Smoked Haddock Corn Chowder
(Serves 6)
- 50g butter
- 300g potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 leek, finely sliced
- 2 stalks of celery, finely sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 100ml dry white wine
- 500ml fish stock
- 300ml milk
- 1kg un-dyed smoked haddock, skin removed and cut into small chunks
- 1 corn on the cob
- 250ml single cream
- 2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1. Place a medium-sized saucepan over a medium heat and melt the butter.
2. Stir in the potato, onion, leek, celery and garlic. Reduce the heat, cover and leave to sweat for 5 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the wine. Return the pan to the heat and cook for a further 3–4 minutes.
3. Pour in the stock and milk, bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Run a sharp knife down the sides of the corn to remove the kernels and add them to the saucepan. Then stir in the haddock and continue to cook for five minutes.
5. Add the cream and fresh dill, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for a further five minutes.
Roast butternut squash, cashel blue & saffron pappardalle
(Serves 2)
- 600g butternut squash (or 400g peeled and seeds removed)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200ml crème fraîche
- 100g Cashel Blue cheese
- ½ tsp saffron
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 250g fresh pappardalle
- 20g pumpkin seeds
1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.
2. Halve the butternut squash and peel the outer skin (get a good peeler for easy work). Slice the flesh into quarters and scoop out the seeds. Cut into 1cm (½in) cubes and place on a roasting tray. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Roast in the pre-heated oven for 35 minutes (you will notice the squash getting wrinkly). Stir once every 10 minutes to coat the squash nicely with oil.
3. Place a frying pan over a low heat and add the crème fraîche and Cashel Blue cheese. Whisk together. Next, whisk in the saffron and season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Allow to cook for another three minutes. The sauce will begin to thicken.
4. Put a large saucepan of salted water over a high heat and when it comes to the boil, drop in the fresh pasta. It will only take three minutes to cook – it overcooks really easily. Drain off all the water.
5. Place the cooked fresh pasta back in the saucepan, and stir in the blue cheese saffron sauce and roast butternut squash. Toss together really well and transfer to a warmed serving dish. Sprinkle the pumpkin seeds on top.
Carrot cake with orange blossom frosting
Makes 1 cake (10 portions)
- 3 eggs
- 140ml vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
- 220g light brown sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 350g grated carrots (grated weight)
- 100g golden raisins
- 100g walnuts, chopped
- 200g self-raising flour
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- For the orange blossom frosting:
- 300g cream cheese, chilled
- 70g butter, at room temperature
- 300g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 orange, zest only, finely grated
- 2 tsp of orange blossom water
- 1. Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4, and oil and line a 13 x 23cm loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
2. For the carrot cake: beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, grated carrot, raisins and chopped walnuts.
3. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and bring the mixture together using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If you’re using a ceramic baking dish then you’ll need to add 15 minutes to the cooking time.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about five minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
5. For the orange blossom frosting: beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Add the icing sugar, orange blossom water and finely grated orange zest and mix until the frosting is smooth and thick. Using a palette knife, spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is difficult to spread.
6. Decorate with orange zest on top of the frosting.
- ‘Autumn Irish dinner menu’ is published in Anthology Volume 08. Read more features from this volume or buy it now.
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