We hope everyone enjoyed the first episode of Nevens Christmas in Limerick! Enjoy some delicious recipes this festive season & ones which all the family can enjoy.
Don’t forget to tune back in next Thursday, 11th December, for Part 2 — even more Christmas inspiration coming your way!
4 x 175g hake fillets, pin boned, scaled and skin on
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
¼ butternut squash, deseeded and cut into cubes
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2cm piece of ginger, peeled and grated
½ red pepper, cored and cut into thin strip
s½ yellow pepper, cored and cut into thin strips
½ green pepper, cored and cut into thin strips
½ red chilli, seeds removed and thinly sliced
2 tsp mild curry powder2 tsp ground turmeric
1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes
1 x 400g tin coconut milk (Thai Gold brand, if possible)
100ml vegetable or fish stock
2 tbsp mango chutney
1 x 400g tin chickpeas, drained and rinsedJuice of
1 limeHandful of baby spinach leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Steamed basmati I rice, to serve
1 tbsp basil, chopped
1 tbsp coriander, chopped
Method
Preheat a large heavy based saucepan with the rapeseed oil over a medium heat
Add the butternut squash, onion, garlic, and ginger to the pan and stir to combine. Add in the sliced peppers, sliced chilli followed by the spices. Mix well to coat the vegetables in the spices, scraping the base of the pan.
Add in the chopped tomatoes, coconut milk, stock, mango chutney, chickpeas and lime juice. Stir to combine, cover with a lid and bring to the boil.
Once the curry has come to the boil, carefully place the hake portions on top and cover with the lid. Reduce the head to a low to medium and slowly poach the hake for 15 minutes, until cooked through.
Add in the spinach and nestle between the fish to wilt.
Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and finish with chopped basil and coriander.
☘️CRISPY Smashed Potatoes with Green Goddess Dip🍀 These were seriously addictive! I found all my ingredients at my local @dunnesstores. I love that they have such amazing quality Irish produce. It’s made all the difference in this recipe. Check out the full step by step below ⤵️
Goddess Green Sauce 1 avocado Handful fresh coriander Handful fresh parsley 50g (1/3 cup) cashews 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 80ml (1/3 cup) water 1-2 cloves roasted garlic (better for little tummies) Juice 1/2 lime Season with black pepper
Preheat oven to 180ºC.
Boil the potatoes until cooked. They should be soft on the inside but not falling apart. Empty onto a baking tray lined with parchment. Cut a cross into each one, then smash using a glass or cup. Drizzle over a little olive oil, then roast for 25-30 minutes.
To make the Goddess sauce, add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth.
Serve the potatoes with fresh coriander leaves and dip!
👶🏻 For Babies, cut the potatoes into wedges and roast without smashing. Remove from the oven before they turn crispy to keep them really safe.
Happy National Smoothie Day! To start your day with a double dose of deliciousness and a much-needed mid-week energy boost, we’re sharing one of our favourite smoothie recipes – Chocolate Banana Smoothie! 🌞💪 Made using our very own Flahavan’s Barista Oat Drink, this smoothie is a game-changer…. cool, refreshing and moreish, it’s the perfect blend of health and indulgence. Enjoy! 🍌🍫 #FlahavansOats#OatSmoothies
Serves 1|Takes 5 mins
Ingredients: 1 Ripe Banana, sliced and frozen 1 tablespoon of Cocoa Powder 250ml Flahavan’s Barista Oat Drink Chocolate/Cacao nibs to decorate
Method: Combine all the ingredients in a high speed blender and blend until smooth. If the bananas aren’t frozen, add a couple of ice cubes to the ingredients. Garnish with a few slices of banana and some chocolate nibs and serve immediately. And Enjoy your tasty smoothie on National Smoothie day !!22h
First season the haddock pieces with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the fillets in a single layer in the ovenproof dish (it should be a dish that is posh enough to bring to the table). Mix the grated Cheddar cheese together with the Dijon mustard and the cream and spread carefully over the fish.
The fish can be prepared ahead and refrigerated at this point. It will keep in the fridge for a day.
To cook, place in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the top is golden and bubbly. If the fish is cooked but the top is not yet golden, place under a hot grill for just a few moments to colour the cheese.
Nothing beats the flavour of homemade Christmas pudding, but it’s important to get good-quality fruit and it’s best made at least 1 month in advance.
I love plum pudding, hot or cold, with lashings of cream, but the spiked almond custard is even more special. I always look forward to it. A big thank you to Auntie Maureen for this recipe.
Ingredients
50g (2oz) plain flour
1/2 tsp ground mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
225g (8oz) sultanas
175g (6oz) butter, melted, plus extra for greasing
175g (6oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
175g (6oz) light brown sugar
175g (6oz) raisins
50g (2oz) currants
50g (2oz) candied mixed peel
50g (2oz) blanched almonds, hopped
1/2 eating apple, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 small carrot, grated finely grated rind and juice of
1 lemon
2 eggs, lightly beaten
300ml (1/2 pint) stout
fresh redcurrant sprigs, to decorate (optional)
icing sugar, to decorate (optional)
spiked almond custard, to serve
Method
Sift together the flour, mixed spice, cloves and nutmeg. Add the sultanas, melted butter, breadcrumbs, sugar, raisins, currants, mixed peel, almonds, apple, carrot and the lemon rind and juice and mix until well combined. Gradually add the beaten eggs, stirring constantly, followed by the stout. Mix everything together thoroughly and cover with a clean tea towel, then leave in a cool place overnight.
Use the fruit mixture to fill 2 x 1.2 litre (2 pint) greased pudding bowls. Cover with a double thickness of greaseproof paper and tin foil, then tie tightly under the rim with string. Store in a cool, dry place overnight.
To cook, preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F/gas mark 2).
Stand each pudding basin in a large cake tin three-quarters full of boiling water, then cook in the oven for 6–8 hours (or you can steam them for 6 hours in the usual way). Cool and re-cover with clean greaseproof paper. Again, store in a cool, dry place.
On Christmas Day, re-cover with greaseproof paper and foil. Steam for 2–3 hours, until completely cooked through and tender. Decorate with the redcurrant sprigs and a light dusting of icing sugar, if liked.
To serve, cut the plum pudding into slices and arrange on serving plates. Have a separate jug of the spiked almond custard so that everyone can help themselves.
Here are three delicious options, the first is the classic Mincemeat recipe passed down in Myrtle Allen’s family for several generations. Of course, it contains suet so it’s moist and juicy and best eaten hot. The second, Emer Fitzgerald’s Mincemeat is vegetarian, it doesn’t include suet or butter and is also gluten free. The third, Brandy Mincemeat, does not include suet either, but does have butter.
Core and bake the whole apples in a moderate oven, 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4, for 30 minutes approx. Allow to cool. When they are soft, remove the skin and pips and mash the flesh into pulp.
Grate the rind from the lemons on the finest part of a stainless steel grater and squeeze out the juice and stir into the pulp. Add the other ingredients one by one, and as they are added, mix everything thoroughly.
Put into sterilized jars, cover and leave to mature for 2 weeks before using. This mincemeat will keep for a year in a cool, airy place.
Serves six.
You will need:
6 x 175g (6oz) pieces of haddock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
225g (8oz) Irish mature Cheddar cheese, grated
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons cream
Ovenproof dish 8½ x 10 in (21.5 x 25.5cm)
Pre-heat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 4.
First season the haddock pieces with the salt and freshly ground black pepper. Arrange the fillets in a single layer in the ovenproof dish (it should be a dish that is posh enough to bring to the table). Mix the grated Cheddar cheese together with the Dijon mustard and the cream and spread carefully over the fish.
The fish can be prepared ahead and refrigerated at this point. It will keep in the fridge for a day.
To cook, place in the pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes or until the fish is cooked and the top is golden and bubbly. If the fish is cooked but the top is not yet golden, place under a hot grill for just a few moments to colour the cheese.