Over the Easter holidays, Amelda and I had a few conversations with the twins about school. One of the things that we are thrilled about is that both of them are taking home economics in St Clare’s Comprehensive – the same school I went to when I was young.
It’s safe to say that things have definitely changed since my time there. I was the first boy to take home economics all those years ago. I was teased a bit about it – but, for me, it was water off a duck’s back.
After all, I grew up in our family restaurant and I saw the work and skills that went into working in a high-level, professional kitchen. Even back then, I was fairly sure of what I wanted to do with my life.
I had a fantastic teacher – Mairead McMorrow – and I was delighted to be able to dedicate my book, Home Economics for Life, to her a few years ago. Between her and my mother, Vera, I got a great start in the culinary arts. That said, I wasn’t good at everything in home economics – sewing was a particular sore spot for me. I once tried to make a shirt. It wasn’t long before my mother cut it up and started using it to polish wine glasses.
Over the last five years, I have been delighted to be an ambassador for the Home Economics Association. I am also really looking forward to judging a home economics competition in St Angela’s College in Sligo, where home economics teachers are trained.
Watch this space, as I will be sharing more about this in the coming weeks. It is great to see more people shouting about the importance of home economics and even better to see so many more boys taking up the subject in secondary school.
The life skills you learn in this class are so important – this can’t be understated. In my mind, a home-cooked meal will always beat a takeaway if you have some basic skills under your belt.
This week, we are taking a look at some great Irish lamb recipes. I hope you enjoyed your spring lamb this past Easter, but the nice thing about Irish lamb is that you can enjoy it all year round, thanks to our farmers.
Connemara Hill Lamb is part of the Simply Better range in Dunnes Stores and thanks to their diet of wild herbs, flowers and heather, it has a lovely, unique flavour.
Spice it up
For our first recipe this week, we have something a little different. You know we all love a ragù made from beef, so why not use lamb instead? Lamb mince is full of flavour and is good value these days. I like to spice up my lamb ragù with a bit of harissa, but if you think that might be too hot, feel free to leave it out and use some curry powder or cinnamon instead.
This ragù is, of course, perfect with some al dente pasta, but it is also delicious with rice, mash or used as a base for Shepherd’s pie. Even better, layer this ragù in a casserole dish with some sliced and grilled aubergines, top it with a creamy béchamel sauce, bake until bubbly and golden on top and you have a perfect moussaka.
I am a big fan of lamb cutlets and our second recipe this week for crispy cutlets works just as well in the air fryer as it does in the oven. They are tender and full of flavour. Just be careful, because they cook quickly. If you wanted to cook these on the barbecue, forgo the breadcrumbs and just marinate the lamb in some lemon, rosemary and garlic.
I am suggesting serving these cutlets with a cauliflower purée, but they would also go with a crunchy side salad, a jacket potato or some baby potatoes tossed in butter and fresh herbs.
The purée could also be made with carrots or sweet potato (if you’re doing that, add a pinch of curry powder into the mix – it is a lovely addition).
Lamb ragù with pappardelle
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
100ml white wine
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g minced lamb
2 tsp dried harissa spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper (from a tin or jar), drained and finely diced
300ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
225g dried egg pappardelle
A small handful of fresh leaves or flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium to high heat. Add the oil and swirl it around, then tip in the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown slightly. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic and chilli flakes and sauté for 30 seconds.
2 Pour in the wine and allow to bubble down, then stir in the tomato purée. Tip in the minced lamb and sauté until lightly browned.
3 Stir in the harissa and cinnamon, then add the tomatoes, red pepper and stock, stirring to combine.
4 Add the bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5 Remove the lid and cook for another 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the excess liquid has reduced and the ragù is nice and thick. At this stage, it can be covered with cling film and kept in the fridge or frozen to use at a later date.
6 About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Tip in the pappardelle and cook for 5-6 minutes, until tender but still with a little bite (al dente). Drain in a colander and tip onto a serving platter.
7 Spoon the lamb ragù over the pappardelle, then tear up the mint or parsley and scatter on top. Serve family-style at the table.
Crispy lamb cutlets with cauliflower and leek purée
Crispy lamb cutlets with cauliflower and leek purée. \ Claire Nash
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
75g panko breadcrumbs
50g Parma ham, very finely chopped
5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8-12 lamb cutlets or 6-8 boneless lamb chops
2 eggs
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cauliflower and leek purée:
25g butter
120ml chicken or vegetable stock cube is fine)
1 cauliflower, trimmed and
broken into small florets
4 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
6 tbsp cream
To serve:
Steamed French beans
Redcurrant jelly
Method
1 Tip the breadcrumbs into a bowl and add the Parma ham, Parmesan and parsley. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper, then mix well and tip into a shallow dish.
2 Trim any excess fat off the cutlets, then lightly pound each cutlet with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin.
3 Beat the eggs in a separate dish and season generously, then use to coat the cutlets. Cover with the breadcrumb mixture, ensuring they are each evenly coated, and set aside until ready to cook.
4 To make the cauliflower and leek purée, bring the butter and stock to the boil in a pan with a lid until it forms an emulsion.
5 Add the cauliflower florets with a good pinch of salt, cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender.
6 Tip in the leeks and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still a vibrant green colour.
7 Add the cream and blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth, then season generously with pepper.
8 Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coated cutlets and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side for large chops or 1-2 minutes on each side if using cutlets. They should be crisp on the outside but still pink in the middle.
9 Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
10 Meanwhile, gently reheat the cauliflower and leek purée and divide between warmed serving plates. Add the crispy chops and French beans with a dollop of redcurrant jelly to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: a plate full of Easter flavour
Neven Maguire: great bakes for Easter breaks
Over the Easter holidays, Amelda and I had a few conversations with the twins about school. One of the things that we are thrilled about is that both of them are taking home economics in St Clare’s Comprehensive – the same school I went to when I was young.
It’s safe to say that things have definitely changed since my time there. I was the first boy to take home economics all those years ago. I was teased a bit about it – but, for me, it was water off a duck’s back.
After all, I grew up in our family restaurant and I saw the work and skills that went into working in a high-level, professional kitchen. Even back then, I was fairly sure of what I wanted to do with my life.
I had a fantastic teacher – Mairead McMorrow – and I was delighted to be able to dedicate my book, Home Economics for Life, to her a few years ago. Between her and my mother, Vera, I got a great start in the culinary arts. That said, I wasn’t good at everything in home economics – sewing was a particular sore spot for me. I once tried to make a shirt. It wasn’t long before my mother cut it up and started using it to polish wine glasses.
Over the last five years, I have been delighted to be an ambassador for the Home Economics Association. I am also really looking forward to judging a home economics competition in St Angela’s College in Sligo, where home economics teachers are trained.
Watch this space, as I will be sharing more about this in the coming weeks. It is great to see more people shouting about the importance of home economics and even better to see so many more boys taking up the subject in secondary school.
The life skills you learn in this class are so important – this can’t be understated. In my mind, a home-cooked meal will always beat a takeaway if you have some basic skills under your belt.
This week, we are taking a look at some great Irish lamb recipes. I hope you enjoyed your spring lamb this past Easter, but the nice thing about Irish lamb is that you can enjoy it all year round, thanks to our farmers.
Connemara Hill Lamb is part of the Simply Better range in Dunnes Stores and thanks to their diet of wild herbs, flowers and heather, it has a lovely, unique flavour.
Spice it up
For our first recipe this week, we have something a little different. You know we all love a ragù made from beef, so why not use lamb instead? Lamb mince is full of flavour and is good value these days. I like to spice up my lamb ragù with a bit of harissa, but if you think that might be too hot, feel free to leave it out and use some curry powder or cinnamon instead.
This ragù is, of course, perfect with some al dente pasta, but it is also delicious with rice, mash or used as a base for Shepherd’s pie. Even better, layer this ragù in a casserole dish with some sliced and grilled aubergines, top it with a creamy béchamel sauce, bake until bubbly and golden on top and you have a perfect moussaka.
I am a big fan of lamb cutlets and our second recipe this week for crispy cutlets works just as well in the air fryer as it does in the oven. They are tender and full of flavour. Just be careful, because they cook quickly. If you wanted to cook these on the barbecue, forgo the breadcrumbs and just marinate the lamb in some lemon, rosemary and garlic.
I am suggesting serving these cutlets with a cauliflower purée, but they would also go with a crunchy side salad, a jacket potato or some baby potatoes tossed in butter and fresh herbs.
The purée could also be made with carrots or sweet potato (if you’re doing that, add a pinch of curry powder into the mix – it is a lovely addition).
Lamb ragù with pappardelle
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
½ tsp chilli flakes
100ml white wine
2 tbsp tomato purée
400g minced lamb
2 tsp dried harissa spice
½ tsp ground cinnamon
1 x 400g tin of chopped tomatoes
1 roasted red pepper (from a tin or jar), drained and finely diced
300ml chicken stock
1 bay leaf
225g dried egg pappardelle
A small handful of fresh leaves or flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1 Heat a heavy-based casserole dish over a medium to high heat. Add the oil and swirl it around, then tip in the onion, celery and carrot and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the vegetables start to brown slightly. Season with salt and pepper, then stir in the garlic and chilli flakes and sauté for 30 seconds.
2 Pour in the wine and allow to bubble down, then stir in the tomato purée. Tip in the minced lamb and sauté until lightly browned.
3 Stir in the harissa and cinnamon, then add the tomatoes, red pepper and stock, stirring to combine.
4 Add the bay leaf and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5 Remove the lid and cook for another 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until all the excess liquid has reduced and the ragù is nice and thick. At this stage, it can be covered with cling film and kept in the fridge or frozen to use at a later date.
6 About 15 minutes before you’re ready to serve, bring a large pan of salted water to a rolling boil. Tip in the pappardelle and cook for 5-6 minutes, until tender but still with a little bite (al dente). Drain in a colander and tip onto a serving platter.
7 Spoon the lamb ragù over the pappardelle, then tear up the mint or parsley and scatter on top. Serve family-style at the table.
Crispy lamb cutlets with cauliflower and leek purée
Crispy lamb cutlets with cauliflower and leek purée. \ Claire Nash
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
75g panko breadcrumbs
50g Parma ham, very finely chopped
5 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan cheese
1 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8-12 lamb cutlets or 6-8 boneless lamb chops
2 eggs
4 tbsp rapeseed oil
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the cauliflower and leek purée:
25g butter
120ml chicken or vegetable stock cube is fine)
1 cauliflower, trimmed and
broken into small florets
4 leeks, trimmed and finely sliced
6 tbsp cream
To serve:
Steamed French beans
Redcurrant jelly
Method
1 Tip the breadcrumbs into a bowl and add the Parma ham, Parmesan and parsley. Season generously with freshly ground black pepper, then mix well and tip into a shallow dish.
2 Trim any excess fat off the cutlets, then lightly pound each cutlet with a meat tenderiser or a rolling pin.
3 Beat the eggs in a separate dish and season generously, then use to coat the cutlets. Cover with the breadcrumb mixture, ensuring they are each evenly coated, and set aside until ready to cook.
4 To make the cauliflower and leek purée, bring the butter and stock to the boil in a pan with a lid until it forms an emulsion.
5 Add the cauliflower florets with a good pinch of salt, cover the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes, until tender.
6 Tip in the leeks and cook for another 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until just tender but still a vibrant green colour.
7 Add the cream and blitz with a hand-held blender until smooth, then season generously with pepper.
8 Heat the oil in a large heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Add the coated cutlets and cook for 3-4 minutes on each side for large chops or 1-2 minutes on each side if using cutlets. They should be crisp on the outside but still pink in the middle.
9 Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.
10 Meanwhile, gently reheat the cauliflower and leek purée and divide between warmed serving plates. Add the crispy chops and French beans with a dollop of redcurrant jelly to serve.
Read more
Neven Maguire: a plate full of Easter flavour
Neven Maguire: great bakes for Easter breaks
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