Scotch Duck Eggs made with Black Pudding

I'm always talking about how good Duck Eggs are! Omelettes are fluffier, sponge-cakes rise better and scrambled eggs taste creamier. Although the cholesterol level in them is a little higher than hen's eggs, they are worth the odd temptation as they just taste divine and we don't eat them too often!

A Scotch Egg consists of a hard-boiled egg, wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs, and deep-fried. They are commonly eaten cold, typically with salad. Traditionally they are made with pork sausage meat and hen's eggs, but in many other countries, like Pakistan and India, they make a similar dish using spicy minced lamb. When I make these scotch eggs at home I always use duck eggs because the creaminess of the egg contrasts perfectly with the spicy black pudding. You can, of course, use normal hen’s eggs if you prefer.

My Ingredients:

4 free-range duck eggs

200g pork mince

200g black pudding chopped finely

freshly chopped parsley

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

100g flour seasoned with white pepper

1 Large egg beaten into 1 cup Milk

300g breadcrumbs

100g porridge oats

Vegetable oil, for deep frying

My Method:

1. Place the eggs, in their shells, in a pan of lightly salted water. Bring to the boil and simmer for about 6 mins. Drain and cool the eggs under cold running water, and peel.

2. Mix the pork mince with the black pudding in a bowl, add the parsley and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Divide into four and flatten each out into ovals about 5" long and 3" wide. If you place the mix between two pieces of clingfilm while you flatten them out, this will stop them sticking to everything!

4. Place each egg onto a sausage meat oval and wrap the sausage meat around each egg. Rub them well with your hands to make sure the coating is smooth and completely covers and seals in the egg.

5. Mix the porridge oats together with the breadcrumbs. Roll each egg: first in seasoned flour and then in the beaten egg-wash, making sure they are well coated.  Next roll in the mixed breadcrumbs to completely cover. Repeat this with each egg.

6. Heat the oil in a deep heavy-bottomed pan. You'll know it's ready when a wee chunk of bread sizzles and turns brown when dropped into it. Or set your chip pan fryer to 160*C.

7. Carefully place each scotch egg into the hot oil and deep-fry for 7 to 8 minutes, turning over, until golden and crisp and the sausage meat is completely cooked. Carefully remove from the oil with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper.

-You can also use this recipe with 400g of normal plain minced pork if you don’t like black pudding!

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zack

Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland- A Must for Every Cheese Lover!

Legend has it that it was the nomadic tribes of Central Asia, who carried milk in animal-skin bags, that discovered cheese. They carried milk in saddlebags made from animal skins, possibly made from the stomach, which contains the coagulating enzyme known as rennin, which would cause the milk to curdle.



Earthernware bowls were used to strain the curds from the whey to make cheese

The galloping motion of the horse, acting as churning, would effectively separate the milk into curds. The result, curds and whey, provided a refreshing whey drink as well as the solids which would be drained through perforated earthenware bowls or woven reed baskets and lightly salted to provide a tasty and nourishing high protein food.



Goats milk Cheese is becoming very popular and considered beneficial for health

Most scholars of food would agree that the art of cheese making travelled from Asia to Europe, where it flourished in the hands of the Romans, who spread the art throughout the Roman Empire—all the way north to England and eventually finding its way to Ireland. During the Middle Ages cheese was made, variations developed and improved in the monasteries of Europe and it was there, I believe, that the original skills for the modern Irish cheese industry were honed.



Galtee Cheese - still popular all over the world

In the 1970’s there were two types of cheese in Ireland: ordinary cheese (cheddar) and ‘smelly cheese’ from abroad! Some relations of my mother's (that lived in Bantry and had started taking the new ferry service to Roscoff in France for a week’s holidays) introduced us to this smelly cheese, which I as a young boy then, was at first more than a little wary off! 



Cheese Fondue was very popular in the 70's & 80's

My mother, being quite an adventurous cook, made fondues out of it. She took a recipe from the Woman’s Weekly, adapted it to suit our means and we dipped crusts of homemade soda-bread into it. I have never looked back!

How wonderful then it was for me to have a new and concise encyclopaedia of Irish cheese and cheese-makers arrive in my post a few weeks ago. Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland – A Celebration is published by those bastions of unique and indigenous Irish publications, The Collins Press. From Ardagh Castle Goats cheese, Bellingham Blue & Carlow Edam to Yeats Country Organic soft cheese, they are all there in their full-fat and full-bodied glory!

"Farmhouse Cheese of Ireland - A Celebration" is in the shops now!

The book is a guide to the Irish farmhouse cheese industry, its history and where it’s at now, including lavish photography, in-depth portraits of the individuals involved, and a comprehensive tasting guide to the cheeses. The author Glynn Anderson & photographer John McLaughlin have shown themselves to be true and passionate about this wonderful thing that is Cheese.



Ardrahan Cheese is one of our best-established artisan cheeses

Their in-depth attention to the details of the characters involved in the making of Irish Cheese shines through on every page and tells a truth about the cheese manufacturing business in Ireland today. Each artisan cheese discussed is a reflection of the people that make it.



Cashel Blue was first launched in Ireland in 1984

Each cheese is described in detail, its characteristics such as colour, texture, aroma and flavour. Cheese facts are presented with easy-to-read icons indicating the species or breed of animal milked. It explains whether the milk is raw or pasteurised, if traditional or vegetarian rennet is used, and whether the cheese is produced under organic principles or not.


Kate Carmody of Béal Organic Cheese

Other information includes the history of cheesemaking in Ireland, how cheese is made and best conserved, and resources for cheese lovers with contacts and on-line links. A fascinating read!


David Tiernan of Glebe Brethan Cheese

There are almost sixty registered artisan cheese producers in Ireland and they, by their nature, are small operations but are producing nearly two hundred distinct artisanal cheeses. The economies of scale do have an adverse affect on the price of the product but this does not seem to be hindering the growth of the artisan cheese industry in Ireland.

Durrus Farmhouse led the renaissance for cheese producers in the 1980's 

With over 1,000 tonnes of farmhouse cheeses being exported each year and with the rise of Farmer’s Markets as a direct point of sale to customers, things are looking bright for the future of locally made, grass fed, artisan produced Irish farmhouse cheese!

Farmhouse Cheeses of Ireland – A Celebration by Glynn Anderson & John McLaughlin

Published by The Collins Press - RRP: €24.99 - ISBN: 9781848891210

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack

Lamb Stew with a Lid

Since first serving behind the bar in 1969, Coronation Street character Betty Turpin, played by Betty Driver (who passed away last week) became synonymous with "Betty's Hotpot", the signature food dish served at the famous Rovers Return Inn.



Betty Driver, who died on Saturday aged 91, with her famous "Betty's Hotpot"

TV Company ITV described the dish as "the stuff of legends" and in 1995 British food producer Holland's Pies launched a real-life range of hotpots and pies based on the dish, called "Betty's Kitchen". In 2007, the world's largest Lancashire hotpot was created, based on Betty's recipe!

The traditional meat used was mutton, best-end of neck, middle neck, or even scrag end, from sheep farmed on the uplands of Lancashire, England. The Hotpot is frequently found listed amongst the usual pub grub dishes in bars and restaurants around Britain, in the same way that Irish Stew is here in Ireland. The basic recipe also consists of a mix made up of lamb and vegetables (carrot, turnip, onion, celery or leek) but it is then covered with sliced potato and cooked in the oven. Sometimes lamb kidneys are included in the dish.



Traditional Lancashire Hotpot is basically a Lamb Stew with sliced potatoes on top



The "hot pot" referred to is the traditional pottery dish used to cook casseroles. One of my favourite mentions of the dish is in the 1966 film Alfie where Michael Caine spoke about one of his "birds who can cook, but her only dishes are Lancashire hotpot and steak and kidney pie."

And so... at the request of my lovely wife, Nuala, and as a nod to the passing of one of her favourite TV soap stars, here is my version of the traditional Lancashire Hotpot!

My Ingredients:

750g stewing lamb diced bite size

750g potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 large onion roughly chopped

2 carrots roughly chopped

2 sticks celery roughly chopped

400 ml boiling water

1 tblsp Worcester sauce

1 bay leaf
1 chicken stock cube

1 clove garlic finely chopped

1 tblsp chopped parsley

2 tblsp flour

50g butter

sea salt and ground black pepper



Cook the Hotpot for 2½ hours before removing the lid

My Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.

2. Melt half the butter over a high heat in a heavy-bottomed frying pan, add the meat and fry stirring all the time until nicely browned. Remove the meat from the pan and pour into the a deep casserole dish. Turn down the heat to medium.

3. Put the rest of the butter into the frying pan with the meat juices and soften the onions. Sprinkle on the flour and stir in to soak up the fat and the juices. Cook out the flour for a minute and then slowly add some of the boiling water stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Gradually add the rest of the liquid and worchester sauce.

4. Pour the onions and liquid over the meat. Add the carrots, celery, garlic, parsley & bay leaf. Season with salt & pepper, crumble in the stock cube and mix well.

5. Arrange the sliced potatoes over the meat in overlapping layers and season the top. Rub the top of the potato layer with a little butter, cover the dish with a lid or tinfoil and cook on the top shelf of the oven for 2½  hours.

6. Uncover the dish and cook it for a further 30 minutes. If the potatoes are not brown at this point you can finish the dish for serving by placing it under the grill. To serve, brush the potato top with a little more butter to give it a lovely shine.



Brush the top of the potatoes with a little butter just before serving

You can read more about Betty Driver and her Coronation Street character, Betty Turpin, here at http://www.itv.com/coronationstreet/news/bettydriverstoryinmemory/

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack

Ballinkeele House wins coveted UK Hotel Guide "César Award"

Ballinkeele House, Ballymurn, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford has won the coveted César Award: Irish Country House of the Year for 2012 presented by the The Good Hotel Guide of Great Britain & Ireland.

The César Awards are presented to the Ten Best Hotels of the Year in the Guide. The winners may vary greatly in size and stature but what they have in common is "how well they look after their guests".


Ballinkeele House - Winner of the Irish Cesar Award from the Good Hotel Guide

The Good Hotel Guide of Great Britain & Ireland, first published 34 years ago, states that it is is totally independent. It "receives no payments, hospitality or advertising from hotels selected for an entry in the printed Guide". Hotels pay to be on the Guide's website but only those hotels who have an entry in the printed Guide are invited to appear. Hotels are recommended by readers, backed up where necessary by an anonymous professional inspection.

Ballinkeele House, says the review,  is "a beautiful country house lovingly maintained to immaculate standards.' Praise comes again this year for John and Margaret Maher's Regency manor house which stands in game-filled parkland, with three lakes, woods, lawns and gardens. Another comment, from a Dutch visitor: 'John, Margaret and their daughter give marvellous personal service in their beautifully kept home.' The family have farmed the land since 1808."


One of the Drawing Rooms in Ballinkeele House

The Good Hotel Guide specialises in small owner-managed hotels and B&Bs in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland and the Channel Islands and in Continental Europe. It includes budget B&Bs, good-value hotels as well as luxurious country houses.

Six acres of Gardens in 350 acres of estate!

Ballinkeele promotes the use of naturally produced ingredients by using locally sourced meat and fish, accompanied where possible, with fresh fruit and vegetables from the house garden. With these delicious local foods, owner/chef Margaret (a member of Eurotoques Ireland) strives to satisfy all the senses in her cooking; the taste, the smell and the presentation of each dish combines with the splendid surroundings of the dining room to enhance the enjoyment of really good food.

The walled garden is being restored. Meals are taken communally in a rich-red dining room. Margaret uses her own organic fruit and vegetables in season for her meals. She describes her style as Irish country cooking.


The bedrooms are sumptuously decorated and very romantic!

The classical building, with a pillared portico entrance opening on to a hall with Corinthian columns, was built in 1840. 'There is endless space for visitors to find privacy and tranquillity.' Public rooms have fine decorated ceilings, huge fireplaces; much of the furniture is original. The house has just five ensuite bedrooms of which three are superior rooms and two are deluxe rooms.  All rooms have large comfortable beds.


The Good Hotel Guide of Great Britain & Ireland, published in October each year
see http://www.goodhotelguide.com/ for more details.


Ballinkeele House Contact Details:
Ballinkeele House, Ballymurn, Enniscorthey, Co. Wexford, Ireland
Telephone: +353 53 913 8105
Website: http://www.ballinkeele.ie/

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack

Winners at the Georgina Campbell's Ireland Guide Awards 2012

The very best of Irish hospitality gathered at Bord Bia in Dublin today for the announcement of the 2012 Georgina Campbell's Ireland Awards

IRELAND GUIDE AWARDS 2012

And the Winners are...

Hotel Of The Year	Ballynahinch Castle, Co Galway
Restaurant Of The Year	Restaurant FortyOne at Residence
Chef Of The Year	Aidan McGrath, Wild Honey Inn, Lisdoonvarna
Pub Of The Year	Mary Ann's,  Castletownsend, Co Cork
“Just Ask” Restaurant Of The Year Award  Sponsored by Bord Bia	Farmgate Café, Cork
Newcomer Of The Year	Ballyfin Demense, Ballyfin, Co. Laois
Outstanding Service Award	Chapter One, 18 - 19 Parnell Square, Dublin
Good Housekeeping Award	Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Good Cooking Award	Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Natural Food Award	Country Choice,  Nenagh, Co. Tipperary
Sunday Lunch Of The Year Award	Viewmount House, Longford
Atmospheric Restaurant Of The Year	Olde Post Inn, Cloverhill, Co. Cavan
Host Of The Year	Mary O'Connor, Derrynane House Hotel, Co. Kerry
Taste Of The Waterways Award	Cottage Restaurant, Jamestown, Co Leitrim
Business Hotel Of The Year	Brooklodge & Wells Spa, Co Wicklow
Wine Award Of The Year	No.1 Pery Square, Limerick
Ethnic Restaurant Of The Year	Cava Spanish Restaurant & Tapas Bar, Galway
Casual Dining Award	Salty Dog, Bangor, C. Down
Café Of The Year	An Builin Blasta, Spiddal, Co. Galway
Family Friendly Hotel Of The Year	Westport Woods Hotel, Co. Mayo
Pet Friendly Hotel of the Year	Hotel Dunloe Castle, Killarney
Hideaway Of The Year	Mill Restaurant, Dunfanaghy, Co. Donegal
Green Ireland Hospitality Award	Coopershill House, Co Sligo
Country House Of The Year	Clonalis House, Co. Roscommon
Guesthouse Of The Year	Ariel House, Ballsbridge, D4
B&B Of The Year	Powersfield House, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford
Farmhouse Of The Year	Coolanowle House, Co. Carlow
Irish Breakfast Awards  Winner	Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Hotel Breakfast	Salty Dog, Bangor, Co Down
Country House Breakfast	Ballymaloe House, Shanagarry, Co. Cork
Guesthouse Breakfast	Ariel House, Ballsbridge, D4
B&B Breakfast	Powersfield House, Dungarvan, Co Waterford
Outstanding Contribution to the hospitality industry: Neven Maguire

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to @poloconghaile & @irelandguide

Don't forget to Feed the Fish at the bottom of this Post!
zack