Zingy Guacamole

Mexican food is one of my great loves. I never tire of eating nachos, quesadilla, fajitas etc. This recipe is for a good friend of mine that resides in london and is always asking me for a easy recipe to add a bit zing to the boring chicken wrap . I know this is a bit basic but we all have to start somewhere right? Homemade Gucamole is also a fab dip to make for pre night out drinks to serve with tortilla chips. Which I know she'll love !

Makes one bowl.
Will keep for one day so half the recipe if you won't use it all.

Ingredients :

2 perfectly ripe avocados
( to know if they are ripe they should feel slightly soft but not mushy or have a black skin it's best to but them 2/3 days before you want to use them).
1 red onion finally chopped
1 garlic clove crushed
A dash of tabasco
1 red chilli finally deseeded and chopped. If you don't like it too spicy add a tsp of sweet chilli sauce instead
1 small bunch of coriander chopped
1 tomato chopped into a small dice ( the Mexicans sometimes use pomegranate seeds in the winter when tomatoes aren't in season they add a nice bite to the guacamole).
Juice of 2 limes
Salt and pepper.

Method:

Half the avocados and take out the stone scoop out the green flesh and mash with a folk or a potato masher.
Add to a bowl with onion, garlic, chilli, Tabasco,coriander, tomato and lime juice.
Mix well
Taste
Add salt and pepper.

Serve !

Baked Chocolate Key Lime pie

This dessert is so yummy, for a change I've used Oreo biscuits for the base.

Preparation time 35 minutes
Chilling time 1 hour plus

Equipment needed 1 x 25cm loose bottom flutted tart tin a spring form tin will also work. grease well with a bit of oil or butter to prevent sticky when trying to take out of the tin.


Serves 8-10


The base:
2 packets of Oreo biscuits crushed in to crumbs
125g melted butter

The Filling:
4 eggs separated
1 tin of condensed milk
4 limes zested and juiced (try not to grate the zest past the white flesh as this is very bitter).
1 pack of chocolate drops/chips
50g sugar

For the topping
150ml whipped cream
1 x flake bar


Method:

Pre heat oven to 180oc

Melt the butter and mix with the crushed biscuits.
Press the mixture into your prepared tin. Make sure you bring the biscuits up two thirds up the sides and press well in the groves
Pop on in to the oven for 10 minutes take out and leave to cool.
Mean while for the filling
Beat the egg yolks in a bowl until fluffy then beat in the condensed milk lime zest and juice and choc chips
In another spotlessly clean bowl whisk your egg whites with the 50g sugar until firm.
Then gently fold the whites in to the yolk, lime and condensed milk mix with a large silver spoon to help cut the egg white through the mix easily with out knocking out all the air. 
Completely fill the biscuit base with your lime filling. Place in the oven again for 20-25 minutes. Until set and slightly brown but not dark.
It will sink a little bit don't worry it's meant to be like this.
Leave to cool

Remove from tin when cool and place on a serving plate.
Whip your cream to soft peaks
A spread on top of the pie. You can use a piping bag if you wish.
Sprinkle with crumbled flake and grated lime zest.
Slice and serve !

Ardsallagh Smoked Cheese Salad with Pommegranite seeds, walnuts and mixed leaves

Ardsallagh Goats Products is owned by Jane and Gerard Murphy, located in County Cork.Three types of cheese are made from their own herd and from locally sourced goat's milk.The cheeses are suitable for vegetarians
I normally use the soft variety which is delicious. However for a change
I purchased this the hard smoked version yesterday. I love flavour, I think it goes very well in this salad.
This salad is a lovely light lunch or a impressive side dish.

Preparation 5-10 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 small block of the smoked goats cheese( I used half of this size for the 4 salads)
2 ripe pommegranites
1 bag of washed leaves. I used Kildinan Farms mixed leaves which is suitated in Ballyhooly Co Cork but any salad leaves you can get will be fine.
I x 100g bag of walnut halves roughly chopped
(hazelnuts would also be lovely)

French dressing for 4

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
100ml olive oil or sunflower oil or a mix of the two
30 ml white wine vinegar
Pinch chopped thyme
Salt and pepper

Method: whisk all ingredients together

To bring the salad together
Mix all the leaves with the dressing
Place in individual bowl/plates
Half each pommegranite and spoon out the little ruby seeds, scatter half of each one on top of each salad.
Scatter a handful of walnuts on each salad. Lastly shave the goat cheese with a potato peeler On top of the leaves.
Serve with toasted sourdough bread for lunch. So simple but very tasty!

Cherry Tomato, Fennel White soda bread topped with smoked Maldon Sea Salt

This is a delicious and very simple bread to make.

I love Maldon sea salt and found this smoked version of it today. Most good food shops deli will supply it. The smokey flavour really brings out the a lovely flavour in the bread. How ever if you cant find it don't fret regular sea salt will work perfectly

Make 1 x 1lb loaf

Preparation time 5 minutes
Cooking time 40-60 minutes
Preheat oven 230oc or gas 8

Ingredients:

450 g plain flour
1 teaspoon smoked sea salt
I level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda or bread soda.
550 ml butter milk
1tsp tomato purée
6-8 cherry tomatoes quartered
1 tsp of crushed fennel seeds

Method:
Sieve flour salt and bicarbonate of soda
Add the cherry tomatoes and fennel seeds to a bowl then
Place all dry ingredients in the bowl
Whisk the tomato purée into the butter milk
Pour all the milk mixture in the centre in one go

Stir the mixture quickly with one hand in one direction.
The dough should be soft but not too wet when it's all together.
Turn out on to a well flour surface tidy it up and pop into a well greased bread tin.
Top with some more of the smoked sea salt.
Place in oven and turn down heat after 10 minutes
Then cook for a further 30 minutes
When cooked the bread should sound hollow when tapped at the bottom
Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Keeps for 2-3 days.
Delicious with homemade soups
Enjoy!

Coconut,lime and mint sorbet

This is a lovely end to a meal or great for cleansing the palette between courses.

If your lucky enough to have a ice cream machine you can use it for this recipe, otherwise whisking the mix every half an hour or so in the freezer will do the trick to break up the ice crystals. If the sorbet doesn't turn out smooth. You can always call it a granita!

Here's a quick definition of a sorbet.

Sorbet: is a frozen dessert made from sweetened water flavored with fruit (typically juice or purée), wine, and/or liqueur.

Serves 4 large portions and 6 little palette cleaners.

Preparation 10 minutes

Freezing time 4-6 hours

Ingredients:

125 g granulated sugar
150ml boiling water from kettle
1 x tin of coconut milk
Juice and zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons of roughly chopped mint

Method:

Place sugar in a saucepan and add
Boiling water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 3 minutes or until the mix makes a syrup
Pour in to a bowl and cool
When syrup is cool add lime coconut and mint.
Place in a plastic container and freeze
Every half hour or so stir with a fork or whisk to break up ice crystals until fully frozen.
Serve with fruit salad or with flaked coconut and the pulp from passion fruit. Delish!

Eggs Alaska

Panfried potato cakes with local smoked salmon poached eggs and hollandaise sauce.

Delicious any time of the day.
Breakfast, brunch, lunch, starter and tea time.

I'm using frank henderman smoke salmon which is absolutely delicious For the potato cakes I'm using ballycotton potatoes. Local free range eggs and I bought all my ingredients in the English market cork.

Serves 4

Preparation time 20 minutes
Cooking time 30 minutes

Ingredients:

350g Ballycotton potatoes, peeled
2 spring onions, finely sliced
sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
1 heaped teaspoon plain flour

Knob of butter

200g of smoke salmon

8 free range eggs

See my recipe for hollandaise on the blog.

Method:

Boil potatoes for 10-15minutes until cooked through but not mushy
Slice spring onions
Drain potatoes when cooked
Mash potatoes
Add spring onions
Flour
Salt and pepper

When cooled shape the potatoes in to cakes the size of scones

Heat a non-stick frying pan over a moderate heat and add the butter. Gently fry the potato cakes, 2 at a time, for 2 to 3 minutes each side until light brown and heated through. Keep warm.

Meanwhile poach the eggs
The freshest eggs are best for poaching.
Fill a wide deep-ish sauce pan with boiling water from the kettle.
Place sauce pan on the hob.
You will need the heat to be medium-high.
The water should be simmering by this I mean the bubbles should be under the water as opposed to a rolling boil.
Some people use vinegar for poaching I don't, if you want to by all means use your own method.
Crack the eggs in to the simmering water turn down heat a little and leave for 4 minutes.
Take out with a slotted spoon and place on a plate.

To plate up the dish serve two potato cakes person topped with the slice smoke salmon.
Finally add a poached egg on each one and pour some hollandaise sauce over the top
Garnish with a few scallion slices cut on the slant.

Cheats focaccia bread

I think anyone can make this bread evening you have no experience in baking. Im leaving the experts to use a yeast bread base if they wish. I prefer this version because I rarely have time to wait around for bread to prove and prove and prove !
From start to finish 45mins and you'll be eating this yummy bread

This bread is so quick and easy to make. It is a white soda bread base with olive oil & other added ingredients. You can really add as much or as little as you like. Peppers, onion, herbs etc
I made 2 and added red onion,thyme and baby potato to one and chorizo, red pepper and cherry tomato to the other.

This recipe makes one focaccia bread

Serves 6-8 people

Pre-heat the oven to 250oC
Grease a swiss roll tin about 23x32 cm
Or a square brownie tin with a good glug of olive oil (don't be shy with this use about 2 tablespoons.

Ingredients:
475grams of white flour

1 level teaspoon salt

1 sieved level teaspoon bread soda or bicarbonate of soda.

550-600 ml of buttermilk. (some times bread can take a little more liquid so if it seems a little dry add a bit more milk)

Method:

Sieve all the ingredients
If using herbs add half of them now
Make a well in the centre
Add the buttermilk
Using one hand mix the bread in one direction quickly.
If you over mix or take too long the bread will become stiff and resulting I. A hard tough bread to eat.
the dough should be soft but not wet and sticky.
When it's all together turn it out on to a floured surface tidy the dough up and quickly add it to the oiled tin.
Add 5 chopped cooked baby potatoes handful of fresh thyme and one red onion cut into wedges press into the top of the bread. Brush with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. I always use maldon sea salt but you can use any sea salt you can find.
Bake in the hot oven for 15-20 minutes
Cool on a wire rack and enjoy !