Review: The Hanged Man's, Milltown

The Hanged Man's

Milltown, Newbridge, Co. Kildare

Time for my second review and again its a very well regarded local restaurant. Ali and I booked in for a midweek meal after numerous recommendations.

The Hanged Man's is located just outside Milltown beside the Canal and is a beautiful Bar and Restaurant with a very classy, old style decor.

Food:

Starter: Chicken and Bacon Galantine with Relish

This was a very nice dish although there didn't seem to be a lot of bacon, it was seasoned perfectly and the relish was particularly fantastic. Presentation was excellent. 6/10

Main: Slow Cooked Beef Brisket

Another very nice dish. The beef was quite tender and was served on a bed of Mash and surrounded by a beautiful gravy. The Roasted Vegetables, served between us, tasted fantastic although were slightly overcooked for my taste. The Roast Potatoes, also served between us, were quite disappointing, quite bland with little or no seasoning. 6/10

Dessert: Selection of Desserts (Almond Tart, Panna Cotta with Raspberry Coulis and Ice Cream)

Delicious! The Almond Tart was fantastic while the Panna Cotta was perfectly cooked and cut wonderfully by the tart Raspberry Coulis. The Ice Cream was also very nice. I also have to add that the Espresso was fantastic, it's not often I come across really good coffee but I really enjoyed this one. 9/10

Staff:

I couldn't fault the service here, I think we were served by the owner and he treated us extremely well being extremely courteous and friendly. 9/10

Ambiance:

It was very quiet the night we went there but it is a beautiful Restaurant with fitting music at a good level in the background. The only thing I didn't like was initially being sat in the bar to read the menus and order and then being moved to the restaurant just before our starters arrived on the table. Although I understand the advantage of this on busy nights, I like to settle into my surroundings a bit before the food arrives. 7/10

Overall: 7/10

We had a great night in the Hanged Man's. Although all of the food was very nice, I did find the Starters and Main to be missing that little something to wow me, the dessert however, certainly did! 

Arancini with Sea Bass and Pesto

Arancini with Sea Bass and Almond Pesto

I've always been intrigued by Arancini, little balls of leftover Risotto breaded and fried until golden. It took me until now to cook some and two things struck me...1. It was absolutely worth the wait and 2. Why have I not made these beauties before?! They do give off the impression that they'll be somewhat complicated or lots of hassle but they really aren't. To be honest, the ones I made are misshapen and slightly burnt in places but it doesnt seem to detract from their deliciousness at all!

I really wanted to make the Arancini and when I was trying to think of something to accompany them, I noticed that the fish monger's in Newbridge had a special on Sea Bass and I also wanted to start using up the mountain of homemade Pesto sitting in my fridge, all these elements came together beautifully!

This may sound like a lot of elements to prepare but none of it is very time consuming and everything cooks very quickly so you won't be spending hours over the stove. The Arancini are great served at room temperature so you can cook these first and then your Sea Bass. The Salad can be prepared before anything else and you can make your Pesto a week or two in advance if you wish! I didnt make a Salad Dressing as I didnt want to take from the Pesto and I also served two fillets of Sea Bass per person as they were quite small, if they are larger then one per person should suffice.

Homemade Almond Pesto

40g Basil Leaves

50g Almonds (Peeled and Toasted)

1 Clove Garlic

25g Pecorino Romano/Parmesan (Grated)

120ml Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put the Basil, Toasted Almonds and Garlic into a Pestle and Mortar with some Sea Salt and bash into a fine Paste. Add the Cheese and slowly pour in the Oil, stirring all the time, Taste and add Sea Salt and Pepper if required.

For a more traditional Pesto, replace the Almonds with Pine Nuts. This is a really tasty Pesto that works great on almost anything. It will keep for a few weeks in the fridge but make sure you keep a layer of Olive Oil on top to stop the air from getting to it. For an alternative Pesto recipe click here.

For the Salad

1/2 Ramiro Red Pepper (sliced)

1 Plum Tomato (sliced, then roughly chopped)

10 Radishes (5 quartered, 5 thinly sliced)

1 Baby Gem Lettuce (roughly pulled apart and torn)

 

For the Arancini

400g leftover Risotto of any kind (I had Chorizo and Veg)

40g Pecorino/Parmesan

4 Eggs (beaten)

100g Dried White Breadcrumbs*

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

Vegetable Oil for Deep/Shallow Frying*

For the Sea Bass

Sea Bass Fillets (I served 2 per person)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper 

4tbsp Rapeseed Oil

1tbsp Pesto per person.

1. Prepare your Salad, mix well and leave in the fridge until needed. Put the Risotto into a large bowl and add the Cheese, 2 beaten Eggs, a little Sea Salt and Pepper. Mix well with wet hands and shape into balls slightly smaller than golf balls, you should get about 15-16. Put into the fridge to firm up for about half an hour.

2. Prepare your Sea Bass by seasoning the skin well with Sea Salt and Pepper and allow to sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, Put the other two beaten eggs on one plate and the breadcrumbs on another. Season the breadcrumbs and mix well. Roll the Arancini in the egg and then the breadcrumbs and Deep or Shallow Fry* for 5 or 6 mins until golden and crispy before draining on some Kitchen Paper. Leave to one side while you cook the Sea Bass.

3. In a clean pan, Heat the Oil until almost smoking and add the Sea Bass Fillets, skin side down. Season the top and cook until almost finished (until the top is going white) before flipping them and cooking for 30s-1 minute on the flesh side, remove from the pan and plate up!

4. Start by putting a 1/4 of the salad on each plate and topping each one with 1/2tbsp of Pesto, lay the Sea Bass Fillets on top and smear these with the other 1/2tbsp of Pesto. Serve with the Arancini.

*I Shallow Fried my Arancini and wouldn't do it again. They lost their shape very quickly and although I enjoyed their rustic look, I feel that deep frying would be the better option.

*If you haven't got dried white breadcrumbs, simply put a few slices of white bread into a food processor and pulse until fine. Spread on a baking tray and put into the oven at about 70-80 deg until dried, an hour or so should do it. Keep in an airtight container.

Charcuterie Frittata

Charcuterie Frittata

At the moment, after receiving a big delivery from Italy and going a bit too wild at a farmers market, my fridge is full of all types of meat! I have Salami from Brescia, Calabrian Nduja, Prosciutto di Parma and Kerry Chorizo (I know, I couldn't believe it either!) along with the usual Bacon, Beef and Chicken. I have become a big fan of all types of charcuterie lately and decided to bring a few together with the greatest ingredient known to man....eggs!!

Obviously not everyone will have different types of cold cuts available but try to mix at least a couple and where possible try to buy Salami/Chorizo whole or as a piece rather than pre-sliced, the difference in flavour is incredible! I used a mix of Salami, Chorizo and Nduja (spreadable, spicy salami) here which balanced extremely well with the Nduja adding a sizable kick in terms of heat. If you dont have Nduja but want some spice, add some chilli with the onion and proceed as normal. I used green beans in this recipe as its all I had in the fridge but I wouldnt change it now, they add a great texture and keep their crunch as are only cooked for 2 minutes. The little chunks of Cheese are like hidden gems in the Frittata and again try to use different types. Cheddar should be easy to find and if you can't get Pecorino sub in some Parmesan instead.


Serves 2

1tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
60g mixed Charcuterie (finely chopped) [I used Salami, Chorizo and Nduja]
1/2 Red Onion (finely chopped)
1/2 Red Chilli (finely chopped) [optional, not needed if using Nduja)
80g Green Beans (cut into 1cm lengths)
6 Eggs (beaten well)
20g mixed Cheese (cut into small chunks) [I used an Irish Farmhouse Cheddar and Pecorino Romano]
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the Oil over a medium heat and add the Charcuterie, cook for 5-6 minutes allowing the juices to come out and flavour the oil. Add the Onion and Chilli (if using), season lightly and cook for another 5-6 minutes until soft. Add the Green Beans and Cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring all the time.

2. Add the Cheese to the beaten Eggs and season lightly. Add to the pan and stir well to ensure an even spread of filling and cheese. Continue to stir for approx 1 minute until you see the first signs of the egg setting. Cover with foil or a lid and let cook for 5-7 minutes until cooked through. Turn out and cut into 8 Pizza style slices. Enjoy!

Chicken and Olive Stew

Chicken and Olive Stew

On Saturday I took in my first visit to Naas Farmers Market to see what i could pick up for a Sunday dinner and, although the weather was awfull, the produce on sale was fantastic. The first thing to take my attention was the "Real Olive Company" stall where I picked up some beautiful Organic Kalamata Olives. Having bought these I decided I would make a Chicken and Olive Stew so I trodded over to the Veg stall and picked up some Kildare Spuds, some Runner Beans and some beautiful Italian Cherry Tomatoes. Although I failed to see any Chicken, I did treat myself to a wonderfully strong Farmhouse Cheddar, made in Co.Wicklow. A quick stop on the way home to pick up a Free Range Chicken and I was all set for the Sunday Stew!



This is a great one pot dish and is very easy to make. I bought myself a standalone Induction hob about a month ago and since then I've mostly been doing one pot dishes, I cant go back to the frustratingly slow electric cooker in our house! Use whatever Veg takes your fancy in this and feel free to swap out the whole Chicken for a box of Chicken Thighs/Drumsticks or whatever you prefer. For the Olives, try to buy them with the stone in and remove it yourself, they start to lose flavour as soon as the stone is taken out and there really is no comparison. Its also important to use a good Chicken Stock here, homemade is best but if not then a good quality cube will suffice.

Serves 4

3tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
2 Small Onions (finely chopped)
1 stick Celery (finely chopped)
1 clove Garlic (finely chopped)
1.5Kg Whole Chicken (jointed into 2 breasts and 2 legs and seasoned)
100ml White Wine
500ml Chicken Stock
8 Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)
10 Kalamata Olives (roughly chopped)
1tsp Dried Oregano
2 Dried Bay Leaves
1tbsp White Wine Vinegar
500g Potatoes (2cm diced)
100g Runner Beans (sliced 1cm width)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Add the Oil to a large pan over a medium high heat and add the Onion, Celery and Garlic, season and as soon as the Onion starts to colour add the Chicken Pieces (throw the wings in too) and brown all over. Add the Wine and scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any bits that are stuck. Cook for 5 mins.

2. Add the Chicken  Stock, Tomatoes, Olives, Oregano, Bay Leaves and Vinegar. Season well, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the Potatoes and continue to simmer for another 10-15 mins until everything is just cooked. Add the runner beans, stir well and cook for a further 3-4 mins. Ensure the Chicken is cooked with a thermometer or make sure the juices run clear. Taste and adjust the seasoning to taste. Serve with some thick, crusty Bread.

Seafood Couscous

Seafood Couscous

My love of Seafood has been well documented on this blog but I love cooking it and I also love eating it so I think it might continue into the foreseeable future. This time the accompaniment is Couscous, this underrated African and Sicilian staple is the perfect fast food, taking only a few minutes to cook (well, more like re-heat, as 90% of the couscous available to buy here is pre-steamed and only in need of reheating!)  



I used Mussels and Squid in this recipe, feel free to change this up. Clams would be a great addition but they are far more expensive than mussels and Octopus could be used instead of the squid, just make sure you tenderize it first to avoid chewiness! The Chilli adds a lovely heat to this dish but if you think it might be too much, just remove the seeds before cooking and if your like it hot, add more! Preparing Mussels is covered here for anyone thats unsure.

Serves 4

4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Courgette (finely chopped)
1/2 Red Onion (finely chopped)
1 Small Carrot (finely chopped)
1 Stick Celery (finely chopped)
150ml White Wine
1Kg Mussels (soaked and cleaned)
8-10 Cherry Tomatoes (quartered)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
1handfull Spinach (finely chopped)
1 Squid Tube (cut into rings)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

250g Pre-Cooked Couscous
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1. Put the Couscous into a bowl/measuring jug and cover with approx. 375ml of boiling water. Cover with aluminium foil and let stand for 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork, stir in the Oil, season well and cover with the foil again until needed.

2. Meanwhile, Fry the Courgette, Red Onion, Carrot and Celery in the Oil over a medium heat for 7-10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Season well when you first add them to the pan. Add the Wine and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Add the Mussels and cover the pan (using a lid or tightly cover with foil). Let cook for 4-5 minutes, shaking the pan a couple of times until the mussels open. Discard any that remain closed. Add the Tomatoes and Chilli, season well and cook for a further 7-10 minutes.

4. Add the Spinach and Squid, stir well, cover and cook for 2-3 minutes until the squid is cooked. Mix the Couscous and Seafood together in a large bowl and serve with some good crusty bread.