​When shopping – particularly if I’m hungry, savouring the idea of preparing delicious dishes, I often buy too much fresh produce.  Then I find myself stuck with an excess of wonderful ingredients and a lack of desire to cook. I have many reasons to cook or create a recipe; hunger, obviously, is the principle one, or simply “emptiness”, as my father would claim; the second is the glorious sight and smell of fresh vegetables, fruit and cheese; other reasons include the temptation of a good  recipe (or food photograph), or the memory of a dish or a flavour, and the desire to recreate it: but the one that most frequently motivates me to action is the determination to use up food stuff before it goes off, (oh, the the horror of wasting food which costs so much labour to produce!).

This January has been particularly challenging in our house as I’ve been off food since Christmas due to a long-lasting dose of the flu.  So all the wonderful food I had bought in the week before Christmas was sitting ignored.  The sight of bananas turning browner in a bowl finally drove me to rouse myself and make banana muffins – I just could not throw them out. As an added bonus I was able to use stale natural yogurt – (sour smelling but no mould).

This is an easy recipe and these muffins are a great snack, delicious for breakfast or for putting in lunch boxes and have the added bonus of being quite light on sugar. They also keep well for 3 or 4 days and, if anything, taste better a day or two after baking.

Ingredients

• 250 grams of self-raising flour
• 1 tsp of baking powder
• ½ tsp of bread soda (also known as baking soda)
• 120 grams of caster sugar
• 2 ripe bananas – mashed
• 1 tsp of vanilla essence
• 2 eggs beaten
• 125 ml of stale yogurt OR sour milk/ butter milk
• 75 grams of melted butter
• 60 grams of sultanas

Method

1. Set the oven to 190 C degrees
2. Line muffin tin with the muffin paper cups
3. Weigh and sift together the flour and raising agents
4. Add the sugar to the dry ingredients
5. Add the sultanas to the flour mix
6. In a separate bowl, mix the yogurt, bananas, beaten eggs, vanilla and pour in the melted butter
7. Pour the well mixed liquid into the dry ingredients and mix well – (no need to beat as the combination of the raising agent and the sour yogurt/milk will do all the raising you need)
8. Put a large tablespoon of the wet mix into each of the muffin cases and put in the oven.
9. Cook for 20 – 25 minutes until brown and cooked through.
10. Remove from oven and put muffins onto wire tray to cool.

 
ENJOY!
 
Katie Verling

POACHED PLUMS IN ORANGE & CINNAMON SYRUP

​If you are stuck for dessert or pudding ideas this winter and want to prepare something quick and easy that is memorably delicious – this is sure fire dish. The rich red of the soft plums sitting in a rose-coloured fragrant liquid will delight you and your guests. All you need is a lovely serving bowl - preferably in glass, plenty of whipped cream, cream fraiche or Greek yogurt (or a mix of all three!), toasted flaked almonds and voila!

These plums can be served warm or cold – and if you decide to serve them cold I suggest you carefully spoon the cream mixture on top and scatter the toasted flaked almonds all over and leave to settle for an hour in a cool place.

Ingredients

• 500 grams of plums – don’t worry if they are a little hard as they will soften in the cooking process
• 250 mls of water
• 150 - 200 grams of granulated sugar – preferably cane, brown or demerara (check for sweetness, it depends on the quality and ripeness of fruit so you may need more sugar.
• 1 good quality cinnamon stick
• 2/3 pieces of orange peel – about 2-3 inches in length

Method

1. Halve the plums, remove the stone and then slice lengthwise  – 3 slices per half
2. Put water and sugar, orange peel and cinnamon stick into a medium size saucepan and heat gently.  Note: You need to melt the sugar fully before you increase the heat and bring the syrup to the boil
3. Boil the syrup for a couple of minutes – your kitchen will start to fill with lovely Christmassy aromas
4. Now, add the plums to the liquid and simmer very gently until beginning to soften – 5- 10 minutes
5. Taste, and IF the syrup is too watery and the plums are soft – remove the fruit with a slotted spoon and boil the syrup down for a couple of minutes
6. Put the plums and syrup into a serving bowl
7. Now, you decide whether to serve the poached plums warm or cool – but, whatever you do!! Remember to remove the limp orange peel and the cinnamon stick before serving.

Serve as suggested above and keep any left-over juice to add to porridge, granola or yogurt in the morning.

If you like you could use red wine in your poaching liquid and replace the cinnamon with 2-3 pieces of star anise (but remember to remove it as soon as the fruit is cooked).

Katie Verling
​

This dish is great to eat in the run up to Christmas as it’s quick, easy, tasty and contains little heavy protein (after all, Advent, like Lent is associated with dietary restraint).  But, it is also delightful contrast after Christmas when you are jaded from eating heavy meals and need to divert your palate after feasting on the intense flavours, spices and winter herbs of the festive season.
 
I’ve had a heavy cold in the last few weeks and have approached cooking with deep reluctance. Low on a lot of kitchen staples, I’ve been driven to invention, combining ingredients to make something to please my peaky palate and soothe my senses!  With a yen to eat something light, flavourful and quick to prepare I searched in the fridge and found a carton of cream, a fennel bulb, some courgettes, and then spotted a bowl of lemons on the table.  (As I wrote in my April recipe -Mushrooms, wild garlic and cream on toast - cream is a most useful ingredient to have in your fridge as it makes a great base for a quick pasta sauce). When I discovered I was out of parmesan cheese, I added an egg and a generous sprinkle of smoked Achill Sea salt to finish the dish.
 
INGREDIENTS
Serves 3-4 as lunch or a light supper– depending on levels of hunger of course!

• 250 grams of short pasta shapes – spirali or fusilli are best
• A large pot-full of boiling water and 2 tsps of coarse salt for cooking pasta
• 250ml of cream
• 1 knob of butter
• 2 medium courgettes cut in 3 and sliced lengthwise thinly (width of a 1Euro coin)
• 1 medium fennel bulb, halved lengthwise, and sliced thinly (see above)
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed, or very finely chopped
• Grated peel of 1 large unwaxed lemon,
• 1 egg beaten with a tablespoon of pasta water
• Scant teaspoon of fennel seeds
• Black pepper and Achill sea-salt to flavour

 
METHOD

1. Put a large pot of water to boil for the pasta,
2. Prepare the fennel, courgettes, garlic and lemon, and
3. Heat a heavy wide-bottomed pan and sprinkle the fennel seeds onto it.
4. As soon as the fennel seeds begin to emit a scent add a knob of butter, the crushed garlic and lower the heat under the pan. (If the fennel seeds burn, dump them, lower the heat and use a fresh spoonful of seeds.
5. At this stage the pot of water should have come to the boil, so add 2 teaspoons of coarse cooking salt and the pasta and cook according to time indicated on packet.
6. Pour the cream into the pan with garlic and fennel seeds and allow it to boil cook, absorbing flavours for 3-4 minutes
7. Add the grated lemon rind, and the sliced fennel, stir in and continue to allow cream sauce to bubble gently,
8. NB; 2 minutes before the pasta is cooked add the sliced courgettes and stir.
9. Then, take a tablespoon of pasta water and add to the beaten egg.
10. NOTE: Never fear! The boiling water and the boiling cream will cook the courgette and fennel slices sufficiently to keep their flavour and shape in this short time.
11. Strain the pasta and courgettes and stir into the cream sauce with the beaten egg (the heat of the sauce and pasta will cook the egg and thicken the sauce).
12. Add a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper, and a Achill smoked sea salt and
13. Toss the pasta in the sauce, taking care to handle the courgette slices carefully.
14. SERVE in warmed deep dishes and enjoy.

 
Additions or variations

• Instead of courgettes you could use fresh spinach and melt it gently until just limp in a covered pot.
• You could add a couple of tablespoons of toasted pine nuts to the finished dish – this would add a nutty sweet flavour to the pasta
• Instead of the smoked sea salt you could use a generous sprinkle of finely grated Parmigiano or Grana Padano cheese – this will make the dish stickier and deepen its flavour.

 
Katie Verling
​

​Apple and Fennel Salad with Caramelised Walnuts
This is a simple refreshing salad, great with sausages and pork, with cold meats or in place of a coleslaw.  This salad has the advantage of keeping fresh for up to 48 hours in the fridge, and just needs to be brought to room temperature before serving.  But make sure to use firm young fennel bulbs if you can get them, and a mix of red and green apples.
​

• 3/4 small to medium fennel bulbs
• 2 – 3 apples red, yellow, and green if possible
• 100 grams of candied walnuts

 
Method

• Vinaigrette: 1 heaped tsp of mustard, 1 tablespoon of cider vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sunflower and or olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• Slice the fennel bulbs lengthways; remove the toughest parts of outer sections. Remove the cores. Now slice across in thin slices of half moon shapes.
• Wash and quarter the apples and remove cores. Slice the quarters across as thinly as the fennel.
• Now make the vinaigrette – there will be more here than you need but keep the remainder in a tight-fitting container in the fridge and use for other salads later in the week.
• Toss the apple and fennel together in the vinaigrette, cover, and leave to marinade as you prepare the caramelised walnuts.

 
Caramelised Walnuts
This takes only 5 to 7 minutes to prepare but you must always remain attentive as the sugar can burn very quickly and ruin the nuts.

Heat a heavy bottomed pan over a medium heat and add 40gms of caster sugar, 25gms of butter and watch as the sugar and butter melt.  When this begins adding the walnuts and swish the nuts around to mix well with the caramel.  Continue to watch the nuts ensuring that all the nuts get covered in caramel and have access to the base of the pan to toast.  The smell is delicious as the nuts warm up and the sweetness of the caramel catches your nostrils.  But beware, don’t let it burn!  As soon as you think it is barely cooked turn off the heat and pour the pan’s contents onto some grease proof paper and spread it out.  Within about 5 minutes the nuts will have cooled and hardened.  Now, you can put them onto a chopping board and break up or chop as you like. Resist the temptation to eat them all at once!

Fried Cabbage, Apple and Cumin
This is a quick and easy dish and a good way of preparing cabbage differently.  It works particularly well with pork chops, bacon or as an accompaniment to a dish of dahl.

• 1 large onion sliced finely
• Half a head of cabbage, cored, and sliced into thin ribbons
• 1 red pepper sliced finely – optional
• 2 apples, quartered, cored, and sliced or cubed
• A generous tablespoon of sunflower oil
• A generous dessertspoon of cumin seeds
• Salt and pepper to taste
• A good dollop of cider vinegar

 


Method
Heat the oil in a large, wide-bottomed pan on a medium heat and once hot, add the cumin seeds. Then add the sliced onion and, if using the red pepper – cook briskly for about 4 minutes, then add cabbage and apples and raise the heat a little.  Keep stirring the pan now making sure that the cabbage is getting access to the heat of the pan.  This cooks quickly and you’ll see the cabbage beginning to wilt and apples starting to colour and soften after about 5 – 7 minutes. Now add the cider vinegar to the pan to listen and smell as it bubbles up and the steam cooks the cabbage.  Allow the cider vinegar to cook off almost completely, taste, season and serve.

 
ENJOY!

Katie Verling
​

ingredients, including celery.  When researching this dish, I was surprised to learn that celery is an ancient Mediterranean herb and vegetable; originally using just the leaves or seeds for flavour – and more recently using the whole plant.  In fact, in northern Italy, you’ll notice people buying a stalk or two of celery for flavouring and rarely see it used as a vegetable in a dish.

The flavour of Caponata is derived from the addition of olives and capers and a little vinegar and sugar at the end of the cooking period – this gives it its distinctive ‘agrodolce’ taste i.e., sour, and sweet.  You may not have associated Italian food with sweet and sour dishes, but this is a typical and very old tradition in Sicily where fruit, vegetables, olives, and capers were preserved in brine, oil, vinegar and/or dried to last the winter.
​
Note: I have given precise quantities for the recipe – but you can use these as a guideline and add or subtract amounts according to availability and taste 

​RECIPE

• 500 grams of cubed aubergines (approximately 3 medium ones)
• 4 stalks of celery diced
• 1 – 2 onions chopped
• 4 tablespoons of oil (or more if necessary)
• 250 – 500ml of tomato passata (puree)*
• 50 -100 grams of pitted green olives – halved
• 2 tablespoons of capers – strained
• 1 dessertspoon of sugar – cane preferable
• 1 – 2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar or cider vinegar

*the more puree you add the wetter the final dish, so it’s up to you how much you’d like
 
METHOD
Note: you’ll need 2 large deep pans or pots for this – that way you make it more quickly!

1. Heat 2 generous tablespoons of olive oil in a pot/ pan and add all the cubed aubergines.  Stir the aubergines around in the heat and don’t worry if it appears that there is too little oil.   Stir regularly on a medium heat and gradually you’ll notice it begin to soften and colour – It’ll take about 15 – 20 minutes to cook through – Stop cooking while they are still holding their shape
2. In a separate deep pan add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and heat.  Add chopped onions and cook gently for 5 minutes at a low to medium heat, then add the celery and continue to cook – covered - to soften and sweeten for another 5 – 10 minutes.
3. Now add the tomato puree (see *note above) and continue cooking – Leave the lid on for this period of cooking to get the flavours amalgamating.  (If it begins to stick add a quarter cup of water to loosen the mixture
4. Now add the olives and capers and heat through
5. Now finally add back in the aubergines, maintain medium heat – and stir regularly
6. Finally, mix the sugar and vinegar together and add to the sauce mixture – stir through and taste – check if it needs more vinegar or sugar

 
Enjoy
 
Katie Verling

with them and I didn’t feel like eating them as a cold dish, so I had to devise a dish that I could cook quickly that used store cupboard ingredients. I thought of making something vaguely Mexican using plenty of coriander and this is what I made.

This dish took less than 30 minutes to cook and is even more delicious the second day – if there is any left over. Serves 4 with rice.

​Ingredients

• Olive oil and/or coconut oil for cooking
• 500 grams of cooked borlotti beans (or two tins drained)
• 2 medium onions chopped roughly
• 3-4 garlic cloves chopped roughly
• Half a jar of cooked red peppers chopped roughly (or 1 or 2 fresh red peppers)
• 150 grams of frozen peas
• 1 large tablespoon of tomato puree
• 2 teaspoons of cumin seeds
• 2 teaspoons of coriander seeds
• 1 cup of water - or more if necessary
• A large bunch of fresh coriander chopped roughly
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Optional: Fresh chopped green or red chillies OR chilli powder Or smoked paprika
• Note: Use a deep pan that has a lid

Method

1. Heat the oil in a deep pan and fry the onion gently until beginning to soften
2. (If using fresh peppers cook them with the onions)
3. Add the coriander and cumin seeds and the chopped garlic and continue to cook gently in the oil – remember to stir regularly to prevent sticking
4. Add the cooked borlotti beans and stir and continue cooking
5. When the beans are warmed through add the chopped cooked red peppers, the tomato paste and a half a cup of water – stir and cover
6. After another few minutes add the frozen peas – a little more water if necessary and cook covered for another 5 – 7 minutes
7. Add the chilli powder or smoked paprika
8. At this stage you should have a sauce appearing around the beans but add more water to make it looser if you like
9. Now after approximately 25 -30 minutes cooking taste it, season and serve with lashings of fresh chopped coriander.

I served this with brown rice but white rice or even new potatoes would work just as well.

If you decide to spice up this dish with plenty of chilli remember to serve some yogurt on the side to cool your palate.

ENJOY!


Katie Verling

Ingredients
Serves 3-4

• 2-3 medium courgettes - sliced lengthwise and then again to create 4 lengths and chopped into 1 cm dice
• 5 ripe tomatoes – plum if possible – they have so much more substance and less water in them - chopped roughly
• 3 plumb cloves of fresh new season garlic - sliced finely or chopped
• A good dollop of olive oil for cooking and another for the pasta/ couscous
• A handful of chopped fresh Italian parsley
• A handful of finely torn fresh basil leaves
• 250 grams of giant couscous or Italian fregola pasta or spaghetti
• Coarse sea salt and ground black pepper

Method

1. Heat a deep pan with olive oil and add the chopped courgettes
2. Put on a 3-4 litres of water to boil for the pasta
3. Keep an eye on the courgettes and keep stirring so that they don’t stick – maintain the heat at medium
4. When the courgettes are beginning to soften add the chopped garlic and keep stirring – do not allow the garlic to stick or burn, which new season garlic tends to do
5. After a minute or two add the chopped tomatoes, raise the heat a little and stir regularly
6. At this stage the water should be boiling for the pasta – add a 2 teaspoons of cooking salt and throw in the pasta and cook according to instructions
7. As the tomatoes begin to break down with the courgettes, check that nothing is sticking, if so add a tablespoon or two of the pasta water and continue cooking briskly
8. Once the pasta is cooked, drain it (keeping a half cup of pasta water aside if necessary to loosen the courgette and tomato sauce)
9. Stir in a tablespoon of  good olive oil to the pasta and then  add the chopped parsley and basil, black pepper and salt if necessary – Keep warm
10. Check the courgettes to see they are cooked and season.  
11. SERVE with the pasta and Enjoy!!

 

• At  stage 7 you could add a packet of defrosted prawns and stir t through to heat OR  Add a 100 grams of roughly chopped feta and serve.

The fresh flavours of the vegetables, garlic and herbs is delightful on a chilly OR warm summer’s evening.

Katie Verling

Ingredients

• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut up into 2 cm slices (same size as gometini pasta shapes
• 1 box of Thalli rock samphire – washed in plenty of fresh water, large pieces broken up
• I lemon
• 8 -10 anchovies chopped finely (I use anchovies preserved in salt and olive oil from a jar)
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 225 grams of gomitini pasta shapes – these little hollow crescent shaped pieces are the size of half a teaspoon (the word ‘gometto’ is Italian for elbow, so gomitini are little elbows).

 
Method

1. Put on a large pot of water to boil for the pasta. Add a generous spoon of salt to the boiling water and then add in gomitini to cook.  They will take around 7 minutes (check pack for instructions) 
2. Heat olive oil, fry red pepper pieces quickly, turning regularly until they’re sweet and cooked – Remove with slotted spoon from pan. 
3. Add a little more olive oil to frying pan and throw in the washed rock samphire. It’ll sizzle loudly as the water drops hit the hot oil, turn frequently and cook for about 3 minutes at high heat 
4. While pasta is cooking and samphire is spitting, mash chopped anchovies with juice of half a lemon. 
5. Add anchovy and lemon mix to pan, stir vigorously, add cooked red peppers and taste. 
6. Once cooked and still slightly ‘al dente’ (not squishy) strain gomitini and add to pan of samphire mix.  Maintain high heat, keep stirring and add a ladle full of pasta water to make it a little saucy.  Taste then add more lemon juice, plenty of fresh black pepper and a sprinkle of Achill Island sea salt. 
7. Serve is warmed large pasta bowls with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and a piece of lemon. 

Katie Verling