Recipe: Spicy Moroccan Lamb Chops

Spicy Moroccan Lamb Chops

Serves two

Ingredients:

4 lamb chops

1 tbsp. tumeric

1 tbsp. cumin seeds

1 tbsp. coriander seeds

1 tsp. dried ginger

1 tsp. paprika

1 tsp. chilli powder

Salt

Black pepper

Method:

1.     In a pestle and mortar, pound all the dry ingredients until they are a coarse powder.

2.     Smash 4 cloves of garlic and leave in dish.

3.     Rub the lamb chops with the mixture and leave to marinade (I left them for 24 hours)

4.     Then grill on a hot griddle pan for three minutes on each side. 

Recipe: Malteaser Rocky Road

Malteaser Rocky Road

Serves 12

Ingredients:

175g pouch Maltesers

250g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), broken into pieces

50g butter

8 digestive biscuits

60g baby marshmallows

Icing sugar to dust over



Method:

1.     Line a 22cm-square tin with parchment paper.

2.     Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bowl over boiling water until it has completely melted. Remove from the heat.

3.     Set this aside to cool for at least 10 mins whilst you get the rest of the ingredients ready. It's important that the chocolate isn't too hot when it is combined with the other ingredients or it could melt the Maltesers and marshmallows and take the 'rocky' out of this recipe!

4.     Next, bash up the biscuits in a plastic bag until you have a good mixture of chunks and powder.

5.     Finally, add the crushed biscuits, marshmallows and Maltesers to the mixture and fold with a spoon until all are lightly coated in chocolate.

6.     Pour into the tin to refrigerate for at least 30 mins. Sieve over a generous dusting of icing sugar.

7.     Cut into slices before serving

Recipe: My Salad Dressing

MySalad Dressing

Ingredients:

3 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Method:

Blitz all ingredients

Recipe: Sticky Toffee Pudding

Sticky Toffee Pudding (Catherine Leydens Recipe)

Serves 8

Ingredients:

175g/6oz Self Raising Flour

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

75g/3oz Butter (room temperature)

150g/5oz  Light Muscovado Sugar

2 Eggs (beaten)

175g/6oz  Dates (roughly chopped)

100g Packet Chopped Walnuts

150ml/¼ pt. Hot Water

Toffee Sauce

125g/4oz Butter

175g/6oz Muscovado Sugar

170ml Carton Cream

Method:

11. Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas 4. Lightly grease and base line a 7”/18cms square tin.

22. Put chopped dates into a bowl and pour over the hot water.

33. Meanwhile, place flour, baking powder, butter, sugar and eggs into a large bowl and beat until smooth.

44. Blend the water and dates and add chopped walnuts and stir until well blended.

55. Transfer to prepared tin and bake in central oven position for 40 to 50 minutes until well risen, nicely browned and springy to the touch. Turn onto a wire tray to cool.

66. Meanwhile, make sauce by putting all the ingredients into a saucepan over a low heat and gently stir until butter is melted, sugar is dissolved and sauce has thickened slightly. Do not boil, just allow simmering.

77. Cut the pudding into 8 squares, place on serving plate and spoon over the toffee sauce.

Recipe: Baked lamb with cumin & coconut milk

Baked lamb with cumin & coconut milk

Serves 4

Ingredients:

1.6kg/3 ½ lb. diced lamb

Plain flour seasoned with salt & pepper for dusting

Vegetable oil for frying

75g butter

2 large onions, peeled & finely chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled & crushed

2 inch ginger, peeled & finely chopped

225g ground almonds

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon cardamom pods bruised

1 tablespoons black onion seeds/ mustard seeds

1 chilli, finely chopped

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 teaspoon chilli powder

2 cans coconut milk

600ml chicken stock

A bunch of coriander chopped

Method:

1.     Dust the lamb with seasoned flour brown the meat

2.     Heat the butter and sweat the onions for 10 mins

3.     Add the garlic, ginger, ground almonds, & all the spices & cook for 5 minutes

4.     Return the lamb to frying pan and add the coconut milk and stock and bring to boil

5.     Transfer to oven dish and put in 180 degree oven

6.     Cook for an hour

Serve with chopped coriander

Recipe: My thai pineapple fried rice

Thai Pineapple Fried Rice

Serves 2

Ingredients:
2 Chicken fillets
1 cup pineapple titbits (fresh is better, but canned works too)
2 cups cooked rice, preferably at least 1 day old (I use uncle bens microwaveable basmati)
4 Tbsp. oil for stir-frying
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 red or green chili (de-seeded if milder rice is desired)
1/2 cup roasted unsalted cashews
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 egg, beaten (omit if vegan)
1/4 cup currants (or raisins)
3 Tbsp. chicken or vegetable stock
3 Tbsp. fish sauce (or substitute 3+ 1/2 Tbsp. soy sauce if vegetarian)
2 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. sugar
3 spring onions, finely sliced
1/3 cup fresh coriander

1. Swirl 3 Tbsp. oil around a wok or large frying pan over medium-high
heat.

2. Add the chicken, shallots, garlic, and chili, stir-frying for
one minute, or until fragrant...
3. Push aside the shallots, garlic, and chili to make room for the egg
4. Add the beaten egg to the wok/pan, and stir fry quickly to
cook.
5. Mix together the chicken or vegetable stock, fish sauce, curry powder, and sugar.

Stir well, and then add to wok/pan.
6. Add the cashews and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
7. Add rice (already hot from micro)
8. Add the frozen peas, currents (or raisins), and pineapple. Stir-fry to mix in.
9. Continue stir frying until everything is integrated

10. To serve, sprinkle with spring onion and coriander.

Recipe: Carrot Salad

Carrot Salad
Serves 4-6


Ingredients:
A handful of flaked almonds
5/6 Carrots
1 Fresh red chilli
A Bunch of fresh coriander
A 2cm piece of ginger
1 Lemon

Method:
1. Toast almonds in a dry frying pan
2. Grate carrots into a bowl
3. Blitz the chilli, half the coriander & ginger
4. Drizzle a lug of olive oil over the salad with a pinch of salt
5. Finaly grate in some lemon zest and squeeze of lemon juice
6. Toss well and sprinkle the almonds & remainder of the coriander over the top and serve

Recipe: Sesame Chinese Chicken

Chinese Sesame Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:
3 pieces of chicken breast or 1/2 chicken - cut to bite size pieces
1 tbsp. of light soy sauce
1 tbsp. of cooking wine
1/2 tbsp. of sesame oil
1 tsp. of sugar
2 tbsp. flour
1 tbsp. rice flour or corn-starch
Salt & pepper to taste

Sauce:
3 tbsp. of sweet chili sauce
2 tbsp. of tomato ketchup
1- 2 tbsp. of honey (depend on how sweet you want)
1 tbsp. of oyster sauce
2 tbsp. of light soy sauce
1/4 cup of water
some toasted sesame seed

Method:

1. Marinate chicken with soy sauce, wine, sugar, sesame oil, salt and pepper and set it aside for at least an hour. Just before frying mix the 2 type of flour together and mix it into the chicken.
2. Prepare oil for frying. Fry chicken until golden brown, dish out and drain the oil in paper towel. Remove all the oil from the pan.
3. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and pour it back into the pan. Bring it up to a boil and let the sauce thicken a bit.
4. Add in the chicken and toss it gently until the chicken is evenly coated with the sauce. Sprinkle the sesame seeds to the chicken. Serve with warm rice.

Recipe: Bang Bang Shrimp

Bang Bang Shrimp

Serves 2

Ingredients:

8 Prawns per person

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
3 drops  Hot Chili Sauce
Corn flour
Oil for frying
lettuce
Chopped scallions

Method:

1.     Mix mayonnaise with Thai Sweet Chili Sauce.

2.     Add hot sauce to taste.

3.     Dip prawns in corn flour.

4.     Deep fry the shrimp until lightly brown.

5.     Drain on paper towel, put in a bowl and coat with the sauce.

6.     Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

Recipe: Massaman Curry

Massaman Curry with Chicken

Serves 2

Ingredients:

300g Chicken

2 tbsp Massaman curry paste

1 cup Coconut milk

1 cup  coconut cream

100g potatoes, peeled & boiled

1 onion, cut into quarters

2 tbsp roasted peanuts

5 roasted cardamom pods

2 roasted cinnamon stick, about 2 inch long

3 bay leaves

1 tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp sugar

3 tbsp tamarind juice

2 Star Anise

Method:

1.     Preheat the coconut milk over medium heat until boiling, add chicken, reduce the heat & simmer for 10 mins until tender

2.     Preheat the coconut cream over medium heat until oil surfaces, add the curry paste & sauté until fragrant, transfer to the chicken pot, add peanuts. Season to taste with sugar, fish sauce, tamaring juice

3.     Add the remaining ingredients, and simmer until everything is cooked

Recipe: Massaman Curry Paste

Massaman Curry Paste

Ingredients:

1 tsp coriander seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

5 tsp pepper corns

1 tsp ground roasted cloves

3 pieces dried red chillies, seeds removed

1 tbsp lemongrass

1 tbsp galangal

1 tbsp garlic

1 tbsp shallot

1 tsp shrimp paste

1 tsp salt

Method:

1.     Pound or blend all ingredients

Recipe: Elaines Seafood Chowder

Seafood Chowder

Serves Four

Ingredients:

700ml Fish Stock

2 Carrots,

4 Cloves Garlic

1 Small Onion

Prawns

White Fish

Smoked Fish

400ml Cream

Fresh Chives

Fresh Parsley

Method:

1. Cook Onions, garlic & carrots in stock

2. Simmer stock and add fish and cream

3. Just before serving add chives and parsley

Recipe: Coconut Creme Brulee

Coconut Crème Brulee (Carton House Recipe)

Serves 6

Ingredients:

1 Vanilla pod

400ml cream

150g Castor sugar

8 Egg yolks

4 tbsp. caster sugar

1.     Preheat oven to 90 degrees

2.     Split the vanilla pod in half and scrape out the seeds

3.     Place the seeds, cream and coconut milk in a saucepan

4.     Boil for two minutes and then remove from heat

5.     Cover the saucepan with Clingfilm and leave to infuse for 30 minutes

6.     When the mix is infused return to the heat and bring to boil

7.     Whisk together the egg yolks and castor sugar until pale white, when the cream mixture is boiling pour it on to the egg mixture

8.     Stir until the sugar is dissolved and then pass through a strainer to remove any lumps

9.     Pour the mix into 6 ramekins and place on the baking sheet in the centre of the oven.

10.  Cook for approximately 50-60 minutes until the centre is set

11.  Chill in the fridge for 2 hours

12.  To finish off, sprinkle the sugar over the top and put under a really hot grill.

Recipe: Pea Soup

Pea Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients:

100g Butter

4 shallots diced

3 cloves garlic

800ml chicken stock

500g frozen peas

140ml cream

6 pieces streaky smoked bacon

Method:

1.     Melt butter, add shallots, garlic and cook for a few minutes, add bacon

2.     Add the peas and cook for another 5 minutes

3.     Add the stock and simmer for five minutes to allow flavours to combine

4.     Blend in a liquidiser

5.     Add the cream and season with salt and pepper

Review: The Smoke House, Killarney

I ate here with Mr Food Fairy and another couple, it was our second time to eat here as we had eaten here before and it was amazing food & amazing atmosphere!

We all had starters which were Goats cheese and poached pear bruschetta, chicken liver pate and 2 of us ordered deep fried brie. The pate is served on a slab of slate and was smooth, creamy and delicious. The goats cheese was so tasty, and the deep fried brie was tasty but it was nothing different to any other deep fried brie I have had and at a price of €9 I was expecting a bit more but tasty none the less. For mains the two men ordered steaks one fillet and one rib-eye which were both cooked to perfection and served on wooden chopping boards-I tasted the fillet, not the nicest fillet I've ever tasted but definately up there-it was tender and seasoned well. I ordered a chicken caesar salad which was a big portion and was very tasty....the dressing was not too strong so I was happy, the last main was the goats cheese bruschetta which was the same as the starter. The Smokehouse don't do desserts which we were a bit surprised to learn but the staff here are so helpful and very efficient even though it has a very laid back feel to the place. They don't take bookings but we were lucky to get a table on a saturday night and in the time we were there atleast 22 people had come in to look for a table....very good spot for good rustic food in killarney. Our bill came to €125 including 2 x Vodkas & 7up and 2xbottle of heineken-good value for four starters and four mains including 2 steaks!

Will definately return to The Smokehouse the next time I am in Killarney....and probably everytime after that!