Well this weekend I was in Sligo for the So Sligo Food Festival 2012. It was a wonderrful weekend and I attach here the recipes for the demonstration which I did in the festival marquee. My good friends Olivia & Jim came with me for the weekend and we had a great time.
The market was buzzing with lots of exibitors, food suppliers and artisan products. After the demonstration we checked into the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sligo where we dined that night to a most fantatsic meal cooked by hefs Joe Shannon and Michael Thomas. The food was the best I have had in a long long time. Jim, Oliva and I really enjoyed each gastronomic delight that was put in fronut of us. We had everything from local scallops to prawns to suckling pig to smoked lamb, asian pork, pate and the best of dark chocolate and the flavours on each plate perfectly balanced. It was flawless. After dinner Joe and Michael took us to Yeats Tavern run by the Davis family and we had a great night there sampling the very best of local hospitality. We sang, danced and chatted into the night!
All in all I can only heartily reccommend and thank all those involved in the So Sligo Food Festival and indeed our trip to Sligo.
Hope you enjoy cooking your way through the recipes!
Edward
Cookery Demonstration
Course Contents:
Multi Seed Brown Bread
Spaghetti with Sweet Chilli Prawns
Cheesy Beef Burgers with Red Pepper & Tomato Salsa
White Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle
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Edward’s Multi Seed Brown Bread
Everybody has their own unique recipe for brown bread and this is mine, which i think is perfect for all your requirements. This bread has a nice firm and crusty exterior and a nice spongy centre which makes it nice and moist. Sometimes I add in some pine nuts, diced dried apricots or sultanas which add an unusual finish to the bread also.
12oz/350g wholemeal flour
2oz/50g plain flour
2oz/50g porridge oats
Pinch salt
2 level teaspoon bread soda
2 large eggs
1 dessertspoon of sunflower oil
18floz/500ml buttermilk.
3 Tablespoons mixed seeds (pumpkin, sesame, poppy, sunflower)
Preheat the oven to 170C/325F/Gas Mark 3
Put the flours, sieved bread soda, salt and porridge oats into a large mixing bowl and well them well.
In a separate bowl beat the eggs together with the oil and add to the dry mixture.
Next mix in the buttermilk and get the mix to a “sloppy” consistency.
Add two tablespoons of the multi seed mixture to the bread.
Pour into a greased 2lb loaf tin and smooth the top of the bread with a wet spoon.
Sprinkle the remaining seeds on top of the bread and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
After the hour has elapsed remove the bread from the tin and return to the oven to bake for a further 20 minutes.
Remove from the oven and allow the bread to cool down.
Additional Notes:
2 tablespoons treacle in the wet mix makes darker & sweeter bread.
This bread stays fresh for about 4-5 days.
It can be successfully frozen.
The mixture can be spooned into muffin tins and baked (approx 25-30 minutes @ 180C)
Fresh milk mixed with lemon juice or natural yoghurt could also be used. Once you have added the juice of the yoghurt just give it a stir and leave it to rest for a few minutes.
Spaghetti with Sweet Chilli Prawns
People often wonder about how to properly cook prawns and in this simple recipe I will show you how to serve prawns as either a delicious starter or main course.
10oz/300g dried/fresh spaghetti
1lb/450g prawns (or less if desired)
½ red chilli-diced
½ courgette-diced
1 stick celery-sliced
1 red onion-diced
3oz/75g mixed wild mushrooms-torn roughly
4-5 tablespoons sweet chilli jam
3 tablespoon crème fraiche
1 tablespoon flat leaf parsley/coriander-torn roughly
Juice of ½ lemon
½ glass white wine
Parmesan cheese to serve-optional
Cook the spaghetti according to the instructions in boiling salted water and then strain it through a sieve and leave the cold water running on it so as to refresh it (cool it down)
Meanwhile peel and devein the prawns and retain in the fridge until required.
Heat a wide based sauté pan with a little oil or butter.
Add in the diced red onion, chilli, celery & courgette together with the sliced mushrooms and sauté gently until the vegetables are softly cooked.
Increase the heat on the pan and add a little oil as required.
Add in the prawns and cook quickly for about 2-3 minutes.
Pour in the lemon juice and white wine.
Next pour in the crème fraiche and chili jam and allow these to coat the vegetables and prawns.
Mix in the cooked spaghetti and mix together to bind all ingredients together.
Tear in the fresh herbs and if desired serve with grated parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.
Garlic bread is a wonderful accompaniment to this
(Why not butter a slice of white bread with a little garlic butter and stick it in under the grill)
Spiced Beef Burgers with
Tomato & Chilli Relish
I simply adore this recipe for homemade burgers. I love to have a burger at least once a week and with some much different flavouring you can experience a different burger every time you indulge. The recipe we have listed will make 8-9 substantial sized burgers so you can wrap them up in cling film and freeze some until they are required. Also if you wish use this recipe to make meat balls to serve with tomato enriched spaghetti.
1 ½lb/700g lean minced beef
1 medium sized onion-finely diced
2 cloves garlic
2oz/50g breadcrumbs
2oz/50g grated cheddar & mozzarella cheese
1 tablespoon sweet chilli jam
1 large egg
Freshly chopped parsley
Seasoning
Additional Ingredients:
Floured baps
Mixed lettuce leaves
natural yoghurt mixed with Sweet Chilli Sauce
Put the minced beef into a large mixing bowl.
Add in the finely diced onion and garlic.
Mix in the breadcrumbs, cheese and chopped parsley together with the tomato ketchup.
Season the mixture with a little salt and pepper.
Add in the egg and mash the mixture together with your hands using the egg as a binding agent.
Divide the mixture into 8-9 pieces and using a little plain flour shape them into your desired shapes about ½ inch thick.
Barbecue on either side for 2-3 minutes or until sealed evenly.
Transfer the burgers to a cooler part of the barbecue and allow them to continue cooking for approximately 12-15 minutes (depending on your barbecue) until they are fully cooked. Cut one in the centre just to make sure they are cooked, as undercooked mince is a high risk product.
Serve on some toasted floured baps with the tomato & chilli salsa.
Tomato & Chilli Salsa
This is a delicious condiment to have ready in the fridge to serve with any hot or cold meat items. I love to use it on top of some toasted breads as a spiced bruschetta option.
1 red pepper
1 medium sized red onion-diced
2 garlic cloves-crushed & chopped
4-5 leaves basil
Approximately 20 red cherry tomatoes-halved
3 ½ floz/100ml rapeseed oil
1 fresh red chili
Juice of ½ lime
Seasoning.
De-seed the red peppers and cut into very fine dice.
Cut the red chilli into small dice also and add to the red pepper.
On a hot pan cook the red peppers for a little less than a minute-Just to soften them ever so slightly but be sure not to over cook them as they tend to disintegrate and loose their vivid colour. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and allow to cool.
Chop the red onions into small dice.
When the red pepper and chilli mixture have cooled, add in the diced red onion and halved tomatoes, crushed garlic. Tear the basil leaves into the mixture also.
Season the mixture with a twist of black pepper.
Pour on the olive oil and lime juice and mix well.
Store in the fridge until required.
STORAGE:
You can store this product in your fridge for three days.
White Chocolate & Raspberry Trifle
Well worth the extra effort required. A real Sunday lunch treat!
Jam Swiss roll:
4 eggs
4oz/110g sugar
4oz/110g self raising flour
Fresh Egg Custard:
6 egg yolks
½ pint milk
½ pint cream
½ vanilla pod
5oz/150g white chocolate
1 dessert spoon corn flour
3oz/75g sugar
Garnish:
4 dessertspoons fresh raspberry jam
8oz/225g fresh raspberries
2oz/50g caster sugar
100ml good quality sherry
250ml freshly whipped cream
2oz/50g flaked almonds
To make Jam Swiss Roll:
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.
Grease and line an oblong (13 x 9 inch) tin with parchment paper.
In a mixing bowl beat the 4 eggs with the sugar for the sponge base. It should become very light and aerated. The whisk should leave a figure of eight pronounced on the surface of the mixture when the whisk is lifted out of it.
Gently fold in the sifted flour with a metal spoon. Be very gentle so as not to knock any of the generated air out of the sponge base but also ensure that all of the flour is incorporated. Pour the mixture into a prepared Swiss roll tin.
Bake for 20 minutes, until well risen and golden brown and take the sponge out of the oven.
Before the sponge is fully cooled, invert it onto a sheet of parchment paper dusted with extra caster sugar (50g) and use a rolling pin roll it over it to flatten it lightly and then spread with a thin layer of raspberry jam.
Carefully roll the Swiss roll up from the longest side rather than from the shortest.
Slice in thin slices and arrange in individual glasses or a large bowl making sure that the glass or bowl is fully lined all the way around. Retain a little of the sponge for the middle if you so desire.
Sprinkle with some fresh raspberries, additional jam if desired, and a generous helping of sherry. Do a few layers of the sponge if you wish.
Meanwhile make the custard:
Split the vanilla pot lengthways and with a small sharp knife scrape out the seeds of one half of the vanilla pod. Put the seeds and the half pod into the milk and cream in a large saucepan. Wrap the remainder of the vanilla pod and retain for later use.
Bring milk, cream and vanilla pod to the boil.
Meanwhile in a large spotlessly clean bowl and using a whisk beat the egg yolks, sugar and corn flour together until light and creamy. Spend about 2 minutes on this process.
Pour boiled milk and cream mixture onto the eggs and mix well.
Add in the white chocolate
Return the mixture to the saucepan and cook until the mixture can coat the back of a wooden spoon. It is important to stir the mixture at all times to prevent it from curdling. This process should take no more than 2 minutes on a very gentle heat. Do not allow the mixture to boil at this time. Taste the custard at this stage to make sure that you can not taste the corn flour. If you can, return to the heat and stir continuously on a low heat for another minute or so.
Pour the custard over the sponge mixture and allow to cool for a couple of hours or overnight. Cover with a disc of parchment paper or cling film to prevent the formation of a crust,
Pipe some whipped cream on the top and sprinkle, if desired, with some flaked and toasted almonds.
Alternatively arrange with a little more fresh fruit.
Additional Notes:
If you wish you can put a spoon or two of sherry into the custard for an increased flavour.