Fish Stew all Porta Palazzo

Fish Stew all Porta Palazzo

The Porta Palazzo Market is a vibrant, loud almost scary place. Located in the centre of the northern Italian city of Turin there is an heir of madness about it. Even in August, when most city dwellers take to the coast, the market still thrives six mornings a week, with a massive clean up operation taking place every afternoon. I wanted to cook in Turin. When your apartment is just 500 metres from so many great ingredients it is an understandable urge. We went to the fish house first. It being August there were only two sellers there but the produce was magnificent! I went for the big, loud and jolly looking fella with crooked black teeth. He gleefully tolerated my limited Italian and we came away with some of the freshest octopus, prawns and mussels I have seen. The fruit and vegetable market is just outside and this is where the fun really begins. Everybody wants rid of their produce, nobody wants to have to pack it away again so the prices are extraordinarily low. I bought a kilo of beef tomatoes for €1 before realising I could have gotten two kilos at the next stall for the same price. I didn't mind. 

The most interesting part of my market visit was the bread truck. When all bread, no matter what type, is being sold at €1.70 per kilo you know the "queue" will be big, especially in Italy. The problem in Italy, of course, is that they don't have our passion for queuing, it's a free for all. I stand there for ten minutes before a rather cool looking guy in sunglasses and a shirt shouts something along the lines of "ah come on, this foreign lad here has no idea what's going on, serve him next will you!" I'm grateful, very grateful. After picking up a couple more ingredients it's back to the apartment for our fish stew.

Serves 2 as a main or 4 as a starter

4tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 Onion (finely chopped)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1Kg Beef Tomatoes (chopped)
2 Medium Octopus (ask your fishmonger to clean them or see video link below)
1Kg Mussels (soaked and beards removed)
400g Prawns (shells removed)
2tbsp freshly chopped Flat Leaf Parsley
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
2 or 4 slices of Crusty Bread

1. Saute the onion and garlic in the oil over a medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes. Cover and cook for 5 minutes to allow the tomatoes to release their juice. Don't season yet.

2. Add the two whole octopus. Cover, turn down the heat and simmer for 45 minutes.

3. Remove the octopus and add the mussels, prawns and parsley. Cover and cook over a high heat for 5 minutes, shaking the pot every now and again. Meanwhile cut the octopus into bite size pieces.

4. Add the octopus back to the pot and season to taste with lemon juice, salt and pepper. Lay a slice of bread onto the bottom of each bowl and pour in the stew. 

Notes: Add some chilli with the onion and garlic if you want to add a little kick to the stew. The beef tomatoes should have enough juice. If they are not ripe and aren't releasing alot of juice then add some water. Here is a good video explaining how to clean out an octopus, if your fish monger hasn't done it already. Leave it whole instead of chopping up though!

Bulgur Wheat Salad

This past week Compassion In World Farming were encouraging people to have a meat free week. The idea is to make consumers think about their meat consumption and the effects it has on the animals and our planet. As a die hard carnivore I was reluctant but eventually decided to partake. I made the decision a couple of years ago to eat poultry and eggs only if they are at least free range and after watching a chilling documentary a year ago, I decided on the same for pork. I see no reason why our over consumption of meat should lead to such terrible lives for these animals and with this in mind I've been pleasantly surprised with how smooth this meat free week has gone. 

It is true that I have missed the taste of salty bacon and a slice of salami on my pizza but not enough to give in. A simple tomato and mozzarella pizza is just as satisfying and the vegetable curry I made yesterday is certainly among the best curries I've had, quite eye opening. Strangely I've found myself feeling a little bit healthier during the week too. I've been flat to the boards in work but have generally had more energy than usual, although that could just be a mental thing. One of my favourite meals of the week was this salad. It's perfect for lunch but works just as well as a side for dinner and I will certainly be having it as a salad at my (hopefully many) summer barbecues. If I wasn't having a meat free week I probably would have used chicken stock to cook the bulgur but the vegetable stock was just as tasty.

Serves 4 (for lunch)

150g Bulgur Wheat (rinsed)
600ml Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock)
4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
75g Mangetout Peas (sliced into 1cm pieces)
4 Radish (thinly sliced)
4 Chiquino Peppers (sliced)
8 large Basil Leaves (thinly sliced)
4 Spring Onions (sliced)
handful of Cashew Nuts
100g Feta Cheese (crumbled)

1. Bring the stock to the boil and add the bulgur wheat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain well.

2. Dress the bulgur with the oil and vinegar while still hot. Stir well and set aside to cool.

3. When it has cooled add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. The feta should provide enough salt and the radish enough of a pepper hit but have a taste to make sure. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Spaghetti with Crab

Spaghetti with Crab

Simplicity is often perfect. I'm occasionally shocked at how great a dish can be after eight minutes of cooking - this is one such recipe. Not only is it quick to put together, it contains few ingredients, with each given space to flourish. I had the intention of buying fresh crab but sometimes Newbridge is not the best place to shop. I settled on a good quality tinned crab and it worked really well. If it's this good with tinned crab, I can only imagine what it's like with fresh! Feel free to double the quantities to serve 4 people.

Serves 2

220g Dried Spaghetti

4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)

1/2 Red Chilli (finely chopped)

1 tsp Salted Capers (rinsed)

1 Small Lemon (zest and juice)

200g Crab Meat (tinned or fresh)

1 tbsp Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley (finely chopped)

Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. In a large saucepan, bring 2.5 litres of water to the boil and add plenty of salt. Add the spaghetti, return to the boil and cook until al dente (usually about 1 minute less than instructed on the packet).

2. In a large frying pan, heat the oil over a medium heat and add the garlic, chilli, capers and lemon zest. Cook for 2-3 minutes being careful not to burn the garlic. Season lightly with salt and pepper (be careful about adding too much salt with the capers already present). Add the lemon juice and crab meat and continue to cook for another minute to heat through.

3. Drain the pasta reserving some of the cooking water. Add the pasta to the frying pan and mix well. Add a little of the cooking water if it seems a little dry. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve.

Al Fresco Ideas - Fish

Al Fresco Ideas - Fish

In a country where the average temperature floats around 10 degrees celsius, it's important to take advantage of any good weather. This week has been particularly good - no better time to organize family and friends for a get together!

Growing up, our BBQ's were loaded with enough meat to feed a small army. It always worked out expensive and consequently, they were a rare event. Although occasions like these are memorable, it is possible to have a more affordable BBQ suitable for everyday dinners. The joy of al fresco cuisine is that it's simple; leaving plenty of time for beer! For a great sauce, try my recipe for the Colombian Hogao here. You can swap the coriander for other herbs to give a more unique flavour.

BBQ Sea Bream

Most fish can be BBQ'd with great success and work well if cooked whole. Ask your fish monger to gut and de-gill the fish and to de-scale it if you plan on eating the skin (I peel off the skin after BBQ-ing so I leave the scales on to stop the skin from tearing). Stuff the fish with slices of lemon, chopped parsley (or other herbs) and plenty of sea salt and pepper. Slit the fish a few times if you want to speed up the cooking process. Place on a hot BBQ until cooked through (all the flesh is flaky). Peel off the skin and enjoy.

Stuffed Mussels

Although not BBQ'd, mussels are a great treat to be enjoyed outdoors with a nice glass of white wine. Saute garlic and anchovies in butter and extra-virgin olive oil for 7-10 minutes and add dried breadcrumbs. Meanwhile steam mussels until opened (discarding any that don't) and remove the top (empty) shell. Spoon the breadcrumb mix into the bottom shells and sprinkle with chopped parsley. 

Skewered Crevettes

Soak some wooden skewers in water for an hour or so to stop them burning on the BBQ. Thread through raw crevettes/prawns and sprinkle with sea salt, pepper and lemon juice. Cook on a hot BBQ for 2-3 minutes on each side.

My Dad never looks too optimistic:

Summer Beans on Toast

Summer Beans on Toast

I love broad beans. If, by some miracle I was to turn vegetarian, they would form a large part of my diet. I'm unsure as to why I don't eat them more often but I've decided the time has come for change: this will be the summer of the broad bean in Kinneagh! In Ancient Egypt, broad beans were considered dirty and only fed to slaves - how times have changed! 

In November I posted a recipe for 'beans on toast' using cannellini beans. I've reworked the recipe for summer, using fresh broad beans and ripe cherry tomatoes. 300g of broad beans may seem like a lot for one person but once they're podded, only about 100-130g remain. To pod the beans, snap off the top, tear along the seam and open to reveal the individual beans. You can pop them out of their skin but I only bother doing this with the bigger ones.

Serves 1

1 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
300g Fresh Broad Beans (podded)
1 slice of Prosciutto di Parma (cut into pieces)
1 clove of Garlic (finely chopped)
1/2 Red Chilli (finely chopped)
12 ripe Cherry Tomatoes (halved)
1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
Mixed Seeds (Sunflower, Pumpkin etc.)
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat and add the prosciutto. Cook for 2 minutes before adding the garlic and chilli. Season well and cook for 5-6 mins until softened but not coloured. Add the tomatoes, oregano and a good glug of boiling water. Cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile add the broad beans to a pan of boiling water and cook for a minute and a half. Strain and set aside. If you do this too early, then run the beans under cold water to stop them cooking. Ideally have the beans ready to come out of the pan when the sauce is ready.

3. With a potato masher or fork, mash the tomatoes to make a rich sauce and add the cooked beans. Cook for another 2 minutes before checking for seasoning, adding more salt/pepper if required. Sprinkle some of the seeds on top and serve with crusty bread or toast.

BBQ Season!!

BBQ Season

My favourite time of year is finally here! Although I relish the coziness of dark evenings in front of the fire, I particularly love the al fresco nature of summer and barbecue season. Nothing beats the whole family sitting outside in the (hopefully) sun enjoying good food and a few beers. For my birthday this week we took a chance, we decided to have a small family barbecue and hoped that the weather held up (it is the middle of May after all!). Thankfully the sun shone, the rain stayed away and we had a great evening together. 

Even though it was my birthday, I decided I'd take care of the cooking and with €50 to feed 12 people (including 2 fussy kids) I knew I had my work cut out! First thing to sort were the salads:

Egg Salad - Hard boil 10 eggs, peel and roughly chop. Mix with plenty of mayonnaise, finely chopped chives and season well. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Potato Salad - Boil 1kg of baby potatoes until tender, drain and put into a large bowl. Add plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and season well. Add some dried oregano and some finely chopped chives. Mix well.

Pasta Salad - Boil 500g fusilli pasta in salted water until cooked, drain and put into a large bowl. Add lots of extra-virgin olive oil, plenty of halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and season well. Mix thoroughly and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon just before serving.

Spicy Rice Salad - Saute some garlic, chilli, onion and chopped red pepper over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add some turmeric and stir well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before adding 250g of rice. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and allow to simmer. Add more stock as necessary until cooked.

With the salads complete and in the fridge, I moved onto meats. For me, the most important piece of equipment for a BBQ is an instant digital thermometer. It allows you to get everything cooked perfectly without having to overcook for safety's sake I prefer to cook chicken in the oven first and then finish off on the BBQ. This method ensures they are cooked through without burning:

For the dry rub mix together; 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2tsp white pepper, 1tsp thyme, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, 1/2tsp dried oregano and 1/2tsp salt.

Lightly oil a large baking tray and lay out 15-20 chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the dry rub and massage it all over the drumsticks. Put into a 150 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until just cooked through. Char on the BBQ for a couple of minutes to add a bit of life. You can also brush some of your favourite BBQ sauce onto the drumsticks before they go on the BBQ for an extra hit of flavour.

Next I made burgers: spicy lamb for those of us keen on a bit of heat and plain beef for the more conservative!

Saute 1 onion, 1 red chilli and 2 cloves garlic (all finely chopped) in plenty of extra-virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Allow to cool. Put 500g of lamb mince into a mixing bowl and add the onion mix, including the oil. Season well and add in half a beaten egg. Mix well. Lightly oil a large plate and with wet hands, shape the lamb mix into five patties. Lay on the plate, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or two. Season each side and cook on the BBQ, brushing with BBQ sauce if you like.

You can make the beef burgers the same way but I just mixed 500g of mince with salt, pepper and half a beaten egg and continued as above.

The last bit of cooking was some Nolan's of Kilcullen sizzler and plain pork sausages which were brushed with BBQ sauce and placed on the BBQ until cooked through.

The small amount of cash left over was spent on 12 cans of San Pellegrino orange and lemon and Ali baked a beautiful orange and almond cake for dessert (and to hold the birthday candles).

 I'll have plenty of BBQ posts up over the summer, it's good to take advantage of whatever little sun we get!