Category: Health & Wellbeing

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Darina Allen’s Carrot and Mint Soup

Carrot-Mint-Soup-(Carrot-Lovage-Soup)-(Carrot,-Chive

Carrot and Mint Soup

Most people will have carrots, onions and potatoes in their pantry – I’m using the first little shoots of fresh mint to flavour my batch of carrot soup today.

 

This soup may be served either hot or cold, don’t hesitate to put in a good pinch of sugar, it brings up the flavour.

560g(1 1/4lb/3 cups) carrots, preferably organic, chopped

45g(1 1/2oz/scant 1/2 stick) butter

110g(4oz) onion, chopped

150g(5oz) potatoes, chopped

salt,freshly ground pepper and sugar

sprig of spearmint

1.2litres (2 pints/5 cups) homemade light chicken or vegetable stock

62ml(2 1/2fl oz/generous 1/4 cup) creamy milk, (optional)

3 teaspoons freshly chopped spearmint

Garnish

a little lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche

sprigs of spearmint

Melt the butter and when it foams add the chopped vegetables, season with salt and freshly ground pepper and sugar. Add a sprig of mint, cover with a butter paper (to retain the steam) and a tight fitting lid.Leave to sweat gently on a low heat for about 10 minutes approx.Remove the lid, add the boiling stock and cook until the vegetables are soft. Pour into the liquidiser, add 3 teaspoons of freshly chopped mint and puree until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning. Adda little creamy milk if necessary.

Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème frâiche and a sprig of fresh mint.‍

Variation

Carrot and Lovage Soup‍

Substitute lovage for mint in the above recipe.‍

Carrot,Garlic Chive Flowers and Seeds‍

Add finely chopped garlic chives instead of mint in the master recipe. Garnish with a swirl of lightly whipped cream or crème fraiche,garlic chive flowers and seeds.  Society garlic flowers are also great.

https://www.fromballymaloewithlove.com/recipes/carrot-mint-soup
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Mary Flahavan’s Porridge & Yogurt Bread! #homebaking

fla oaty brown bread tw feb 16

27m27 minutes ago

We can guarantee lots of happy tummies after trying Mary Flahavan’s Oaty Brown Bread!

This is one of Mary Flahavan’s signature recipes – enjoy!

Serves Makes 1 loaf|Takes 60 minutes

INGREDIENTS:

1 large tub (500ml) of natural yogurt
1 beaten egg
1 tbsp. treacle (optional)
300g (12oz) Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets (or Flahavan’s Gluten Free Oats)
2 tsp bread soda
2 tbsp. mixed seeds (optional)
½ tsp salt (optional)

METHOD:

Place the yoghurt, beaten egg and treacle in a bowl and stir well.
Mix the oats, bread soda, seeds and salt in a separate bowl, add to the yogurt mixture and stir thoroughly.
Place in a greased or parchment lined 2lb loaf tin, sprinkle with oats and bake at 180°C / 350°F / Gas mark 4 for 30 minutes.
Lower temperature to 150°C / 300°F / Gas mark 2 and cook for a further 30 minutes.

Mary’s Tip:
A sweeter version of this bread can be made by adding some dried fruits or you can use chopped sundried tomatoes and basil for a savoury version.
To prevent the treacle from sticking to the spoon, coat it with oil before use.

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Today’s Ready brek bowl is served with frozen berries, a dollop of greek yogurt, a chilled glass of orange juice and some mixed nuts 😍

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.@rorysfood blackberry and sweet geranium posset #Ballymaloe

Watch How to Cook Well with Rory O’Connell at 8:30pm on Tuesday evenings on RTÉ One.

By Rory O’Connell Celebrity Chef
More from
How to Cook Well, with Rory O’Connell


Watch How to Cook Well with Rory O’Connell at 8:30pm on Tuesday evenings on RTÉ One.
Ingredients
A classic lemon posset or set cream is a simple and lovely thing and my version here with blackberries and sweet geranium leaves is I believe a good and delicious variation on the theme. It is remarkable how easy this is and how without the aid of egg or gelatine, the mixture sets into a tender chilled pudding. I like the possets served straight from the fridge, so nice and chilly. 
I often make this during the winter months using wild blackberries that I have frozen in the late summer or early autumn. If you are using frozen berries, use them straight from the freezer. I never cease to be amazed by the value one gets from a few bags of frozen fruit when fresh local fruit is simply not an option due to the seasons.  
A little softly whipped cream is the perfect accompaniment along with a fresh organic or crystallised rose petal. The combination of rose and blackberry is a marriage made in heaven and I might be tempted to add a few drops of rose water to the cream when whipping. Be careful though as too much rose water will yield a flavour that is too strong and overpowering. The flavour of the rosewater cream should be akin to catching the scent of a rose while walking about the garden – there but almost illusive.
If you do not have the lemon or rose-scented geranium, you can just leave it out. The fragrant leaves do however bring a magical element to the dish. The plants are easily found at good garden centres and can be treated as a house plant living on a bright window-sill or if the weather is mild where you live, they can spend spring, summer and autumn out of doors in a sheltered sunny spot. I can’t imagine not having one of these plants for the ravishing flavour to bring to certain dishes. In fact, it is the sort of magic that one receives from this rather innocuous looking leaf that humbles and mesmerises me and reminds me every time I use it, how astonishing nature is and how fortunate that my career has brought me down this path where I handle these treasures all of the time. Oh, joy.
The possets can be served in little cups or glasses or the prettiest receptacle you like to use. The portions are quite small as this is quite a rich little dish but I always think it is better to be longing for one more spoonful rather than being faced with too much food.
 A thin lacy biscuit such as the Nougatine biscuits would also be good here and I might be tempted to add a few drops of rose water to the cream when whipping. 
Serves 8 
400ml cream
90g caster sugar
5 leaves of rose or lemon scented geranium
100g blackberries
50ml lemon juice.
Method
Place the cream, sugar, geranium leaves and blackberries in a small saucepan and bring to a bare simmer.
Stir the saucepan occasionally to encourage the sugar to dissolve. Maintain that bare simmer for 5 minutes. If the cream boils hard the texture and consistency of the posset will be spoiled. 
Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. You will notice the colour of the cream improving dramatically as soon as the lemon juice goes in.
Now strain the cream through a sieve to remove the geranium leaves and at the same time push as much of the blackberries through as possible. 
Pour the strained cream into 8 little cups or glasses and allow to cool before placing in the fridge for 3 hours to set.
The posset will keep perfectly in your fridge for several days. I like to cover them to protect the delicate flavour.
Serve with a little softly whipped cream and if you have them, a fresh or crystallised rose petal and a nougatine biscuit.