let’s talk recipes.
Feel inspired with our collection of fond food memories! All about indulgence, perfection and proper home cooking, the ‘Lets talk recipes’ cookbook delivers on that promise!
Contents
Lazy Sunday Morning Pancakes
02
Family Curry
04
Chicken Satay
06
Chicken Tikka ‘Mo Salah’
08
Fish Chowder
10
Spicy Sweet Potato Shepards Pie
12
Winter Vegetable Soup
14
Lobster in Champagne
16
Aussie Pulled Pork Benedict
18
Irish Soda Bread
20
Granny’s Shortbread Cookies
22
Father’s Day Chocolate Cake
24
Cheese on Toast
26
Lazy Sunday Morning Pancakes DAVY KENNEDY
‘Every Sunday morning my wife warms the griddle and makes our wee family these delicious pancakes. They have the sweetness of a crepe and the texture of a good proper pancake. Once a year on ‘Pancake Tuesday’ she makes big batches and we both take them to our work families.’ HANDS-ON TIME 10 MINS COOK TIME 4 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)
2 large eggs plain flour caster sugar butter milk
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Weigh the 2 eggs in their shells. Measure out the same weight of plain flour, caster sugar and butter as the 2 eggs.
2 Melt the butter. Add the flour, caster sugar, eggs and melted butter (keep some melted butter to grease your griddle / pan) into a large bowl and mix together.
3 Add milk to the texture until it is of a thick, smooth consistency. 4 Heat your griddle or pan to a medium heat and grease with melted butter.
5 Add a ladle of the batter, it should be quite thick and wait
for bubbles to start to form. Once showing a golden brown colour, flip the pancakes. Enjoy with family and friends or with bacon and eggs!
02
let’s talk recipes
Family Curry MICHELLE DOYLE
‘I love this recipe because it is popular with all the family. Normally this recipe comes out for a family get together. Simple and tasty cooking for everyone to enjoy with either rice or chips.’
HANDS-ON TIME 20 MINS COOK TIME 30 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)
4cm piece ginger (peeled & finely chopped) ¾ garlic cloves finely chopped 1 tbsp chilli sauce 1 tbsp curry powder (medium) 3 tbsp vegetable oil 1 bay leaf ½ pint chicken / vegetable stock 1 small tin or ½ large tin of chopped tomatoes ½ tsp ground cumin 1 tsp turmeric 1 onion sliced 1 tbsp mango chutney 1 tsp sugar coriander to garnish (chopped) salt & pepper to season
04
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Place oil in a saucepan and cook sliced onion until it turns brownish.
2 Add ginger, chopped garlic and cool slightly. 3 Add curry powder, ground cumin and turmeric and cook for a few mins.
4 Add chopped tomatoes, bay leaf, some stock, mango chutney, chilli sauce and sugar. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for approximately 15 to 20 mins.
5 Cover and cook for another 8 to 10 mins, taste for
seasoning and add more stock if required. Remove the bay leaf.
6 Blend in a processor. 7 Garnish with coriander. 8 Serve with chicken, rice or chips.
let’s talk recipes
Chicken Satay MEGAN McINTOSH
‘I train a lot and eat healthy so this dish reminds me of having a takeaway! Being much healthier than a chicken satay from the Chinese, this recipe allows me to indulge in something very tasty when I fancy a treat. I love the nutty taste and texture from the peanut sauce and the combination of all the elements of the dish in a little parcel is simply amazing!’ HANDS-ON TIME 30 MINS COOK TIME 10-15 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4) SATAY
½ small bunch of fresh coriander 1 fresh red chilli (stalk removed) ½ clove garlic (peel and chop) 3 heaped tbsp good quality peanut butter soy sauce 2cm piece of fresh ginger (peel and chop) 2 limes (grate the zest) 4 x 180gm skinless chicken breasts honey for drizzling NOODLE SALAD
2 packs of Amoy Straight to Wok Noodles 100g unsalted cashews ½ medium sized red onion (peeled) 1 fresh red chilli small bunch of fresh coriander 1-2 tbsp soy sauce 1 lime (juiced) 1 tsp sesame oil 1 tps fish sauce 1 tps honey GARNISH
2 little gem lettuces ½ small bunch fresh coriander optional: 1 fresh red chilli soy sauce 1 lime 06
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Put the coriander into the food processor with the chilli, peeled garlic, 3 heaped tbsp of peanut butter and a lug of soy sauce. Add the ginger and the zest of both limes, sqeeze in the juice of 1 lime. Add a couple of splashes of water and whiz to a spoonable paste.
2 Trim the bases off the little gem lettuces. Rinse in a colander, spin dry and take straight to the table.
3 Put a medium frying pan on a low heat. Bash the cashew nuts with a rolling pin. Add to the warm pan and leave to toast, tossing occasionally.
4 Put the red onion half in the processor with the chilli and the
stalks from the bunch of coriander. Pulse until finely chopped, then put into a large serving bowl with 1 or 2 tbsp of soy sauce and a few lugs of extra virgin olive oil. Add the juice of 1 lime and stir in 1 tsp each of sesame oil and fish sauce. Mix well, then taste and correct the seasoning. Add the noodles to the bowl.
5 Toss your cashews and turn the heat up high. Add 1 tsp of honey and toss until golden. Place in small serving bowl.
6 Chop chicken into bite size chunks & coat with set aside satay mix. Grill on high turning occasionally until chunks have gone charred and are cooked through.
7 Everyone can build their own parcels of lettuce, noodles, chicken, satay sauce and cashews.
let’s talk recipes
Chicken Tikka ‘Mo Salah’ ROBERT NORTH
‘Being a massive Liverpool supporter and a super fan of Mo Salah, this is the signature dish in our house when a big match hits the screen. Lovingly created is the mouth watering Chicken Tikka with the secret Mo Salah twist, though not a secret anymore! Always enjoyed with a few beers.’ HANDS-ON TIME 30 MINS COOK TIME 30 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
4 chicken breasts 1 tbsp butter 2 tbsp cumin 2 tbsp paprika 1 tbsp coriander 1 tsp turmeric 1 tsp cayenne pepper ½ tsp salt 1 cup plain yoghurt juice of 1 lemon 6 cloves garlic 2 tbsp ground ginger 1 can of tomatoes ½ cup double cream 2 tbsp vegetable oil
08
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Cut chicken breasts into 2 inch chunks. 2 Mix spices - cumin, paprika, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and salt into a bowl.
3 Mix the chicken chunks with ½ spice mix, yoghurt and juice of one lemon. Leave to marinate for 1 hr.
4 In a large saucepan heat the butter and spices on a medium heat for 1 min.
5 Add the chopped garlic, ginger, tomatoes and cream. Simmer on a low heat for 10 mins.
6 Remove the chicken from the marinade and cook in the oil for 10 mins, until golden brown.
7 Add the cooked chicken to the sauce. 8 Serve with boiled rice and naan bread.
let’s talk recipes
Fish Chowder GAVIN GRIBBON
‘This recipe brings back fond memories from when I was a kid visiting my granny and granda’s house on a Sunday. Granda’s signature dish was Fish Chowder. Always a full house when the Fish Chowder was being served up! Good times.’
HANDS-ON TIME 45 MINS COOK TIME 45 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
INSTRUCTIONS
1 large potato (diced) 150gm streaky bacon 2 onions (finely diced) 3 tbsp flour ¼ tsp cayenne pepper or paprika 300mls milk 2 fillets of cod 2 fillets of smoked cod / haddock 2 fillets of salmon / trout small bag of prawns 250ml double cream small handful of parsley (finely chopped) salt and pepper
1 Cut the bacon into cube sized pieces, add the onion and place in saucepan. Cook for 2 mins until soft.
2 Add the diced potato, flour and stock. Simmer for 10 mins until the potato is tender. Season with salt, pepper and cayenne and add the milk.
3 Mix well and add the fish, chopped into cubes to the boiling mixture. Cook for a further 4 mins.
4 Finish with double cream and parsley. Extra milk may
be added if necessary. Serve with crackers, wheaten or crusty bread.
STOCK
1 fish stock cube 1 chicken stock cube 600ml of boiling water
10
let’s talk recipes
Spicy Sweet Potato Shepards Pie JACQUELINE McINTOSH
‘This is my go-to meal when I’m feeling under the weather. When I am cold, miserable and bunged up, this comfort food will always make me feel better. The combination of spicy and fiery with the more traditional cosy and comforting is enough to warm me up from the inside out.’ HANDS-ON TIME 20 MINS COOK TIME 1 HR 45 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 8)
4 tbsp olive oil 900gm (2lb) minced lamb 2 onions, roughly chopped 1 large red pepper deseeded & chopped 100gm (3 ½ oz) pumpkin, peeled, deseeded & cut into chunks 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped 1 scotch bonnet chilli or 1 regular red chilli, deseeded & chopped 2 tsp ground cumin 2 tsp ground allspice 2 tsp ground cinnamon 300ml (10fl oz) lamb stock or water grated zest and juice of 1 orange 6 tbsp tomato purée 2 tsp soft, dark brown sugar juice of 1 lime FOR THE TOPPING
1 kg (2lb 4oz) sweet potatoes 35gm (1¼ oz) butter ½ tsp cinnamon ½ tsp ground cayenne 1 tbsp chopped coriander, for serving (optional)
12
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a casserole and brown the lamb
- don’t let it sweat. Transfer the browned lamb to a bowl with a slotted spoon.
2 Remove all but 2 tbsp oil from the pan. Cook the onion, pepper
and pumpkin until the pumpkin and onions are golden all over and the onions are soft. Add the garlic, chilli and spices and cook for a further minute. Put the lamb back into the pan, then add the stock or water, orange zest and juice, tomato purée and sugar. Season with salt and pepper.
3 Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and cook for 45 mins
to one hour, partially covered. Stir occasionally. The liquid should reduce to a good, thick mixture (if it becomes too dry, add more stock or water). Stir in the lime juice and check the seasoning.
4 While the lamb is still cooking, make the sweet-potato topping.
Bake the sweet potatoes in their skins, set on a metal baking-sheet, in an oven preheated to 190°C . They will take about 40 mins to become tender, depending on size. When they’re soft, slit them down the middle and scoop the flesh into a bowl.
5 Heat half the butter in a pan and cook the spices in for about
one minute. Mash this into the potato, adding salt and pepper.
6 Put the lamb into a pie dish and spread the sweet potato on top. Dot with the rest of the butter.
7 Cook in the oven for 20 mins or until the pie is golden and the lamb is just beginning to bubble up around the edges.
8 Ready to serve. let’s talk recipes
Winter Vegetable Soup SEAN GRIBBON
‘We make this on a Saturday morning during the winter as the boys have football and swimming. They’re home between 12 noon and 1pm so it’s handy to have it already cooked. Being full of vegetables and goodness is an added bonus too!’
HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 1 HR 5 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
30g butter 1 garlic glove (can use frozen) 2 medium onions (sliced) ½ red chilli (can use frozen) ½ tsp curry powder 2 medium potatoes (peeled and cut into small chunks) 1 parsnip (peeled and sliced) 3 carrots (peeled and sliced) 1 ltr vegetable stock ½ tsp mixed herbs (can use dried)
14
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Melt the butter, add the onions and garlic until they become soft, normally takes around 5 mins.
2 Add the vegetable stock. 3 Add the red chilli, curry powder and mixed herbs. 4 Simmer for 1 hr. 5 Take off the heat and blitz the soup in the processor for a couple of minutes.
6 Ready to serve. Season with salt & pepper.
let’s talk recipes
Lobster in Champagne NIGEL TURNER
‘This dish brings me back to 2007 when my then girlfriend and I travelled to Riveria Mayo, Mexico on holidays. I had arranged a candlelit dinner on the beach. We ate lobster in champagne, enjoyed the views and then I popped the question! Thankfully she said ‘Yes’. Recently we celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary and now have 3 amazing children.’ HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 25 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
2 lobster tails 160ml champagne 2 spring onions (chopped) ¼ tsp salt 60ml whipping cream 2 tbsp unsalted butter 1 tbsp of chopped fresh dill
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Combine the lobster tails, champagne, chopped spring onions and salt in a pan. Bring to the boil.
2 Reduce heat to a medium low, cover the pan and simmer
until lobster is cooked through, approximately 15 mins. Transfer the lobster to a plate.
3 Stir cream into the champagne sauce. Bring to the boil and cook until the sauce is reduced to about 75ml, this will normally take 5 to 10 mins.
4 Whisk butter into the champagne sauce, 1 tbsp at a time until sauce is smooth. Cover the pan and remove from the heat.
5 Remove the lobsters tails from their shells and slice into
medallions. Place on a plate. Spoon the champagne sauce over the lobster medallions.
6 Season with salt and pepper.
16
let’s talk recipes
Mary Jane’s Vanilla Fudge LINDA MURRAY
‘Great childhood memories of visits from my Great Aunt Mary Jane. Driven by Patsy in their blue VW Beetle, she would arrive in our kitchen where we waited with watering mouths to see the bags of homemade fudge unfold from her large flowery shopping bag. A real life Mary Poppins!’ HANDS-ON TIME 10 MINS COOK TIME 30 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 6)
4 cups sugar ¼ cup butter (I used salted) 1 cup milk 1 can sweetened condensed milk (1⅓ cups) ½ tsp vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Grease a 9x13 inch pan or you can use another size depending on how thick you want it.
2 Heat sugar, butter, vanilla and milk in a large sauce pan
over the stove, bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 mins, stirring frequently.
3 Add condensed milk and boil for about 15 mins
until mixture starts to thicken/darken, stir it frequently.
4 Remove from the heat, beat until it’s thick and creamy, for about 1 min. Pour into a prepared pan.
5 Let it set at room temperature until fully set
(may take anywhere between 2 hrs to over night).
6 Cut into 1 inch squares.
18
let’s talk recipes
Irish Soda Bread MARTINA NEESON
‘This recipe reminds me of my dear mother. She always baked traditional foods, nothing fancy but always tasted amazing. Perfect treat for a Sunday afternoon with a mug of tea and a good oul catch up.’
HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 40 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)
4 to 4 ½ cups flour 1 tbsp sugar 1 tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda 4 tbsp butter 1 cup currants or raisins 1 large egg, lightly beaten 1 ¾ cups buttermilk
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Preheat oven to 425oF. Whisk together 4 cups of flour,
the sugar, salt and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.
2 Using your fingers, work the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then add in the currants or raisins.
3 Make a well in the centre of the flour mixture. Add beaten
egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir.
4 Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in
the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf.
5 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet
or a baking sheet. Score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an ‘X’ shape.
6 Transfer to oven and bake at 425oF for 35-45 mins until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped. Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the centre. If it comes out clean, it’s done.
7 Remove pan
or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 mins, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.
20
let’s talk recipes
Granny’s Shortbread Cookies CHRISTINE BELL
‘I recall when I was young, myself along with my brothers and sisters would visit our granny most weekends. She was always cooking and baking. We loved to help her and most of all we couldn’t wait on the shortbread to be ready. Just out of the oven, we’d all sit around the table with the milk and shortbread. We almost had them all ate before we’d head for home.’ HANDS-ON TIME 15 MINS COOK TIME 15 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 5)
Cream 8 oz margarine 4 oz cornflour 4 oz castor sugar A 3 ½ inch cutter makes 20 biscuits
22
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Mix 8 oz plain flour and 4 oz cornflour and add to the cream mix.
2 Roll out the pastry. 3 Cut into shapes and prick with a fork. 4 Cook at 170˚C for 15 mins until golden. 5 Cool and sprinkle with caster sugar.
let’s talk recipes
Father’s Day Chocolate Cake SARA COTTER
‘This recipe is absolutely delicious, moist chocolate sponge cake with indulgent chocolate icing. I made this cake with my daughter for my dad on ‘Father’s Day’, linked with a happy memory - this recipe is a must try for all chocolate lovers.’
HANDS-ON TIME 40 MINS COOK TIME 55 MINS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 8)
THE CAKE
400gm plain flour 250gm golden caster sugar 100gm light brown muscovado sugar 50gm best quality cocoa powder 2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tsp salt 3 large eggs 142ml sour cream 1 tbs vanilla extract 175gm unsalted butter (melted and cooled) 125ml corn oil 300ml chilled water FUDGE ICING
175gm dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids) 250gm unsalted butter (softened) 275gm icing sugar (sifted) 1 tbs vanilla extract
INSTRUCTIONS
1 Preheat the oven to 180˚C. 2 Butter and line the bottom of the 2 x 20cm / 8 inch sandwich tins. 3 In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugars, cocoa, baking
powder, bicarb and salt. In another bowl or wide-necked measuring jug whisk together the eggs, sour cream and vanilla until blended. Beat together the melted butter and corn oil until just blended, then beat in the water. Add the dry ingredients all at once and mix together on a slow speed. Add the egg mixture, and mix again until everything is blended and then pour into the prepared tins.
4 Bake the cakes for 50-55 mins. Cool the cakes in their
tins on a wire rack for 15 mins, and then turn the cakes out onto the rack to cool completely.
5 To make the icing, melt the chocolate in the microwave, 2-3 mins on medium should do it - or in a bowl sitting over a pan of simmering water and let cool slightly.
6
In another bowl beat the butter until its soft and creamy and then add the sieved icing sugar and beat again until everything’s light and fluffy. Then gently add the vanilla and chocolate, mix together until everything is glossy and smooth.
7 Sandwich the middle of the cake with about ¼ of the icing, then ice the top and sides too, spreading and smoothing with a rubber spatula.
8 Ready to slice, enjoyed with a nice cuppa.
24
let’s talk recipes
Cheese on Toast SEAN GRIBBON & ROBERT NORTH
HANDS-ON TIME 2 MINS COOK TIME 20 SECS INGREDIENTS (SERVES 2)
4 slices of white bread real butter mature cheddar tomato basil
‘Sean and I are the epitome of the ‘Professional man on the go’. We strive for perfection day and daily and the fire never dampens. In order to maintain this level of productivity, the working man needs sustenance. Cheese on toast is that sustenance. It’s the fuel that keeps our boat going so fast, the seed that becomes the loaf that we slice every day, the secret sauce of our success...cheese on toast is life!’ Onwards and Upwards. #noiinteam #but2tsintoast INSTRUCTIONS
1 First you need to get 4 slices of Pat’s Pan white bread. No other bread will cut it.
2 Insert the bread into the toaster (specifically at ‘notch 4’) to gain the finest calibre of toastiness.
3 Wait for the exciting ‘pop’ from the toaster, which is the perfect indication that your toast is now toasted.
4 Butter those bad boys. Must be real butter. Flora does not exist in our world.
5 Add some cheese. Not just any cheese, you want the maturest of the cheddar, ideally from the picturesque hills of Coleraine.
6 Here comes the microwave. Let that cheesy toast do its merry dance in there for 15-20 secs. Perfect.
7 Add a little salt and pepper to season. Never forget the basil and tomato garnish to finish.
A professional guy needs a tasty snack to go, but he is not a savage!
26
let’s talk recipes
let’s talk recipes