Category: food

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food: ceviche

I was watching the brilliant Anthony Bourdain on tv a couple of weeks ago when he was traveling in Panama eating the local delicacies, one of which is Ceviche – fish cooked in citrus. The great thing about Panama is that you  have access to Pacific fish on one coast and Atlantic species on the other, so you have a huge variety of fresh ingredients to play with.

I had eaten ceviche years ago in Odessa (I think) probably with, or due to Eleanor Walsh, a fabulous cook who used to have an involvement there. I remember being a little apprehensive about eating it, but when I tasted it it was amazing. I was having a few foodie friends over for supper the other day so I decided on ceviche for a  starter.

Having researched it on the web, it seems that of paramount importance is the freshness of the fish you use. I nipped up to the local fish shop and asked the fishmonger what was fresh, and ended up walking away with a mix of fresh whiting fillets, a bit of red snapper and  little organic salmon.

Ingredients:
about 1kg of freshest possible fish (whiting, red snapper, salmon)
5 limes and 2 lemons juiced
1 clove of garlic shaved
1 small red onion, very finely sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 very hot red chili, very finely sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
hefty pinch of salt
a big bunch of coriander, very finely chopped, stalks included

1 avocado, sliced
1/4 mango, diced

Method:
Rinse the fish under cold running water & shake dry. Slice finely into 3 x 1 x 1 cm strips and place in a glass (non-reactive) bowl. Add everything except the avocado and mango. Cover and put in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours. Every hour or so, take it out and stir the mix around so that anything which isn’t submerged in the juice get its day in the liquor.

Shortly before eating, add in sliced avocado and mango. These are needed to balance the acid in the juices. Add in the rest of the coriander and mix well.

You can drain off some of the cooking liquor and serve it in shot glasses to your guests as an aperitif. It’s also reputed to be the best hangover cure in the world.

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ceviche

I was watching the brilliant Anthony Bourdain on tv a couple of weeks ago when he was traveling in Panama eating the local delicacies, one of which is Ceviche – fish cooked in citrus. The great thing about Panama is that you  have access to Pacific fish on one coast and Atlantic species on the other, so you have a huge variety of fresh ingredients to play with.

I had eaten ceviche years ago in Odessa (I think) probably with, or due to Eleanor Walsh, a fabulous cook who used to have an involvement there. I remember being a little apprehensive about eating it, but when I tasted it it was amazing. I was having a few foodie friends over for supper the other day so I decided on ceviche for a  starter.

Having researched it on the web, it seems that of paramount importance is the freshness of the fish you use. I nipped up to the local fish shop and asked the fishmonger what was fresh, and ended up walking away with a mix of fresh whiting fillets, a bit of red snapper and  little organic salmon.

Ingredients:
about 1kg of freshest possible fish (whiting, red snapper, salmon)
5 limes and 2 lemons juiced
1 clove of garlic shaved
1 small red onion, very finely sliced
1 tomato, diced
1 very hot red chili, very finely sliced
1 yellow pepper, diced
hefty pinch of salt
a big bunch of coriander, very finely chopped, stalks included

1 avocado, sliced
1/4 mango, diced

Method:
Rinse the fish under cold running water & shake dry. Slice finely into 3 x 1 x 1 cm strips and place in a glass (non-reactive) bowl. Add everything except the avocado and mango. Cover and put in the fridge for 3 or 4 hours. Every hour or so, take it out and stir the mix around so that anything which isn’t submerged in the juice get its day in the liquor.

Shortly before eating, add in sliced avocado and mango. These are needed to balance the acid in the juices. Add in the rest of the coriander and mix well.

You can drain off some of the cooking liquor and serve it in shot glasses to your guests as an aperitif. It’s also reputed to be the best hangover cure in the world.

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marinated butterflied leg of lamb

Butterflied leg of lamb was on special in the local butcher today (€13.95/kg) so we decided we’d have some if that …

Ingredients:
1.5 kg leg of lamb, butterflied
1/2 a medium onion
4 cloves garlic
2 tbsp fresh rosemary
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp cider vinegar
zest of a lemon

Method:
Put all the ingredients bar the lamb in a blender and whizz till smooth. It’ll be a great colour and smell wonderful. Stick the lamb in a bag and pour in the marinade. Squish it round a bit, mostly on the non-fat side if you can.

Leave for an hour or two and when you’re about 100 minutes off eating, remove the lamb from the marinade and scrape off the excess into a bowl. Heat a skillet till smoking and sear the lamb on both sides for a couple of minutes. Place on top of a rack and spread the remaining marinade in top. Season well. Cook in a medium oven till about 10 minutes before eating, remove and relax. Slice really thinly.

This tastes amazing and will feed 6 or 7

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Hugh in The Gloss

Had the good fortune to be approached by old friend Katy McGuinness who wrote a piece on our family in yesterday’s Gloss supplement in the Irish Times. Thanks to Sam for sending the scan 🙂

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pork steak, lemon, mustard & curry

Ingredients:

2 pork steaks (they might be called something different in your ‘hood)
about 1 oz butter
juice of a lemon
1 heaped tsp favourite mustard (I used Dijon)
2 heaped tsp favourite curry powder

Method:

Melt the butter in a flameproof casserole/baking dish whatever. Add the lemon juice and mustard. Add the pork fillets, roll them round a bit so they’re coated. Sprinkle a heaped teaspoon of curry powder over each. Cover with foil and bake in a medium oven until you think they’re cooked. Maybe 45 mins. Uncover for the last while and baste.

Probably a bit dry without a sauce, so I’m about to serve mine with quinoa and a yoghurt dressing involving a little chili sauce, garlic and a load of coriander. Also with roasted vegetables. You can make up your own version of that.

For dessert: almond cake with oranges and lemons

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food: pork steak, lemon, mustard & curry

Ingredients:

2 pork steaks (they might be called something different in your ‘hood)
about 1 oz butter
juice of a lemon
1 heaped tsp favourite mustard (I used Dijon)
2 heaped tsp favourite curry powder

Method:

Melt the butter in a flameproof casserole/baking dish whatever. Add the lemon juice and mustard. Add the pork fillets, roll them round a bit so they’re coated. Sprinkle a heaped teaspoon of curry powder over each. Cover with foil and bake in a medium oven until you think they’re cooked. Maybe 45 mins. Uncover for the last while and baste.

Probably a bit dry without a sauce, so I’m about to serve mine with quinoa and a yoghurt dressing involving a little chili sauce, garlic and a load of coriander. Also with roasted vegetables. You can make up your own version of that.

For dessert: almond cake with oranges and lemons

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saag aloo reinvented

I kind of invented this by mistake. Supplies were running down in the fridge and I found the ingredients below, assembled them into a version of saag aloo a la Hugh. I’m sure it’s breaking every rule in Indian cuisine by adding the rashers, but I suppose you could omit them if you want to make it vegetarian. Anyway, it’s delicious by itself. Really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 kg baby potatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion
2 tbsp curry paste
1/4 tsp salt
two large handfuls spinach uncooked (I have big hands)
5 back rashers
large bunch of coriander chopped roughly, stalks and all
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Method:
Chop the baby potatoes into cubes or crescents and steam for about ten minutes. Meanwhile chop the onion, garlic and rashers and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee if you have it for a few minutes in a heavy casserole or pot. Add the curry paste and keep everything on the move. Add the spinach. Toss in the can of tomatoes and bring everything up to a simmer. Then toss in the potatoes and stick a lid on your casserole and cook for another couple of minutes until the potatoes are tender. I poured in a few tbsps of the cooking liquor from the steamer. Season with the salt.

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food: saag aloo a la Hugh

I kind of invented this by mistake. Supplies were running down in the fridge and I found the ingredients below, assembled them into a version of saag aloo a la Hugh. I’m sure it’s breaking every rule in Indian cuisine by adding the rashers, but I suppose you could omit them if you want to make it vegetarian. Anyway, it’s delicious by itself. Really delicious.

Ingredients:
1 kg baby potatoes
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large onion
2 tbsp curry paste
1/4 tsp salt
two large handfuls spinach uncooked (I have big hands)
5 back rashers
large bunch of coriander chopped roughly, stalks and all
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

Method:
Chop the baby potatoes into cubes or crescents and steam for about ten minutes. Meanwhile chop the onion, garlic and rashers and fry in a tablespoon of olive oil or ghee if you have it for a few minutes in a heavy casserole or pot. Add the curry paste and keep everything on the move. Add the spinach. Toss in the can of tomatoes and bring everything up to a simmer. Then toss in the potatoes and stick a lid on your casserole and cook for another couple of minutes until the potatoes are tender. I poured in a few tbsps of the cooking liquor from the steamer. Season with the salt.

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food: the return of the curry paste

Back in the kitchen again today, got a rush of blood to the head and decided on a curry. For curry, you need curry paste (which I’ve blogged about before) but this time I toasted the seeds before crushing them and fiddled with the proportions a little too.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup coriander seed
4 tbsp cumin seed
2 tbsp fennel seed
2 tbsp fenugreek seed
4 dried red chillies
5 curry leaves
1 tbsp chilli powder
1 tbsp turmeric
2/3 cup wine vinegar
1 cup vegetable oil

Method:

Toast the whole seeds gently for five minutes or so to release their aroma, making sure not to burn them. The kitchen will be filled with an amazing assault on your nose, although my youngest kid finds it a bit overpowering. It’s an indication of what’s to come though, because this paste imparts a great flavour and is something which develops with age.

Grind the whole spices to a powder in a spice mill, or grinder. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining spices. Add the wine vinegar and mix into a paste. Add about 5 tbsp water to the mixture tp loosen it a bit. Heat the oil in a heavy frying pan, and stir fry the paste for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool a bit before putting it into airtight jars and then refrigerating. It should last three to four weeks in an airtight jar.

The finished article.