Last week, I ventured out to Stamullen, Co Meath, to celebrate a good friend. Indeed, I was thrilled to be among a group of family and friends who all came together to celebrate 70 years since Pat Clarke first moved to Stamullen. Of those seven decades, you can bet the majority of them have been spent growing his delicious strawberries.
The party was organised by Pat’s wife, Mary, and it was a complete surprise to him. Mary presented him with a book complete with some lovely illustrations which documented the growth of the business over the decades. He now employs 170 people and grows strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries on 75ac. This is a far cry from the 10 drills he started out with when he first moved to the area.
Anyone who knows Pat widely knows him as ‘The Strawberry Man’. I had a great time at the party. I think it’s wonderful to see a family-run food business be so successful. It’s also great to see that Mary and Pat’s son, Alan, is one of the team.
Pat has always been conscious about sustainability, I actually think he was way ahead of his time in this way. Caring for the environment has always been important to him.
Over the years, Clarke’s Fresh Fruit have been recognised with many awards and accolades, and they have deserved every one of them. Pat is a true food hero.
I have been using his fruit in the restaurant since I first filmed at his farm some 15 years ago. At the time, he explained to me how important it is to pick fruit from the stem to ensure it doesn’t become bruised. He’s a real perfectionist! The fruit goes all over the country in his fleet of vans and they are always checking to ensure the quality meets their standards. I will be using Pat’s fruit at Bloom this weekend, as I always do.
Hands up if you are a fan of a lamb dinner. Today I am sharing two new ways to cook with lamb which you might enjoy.
The first recipe is a favourite of mine. I like to use long chops in this recipe. This is a cut I use regularly at home, and they’re great because they cook very quickly.
They work really well on the barbecue, too (something to consider if we end up having a summer of fine weather). The honey in this dish adds a nice hint of sweetness. Sometimes, I like to counteract this with a little bit of smoked paprika, or a touch of balsamic vinegar. When it comes to goat’s cheese, we have some wonderful Irish producers all making excellent cheeses. There’s Ardsallagh in east Cork and St Tola in Co Clare, just to name a few.
Sometimes, though, instead of a soft goat’s cheese in this dish, I like to grill slices of halloumi instead – again, a great option for the summer months.
The second recipe is a bit like Marmite – some love it, some hate it – but whatever your preference, lamb’s liver is not just delicious, but really good for you and excellent value – you can feed a crowd with the recipe for a small price.
This preparation method is classically Italian and I think it’s a great way to prepare liver. This cut isn’t to everyone’s taste but this way of cooking is a good way to entice someone to try it out.
Of course, if you can, you should source your lamb directly from your local butcher, and always make sure the lamb has the Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark. You can get these liver escalopes prepared and thinly sliced by your butcher or in the supermarket.
The prosciutto here adds a perfect amount of salt and a bit of richness to the dish. With the liver, it’s a great combination. The mascarpone, meanwhile, provide the perfect amount of creaminess and a hit of flavour to the polenta. You don’t need to serve this with polenta, though – I often have it with mashed, baby, or even baked potato. Delicious!
Griddled lamb chops with courgettes and lemon
Neven's griddled lamb chops with courgettes and lemon. \ Philip Doyle
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp clear honey
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
8 lamb chops
4 small courgettes, sliced on the diagonal
450g baby new potatoes
Few sprigs of fresh mint
4 lemon wedges
100g goat’s curd or soft goat’s cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Mix together the garlic, oil, honey, oregano and seasoning in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Add the lamb chops and courgette slices and mix until evenly combined. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.
2. Place the new potatoes in a steamer with the mint sprigs on top and cook for 15–20 minutes, until tender.
3. Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Add the lamb chops and courgette slices and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, until the lamb is cooked to your liking and the courgettes are tender and nicely marked.
4. Add the lemon wedges to the griddle for a minute or two, until nicely charred.
5. Arrange the lamb chops on warmed plates with the courgettes and lemon wedges. Add the steamed new potatoes and a dollop of the goat’s curd or soft goat’s cheese.
6. Add a good grinding of black pepper to each one to serve.
Spring lamb’s liver escalopes with sage and soft polenta
Neven's spring lamb’s liver escalopes with sage and soft polenta. \ Philip Doyle
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
450g spring lamb’s liver, very thinly sliced into escalopes
4 slices prosciutto
12 fresh sage sprigs
For the soft polenta:
500ml chicken stock
500ml milk
175g instant polenta
75g freshly grated Parmesan
4 heaped tbsp mascarpone cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. To make the polenta, place the stock and milk in a pan over a high heat and bring to the boil.
2. Whisk in the polenta and cook, stirring until smooth. Season to taste and stir in the Parmesan. Cover and set aside until needed.
3. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half of the olive oil and a knob of the butter to the pan, then add half of the lamb’s liver escalopes.
4. Season the liver escalopes with salt and pepper, and cook briefly on each side until lightly browned but still pink in the middle. Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm.
5. Use the remaining oil and another knob of the butter to cook the rest of the lamb’s liver escalopes, then transfer to the warmed plate as before.
6. Add the prosciutto to the heated pan with the sage leaves and quickly sear until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper until needed.
7. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and swirl it around to pick up all of the juices. Place a dollop of the soft polenta into the middle of each warmed plate and swirl in a spoonful of the mascarpone cheese.
8. Arrange the lamb’s liver escalopes on top of the polenta and scatter over the prosciutto and sage. Finally, drizzle with the pan juices to serve.
Read more
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Last week, I ventured out to Stamullen, Co Meath, to celebrate a good friend. Indeed, I was thrilled to be among a group of family and friends who all came together to celebrate 70 years since Pat Clarke first moved to Stamullen. Of those seven decades, you can bet the majority of them have been spent growing his delicious strawberries.
The party was organised by Pat’s wife, Mary, and it was a complete surprise to him. Mary presented him with a book complete with some lovely illustrations which documented the growth of the business over the decades. He now employs 170 people and grows strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries on 75ac. This is a far cry from the 10 drills he started out with when he first moved to the area.
Anyone who knows Pat widely knows him as ‘The Strawberry Man’. I had a great time at the party. I think it’s wonderful to see a family-run food business be so successful. It’s also great to see that Mary and Pat’s son, Alan, is one of the team.
Pat has always been conscious about sustainability, I actually think he was way ahead of his time in this way. Caring for the environment has always been important to him.
Over the years, Clarke’s Fresh Fruit have been recognised with many awards and accolades, and they have deserved every one of them. Pat is a true food hero.
I have been using his fruit in the restaurant since I first filmed at his farm some 15 years ago. At the time, he explained to me how important it is to pick fruit from the stem to ensure it doesn’t become bruised. He’s a real perfectionist! The fruit goes all over the country in his fleet of vans and they are always checking to ensure the quality meets their standards. I will be using Pat’s fruit at Bloom this weekend, as I always do.
Hands up if you are a fan of a lamb dinner. Today I am sharing two new ways to cook with lamb which you might enjoy.
The first recipe is a favourite of mine. I like to use long chops in this recipe. This is a cut I use regularly at home, and they’re great because they cook very quickly.
They work really well on the barbecue, too (something to consider if we end up having a summer of fine weather). The honey in this dish adds a nice hint of sweetness. Sometimes, I like to counteract this with a little bit of smoked paprika, or a touch of balsamic vinegar. When it comes to goat’s cheese, we have some wonderful Irish producers all making excellent cheeses. There’s Ardsallagh in east Cork and St Tola in Co Clare, just to name a few.
Sometimes, though, instead of a soft goat’s cheese in this dish, I like to grill slices of halloumi instead – again, a great option for the summer months.
The second recipe is a bit like Marmite – some love it, some hate it – but whatever your preference, lamb’s liver is not just delicious, but really good for you and excellent value – you can feed a crowd with the recipe for a small price.
This preparation method is classically Italian and I think it’s a great way to prepare liver. This cut isn’t to everyone’s taste but this way of cooking is a good way to entice someone to try it out.
Of course, if you can, you should source your lamb directly from your local butcher, and always make sure the lamb has the Bord Bia Quality Assurance mark. You can get these liver escalopes prepared and thinly sliced by your butcher or in the supermarket.
The prosciutto here adds a perfect amount of salt and a bit of richness to the dish. With the liver, it’s a great combination. The mascarpone, meanwhile, provide the perfect amount of creaminess and a hit of flavour to the polenta. You don’t need to serve this with polenta, though – I often have it with mashed, baby, or even baked potato. Delicious!
Griddled lamb chops with courgettes and lemon
Neven's griddled lamb chops with courgettes and lemon. \ Philip Doyle
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp clear honey
1 tsp chopped fresh oregano
8 lamb chops
4 small courgettes, sliced on the diagonal
450g baby new potatoes
Few sprigs of fresh mint
4 lemon wedges
100g goat’s curd or soft goat’s cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Mix together the garlic, oil, honey, oregano and seasoning in a shallow, non-metallic dish. Add the lamb chops and courgette slices and mix until evenly combined. Set aside at room temperature to allow the flavours to develop.
2. Place the new potatoes in a steamer with the mint sprigs on top and cook for 15–20 minutes, until tender.
3. Heat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Add the lamb chops and courgette slices and cook for 2–3 minutes on each side, until the lamb is cooked to your liking and the courgettes are tender and nicely marked.
4. Add the lemon wedges to the griddle for a minute or two, until nicely charred.
5. Arrange the lamb chops on warmed plates with the courgettes and lemon wedges. Add the steamed new potatoes and a dollop of the goat’s curd or soft goat’s cheese.
6. Add a good grinding of black pepper to each one to serve.
Spring lamb’s liver escalopes with sage and soft polenta
Neven's spring lamb’s liver escalopes with sage and soft polenta. \ Philip Doyle
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
40g butter
450g spring lamb’s liver, very thinly sliced into escalopes
4 slices prosciutto
12 fresh sage sprigs
For the soft polenta:
500ml chicken stock
500ml milk
175g instant polenta
75g freshly grated Parmesan
4 heaped tbsp mascarpone cheese
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. To make the polenta, place the stock and milk in a pan over a high heat and bring to the boil.
2. Whisk in the polenta and cook, stirring until smooth. Season to taste and stir in the Parmesan. Cover and set aside until needed.
3. Heat a large, non-stick frying pan over high heat. Add half of the olive oil and a knob of the butter to the pan, then add half of the lamb’s liver escalopes.
4. Season the liver escalopes with salt and pepper, and cook briefly on each side until lightly browned but still pink in the middle. Transfer to a warmed plate and keep warm.
5. Use the remaining oil and another knob of the butter to cook the rest of the lamb’s liver escalopes, then transfer to the warmed plate as before.
6. Add the prosciutto to the heated pan with the sage leaves and quickly sear until crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper until needed.
7. Add the rest of the butter to the pan and swirl it around to pick up all of the juices. Place a dollop of the soft polenta into the middle of each warmed plate and swirl in a spoonful of the mascarpone cheese.
8. Arrange the lamb’s liver escalopes on top of the polenta and scatter over the prosciutto and sage. Finally, drizzle with the pan juices to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: ciao down on pasta perfection
Neven Maguire: new hook on Irish seafood
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