Pete's Perfect Portion 5

Toonsbridge Dairy - Buffalo Ricotta

Toonsbridge Dairy is a very exciting dairy farm in Macroom Co. Cork. In the Spring of 2011 they brought 31 buffalo from Italy and since then have been perfecting the art of making mozzarella cheese. Recently they have expanded their range of cheeses to include ricotta and haloumi. I picked up a tub of the ricotta from The Real Olive Co stand at Naas Farmers Market on Saturday and was very impressed. Creamy and delicious it can be used in any number of dishes including: pasta bake (recipe coming later in the week), as an addition to a tomato sauce, as a stuffing for ravioli etc. My favourite way of enjoying it though: lathered on toast. Amazing.

Spaghetti with Bacon, Chilli and Garlic

I have a number of favourite spaghetti recipes to call upon when I have less than ten minutes to cook a meal. One of my favourites is also the simplest; Spaghetti with Olive Oil, Garlic and Chilli. It's full of flavour and is very quick to prepare. Taking that as my basis, I wanted a recipe that included some bacon. There can never be enough bacon. This is what I came up with. It's very simple but packs a big flavour punch. It's important not to get the oil, garlic and chilli mix very hot, you will lose all the flavour from the oil and therefore a dimension of the dish.

Serves 2

240g Dried Spaghetti
5 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
3 Anchovie Filllets (anchovies in oil or salted is fine) (finely chopped)
3 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
1 pinch of Dried Oregano
2 Rashers (chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Parmesan or Pecorino cheese to serve

1. Bring a large pan of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Return to the boil and add the spaghetti. Cook until al dente (or 1 minute less than the cooking time written on the packet)

2. Meanwhile add 4 tbsp of the oil to a cold pan and add the anchovies, garlic, chilli and oregano. Season with salt and pepper and place over a low heat to warm through. If the garlic begins to sizzle at any stage remove from the heat immediately.

3. While that is warming through, fry the strips of rasher in the remaining oil over a medium-high heat until crispy. Drain on kitchen paper.

4. Drain the spaghetti, reserving some of the cooking water. Add the spaghetti to the pan with the garlic and chilli inside and pour in 2-3 tablespoons of the cooking water. Mix well and add the bacon. Mix again and serve with plenty of parmesan or pecorino cheese.

Pete's Perfect Portion 4

Antipasti Platter from the Convent Tea Rooms, McAuley Place, Naas, Co. Kildare

On Saturday night I was mixing the sound for the wonderful duo of Luan Parle and Clive Barnes in Naas Arts and Culture Centre at McAuley Place in Naas. Halfway through the gig Tony (the events manager) stuck his head in the door with a tray of goodies for us to munch on. The bread was fresh and crusty, the salami was delicious, the olives were great but it was the slightly thicker pieces of chorizo that I enjoyed most. Probably the best I've had. All of this was washed down with a glass of red and I couldn't have been happier. Sometimes I'm hardly working at all! I haven't had lunch in the tea rooms yet but I certainly will soon.

Spicy Beef Pitta with Mozzarella and Hummus

My local butcher shop is a great place. It's even better when they're offering two pounds of round steak mince for the price of one. I had gone in for some of my favourite sliced meat, beef tongue, when I spotted the deal sheet on the counter. I decided it was too good to turn down and talked myself into buying a pound of pork mince too. A pound of beef and the pork went into a delicious Ragu that now finds itself in portion sized tubs in my freezer but it was the other pound of mince that got the special treatment.

Minced beef is a very versatile ingredient that can be cooked in a variety of ways. For awhile now, I've wanted to come up with a general purpose spicy beef recipe and took the opportunity at the weekend. A pitta was the obvious accompaniment while the Irish Mozzarella adds a silky finish that works perfectly. This recipe makes about 6 pittas which are great served with sweet potato chips and stir-fried vegetables.

Serves 6

For the Mince:

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 tsp Cumin Seed
1-2 tbsp Harissa Paste
500g good quality Minced Beef
500g Tomato Passata
1 tsp Dried Marjoram or Oregano
1 handfull of Cashew Nuts (chopped)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

For assembly:

6 Wholemeal Pitta Breads
Hummus
3 balls of Irish Buffalo Mozzarella (or Italian) (sliced)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion. Season well, stir and allow to cook for 5-7 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and cumin seed and cook for 1-2 minutes longer being careful not to let the garlic burn. Stir in the harissa paste and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

2. Add the minced beef and season well. Stir well to incorporate everything and cook for 5-7 minutes until the beef is well browned. Add the passata and bring to a simmer before adding the marjoram/oregano. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add the Cashew Nuts and cook uncovered for ten minutes to thicken. Set aside.

4. Assemble the pittas by slicing them and opening out flat. Spread a good layer of hummus on one side, add the mozzarella on top and season with a little salt and plenty of pepper. Put a good layer of beef mince on the other side and close the pitta. Repeat with all 6 before wrapping tightly in kitchen foil and cooking in a pre-heated 190 degree oven for ten minutes. Serve with sweet potato chips and stir-fried vegetables.

Pete's Perfect Portion 3

Penne with Homemade Cashew Nut Pesto

I like to make sure there's always home made pesto in the fridge. It's a very versatile ingredient that lends itself perfectly to a rushed dinner. I heated it in a pan with a little extra virgin olive oil and then added some cooked penne pasta. Simple, quick and delicious.

The pesto was a mix of cashew nuts, basil and garlic whizzed in a food processor with sea salt, pepper, pecorino and plenty of extra virgin olive oil added at the end.

Review: Rachel's Garden Cafe

Rachel's Garden Cafe

Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow

Today, Ali and myself headed off on a mini tour of Carlow taking in Carlow Town, Ballon, Leighlinbridge and Bagenalstown. On the way home we began to feel a little peckish and stopped off at the award winning Rachel's Garden Cafe, located in the Arboretum Home and Garden Heaven just outside Leighlinbridge. The cafe is very large but with high ceilings and massive windows overlooking the outdoor garden centre, along with the brightly coloured decor, it gives the impression of dining outdoors.

The food here is excellent. Locally sourced and lovingly prepared with seasonal ingredients, it's easy to see why this cafe has won so many awards. It's a self service style cafe where you take a tray and can view the food on the hotplate/fridge before asking a member of staff for what you'd like. The staff are exceptionally friendly and inject plenty of life into proceedings. Wine is sold by the bottle, quarter bottle or glass and is reasonably priced and of decent quality. After scanning what was available I went for the Roasted Cod with a Mushroom, Tomato and Herb Crust. This was served with mashed potato, roast potato, plenty of veg and a white wine sauce. It was delicious. The cod was cooked perfectly and didn't seem to suffer from being on a hot plate, which leads me to believe that the food is replaced often. The crust was perfectly balanced although the coriander could've been chopped a little finer. The mash was creamy and well seasoned and the vegetables were exactly how I like them, with plenty of bite. Ali's Braised Irish Beef in Stout was also wonderful and we both cleared our plates.

On arriving in the cafe I was immediatly drawn to the dessert counter but unfortunately I was too full to take on any of the delicious looking fare. There's always next time! On the price front, we paid €28 for the two mains, a bottle of water and a quarter bottle of wine. Considering neither of us will have to eat for the next four days I'd say that's pretty good value.

Lunch Ratings:

Food: 8/10
Service: 7/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Selection: 9/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Overall: 8/10 Highly Recommended 

Rachel's Garden Cafe
Arboretum Home & Garden Heaven
Old Kilkenny Road
Leighlinbridge
Co. Carlow

Pete's Perfect Portion 2

Gibney's Garden Jams - Elderberry Jam

I was walking around Naas Farmers Market on Saturday and stopped to have my usual chat with Bernard of the Gibney's Garden Jams stall. I wasn't on the lookout for a jar of jam but since he had a new one available I had a taste. It blew me away. Before tasting I was cautious. I was expecting an exceptionally sour and tart assault on my tongue but it never came. Instead, the jam is balanced with apple to give a mellow yet still subtly tart kick. Try it with anything, you won't be disappointed. 

Lentil, Bean and Sausage Stew

I can feel it in the air. Winter is just beginning to approach again. Daylight is receding earlier while the Autumn chill can be felt in the evening air. I love it. I love the dark evenings listening to the wind howl while sitting in front of the fire. I know I'm one of the few. This is the time of the year I start to cook more stews. Warming and sustaining with deep flavours, they make the winter all the more bearable for those unlike me. September isn't the time for big hefty lamb stews, its the somewhat lighter ones I'm after now. This one is just the ticket. 

The dried beans will need to be soaked for 8-12 hours (overnight is handiest) first. If you are using tinned beans you can omit the soaking and cooking of the beans and just add them into the stew. A good sausage is of vital importance here, don't skimp on it!

Serves 4

For The Beans:
100g Dried Black Eyed Beans
100g Dried Cannellini Beans
1 Onion (skin left on, halved)
2 sticks of Celery (halved)
1 Carrot (whole)
1 Bay Leaf

For the Stew:
3 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
2 cloves of Garlic (finely chopped)
1 Chilli (finely chopped)
1 Red Pepper (finely chopped)
8 good quality Sausages
250g Red Split Lentils
1 litre of Vegetable Stock
1 Bay Leaf
1 tbsp Tomato Purée
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Soak the beans in 2-3 litres of cold water for 8-12 hours (or overnight). Drain and add to a pot with 4-5 litres of water. Add the onion, celery, carrot and bay leaf. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. Drain, discard the vegetables and bay leaf and set aside.

2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the onion, garlic, chilli and red pepper. Season well with salt and pepper and cook for 5-7 minutes to soften. Add the sausages and brown lightly. Add the lentils, stock and bay leaf.Season, bring to the boil and add in the cooked beans. Bring back to the boil, reduce heat, cover and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

3. Add the tomato purée and mix in well. Continue to cook, uncovered for 10-15 minutes until the lentils are tender and have started to disintegrate into the sauce. Check for seasoning and serve with thick, crusty bread.

Pete's Perfect Portion 1

After four weeks of 'Highs and Lows', I've realised that sometimes I just don't eat anything terrible to write about! On Ali's recommendation I've decided to change it to "Pete's Perfect Portion" and only include a low when there is one - here is this week's perfect portion:

Medium Spicy Chicken from Nando's, Swords

On Saturday, Ali and I took a trip to Swords to collect a new lens for my camera. I arranged to meet the seller outside Nando's and while waiting for him, the hunger hit us! Neither of us had ever eaten in Nando's, so once the deal was done, we decided to give it a try. I didn't hold much hope of it being good and was unsure whether it was fast food or not. I'm still not sure but the food was bloody good! The chicken had a nice amount of heat and was surprisingly tender. The selection of sauces available ensure all tastes are catered for, while the sides (spicy rice and corn) were both tasty. I definitely won't shy away from going again.