In recent days, I have been back on the road with the Simply Better team and have really been enjoying meeting some of our excellent food producers.
You meet great people and hear such uniquely interesting stories on these visits. All Irish food producers work so hard, and it is truly a labour of love – they really love what they do, or they wouldn’t be doing it.
One of our visits brought us to Co Wexford, where we met up with the folks at Zanna Cookhouse. This business has been in operation for the past 17 years. Originally set up by Owen and Lorna Mullins, in recent times they have been joined by their son, David, who has obviously inherited his parents’ passion for great food. Owen worked in transport for more than 20 years, but always had a yearning to go into the food industry. He took a chance, attended Ballymaloe Cookery School and never looked back.
While cheffing at Dunbrody House for chef Kevin Dundon, Owen and Helen started selling quiches at local farmers markets. That was the beginning of the business, and they have been making delicious quiches every since.
While in Wexford, it would be rude to not stop in on Wexford Home Preserves, which is another wonderful family business who supply the Simply Better brand. Now operated by Tom and Laura Sinnott, it was originally set up in 1988 by Tom’s aunt, Ellen O’Leary.
Today, Tom and Laura offer an award-winning range of sweet and savoury preserves, and they use as much local produce in their products as possible.
I always get huge satisfaction from these producer visits. In life, it means so much if you love your work, and it is wonderful to see our food-producing community out living their dreams.
Chefs in Ireland are so lucky to have all of these excellent and committed producers up and down the country. We are spoiled for choice, really.
This week, we are continuing to soak up the summer months with two special salad recipes. These salads aren’t just to have on the side of your plate – they are healthy, yes, but also hearty and flavourful enough to be the star of the dinner table.
This chicken salad is not just delicious – it is also full of memories, for me. It always reminds of my sister, Suzanne, who lives nearby. She is a very good cook, and she absolutely loves this salad.
I think it brings us all back to our childhood, but I also have another reason to be grateful for this recipe. This is the dish I cooked when I did my first audition for Open House – and that was the beginning of my television career. I must have passed!
For six fun-filled years, I was cooking each Tuesday with Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan; both of whom have remained great friends of mine to this day. I still see Marty regularly when I am with him for our Friday Lyric FM slot, and recently, I was disappointed to miss Mary as I was away on a day she was passing through on her way to Donegal. We always catch up a few times a year, so this is a special recipe for me for lots of reasons, and I still make it regularly at home because it is such a family-friendly crowd pleaser.
The curry and chilli really jazz it up and while it’s perfect as is on the plate, it is also delicious served in a wrap. The important thing here is to make sure you use good, Quality Assured chicken.
Salmon is a great, healthy protein option – full of beneficial Omega 3s – and it always tastes great. This recipe is perfect for a lunch, or a summery dinner. One of my favourite flavour combinations is to pair salmon with beetroot – the flavours just meld together perfectly.
If you grow your own, simply roast the beetroot with the skins on and then remove the skins once the beetroot are cooked through and cooled.
Spicy chicken salad with avocado salsa
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 slices of day-old white bread, crusts removed
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp medium curry powder
2 tsp mild chilli powder
2 tsp sesame seeds
50g plain flour
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
2 large skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into strips lengthways
Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
50g mixed baby salad leaves
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, to serve
For the avocado salsa:
2 firm, ripe avocados
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Finely grated rind and juice of 2 limes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 To make the avocado salsa, cut the avocados in half and remove the stones, then scoop out the flesh and cut into dice. Place in a bowl and add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander, olive oil and the lime rind and juice.
2 Season to taste and stir well to combine. Cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for up to 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
3 Place the bread in a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. With the motor still running, add the parsley, curry powder and chilli powder and process until just combined. Tip into a shallow dish, stir in the sesame seeds and season well.
4 Place the flour on a plate. Then beat the egg and milk together in another shallow dish. Toss the chicken strips in the flour until well coated, shaking off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture and coat in the flavoured breadcrumbs.
5 Heat a deep-fat fryer to 180°C or half-fill a deep sided pan with the sunflower oil. Cook the breaded chicken strips in batches for 3-4 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remainder.
6 To serve, arrange a mound of the salad leaves on each warmed plate and place the spicy chicken on top. Spoon the avocado salsa to the side.
Roast salmon with sun-dried tomato pesto and beetroot salad
Neven's roast salmon with sun-dried tomato pesto and beetroot salad. \ Claire Nash
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 x 100g salmon fillets, scaled
1 heaped tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
100g fresh salad leaves, such as a mixture of rocket, watercress and baby spinach
175g cooked baby beetroot, cut into wedges
1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and cut into small chunks
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tsp snipped fresh chives
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of caster sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2 Arrange the salmon fillets in a small baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper, then brush each one with a little of the sun-dried tomato pesto and season to taste.
3 Bake the salmon fillets for 8–10 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly golden. Leave to cool, then roughly flake the flesh, discarding any bones and the skin.
4 To serve, arrange the salad leaves on plates and scatter the beetroot, avocado, basil and chives on top, then scatter over the salmon flakes.
5 To make the dressing, place the olive oil in a screw-top jar with the vinegar, mustard, sugar and seasoning, then shake to form an emulsion.
6 Drizzle over the salad to serve.
Read more
Make the cover: go big or go home...having the prime of your life
Come dine with me...al fresco
In recent days, I have been back on the road with the Simply Better team and have really been enjoying meeting some of our excellent food producers.
You meet great people and hear such uniquely interesting stories on these visits. All Irish food producers work so hard, and it is truly a labour of love – they really love what they do, or they wouldn’t be doing it.
One of our visits brought us to Co Wexford, where we met up with the folks at Zanna Cookhouse. This business has been in operation for the past 17 years. Originally set up by Owen and Lorna Mullins, in recent times they have been joined by their son, David, who has obviously inherited his parents’ passion for great food. Owen worked in transport for more than 20 years, but always had a yearning to go into the food industry. He took a chance, attended Ballymaloe Cookery School and never looked back.
While cheffing at Dunbrody House for chef Kevin Dundon, Owen and Helen started selling quiches at local farmers markets. That was the beginning of the business, and they have been making delicious quiches every since.
While in Wexford, it would be rude to not stop in on Wexford Home Preserves, which is another wonderful family business who supply the Simply Better brand. Now operated by Tom and Laura Sinnott, it was originally set up in 1988 by Tom’s aunt, Ellen O’Leary.
Today, Tom and Laura offer an award-winning range of sweet and savoury preserves, and they use as much local produce in their products as possible.
I always get huge satisfaction from these producer visits. In life, it means so much if you love your work, and it is wonderful to see our food-producing community out living their dreams.
Chefs in Ireland are so lucky to have all of these excellent and committed producers up and down the country. We are spoiled for choice, really.
This week, we are continuing to soak up the summer months with two special salad recipes. These salads aren’t just to have on the side of your plate – they are healthy, yes, but also hearty and flavourful enough to be the star of the dinner table.
This chicken salad is not just delicious – it is also full of memories, for me. It always reminds of my sister, Suzanne, who lives nearby. She is a very good cook, and she absolutely loves this salad.
I think it brings us all back to our childhood, but I also have another reason to be grateful for this recipe. This is the dish I cooked when I did my first audition for Open House – and that was the beginning of my television career. I must have passed!
For six fun-filled years, I was cooking each Tuesday with Mary Kennedy and Marty Whelan; both of whom have remained great friends of mine to this day. I still see Marty regularly when I am with him for our Friday Lyric FM slot, and recently, I was disappointed to miss Mary as I was away on a day she was passing through on her way to Donegal. We always catch up a few times a year, so this is a special recipe for me for lots of reasons, and I still make it regularly at home because it is such a family-friendly crowd pleaser.
The curry and chilli really jazz it up and while it’s perfect as is on the plate, it is also delicious served in a wrap. The important thing here is to make sure you use good, Quality Assured chicken.
Salmon is a great, healthy protein option – full of beneficial Omega 3s – and it always tastes great. This recipe is perfect for a lunch, or a summery dinner. One of my favourite flavour combinations is to pair salmon with beetroot – the flavours just meld together perfectly.
If you grow your own, simply roast the beetroot with the skins on and then remove the skins once the beetroot are cooked through and cooled.
Spicy chicken salad with avocado salsa
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 slices of day-old white bread, crusts removed
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp medium curry powder
2 tsp mild chilli powder
2 tsp sesame seeds
50g plain flour
1 egg
1 tbsp milk
2 large skinless chicken breast fillets, cut into strips lengthways
Sunflower oil, for deep-frying
50g mixed baby salad leaves
4 tbsp balsamic vinegar, to serve
For the avocado salsa:
2 firm, ripe avocados
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 tbsp finely chopped red onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Finely grated rind and juice of 2 limes
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 To make the avocado salsa, cut the avocados in half and remove the stones, then scoop out the flesh and cut into dice. Place in a bowl and add the tomatoes, onion, garlic, coriander, olive oil and the lime rind and juice.
2 Season to taste and stir well to combine. Cover with cling film and leave at room temperature for up to 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop.
3 Place the bread in a food processor and whizz to fine crumbs. With the motor still running, add the parsley, curry powder and chilli powder and process until just combined. Tip into a shallow dish, stir in the sesame seeds and season well.
4 Place the flour on a plate. Then beat the egg and milk together in another shallow dish. Toss the chicken strips in the flour until well coated, shaking off any excess, then dip into the egg mixture and coat in the flavoured breadcrumbs.
5 Heat a deep-fat fryer to 180°C or half-fill a deep sided pan with the sunflower oil. Cook the breaded chicken strips in batches for 3-4 minutes, until cooked through and golden brown. Drain on kitchen paper and keep warm while you cook the remainder.
6 To serve, arrange a mound of the salad leaves on each warmed plate and place the spicy chicken on top. Spoon the avocado salsa to the side.
Roast salmon with sun-dried tomato pesto and beetroot salad
Neven's roast salmon with sun-dried tomato pesto and beetroot salad. \ Claire Nash
Ingredients: Serves 4
4 x 100g salmon fillets, scaled
1 heaped tbsp sun-dried tomato pesto
100g fresh salad leaves, such as a mixture of rocket, watercress and baby spinach
175g cooked baby beetroot, cut into wedges
1 firm, ripe avocado, peeled, stoned and cut into small chunks
8 fresh basil leaves, torn
2 tsp snipped fresh chives
For the dressing:
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
½ tsp Dijon mustard
Pinch of caster sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Preheat the oven to 200°C.
2 Arrange the salmon fillets in a small baking tin lined with non-stick baking paper, then brush each one with a little of the sun-dried tomato pesto and season to taste.
3 Bake the salmon fillets for 8–10 minutes, until just cooked through and lightly golden. Leave to cool, then roughly flake the flesh, discarding any bones and the skin.
4 To serve, arrange the salad leaves on plates and scatter the beetroot, avocado, basil and chives on top, then scatter over the salmon flakes.
5 To make the dressing, place the olive oil in a screw-top jar with the vinegar, mustard, sugar and seasoning, then shake to form an emulsion.
6 Drizzle over the salad to serve.
Read more
Make the cover: go big or go home...having the prime of your life
Come dine with me...al fresco
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