FOOD Culinary Comforts

Culinary Comfort

Flogas is delighted to partner with Kevin Dundon of Dunbrody House Hotel to bring you these delicious easy Seasonal recipes

Kevin Dundon

SPICED COCONUT AND PUMPKIN SOUP

Make the most of the season’s pumpkin harvest with this creamy, warming soup that’s full of flavour (Serves 4) 2 tbsp sunflower oil 800g pumpkin, peeled, chopped 2 onions, roughly chopped 2 garlic cloves, chopped ½ leek, sliced 1 tsp. red chilli paste 500ml vegetable stock 400ml coconut milk 50g butter – optional salt and pepper

1. Drizzle a large saucepan with sunflower oil. Add the onion, garlic, leeks and sauté for one to two minutes. Add the pumpkin and chilli paste and sauté for a further minute. Add the stock and half of the coconut milk and season with salt and pepper. 2. Bring to the boil and reduce the heat to simmer for fifteen to twenty minutes or until tender. 3. Remove from the heat and blend the soup with handheld blender until smooth. Add most of the remaining coconut milk but reserve a little to drizzle when serving. Check the seasoning and texture (add extra water to stock if too thick). 4. Add the butter until smooth. 5. Serve the soup with an extra drizzle of coconut milk.

BARM BRACK

A traditional Irish fruitcake associated with Halloween but delightful at any time of the year. There are many items that can be found within the cake which suggest various different things for the recipient. If you get a ring it suggests that you will be married within one year, a coin could suggest you will get rich... (Makes one cake)

250ml strong cold tea 400g mixed dried fruit 1 teaspoon mixed spice or pumpkin spices mix + extra for the syrup 225g plain (all purpose) flour 175g brown sugar 1 egg, lightly beaten 2 teaspoons of baking powder

Optional Traditional Additions: (to be wrapped in tin foil or baking parchment) 1 ring, 1 pea, Piece of a cloth, Money for the glaze : 100g white sugar 100ml water salted Irish butter to serve

1. Place the cold tea and mixed dried fruit in a bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth and allow to infuse overnight. 2. Pre-heat a fan oven to 160C/325F/Gas Mark 4 and grease a 900g loaf tin and line the base of the tin with some baking parchment. 3. In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, spices, brown sugar. Add the fruit mix and the egg. Stir in and add most of the cold tea from the soaked fruits until a loose batter is achieved. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin. If you are putting in a ring, coin, rag, pea etc. wrap it in tin foil or baking parchment and place it into the cake mixture at this stage. 4. Place in the pre-heated oven and bake for one and a half hours. 5. In the meantime, prepare the syrup. In a small saucepan, bring to the boil the white sugar and water until the sugar dissolved. Remove from the heat and add extra mixed spices. Set aside to cool until needed. 6. When the cake is baked, remove from the oven and cool in the tin for fifteen minutes. 7. Remove the cake out of the tin and brush with syrup. Place on a serving platter. 8. Serve warm or toasted with some salted Irish butter.

225g butter, diced and at room temperature 225g caster sugar 4 large eggs 225g plain flour 2 tsp baking powder for the icing : 200g butter, at room temperature 400g icing sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract 100ml mango puree mixed with orange food colouring

1. Preheat the oven to 180˚C. 2. Line a twelve-hole muffin tray with paper cases. 3. In a mixing bowl, place the butter, caster sugar, eggs, plain flour, baking powder and beat until light and fluffy. Using two dessert spoons, divide the mixture between the muffin cases. 4. Bake in the oven for fifteen to twenty minutes or until a skewer comes out clean when dipped into the muffin. 5. Remove from the oven. Set aside to cool for five minutes and gently remove the muffins from the tray. 6. Next, prepare the butter cream. In a mixing bowl, beat the soft butter with the icing sugar and vanilla extract until light and fluffy. 7. Place the buttercream in the piping bag with the mango coulis using a star nozzle. 8. Pipe the buttercream over the queen’s cakes. 9. Serve and enjoy during the next day or so.