Darina Allen: Make the most of the season with my versatile roasted winter vegetable recipe 

Seek out fresh produce from local producers.

Oh, this really is a tough time of the year for many, the month of reckoning after the Christmas splurge and all for what? Can we even remember what we spent a lot of our hard-earned cash on or the presents we got? It’s an especially good time of the year to get creative in the kitchen, using inexpensive but deliciously satisfying ingredients in response to the cost-of-living crisis that’s spooking us all. So back to basics…

What’s in season at present? Well of course the citrus fruits are at their very best but let’s think about veg. Once upon a time, root vegetables were our winter staples, they stored well at a time of the year when fresh fruit and vegetables were not so readily available. Does anyone make a Root Pit any more? I remember when I was little, beetroot, carrots and Bramley apples were carefully stored for winter in the garden in straw lined pits, covered with soil, a traditional way of preserving vegetables. When I visited Faviken, the legendary 3 Star Michelin restaurant in Northern Sweden in the late 1990s, Magnus Nielsen proudly showed me his root store beside the restaurant. Well, one way or the other, a wide range of root vegetables are now available in our shops and supermarkets. 

Try not to buy washed vegetables, they have less flavour and quite possibly, less nutrients due to leaching as a result of the industrial washing process. Think swede turnips, parsnips, celeriac, beetroot, black radishes, potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes. Of course, carrots are also a root vegetable but many of the carrots available at present are imported, partly because it’s becoming virtually impossible for Irish vegetable growers to stay in business because they’re not paid nearly enough to cover the cost of production. We’re all losers in this race to the bottom. If this continues and sadly, I don’t see much reason to expect change any time soon, there will be virtually no Irish vegetable grower left within a couple of years.

Seek out fresh produce from local producers. Small local shops and farmers markets are the best place to source this kind of produce, packed with the vitamins and minerals we need to get us healthily throughout these winter months. Back in the kitchen, spices and fresh herbs are your friend to perk up root vegetables but don’t just think savoury. Virtually all the roots can be incorporated into sweet dishes too and are also brilliant to spin out a little meat or to bulk up a stew or casserole. The other advantage of root vegetables is their keeping qualities, you can use half a swede turnip and use the remainder a week later. Best to store roots in a cool dark place and they don’t need to be in the fridge, a covered box in the garage is fine.

So here are a few suggestions for delicious rooty recipes, both sweet and savoury. I particularly loved a pot of bodice and roots that I made recently with a sheet of bacon spare ribs from my local butcher that cost just €7 and made a fine supper for eight of us. If you are in Cork city, go along to the butchers in the English Market, particularly Kathleen Noonan’s & O’Reilly’s stall to find a whole selection of less expensive traditional cuts of pork and bacon. skirts and kidneys, pig’s tails, tripe and drisheen, fresh and salted ribs... all are delicious with root vegetables even if it’s just a big bowl of carrots and parsnip mash with a blob of good butter melting into the centre.

Venison and Jerusalem artichoke stew with gremolata

recipe by:Darina Allen

There is lots of delicious venison around at present but a shoulder of lamb or goat (if you can get it) also works excellently in this recipe.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 900g (2lbs) potatoes, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) cubes

• 2-3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 250g (9oz) onions, sliced or roughly chopped

• 250g (9oz) leeks, sliced

• 3 cloves garlic

• 500g (18oz) artichokes, peeled and sliced crossways into 1cm (1/2 inch)

• 500g (18oz) carrots, peeled and sliced crossways into 1cm (1/2 inch)

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 900g (2lbs) venison or lamb shoulder cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes

• 1.5 litres (2 1/2 pints) venison, lamb or chicken stock

• 1 sprig of thyme

• To Serve

• Gremolata 

• Season 900g (2lbs) potato cubes well with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

• ​

Method

1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the onion and crushed garlic, toss and add the carrots and Jerusalem artichokes. Stir and cook for 4-5 minutes until just beginning to colour at the edges.

2. Transfer to a casserole. Add the venison or lamb and toss in batches over a high heat. Add to the casserole with the stock and the sprigs of thyme and rosemary.

3. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer for 30 minutes. Add the diced potatoes, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and continue to cook for 15-30 minutes or until the meat and vegetables are cooked (lamb cooks faster than venison). Remove the thyme and parsley.

4. Taste and correct the seasoning and sprinkle with gremolata or just chopped parsley.

Swede turnips with caramelised onions

recipe by:Darina Allen

Swede turnips are so versatile, brilliant value and take on lots of flavours.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 10 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 900g (2lbs) swede turnips

• salt and lots of freshly ground pepper

• 50-110g (2-4oz) butter

• caramelised Onions 

• Garnish

• finely chopped parsley

Method

1. Peel the turnip thickly in order to remove the thick outside skin. Cut into 2cm (3/4 inch) cubes approx. Put into a high sided saucepan.

2. Cover with water. Add a good pinch of salt, bring to the boil and cook until soft – this can take between 45-60 minutes. Strain off the excess water, mash the turnips well and beat in the butter.

3. Taste and season with lots of freshly ground pepper and more salt if necessary. Garnish with parsley, sprinkle with caramelised onions and serve piping hot.

Roast Winter vegetables

recipe by:Darina Allen

A versatile technique that can be vegetarian or vegan with added tofu, or you can include chunks of bacon or spicy sausage.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Cooking Time

 40 mins

Total Time

 45 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 2kg (4 1/2lbs) winter vegetables of your choice from:

• carrots, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• parsnips, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• pumpkin or butternut squash, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• Jerusalem artichokes, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• red or white onion, peeled and cut into wedges of quarters or sixths, depending on size

• leeks, cut into 2.5cm (1 inch) rounds

• beetroot, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• celeriac, peeled and cut into 4cm (1 1/2 inch) pieces

• 8 garlic cloves, unpeeled

• extra virgin olive oil

• 1-2 tbsp rosemary and/or thyme, freshly chopped

• flaky sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 8.

2. Toss the prepared vegetables into the gratin dish, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with freshly chopped herbs. Toss well so each chunk is lightly coated. Roast for 30-40 minutes, tossing occasionally, or until the vegetables are fully cooked and starting to caramelize at the edges. Serve immediately.

3. Tuck in as soon as the roast vegetables come out of the oven, if they sit around in or out of the oven, they’ll quickly go soggy and you may wonder why you bothered.

Hot Tips

The Secret Skills of Pastry Chef Suzanne Nelson at  Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday, 4th March 2023

Berkeley’s Chez Panisse, Ken's Artisan Bakery in Portland and Stissing House in upstate New York: pastry chef Suzanne Nelson has honed her skills at some of the best places and with the best chefs. While working at Ken’s — owned by Ken Forkish, author of the best-selling artisan bread book Flour Water Salt Yeast—  she was lead in the viennoiserie section. 

During her time there, the bakery was included in Food & Wine Magazine’s round-up of The Best Croissants in America (with special mention for their pistachio frangipane croissants) as well as being a finalist for the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Baker awards. Three years at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse followed, as Suzanne focused on daily changing desserts using the seasonal and local, sustainably farmed ingredients that the establishment is noted for. Most recently, Suzanne moved to the Hudson Valley to work with chef and restaurateur Clare de Boer of New York’s King for the opening of Stissing House, garnering press attention for her “modified classics like rum-roasted pineapple with vanilla ice cream,” coconut cake and jumbo rhubarb crumble. For this class, Suzanne will demonstrate some of her show-stopping dessert classics, teach you how to make the most of seasonal ingredients and explain the best way of improvising when essential components turn up late or unusable.

• For more information, see www.cookingisfun.ie

Congratulation to Kells Gin on recent accolade

A belated congratulation to Kells Gin for scooping Gold at the Global Gin Masters 2022 in December.

A lockdown project with the assistance of Listoke Distillery, Kells Gin is the brainchild of brother and sister duo, Vincent and Olivia Duff in Kells. It was officially launched to the market in November 2021. Much time and consideration has been invested into the range of botanicals, local ingredients and citrus led notes that give Kells Gin its unique traits as a premium bespoke craft gin.

• For more information, see www.kellsgin.ie

Seed Week and Seed Gathering

Seed Week runs from 6 – 10 February 2023 and Seed Gathering runs from 11 – 12 February just to remind us to pick up some salad and veggie seeds to get started.

My Brown Envelope Seeds Catalogue arrived today — www.brownenvelopeseeds.com

So many tempting varieties I’m particularly excited about — pea and salad leaves. Some of the heirloom tomatoes — Tangidel, Sungold F1 which has a superb flavour plus squash, corn and beans.