140ml/5floz vegetable oil, plus extra for greasing
220/7oz light brown sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
350g/12oz grated carrots, (grated weight)
100g/3½ oz golden raisins
100g/3½ oz walnuts, chopped
200g/7oz self-raising flour
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
For the orange blossom frosting
300g/10½ oz cream cheese, chilled
70g/2½ oz butter, at room temperature
300g/10½ oz icing sugar, sifted
1 orange, zest only
2 teaspoons of orange blossom water
METHOD:
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C and oil and line a 13 x 23cm loaf tin with greaseproof paper.
2. For the carrot cake: beat the eggs in a large bowl, then add the oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, grated carrot, raisins and chopped walnuts.
3. Sift in the rest of the dry ingredients and bring the mixture together using a wooden or large metal spoon until well combined. Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf tin, smooth the surface and bake in the oven for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. If you’re using a ceramic baking dish then you’ll need to add 15 minutes to the cooking time.
4. Remove from the oven and allow the cake to cool in the tin for about five minutes before removing. Cool completely on a wire rack before serving.
5. For the orange blossom frosting: beat the cream cheese and butter together in a bowl until well combined. Add the icing sugar, orange blossom water and finely grated orange zest and mix until the frosting is smooth and thick. Using a palette knife, spread the frosting evenly over the cooled cake, dipping the knife into a bowl of hot water if the icing is hard to spread out.
6. Decorate with orange zest on top of the frosting.
I love absolutely love making Christmas cake, it’s one of those traditions that takes me right back to childhood, bringing the recipe to life with my mother making a wish as we stirred.
The whiskey gives it flavour and helps really preserves it, but the real magic comes from time. Time to rest, time to deepen, time to become something truly memorable.
Keep an eye out for an upcoming post where I’ll show you the dish this is for, it’s one I think you’ll love☺️
Our Double Savers make midweek meals simple and delish without breaking the bank ✅✅ Try this tasty Black Bean Stir Fry using ingredients from our own label range 😋
INGREDIENTS 325g Dunnes Stores Stir Fry Irish Beef Strips 475g My Family Favourites Black Bean Sauce 1 head Dunnes Stores Fresh Broccoli 150g Dunnes Stores Sliced Mushrooms 250g Dunnes Stores Jasmine Rice
METHOD Heat a large frying pan or wok over a medium, high heat and add some cooking oil. Stir fry the vegetables until just charred and barely cooked. Remove from the pan and set aside. Add the rest of the oil to the pan and stir fry the beef until cooked and browned all over. Add the cooked vegetables back to the pan along with the black bean sauce and stir through until piping hot and coated evenly. Serve over steaming rice. Optional: garnish with coriander to serve.
My brother, Kenneth, loves Asian food and he is in no doubt that he is far better than me at cooking it! I don’t disagree. He is proud of this chicken satay dish and often makes it for the family. This dipping sauce also works well with pork, prawns, beef strips or turkey. And remember, kids just love anything on sticks!
SERVES 4
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
2 tsp clear honey
2 tsp medium curry powder
450g (1lb) skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into long strips
FOR THE PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD:
4 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tbsp caster sugar
pinch of salt
½ small cucumber, peeled, halved, deseeded and thinly sliced
FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:
2 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light brown sugar
juice of ½ lime
1 x 160ml (5½fl oz) tin of coconut milk (Thai Gold, if possible)
½ red chilli, deseeded and finely diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 To make the dipping sauce, place the peanut butter in a small pan and stir in the soy sauce, light brown sugar and lime juice. Gradually whisk in the coconut milk and heat gently until you have achieved a smooth sauce. Stir in the chilli and coriander, then leave to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a skin from forming.
2 Soak 8 x 15cm (6in) bamboo skewers in a shallow dish of cold water for at least 30 minutes. Preheat a griddle pan until it’s smoking hot or light a barbecue.
3 Whisk together the soy sauce, honey and curry powder. Season with pepper and stir in the chicken pieces. Leave to marinate for 2 minutes, then thread the chicken pieces onto the soaked bamboo skewers and arrange on the barbecue. Cook the chicken skewers over medium-hot coals for 4–6 minutes, turning once or twice, until completely tender and cooked through. If using a griddle pan, reduce the heat to medium as soon as you’ve put the skewers on.
4 Meanwhile, to prepare the pickled cucumber salad, place the vinegar in a bowl and stir in the sugar and a good pinch of salt until both have dissolved. Tip in the cucumber, stirring to combine, and set aside to allow the flavours to develop. 5 To serve, arrange 2 chicken satay skewers on each warmed plate. Divide the dipping sauce among individual bowls and place to the side of the skewers. Add the pickled cucumber salad, leaving behind any excess liquid, to serve.
Butter Chicken
Swap your usual takeaway curry for this homemade chicken makhana, which combines marinated chicken with a rich, buttery sauce. This is an authentic Indian curry with its origins in Delhi, where it was first made to use up pieces of leftover tandoori chicken.
Serves 4–6
500g skinless and boneless chicken breasts or thighs
juice and finely grated rind of 1 lemon
3 tbsp mild curry seasoning
4 tbsp natural yogurt
3 tbsp sunflower oil
30g butter
2 red onions, thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
1 red chilli, seeded
3cm piece fresh root ginger, peeled and sliced
20g fresh coriander
400ml passata (Italian sieved tomatoes)
120ml cream
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Trim the chicken and cut into bite-sized pieces. Put in a bowl and stir in half the lemon juice with a good pinch of salt. Add 2 tablespoons of the curry seasoning, the yogurt and 1 tablespoon of the oil. Mix to combine, then season generously with pepper. Cover and leave to marinate for at least 1 hour or up to 3 days in the fridge.
Heat the rest of the oil and a knob of the butter in a wok or skillet over a high heat, and quickly sear the marinated chicken in batches until golden brown, transferring with a slotted spoon to a clean bowl as you go. Add the onions to the pan and sauté for 4–5 minutes until they start to caramelise.
Tip in the garlic, chilli and ginger, then add another knob of the butter and sauté for 1–2 minutes. Chop the stalks from the coriander and add them to the pan with the rest of the curry seasoning and another knob of the butter. Toast for a few minutes until very fragrant. Pour the passata into the pan and bring to a simmer, then add the cream and the rest of the lemon juice.
Transfer to a blender and blend until you have a very smooth sauce. Return to the pan and add the chicken with any juices and reheat gently for about 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender. Season to taste, then fold in the lemon rind with the rest of the butter and the coriander leaves, reserving a few sprigs to garnish. Transfer to bowls and garnish with the coriander sprigs.
SERVE WITH … This mild and creamy curry is sure to please all tastes. Make some Homemade Flatbreads, perhaps brushing them with a little melted butter and sprinkling with black onion seeds. A bowl of Pilau Rice completes the meal, alongside some spiced mango chutney, mint raita and lime pickle.
2 Place the rhubarb into an oven proof dish. Pour over the sugar. Place the orange slices on top. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with the orange blossom water and leave to cool.
3. Place the rice, milk, chai tea bags and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to the boil on the hob. Turn down to simmer slowly for 30 – 40 minutes, only leave the tea bags in the milk for ten minutes before removing.
4. Stir occasionally to ensure it doesn’t catch on the bottom. Spoon the rice pudding into bowls, top with some rhubarb and scatter with toasted almonds. Serve right away.
Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan.
Photography: Philip Doyle.
Food styling: Sharon Hearne-Smith
I love this time of year. Conor and Lucia have made their pumpkin lanterns and I never let anything go to waste. I make soup with the flesh that they have scraped out – which is also good with pasta. Sage is a herb that tastes particularly well with pumpkin.
This is a recipe that you could use any time of the year with butternut squash or with sweet potatoes instead of the pumpkin.
I mentioned recently how many butchers are making their own sausages and here is another chance to try some out. With colcannon, this makes a very tasty meal.
Colcannon is also delicious with any grilled meat or with Sunday lunch. I often use this onion gravy with roast meats or pork chops. Allowing it to carmelise adds great depth of flavour.
Happy cooking,
Neven
Penne with pumpkin, crispy bacon, sage and Parmesan
Serves four to six
4 tbsp olive oil
175g (175g) smoked streaky bacon lardons
500g (1¼lb) pumpkin, peeled, seeded and finely diced
15g (½oz) packet fresh sage, finely shredded
500g (1¼lb) penne pasta
50g (2oz) freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra to garnish
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Heat the oil a large frying pan and fry the bacon for two to three minutes until crisp. Add the pumpkin with the sage. Season with salt and pepper and cook for four to five minutes, stirring occasionally until the pumpkin is cooked through.
2 Cook the penne according to the packet instructions, then drain and add to the pumpkin with the crispy bacon. Stir in the Parmesan and season to taste, then divide among bowls.
3 Garnish with extra Parmesan and black pepper.
Sausages with colcannon
Serves eight to 10
1.5kg (3lb) floury potatoes (such as Rooster), peeled and cut into chunks
8 traditional jumbo Irish pork sausages
225g (8oz) kale, finely shredded
2 scallions, very finely chopped
120ml (4fl oz) milk
75g (3oz) butter
Salt and pepper
Stout onion gravy, to serve (optional, see point 3)
1 Steam the potatoes until tender. Cook the sausages in a frying pan in a little oil or under the grill. Place a knob of the butter and a tablespoon of water in a pan over a high heat. Add the kale and scallions with a pinch of salt. Cover, shake vigorously and cook for 1½ minutes. Shake again and cook for another 1½ minutes, until the cabbage or kale is tender but still crisp.
2 Heat the milk in a small pan or in the microwave. Mash the potatoes and then beat in the butter with enough of the milk to make a smooth, creamy mash. Season to taste with salt and pepper and serve with the sausages and some gravy, if liked.
3 Stout onion gravy: sauté thinly sliced onions in butter and season with salt and pepper, then sprinkle with a little sugar to caramelise. Stir in a spoonful of flour and then pour in enough Guinness or beef stock from a cube to make a thick smooth gravy.
“I love classic Spanish churros for breakfast – who doesn’t?” Chef Georgina Hayden says.
“Dipped in hot chocolate, they’re such a treat, but deep-frying is not something I want to be doing on a weekday morning (or any morning, come to that). This is a striking and fun alternative.
“As with all good batters, you can just leave this one in the fridge overnight for next-level effortlessness. My kids’ dream breakfast.”
Churros Dutch baby
Serves: 4
85g plain flour
275ml whole milk
3 large eggs
A good pinch of sea salt
1tsp vanilla extract
50g unsalted butter
4tbsp icing sugar
1tsp ground cinnamon
150g chocolate (Hayden likes a mixture of dark and milk, but whatever floats your boat…)
200ml single cream
Method
1. Blitz the plain flour, 175 millilitres of the whole milk, the eggs, sea salt and vanilla in a blender until smooth. You can also do this by hand with a whisk.
2. If you can, cover and leave the mixture to rest for 30 minutes, or in the fridge if leaving longer (though bring the batter to room temperature before cooking).
3. Preheat your oven to 220°C/200°C fan/gas mark seven.
4. Cut the butter into cubes and place in a large ovenproof frying pan or cast-iron pan.
5. Pop into the oven until the butter has melted and is browned (this adds loads of flavour), but you don’t want it to burn, so keep an eye on it.
6. Working quickly and carefully, leave the pan in the oven, pour in the batter and shut the door. Leave it untouched for 20 minutes (do not open that door!).
7. Then reduce the oven temperature to 180°C/160°C fan/gas mark four and bake for a further five minutes.
8. While the pancake is baking, make the cinnamon sugar and the hot chocolate. Mix the icing sugar and ground cinnamon and set aside. Cut or break the chocolate into small equal-sized pieces and place them in a heatproof bowl.
9. When the Dutch baby is almost ready, heat the single cream and remaining 100 millilitres of milk in a small saucepan over a medium heat, so it is hot but not boiling. Remove from the hob before it starts to bubble, then pour it over the chocolate. Leave for one minute, then stir until you have a thick, smooth chocolate sauce.
10. When the Dutch baby is ready, remove from the oven and dust straight away with the cinnamon sugar, as evenly as you can. Serve with the chocolate sauce on the side.
MEDesque by Georgina Hayden is published in hardback by Bloomsbury Publishing. Photography by Laura Edwards. Available now.
Exquisite pear and almond tart video recipe from Rachel Allen. Ideal for people who don’t want to make pastry. Pears can be also replaced with a variety of different fruits. Find more recipes on: http://www.Kerrygoldusa.com/recipes
