1 Ib of wholemeal flour
1 Ib of white flour
11/2 teaspoons of bread soda
1 pint of buttermilk.
Method
Mix together very well – pop in a pre-heated oven at 220oC for approx. 20 minutes – then turn the bread over for a further 2 minutes. Tap on the back and if you get a hollow sound that means the bread is cooked. Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Mixed Seed Bread
I got this great recipe from Paul Hollywood’s book, ‘100 Great Breads’
Healthy and wholesome this delicious bread is strewn with seeds and bursting with flavour
Ingredients
350g wholemeal flour
100g rye flour
50g quinoa flour
10g Salt
30g fresh yeast
20g sunflower seeds
20g caraway seeds
40g poppy seeds
70ml black treacle
330ml water
50g Sesame seeds
Method
Place the flours, salt, yeast, sunflower, caraway, and poppy seeds in a large bowl. Add the black treacle and water and bind together. Place on a flat surface and gently knead the dough for seven minutes before placing it back in the bowl to rest for two hours. Tip the dough onto a floured work surface and shape into ball. Roll the dough in the sesame seeds and place on a greased baking tray to rise for a further hour. Set the oven to 220C/gas 8 and bake for 30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
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