Tag: Rachel Allen

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A Pancake Extravaganza by Rachel Allen

rachel pancakes

Tuesday is pancake time. In all their shapes and forms, they are a real favourite in our household. It isn’t just our children who get excited – I adore pancakes and love an excuse to make a real feast of them. There’s something so pleasingly simple, so supremely comforting about a perfectly browned pancake, unchallenging and uncomplicated, but always delicious.
We’ll make all different sorts of pancakes on different years, and often on the same day. I love thin pancakes – they’re called crepes in France, where they’re usually made with some buckwheat flour. I like to eat them rolled up with lemon and sugar, or the perennial favourite, Nutella! We like to make thin pancakes as a savoury treat too, omitting the sugar and making a creamy mushroom filling with bacon and perhaps some Gruyere cheese.
If you’d like to make your pancakes a little more elaborate than just a squeeze of lemon and sugar, you can try this divine orange butter recipe, opposite, that we often make at the cookery school.
At other times, we like to make big, fluffy American pancakes, served with rashers and plenty of maple syrup. I’ve written recipes for blueberry and lemon pancakes in these pages before, as well as in a number of my cookbooks.
The Italian recipe here is a totally different take on pancakes that I’ve made on Pancake Tuesday in previous years. It was inspired by a conversation I had with the great Italian chef, Aldo Zilli. He told me a wonderful story about his mother using light pancakes as an alternative to pasta in certain dishes, and I’ve discovered that they work wonderfully with rich tomato sauces. The Italian baked pancakes with tomato sauce recipe, opposite, uses the pancakes in place of lasagne sheets, which adds a fluffiness to the dish. It’s a perfect family dish and would make a great centrepiece to a Shrove Tuesday dinner table.
Tip
Adding melted butter to the pancake batter will make a real difference to the pancakes’ flavour and texture. It also makes it possible to cook them without having to grease the pan every time.

Pancake Recipes:

 

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Rachel Allen’s Broccoli Soup with Dubliner Cheese Toasts @KerrygoldUSA #ballymaloe

video-broccoli

I adore this delicious and nutritious soup. It’s great either for family suppers or for a dinner party. The soup can be frozen and the Dubliner toasts prepared in advance, then grilled at the last moment. Ideal if you need a meal in an instant. Rachel Allen

Ingredients:
  • THE SOUP:
  • 2 tbsp Kerrygold Salted Butter
  • 2 potatoes, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 head of broccoli, with stalk
  • 3 1/2–4 1/4 cup hot vegetable (or chicken) stock
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • THE DUBLINER TOASTS:
  • 8 slices good-quality white bread
  • 3 oz Dubliner Cheese, finely grated
Directions:

 

Melt the butter in a medium to large saucepan, and add the potatoes and onion, salt and pepper. Cover with a piece of wax paper and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli florets from the stalk. Using a small knife, remove the outer layer of skin from the stalk and discard, then chop the stalk into 1/2-inch pieces. Add to the onion and potato, cover and sweat for a further 5 minutes.  Add the hot stock to the potatoes, onion and broccoli stalk, bring up to a boil, then add the chopped broccoli florets. Boil without the lid over a high heat for 4–5 minutes until soft, then add the cream. Remove from the heat, puree in a blender and season to taste.To make the Dubliner toasts, toast the bread on both sides, sprinkle with grated Dubliner Cheese and pop under a hot grill or into a hot oven for 2 minutes or until the cheese melts. Cut the toast into fingers and serve on the side with the soup.

 http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/broccoli-soup-with-dubliner-toasts/

 

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Rachel Allen’s Baked Mushroom Risotto #Ballymaloe

rach mush ris mar 16

Serves 2-4.

You will need:

50g (2oz) dried porcini mushrooms

400ml (14fl oz) boiling water

800ml (1pt 9fl oz) good-quality chicken or vegetable stock

50g (2oz) butter

1 onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

400g (14oz) risotto rice, such as carnaroli or arborio

200ml (7fl oz) white wine

8 tablespoons grated Parmesan, plus extra for serving

100g (3oz) butter, soft, cut into cubes

4 tablespoons marjoram or parsley, chopped

Good squeeze of lemon juice

2-3 tablespoons mascarpone (optional)

 Directions

In a heatproof bowl, combine the dried porcini mushrooms and boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes or until soft.

Preheat the oven to 180°C, 350°F, Gas 3. Place the chicken or vegetable stock, whichever you are using, in a saucepan over a medium-low heat and bring to just under a simmer.

Add the butter to a large saucepan or casserole dish with a lid, and place on a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and the chopped garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes until soft.

As the onion is cooking, drain the porcinis but reserve the soaking liquid. Roughly chop the porcinis and set aside, then strain the soaking liquid and add to the simmering stock. Season this liquid with salt and pepper.

Add the chopped porcinis to the onion and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes. Next, stir in the risotto rice and cook for two minutes, stirring gently. Add in the white wine, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes until it has evaporated. Pour in the simmering stock, stir to combine, place a lid on top and put it into the oven. Cook for 10-12 minutes until just al dente.

Remove the risotto from the oven, add the grated Parmesan and cubes of butter, then use a wooden spoon to beat everything together. Stir in the marjoram or parsley, whichever you are using, lemon juice and mascarpone, if using.

Serve immediately with grated Parmesan on top.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/baked-mushroom-risotto

 

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Rachel’s Banana Butterscotch Pudding @kerrygoldusa

ban butterscotch pudding 15816

I absolutely adore this pudding from Bill’s book, Simply Bill. He made this when I appeared with him on Great Food Live, and as soon as I tasted it I was hooked. I have adapted the recipe slightly to fit the pie dish that I have. To make this for 12 people, double this recipe and cook in a 10-inch square gratin dish for 55 minutes.

Ingredients:

FOR THE PUDDING:

1 cup (4 oz) all-purpose flour

3 tbsp baking powder

1/2 cup (4 oz) superfine sugar

1 egg, beaten

1 banana, mashed

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

6 tbsp (3/4 stick) Kerrygold Butter, melted

FOR THE TOPPING:

1/2 cup (4 oz) light brown sugar

2 tbsp corn syrup

2/3 cup boiling water

Softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream

Directions:

TO SERVE:

Preheat the oven 350°F (180°C). Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add the sugar. Mix together the beaten egg, mashed banana, milk, vanilla extract and melted butter. Pour mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until combined. Pour this wet dough into a 9-inch pie dish and place the dish on a baking sheet.

To make the topping, put the brown sugar, corn syrup and boiling water in a saucepan. Bring to the boil and then drizzle over the pudding. Bake for 30–40 minutes, or until it feels slightly firm in the center. Serve with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you’re not going to serve the pudding immediately, keep it somewhere warm until you are ready—it sits quite happily.

 http://kerrygoldusa.com/recipes/banana-butterscotch-pudding/
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Rory O’Connell’s Summer spinach with garlic, chilli and lemon with thanks to Rachel Allen

 rachel summer spinach 5616

Serves 4-6.

You will need:

1kg (2lb 3oz) spinach leaves, stalks removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and very thinly sliced

1 dried chilli, crushed into small pieces, or a pinch of chilli flakes

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Juice and zest of 1 lemon

Directions

Wash the destalked spinach in several changes of cold water, then allow it to drain in order to remove as much of the water as possible.

Place a wide, low-sided, heavy saucepan or frying pan on the heat and add the olive oil. Immediately add the peeled thinly sliced garlic, and cook gently until the olive oil gets hot and the garlic colours slightly. Add the crushed dried chilli or the chilli flakes, whichever you are using, and cook for a few seconds – the garlic should now be golden.

Increase the heat and add the drained spinach, being careful because it will hiss and spit a bit. Cook the spinach, turning it constantly, then season with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Add the lemon juice and zest, and stir them in. Pull the pan off the heat and taste. Correct the seasoning and serve the spinach immediately in a hot dish. The spinach can also be removed from the pan when it is cooked, spread out flat to cool, and served later at room temperature.

Garlic Recipes:

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Rachel’s warm winter green salad with Caesar dressing, smoked bacon and a poached egg #ballymaloe

 

The dressing recipe makes more than you will need, but it keeps in the fridge for a week, if covered.

For the dressing, you will need:

  • 100ml (3½fl oz) sunflower or vegetable oil
  • 25ml (1fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 x 25g (1oz) tin of anchovies, drained and rinsed
  • 1 egg yolk
  • 1 small clove of garlic, peeled and crushed
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • Pinch of salt
  • ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
  • ½ teaspoon Tabasco sauce

For the salad, you will need:

  • 4 good-quality eggs
  • 1 tablespoon sunflower oil, for frying
  • 8 rashers of smoked streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (¼in) dice
  • 4 handfuls of mixed lettuce leaves, including rocket and winter greens, such as baby spinach, mustard greens or beetroot leaves
  • 50g (2oz) Parmesan cheese, grated, to serve
  • 1 tablespoon chives, chopped, to serve

First, make the dressing – you can do this either in a food processor or by hand. First, pour the sunflower or vegetable oil, whichever you’re using, and the extra-virgin olive oil into a jug.

If you’re making the dressing by hand, mash the anchovies with a fork, then put them in a bowl along with the egg yolk, the crushed garlic, the lemon juice, the Dijon mustard, the pinch of salt, the Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco sauce. Whisk together.

As you’re whisking, add the oil mixture from the jug very slowly and gradually. The dressing will become creamy as the emulsion forms.

When all the oil mixture has been incorporated, whisk in 25ml (1fl oz) of water to make the dressing the consistency of double cream, then add some extra seasoning to taste.

If you’re making the dressing in a food processor, add the anchovies, the egg yolk, the crushed garlic, the lemon juice, the Dijon mustard, the pinch of salt, the Worcestershire sauce and the Tabasco sauce. Whizz together, then gradually add the oil mixture from the jug and the water, as previously described, pouring them in through the machine’s feed tube.

To poach the eggs, first put a saucepan of water on a high heat and bring it to the boil.

Meanwhile, pour the sunflower oil into a frying pan on a high heat, add the bacon and fry it for 3-5 minutes, or until it is golden brown and crispy. Drain it on kitchen paper and set aside.

While the bacon is frying, tear the mixture of lettuce and winter greens into large, bite-sized pieces and place a handful on a plate. Drizzle with 1-2 tablespoons of the dressing, then sprinkle with the crispy bacon pieces.

Once the egg-poaching water has come to the boil, turn the heat down to low. Crack each egg into the lightly simmering water and poach for 3-4 minutes, or until the white is set and the yolk is still a little soft.

Turn the heat off under the saucepan and carefully lift each egg out, one by one, allowing all water to drain from the egg. Arrange one egg in the centre of each plate of dressed salad leaves, sprinkle with grated Parmesan and chopped chives.

Serve immediately.

http://www.rachelallen.com/post/warm-winter-green-salad-caesar-dressing-smoked-bacon-and-poached-egg