Irish Brown Bread

 Soda bread is an important part if Irish culture, and it's a fantastic partner for Irish stew. So on a cold Canadian winters night the best way of warming up, and tasting a little piece of home is with a warm bowl of peasants soup and slices of brown bread. Yes, this is the same bread in the background of the peasants soup recipe, because it's such a perfect pair.

 

7 oz rolled oats 

7oz wheat bran

10 oz plain flour 

1 3/4 tsp baking soda 

1 1/4 tsp salt 

1 3/4 cups buttermilk 

1 tbsp treacle 

mixed seeds (optional)

Grind oats in blender. Add all dry ingredients together. Combine treacle and buttermilk and add them to the dry ingredients to form a dough. Place dough in a  greased 1 lb loaf tin or form into round loafs. Score the top of the loaf with a knife and brush with the buttermilk. Sprinkle with mixed seeds if you'd like. Put in a pre-heater 205c oven for 40 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap on it.

 Slice and eat with butter or as a delicious tool for soaking up soup or stew.

Blueberry pancakes

1 cup of flour

1 tbsp baking soda 

1 cup milk 

3 egg yolks 

3 egg whites 

Mix flour and baking soda, milk and egg yolks into a smooth paste. In a separate bowl, whisk egg white to form soft peaks and fold into flour mixture. Pour quarter cup measurements of batter onto a pre-heated pan. Add blueberries to each pancake. Flip over when golden brown. Serve with pure Canadian maple syrup. 

Fish Cakes

Often people don't like fish, the taste or the texture give them the willies. If you are one of those people, I encourage you to try this recipe because I think I just might change you're mind. If you already love fish, then you'll love these.

 400g of mixed fish (salmon, haddock)  

1 chili (de-seeded and finely chopped) 

1/2 inch of ginger (finely chopped) 

1/2 a clove of garlic (finely chopped) 

1/2 lemongrass 

juice and zest of 1 lime 

1 egg yolk 

1 cup of breadcrumbs 

1 tablespoon of fresh coriander (chopped) 

Salt and pepper

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, making sure to incorporate all the chili/ginger mix through properly. The mixture should  be firm enough to form into little fish cakes (approx 3oz each) Pan fry in a non stick pan til golden brown, transfer to a pre-heated oven (180°c) for 10 minutes.. enjoy with a fresh salad and a squeeze of lemon.

 

Fishing back home with my dog

Cook once, eat twice!

Christmas leftovers don't have to be complicated, no need to slave away in the kitchen two days in a row to enjoy a good meal! A plate of- cold turkey, ham, chicken liver  pate, gherkins, homemade pickled beets, salami, Dubliner and brie cheese, garlic bread made from a fresh baguette... all washed down with a glass of water (detoxing after a little over consumption of wine)

Peasants Soup, deliciously frugal.

 

Peasants Soup for a cold winters night. A quick and simple soup recipe that I picked up while training in Ballymaloe House in County Cork Ireland. Peasants soup contains ingredients that would have been easily available to agricultural peasant workers, and is still a deliciously frugal meal that is so comforting on a warms winters night.

100 grams of streaky bacon  

1 onion diced 

1 large potato (1/2 inch cubed) 

1 clove of garlic (crushed) 

2 cups of cabbage (shredded) 

1 pint of chicken stock 

1 tin of chopped tomatoes 

In a pot fry your onions, bacon and garlic until browned. Reduce the heat and add your cubed potatoes, fry for a further 2-3 minutes before adding your stock and tomatoes. Simmer on medium heat until the potatoes are tender, add your shredded cabbage last. season with salt and pepper to taste.

Brownies

8 oz unsweetened chocolate
1 cup of butter (diced)
Juice and zest of 1 orange
1 capful of Tia Maria
5 eggs
3 cups of sugar
1 tblsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp Salt

Combine the first four ingredients in a bowl over a pot of simmering water so as to melt the chocolate and butter, set aside and leave to cool slightly. In a mixer blend the sugar, eggs and vanilla together to form a cream (aprox 10 minutes). Combine with the chocolate mixture and gently fold in the flour and salt, taking care not to over-work the mixture. Pour the mixture into a greased or lines 9x13 pan. Put in a pre-heated over at 190c for 35-40 minutes. Leave to cool before enjoying!

Whole grain mustard Burger

 

This is my perfect go to meal when there's a sporting event on that uses a ball, stick, puck, glove, dart, bat.... Try this burger and you'll know what I mean about how well it pairs with sports. This quick, easy recipe and can be prepared well in advance of game time and will cook up faster than it takes to stand in line for your greasy stadium grub, so be thankful for not scoring those tickets and enjoy the whole meal that'll cost less than a stadium beer.

400 grams of beef mince 

1 onion diced 

1 tsp whole grain mustard 

1/2 tsp of worcestershire sauce  

1 egg yolk 

1 cup of breadcrumbs  

Fry off the onions and set aside to cool before adding to the beef with all the remaining ingredients, combine together and form two patties then fry in a hot pan (really, it's that simple). Build your burger on a fresh sesame bun, I like to add bacon, tomato, aioli, arugula and cheese (anything that melts well, I'd recommend goats cheese or an aged cheddar). Pair with a chilled beer.