Caitríona Redmond: Bring your tastebuds on a sun holiday with my orange polenta cake
Caitríona Redmond's orange polenta cake: Food and culture are entwined, and you can’t consider one without the other.
There are several reasons why I begin to budget for a holiday in November, not least because it helps me stay on track in December, which is arguably one of the most expensive months of the year.
If I don’t set the goal now, I might suffer from budget creep in December.
This is where a terrible person helps themselves to the money in my bank account and spends with abandon claiming, “sure, 'tis the season”, not caring what will happen in January.
Who am I kidding? I am that terrible person.
Yes, I’m my own worst enemy when it comes to living on a budget. After all, the kids have their pocket money to pick and choose items that they want to buy on a weekly basis and save for the bigger things.
I can’t blame them. I’m the one in control of the family budget and generally the one who spends it all. This is a wonderful and terrifying position to be in with equal measure.
I’ve been an adult for far more years than I was a child, and I still find this adulting lark challenging.
Sometimes I wish that there was another responsible adult standing in the sidelines, ready to charge onto the football pitch of life as a substitute and shoulder the responsibility that I walk around with.
Likewise, when I open my purse and am about to spend money that I really can’t afford, would they slap it closed and wag a finger in my face as a reminder that I’m going over budget?
My husband is just as complicit in the spending as I am at this time of the year, maybe more, as we are both huge softies for Christmas, family and our children.
I budget for a holiday before the mayhem of December and put down a small deposit with a travel agent.
When you’re travelling as a party of four or more, booking flights and accommodation last minute is an expensive choice.
By paying a deposit I can fix the price for whatever travels we may decide in 2025, and figure out how much money I need to save on a weekly or monthly basis to reach that target.
With the price of flights and accommodation locked in, it leaves me with less surprises by the time we start packing our bags.
Once I know how much I must save, then I look at my Christmas budget and beyond and figure out what is essential and what is not.
The last couple of years we’ve given the kids a trip or experience as a gift on Christmas Day, and this is a great way of rolling your holiday budget into the cost of December.
No matter what we choose to do, there will be a knock-on effect on the groceries that I buy and food I make, until I reach my savings goal.
In the meantime, I’ll console myself with a holiday for the tastebuds.
Many recipes at this time of the year are rib sticking and stew based; moving with the seasons and use seasonal vegetables like carrots and brassicas.
Food and culture are entwined, and you can’t consider one without the other. In winter therefore, I try to introduce flavours, herbs and spices reminiscent of holidays in warmer climes.
A key part of many of these dishes are fresh herbs and as the weather gets cooler, it’s more difficult to keep my favourite plants outdoors.
I’ve moved my tender herbs inside to the kitchen windowsill so I can cut and harvest again another day.
There’s no better way to remember a magical visit to Gran Canaria than adding a smear of homemade mojo verde to a toasted sandwich or on top of some baked fish.
To evoke memories of time spent in the Middle East, I sprinkle giant spoonfuls of za’atar over homemade crackers or potato wedges and finish a meal with an orange polenta cake, washed down with bright, fresh mint tea.
I might be at home, but my mind is wandering beyond our borders, back to places and a time that will never be the same again.
Orange Polenta Cake
This is a filling cake that is perfumed with orange throughout and a huge hit with my family. Don’t worry about the long preparation time, you just leave the ingredients to simmer in the background.
Servings
10Preparation Time
1 hours 30 minsCooking Time
1 hours 10 minsTotal Time
2 hours 40 minsCourse
BakingIngredients
2 whole medium oranges
500ml water
250g caster sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
100ml olive oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 pinch salt
500g polenta/cornmeal
Method
Place the whole oranges into a small lidded saucepan with 500ml of water. Bring to a slow simmer for 1 hour and 20 minutes. Remove the lid of the saucepan and allow the contents to cool until the oranges are warm but not too hot to touch.
Preheat a fan oven to 170°C. Take 1 warm orange from the pan and reserve the cooking water. Slice the orange into quarters and remove any seeds then and place it into a food processor or blender. Blend for 2-3 minutes until it’s a light orange batter with virtually no discernible pieces.
Pour the orange batter into a large bowl. Combine the batter with 175g of the caster sugar, the eggs, olive oil, baking powder, salt, and polenta until you get a loose cake mixture. Finally, add half of the cooking water into the mixture and beat well. This mixture will be very runny but do not worry as the polenta is very absorbent.
Pour the batter into a well lined 24cm round springform tin or divide the batter between two lined loaf tins. Bake in the preheated oven for 1 hour and 10 minutes, using the skewer trick to check if the cake is baked after this time. If not, return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
Remove the cake from the oven when baked. At this point, blend the second orange with the remaining 75g of caster sugar until you have a loose orange mixture. While the cake is still hot, poke small holes into the top using a skewer then pour the orange mixture on top of the cake slowly. Allow the cake to cool completely before serving.
