EAT DRINK LIVE

HERE'S ONE I PREPARED EARLIER.

 

 

As I'm still camera-less I'm using this picture from a year ago that I never got around to posting, but seasons coming around full circle as seasons do it seemed a fitting time to post this bruschetta recipe that uses fresh broad beans and peas.  

I started tailgating the grow-your-own bandwagon last year and I managed to harvest just enough broad beans and peas from my growbag to make a bruschetta lunch for one. This year I'm hanging on for dear life to the side rail and my balcony is littered with terracotta pots, plastic tubs, window boxes and even old vegetable crates. Basically if it stands still for longer than five minutes I'll punch holes in the bottom and fill it with dirt.

I've done a little more research and have planted things that are more suited to life in a pot. There are peas and beans again but dwarf varieties this time. Now I can only hope for a little sunshine and perhaps when released from their 15 tog pods there might be enough broad beans to make lunch for two. The peas have to be sacrificed to my daughter who just sits out on the balcony eating them out of the pod. If you'll forgive the Birds Eye moment I love that she can get a taste of summer in the country while living in the Limerick suburbs, so if it means having to pay for the peas that is okay with me.

I also wouldn't hesitate to use frozen veg for this recipe though you will lose out on the smugness factor of how few food metres your lunch travelled. Incidentally if you are thinking of hopping on that bandwagon it's still not too late to get planting for the summer (maybe some lettuce, courgettes and tomatoes). Just remember that it does become deeply addictive and as with all things fashionable it is only a matter of time before the earthworm turns and your guests may begin to resent dinner table conversation about your new source of premium grade farmyard manure. And they certainly don't need to know that it was that same manure that produced a bumper crop of broad beans for their bruschetta starter.

  

BROAD BEAN AND PEA BRUSCHETTA

• 300g podded broad beans and peas (or use frozen)
• 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• handful of mint, chopped
• 4 slices good crusty bread (sourdough or ciabatta)
• 1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole
• pecorino or parmesan cheese shavings
• handful of pea shoots (optional)

1. If the broad beans are large cook them in boiling water for 2 minutes before adding the peas and boiling them for a further 3 minutes. If you are lucky enough to get the broad beans when they are tiny just cook them with the peas for 3 minutes. Drain the vegetables, refresh under cold water to stop them from cooking any further and drain again. Peel the broad beans from their skins.
2. Use a masher or a fork to roughly crush the peas and beans with the olive oil and lemon juice, then stir through the mint. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Heat a griddle pan and toast the bread on both sides (you could of course use a regular grill or toaster but you won't get those trendy chargrill lines), then rub the toast with the garlic clove. Serve two slices of bread per person (one if it's a starter) with the beans piled on top and the cheese and pea shoots (if using) scattered over. Drizzle with a little extra olive oil to serve.

Serves 4 as a starter or 2 as a light lunch. 

P.S. Pea shoots have become a popular (and highly nutritious) addition to summer salads but I certainly haven't seen them in the supermarkets in Ireland. You can grow them yourself in a propogating tray or window box by sowing pea seeds generously in about six inches of compost, covering them with another inch of soil. Cover them and leave to germinate somewhere warm and once germinated remove the lid and move to a sunny windowsill. You can harvest them when they reach 2 inches high. Because they grow so quickly I'm sure you could keep replanting them to give you a steady supply throughout the summer.

HAVE YOUR CUPCAKE...

 

I'd love to say I've been doing something glamorous for the last yearish offline but to be honest apart from baking the odd tower of cupcakes (such as the one below) I've been camera-less while reading, sleeping, neglecting my e-mails, doing a spot of gardening (see below below) and baking the odd tower of cupcakes.

 

The world has been battered and bruised since the last asparagus season and with the next one shortly arriving to a plate near you I'm remaining quietly optimistic that 2009 will be the Year of the Cupcake, helping to keep the Big Bad Recessionary Wolf (not to mention the three poorly little pigs) firmly from my door. 

For that reason once I get my hands on a decent camera again the blog will become a mini-portfolio for the always good value cupcakes that folks order to sweeten their celebrations with family and friends. As I don't have a shop front as such I'm hoping the site will reassure potential customers that their virtual order will result in real live cupcakes, baked with as much love as I can muster at 4am. If anyone wants to leave their sugar-fuelled compliments I'll accept them with as much grace as I can muster after 2 1/2 hours sleep.

I have my biggest order to date this weekend (200 cupcakes) and once I've manouvered my way round the 25kg bags of sugar in my kitchen I'll let you know how I get on, by 2010 at the latest I swear.

P.S. The cupcake recipe is here for anyone who'd like to go the DIY route. 

THE PRODIGAL SPEAR.

And the prodigal blogger as well. Like a bad penny or an early summer Irish downpour I turn up, hands in pockets and whistling sheepishly, pretending I never left. You may be forgiven for thinking that I've been sitting in a darkened room stuffing my face with chocolate, but the truth is I just haven't made anything that didn't already appear here (I only spent one week stuffing my face with chocolate). The shocking lack of vegetables also has to be dealt with so from now on only 9 out of 10 posts will be dedicated to sweet things.

Getting the green ball rolling is my favourite prodigal vegetable which should be making a welcome and abundant return to a shop/market near you. Always expensive but at least a little cheaper at this time of year, now is the time to eat as much asparagus as humanly possible before it disappears back to Darkest Peru for the rest of the year. British asparagus is the closest to home I have found this year (Irish growers please feel free to correct me) but it tastes so good I'll have to put my carbon foot down and keep munching until I manage to grow my own.

Wherever you get your asparagus from, what you are looking for are firm green spears (no drooping allowed) and tight purplish tinged buds whose colours become all the more vivid when cooked. Simplicity is the key and my first plate of the year was of warm griddled spears with cool, milky buffalo mozzarella and a simple lemon and chive dressing.

The recipe which I found in a Sunday newspaper at the weekend suggested a last minute scattering of chive or wild garlic flowers and so I sacrificed the few petals on a now tamed-in-a-pot wild garlic plant I picked up at the market. The garlic flavour of the flowers is really only hinted at so has no real impact on the overall flavour of the asparagus, but they do look pretty.The green and white combination on the plate is the picture of serenity but once you get it in your mouth the flavours are bright and refreshing and what can really only be described as green. And green is my favourite colour.

The recipe is from the Style section of last weeks Sunday Times.

GRIDDLED ASPARAGUS SPEARS WITH BUFFALO MOZZARELLA.

• 500g asparagus, ends snapped off
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1/2 lemon, juice and finely grated zest
• 1 small shallot, finely chopped
• Handful of fresh chives, finely chopped
• salt and pepper
• 250g ball of buffalo mozzarella
• Chive or wild garlic flowers if available.

1. Boil the asparagus for one minute in a large pan of boiling water then drain in a colander and leave to steam dry. Toss the asparagus in bowl with one tablespoon of the olive oil. Heat a griddle pan to medium high and grill the spears for 3-4 minutes until beginning to char but still retaining a little bite. Divide the asparagus between four plates.
2. Whisk the remaining oil with the lemon juice and zest, shallot, half the chives and season to taste. Tear the mozzarella over the asparagus and drizzle with dressing. Scatter over the remaining chives and flowers, if using, before serving.

Serves 4 as a starter. 2 as a light lunch. Me if I refuse to open the door.

I SCREAM FOR ICE CREAM!

I just ordered my copy and if you are not in the neighborhood of Dingle for the launch this evening ( much as I would love to be there I can't go as I have a date with Mr. Cave on Saturday thanks to my good friend John) I suggest you do the same. What better way to celebrate the damp arrival of summer.

NIGHT AND DAY.

I'm feeling the need to apologise for the lack of posts around here lately. Us laydees are supposed to be good at multi-tasking but I seem to be temporarily missing that notch on my X-chromosome. A new baby niece has arrived who needs much admiring and gushing from all quarters. Seven year olds have very demanding schedules and it seems that those who live in my corner of Limerick are addicted to muffins at the moment so free time is dedicated to napping rather than blogging. Not that I'm complaining! Spring is springing, the birds are swaying, the trees are singing and I have an unapologetically large slab of chocolate cake in my greedy hands.

It was my turn to give a home to our tentatively named Limerick Foodie Society last week and though this cake was not present on the night it is very much in keeping with the chocolate theme chosen. And we were not limited to desserts no sir/ma'am; there was chicken mole, mushroom ragout (with chocolate), fresh tomato salsa (with chocolate), Montezuma ice-box cookies, raspberry and white chocolate tart, chocolate biscuit cake and tiramisiu. Yes there were zippers groaning and I'm still finding buttons under the rug, but the evening was a success and I have some new recipes I can share (hopefully sooner rather than later).

This is night to the previous cake's day and helped subdue a chocolate craving that was not going to be satisfied with a square of 70%. The dark and fudgy cake works so well with a sweet butter icing that I confess I ate more than my fair share so there is none left for you. For that I humbly apologise.

The cake recipe comes from Avoca Tea Time and the icing from Nigella Bites.

CHOCOLATE CAKE

• 275g unsalted butter
• 125ml strong coffee
• 275g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
• 110g self-raising flour
• 110g plain flour
• 1/4 tsp bicarb of soda
• 225g dark muscavado sugar
• 225g light muscavado sugar
• 30g cocoa powder
• 100ml buttermilk
• 4 medium eggs, beaten

Fudge Icing:

• 175g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa
• 250g unsalted butter, softened
• 275g icing sugar, sifted
• 1 tbls vanilla extract.

1. Preheat the oven to 150 C and butter and line a deep 8 inch/20cm cake tin. Melt the butter, coffee and chocolate together in a bowl over barely simmering water or in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Put all the dry ingredients in a large bowl, then add the chocolate mixture and finally the buttermilk and eggs.
3. Pour into the lined tin and bake for 1 3/4 - 2 hours. Or until cake tester comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool completely on a wire rack.
4. To make the icing: beat the butter with an electric whisk until soft and creamy then add the sieved sugar and beat again until everything's light and fluffy. Gently add in the vanilla and melted chocolate and mix until everything is glossy and smooth.
5. Split the cake in half and spread one layer with loads of icing then put on the top layer and plaster with the rest of the icing.

Serves 8-10.

WHITER SHADE OF PALE.

I'm a day late and €0.632711 short but here is my sweet Daring Bakers challenge for this month. Morven @ Food and Random Thoughts was in the mood for a party when she chose Dorie Greenspan's Perfect Party Cake and left it up to ourselves to choose the flavour. The sponge and buttercream are made with egg whites only and are supposed to be pristine white in colour but Irish butter made mine a little less white and a little more ivory.  I stuck with the lemon flavour from the original recipe only adding a thin layer of lemon curd (there were a whole lot of leftover egg yolks) between the cake layers and a few crystallised rose petals because I need the practise for a wedding in June.

The sponge didn't turn out as fluffy as I would have liked but some guy in Greenwich stole an hour of sleep from me yesterday and I was a little on the cranky side all day. But the buttercream was beautifully silky and the curd just the right side of suck-in-your cheeks so as a whole the elements worked well together and all guinea pigs went home happy.

Morven has the recipe in full at her site and all the other Daring Bakers have their own versions just waiting for you.

THE SUM OF ITS PARTS.

1 bar of dark, dark chocolate. Check

1/2 full jar of peanut butter (I'm ever the optimist). Check

Flour. Butter. Eggs. Check. Check. Check.

Brown sugar. Check (but minus the Rolling Stone).

Handful of peanuts. Check.

Handful of leftover chocolate and peanut butter swirls. Check.

If Pi equals 3.14 and x = 5, carry the 2 and divide by 7 and you should end up with...

CHOCOLATE AND PEANUT BUTTER SWIRL BROWNIES.

Adapted from Brownies by Linda Collister.

• 100g 70% chocolate, chopped
• 175g unsalted butter, cubed
• 3 large eggs
• 200g light muscovado sugar
• 120g plain flour
• 2 tbls cocoa powder
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• pinch of salt

Peanut Swirl:

• 180g smooth peanut butter
• 50g caster sugar
• 1 tbls plain flour
• 5 tbls milk
• Handful of roasted peanuts
• Handful chocolate peanut butter swirls (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Line a 20 X 25 cm (or similar size) tin with tinfoil. Melt the chocolate and butter together gently in a bowl over a pot of simmering water or in the microwave. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Beat the eggs in a large mixing bowl until blended. Add the sugar and vanilla and beat with an electric whisk until thick and moussey.
3. Stir the chocolate into the egg mixture then sift over the flour, cocoa powder and pinch of salt. Fold in until completely combined and pour into the prepared tin.
4. Meanwhile mix all the ingredients for the peanut butter swirl in a bowl adding the milk gradually to make it easier to combine. Drop teaspoonfuls of this mixture over the brownie batter and use a skewer or the end of the teaspoon to swirl the two mixtures. Scatter the peanuts over the top and the chocolate peanut butter chips if using.
5. Bake for 30 minutes or until there is only a slight wobble in the middle. Start checking at 25 minutes. Leave to cool before cutting. Will keep for about 5 days.

Makes a maximum of 16 brownies. Or maybe 9.

NEXT STOP MOUNT EVEREST.

I come to you cap in hand and pleading sweetly for a favour of a non-food related nature. Nick Cave (who as some of you may know I am quite partial to) is playing Dublin Castle in May with his band the Bad Seeds and I am ticketless. It would seem that getting a ticket at this late stage is on a par with climbing Mount Everest (unless you are prepared to pay four times the face value which is not an option I'm afraid), so I was hoping that if I brought you Mont Blanc on a plate you could help me conquer Everest. If anyone hears of a spare ticket for sale please e-mail me at the link above and I promise there will be a chocolate bonus in it for you.

If bribery is your thing please dive into this variation on the classic French dessert Mont Blanc. Typically a meringue base topped with sweetened chestnut puree and perhaps a layer of cream, it may not appeal to those with a less than sweet tooth but should give a good energy burst while doing a spot of mountain climbing. I have been to Angelina's in Paris but I didn't make it past the spoonable hot chocolate to the desserts, of which the Mont Blanc is one of their most famous. I had never got around to making it at home until this month's Olive Magazine threw up a recipe that only needed a meringue base to make a mountain out of a chocolate-chestnut mousse. If you buy in your meringue nests then this becomes an assembly job at most.

If the meringue is a step too far for you just pile everything else into a glass and serve in it's original incarnation as a decadent mousse.

This recipe is adapted from the chocolate supplement in this months Olive Magazine.

CHOCOLATE CHESTNUT MONT BLANC

• 200g 60-70% cocoa chocolate, melted and left to cool slightly
• 250g sweetened chestnut puree
• 2 tbsp dark rum
• 285ml double cream, very softly whipped plus an extra 150 ml for serving
• chocolate curls or shavings, just use a vegetable peeler to pare strips off a chunk of dark chocolate
• 8 meringue nests, shop bought or find a recipe here just leave out the elderflowers.

1. Fold the chocolate into the chestnut puree, then fold in the rum and the 285ml of whipped cream.
2. Put the mousse into a piping bag with a plain or star-shaped nozzle and pipe a mound of chestnut mousse on top of a meringue nest. Whip the remaining cream and dollop on a creamy snow-capped peak and shave over some dark chocolate curls.
3. Alternatively you can omit the meringue and just pipe the mousse into six wine glasses topping with the cream and chocolate curls as before and refrigerating until ready to serve.

Makes 8 Mont Blancs or 6 chestnut mooses.

WHO'S THE MOMMY?!

Lorraine is the mommy! Yesterday was Mothers Day here in Ireland (and the UK) but completely overshadowed in the blog world by the Irish Blog Awards. Italian Foodies won Best Food and Drink blog and as Lorraine was home nursing sick baby Val, Maz and I had no problem basking in her glory! Val and Maz collected the award in her honour, though to everyones bitter disappointment they did not give a speech. Squid @ Limerick Blogger brought another award home to Limerick in the shape of a tie for Best Current Affairs Blog and Val and Maz like the troopers they are collected that award too. A bottle of champagne accompanied both awards but I know nothing about what happened to those.

Kieran won Best Business Blog for the second year in a row, and thanks for the chocolate! I was the sober person who had to leave early to get back to my oven so I hope the mums of Limerick appreciated their buns yesterday morning. Thanks to Damien for the superhuman effort I can't even imagine went into putting on such a great night. Roll on next year!

THE RISE AND RISE OF THE DARING BAKERS.

After missing the last two Daring Bakers challenges I completed this one with two whole days to spare (a first for me I think) and once more all eleventy squillion of us are rising to the challenge with bread. Mary and Sara chose Julia Childs French bread to be a little more precise. Julia Child has not had such a deep impact on this side of the Atlantic, as we have Darina  and the UK has Delia, but in the States she introduced a whole generation to the art of French Cookery. I only seem to bake bread when being bossed around by my fellow DBers but I confess I really enjoyed this challenge.

Bread is one of the great levellers. Since the most ancient times humans have broken bread together and almost all cultures have there own signature loaf (any number of flat breads, ciabattas, pumpernickels, soda breads, baguettes...). I say fie to dietician type people who think that bread has no nutritional value, I'll happily eat it with nothing but several inches of butter but some mature cheddar, crisp little gems and home-made Bramley apple and sage chutney might make it a little more well rounded. There are the Ladas of bread vehicles and then there are the classic Jaguars. I know which one sends shivers up and down my spine.

There's no getting around the fact that this recipe takes all day. Most of this time is spent thinking of jobs not to do while waiting for the dough to rise. The secret of this recipe is patience as those bubbles need to take their sweet time forming. It's worth every yeasty minute though when you end up with a chewy-crusted, soft doughed loaf with that slightly sour note that will see you turning up your nose at supermarket bread forevermore. It's an addictive thing working with yeast, when it works you're ecstatic, when it doesn't, heartbroken but hopefully willing to try again.

You'll have to go to Mary to get the recipe but be careful not to let the bread bugs bite.