BEEF, BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND GINGER STEW

Serves 6
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 ½ Hours

• 2 Tablespoons Plain Flour
• 750g (1 ½ lb) lean stewing beef, diced
• 25g (1 oz) butter
• 3 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced
• 2 parsnips, sliced
• 3 Bay leaves
• Several Thyme sprigs
• 2 Tablespoons tomato puree
• 625g ( 1 ¼ lb) butternut squash, peeled, de-seeded and cut into small chunks
• 1 tablespoon dark muscovado sugar
• 50g ( 2 oz) fresh root ginger-finely chopped
• Small handful of parsley-extra to garnish
• Salt and Pepper

1. Season the flour with Salt and Pepper and use to coat the beef.

2. Melt the butter with the oil in a large saucepan and fry the meat in 2 batches until browned, draining with a slotted spoon.

3. Add the onion, carrots and parsnips to the saucepan and fry gently for 5 minutes.

4. Return the meat to the pan and add the herbs and tomato puree. Add just enough water to cover the ingredients and bring slowly to the boil. Reduce the heat to its lowest setting, cover with a lid and simmer very gently for 45 minutes.

5. Add the butternut squash, sugar, ginger and parsley and cook for a further 30 minutes until the butternut squash is soft and the meat is tender.

6. Check the seasoning and serve scattered with extra parsley.

TIP: This dish can be changed to a vegetarian option by leaving out the beef and using lentils or chickpeas instead. Traditional colcannon is the ideal accompaniment to this.

Duck Liver Parfait

• 600g duck or chicken livers , or a mix of both
• 250g pack butter , diced and slightly softened
• 2 shallots , finely sliced
• 1 garlic clove , sliced
• splash each brandy or port
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 100g butter
• 1 tbsp thyme leaves
• 1 tsp black peppercorns
• toast, gherkin and chutney, to serve

Serves 6 as a starter or light lunch

1. Cut away and discard any large sinews from the livers, then set the livers aside. Heat about a third of the butter in a large frying pan, then gently fry the shallots and garlic for 3-4 mins until soft. Turn up the heat, add the livers, then fry until just browned on all sides. Add the brandy and port, boil down as quickly as possible – if the sauce catches light for an instant, then all the better. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to cool completely.

2. Season the livers generously, then tip the contents of the pan into a food processor with the tomato purée and remaining butter, and blitz until smooth. Push the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl, taste for seasoning, then tip into a serving dish, banging the dish down on the tabletop to smooth out the surface. Place in the fridge to set.

3. Once the mixture has set, make the topping. Gently melt the butter in a small pan or in a bowl in the microwave, then leave for a min to settle and separate. Pour the yellow butter that has risen to the top into another bowl and discard the milky liquid. Leave the yellow butter to cool slightly, then mix in the thyme and peppercorns. Pour the mixture over the parfait and leave to set in the fridge. Serve with plenty of toast, sliced gherkins and chutney. Will keep for 2 days in the fridge.

Make ahead

You can make the parfait up to 4 days ahead, making sure it’s properly covered with the melted butter. It can also be frozen for a month, but start defrosting it in the fridge 2 days before serving.

• 175gms of good quality dark chocolate (we use Callebaut Chocolate in the Kitchen)
• 475mls of cream
• 474mls of milk
• 9 free range egg yolks
• 175gms castor sugar
• ¾ teaspoon of good quality vanilla essence or infuse a fresh vanilla pod in the milk
• 18 Slices of white bread with the crusts cut off (can be used for the stuffing or bread sauce above)
• 100gms softened butter
• 150gms of toasted chopped hazelnuts
• 20 x 30cm oven proof serving dish

Method

Break the chocolate into small pieces and then place in a saucepan with the cream and milk. Stir over a low heat until the chocolate has completely melted. Remove from the heat and let it cool slightly. Whisk the egg yolks and the sugar and then gradually add the chocolate cream mixture, whisking at all times to make sure it doesn’t curdle.

Butter all the bread and then proceed to layer the bread in the serving dish, each time pouring over the chocolate custard followed by a sprinkle of hazelnuts. Keep doing this until the dish is full. Place the dish in the fridge and let it stand for two/three hours or overnight, if you can.

Pre-heat the oven to 150c. Bake in the preheated oven for one hour, or until the pudding is crispy around the edges but still slightly wobbly in the centre. Allow to stand for 15 minutes before serving.

Serve with lightly whipped cream and seasonal berries. (optional).

Gooseberries are in season between June and August… and personally I think they are due a revival, with desserts such as gooseberry fool coming back into fashion. The classic green gooseberry is the perfect one for cooking and did you know that this berry is also rich in fibre and vitamin A?.

The recipe below is one that belongs to my Mother, Florence. As kids we used to go into the O’Connors (our next door neighbours) every week to pick their berries, as they would spend June and July away in France and they didn’t want their plentiful fruit going to waste! We were absolutely spoilt with an abundance of home grown Irish fruit – Thanks to Eileen and Turlough and their long Summer Holidays :) !!!

Biscuit Base:

1. 175gm/6oz Digestive
2. Biscuits75gms/3oz Butter
3. 1 Dsp Irish Honey

Crush the biscuits into fine crumbs, either in a processor or in a bag and heavily rolling with a rolling pin. Melt the butter and honey in a pot, add the biscuits and mix well. Grease a loose-bottomed flan tin (20/23cm or /8/9inches in diameter), and line the base with greaseproof paper. Transfer the mixture to the tin, press down well and leave to cool for at least 20 mins.

Filling:

1. 1 350gms/12oz Gooseberries
2. 1 Dsp Castor Sugar
3. 2 DSP Elderflower Cordial

Place the gooseberries in a saucepan with castor sugar and elderflower cordial. Poach gently for 1 minute until the gooseberries start to pop – but don’t not let them break up and turn to mush!!. Check for taste, and add more sugar if needs be. Remove from the heat and allow the pan to cool slightly. Use half of the gooseberries to spread over the biscuit base.

1. 175gms/6oz Cream or Curd Cheese
2. Juice and zest of 1 Lemon
3. 25gms/1oz Castor Sugar
4. 1 egg

Beat together the cream or curd cheese, egg, lemon juice and zest and castor sugar. When smooth, pour the mixture over the gooseberries and base and cook in the oven for 15-20 minutes @ 180c/gas 4. Remove and leave to cool.

1. 25gms/1oz Arrowroot
2. 1 Dsp Cold Water
3. Whipped Cream or Glenisk Organic Yogurt

Gently reheat the remaining half of the gooseberries in the saucepan. Mix the arrowroot with the water and add to the pan. Heat for 1 minute, until the mixture thickens and the glaze becomes clear. Allow to cool and spoon over the cheesecake. As a finishing touch, serve with whipped cream or some Organic Irish Yogurt which has been slightly flavoured with a little elderflower cordial.