Darina Allen: More recipe gems from Chicago cook Mary Jo McMillin
This Boston baked beans were cooked in the time-honoured way in the bread oven as it gradually cooled down after the morning bake, maximising the heat. You can’t imagine how unctuous and delicious they tasted.
Mary Jo McMillin, our lovely American friend from Chicago, returned again this year to spend a few weeks here with us in Ireland.
She has been coming for over forty years. It’s scarcely the best time of the year to holiday in Ireland, but she loves this country in hail, rain or snow, even during the crazy storms.
Mary Jo loves to cook and came originally to learn from Myrtle Allen at Ballymaloe House.
She loved Myrtle and her philosophy of writing a menu everyday depending on what food was in season and at its best in the walled garden and local area.
Later, she started her own restaurant ‘Mary Jo’s Cuisine’ in the University town of Oxford in Ohio.
Now in her eighties, she still loves to cook, continues to test and develop recipes, and is an example to all of us in how she can create so many utterly delicious dishes from bits and bobs from the fridge, and sometimes a selection of leftovers.
We look forward to every bite she cooks, and there’s zero waste. She’s an example to all of us in how she thinks of ways to use up scraps of this and that.
This Boston baked beans were cooked in the time-honoured way in the bread oven as it gradually cooled down after the morning bake, maximising the heat. You can’t imagine how unctuous and delicious they tasted.
The Egyptian recipe for Mujadarah was also a gem but I’ll share that another time. Both these comforting Winter dishes reheat brilliantly and are perfect to share with friends for a kitchen supper.
The tuiles were made from leftover egg whites – you absolutely must make them, they keep well and are irresistible.
The redcurrant panna cotta was made from the end of a bag of last season’s redcurrants from the freezer.
Mary Jo also tested this recipe with blackcurrants, it too was delicious, but we liked this redcurrant version best, and it can of course be made a day or two ahead if you are having friends around.
Thank you, Mary Jo, for the joy you bring to all of us by sharing your recipes.
THE very best baked beans you’ll ever taste and such a joy to tuck into on a chilly day. Servings Course Ingredients 225g haricot or other small white beans 1 clove garlic ¼ tbsp olive oil 110-150g streaky bacon, smoked if possible and diced into 1cm pieces 1 small onion chopped 1 clove garlic chopped 25g dark brown sugar ¾ tbsp molasses OR 2 teaspoons of treacle ¾ tbsp cider vinegar pinch cayenne 1 tsp dry mustard 110g tomato purée (blitzed tinned tomatoes may be used if you don’t have tomato purée in your freezer) salt Method Wash and soak the beans overnight. Drain and discard the soaking water, place in a saucepan or pressure cooker with fresh water, add the garlic and olive oil. Cook until almost tender, 10-15 minutes. Reserve the cooking liquid. Meanwhile, gently sauté the bacon; add the onion, garlic and sauté until tender. Combine the bacon, onion, garlic, brown sugar, molasses or treacle, cider vinegar, cayenne, mustard and tomato purée plus salt. This should be a soupy mixture. Place all in a deep baking dish. Cover and slowly cook in the oven at 150°C/Gas Mark 2 for 3-4 hours. Uncover for the final hour. (Mark sure the beans are meltingly tender before removing the cover).Mary Jo’s Boston Baked Beans
Mary Jo made this for a little bag of frozen redcurrants she retrieved in the freezer, but of course fresh redcurrants would be delicious even if they have come from as far away as South America at this time of the year! Servings Course Ingredients 225g redcurrants or blackcurrants (may use frozen) 80g caster sugar 225g cream 1 ½ gelatine sheets softened in cold water ½ tsp vanilla extract 1 tsp kirsch (optional) Method Combine the currants and sugar in a bowl and allow to macerate for 30 minutes. In a medium saucepan. Add the cream and macerated currants and heat to the ‘shivery’ stage or until the mixture feels hot to your little finger (60°C) – crush a little with a potato masher. Add the strained, softened gelatine leaves, stir and set aside for 30 minutes. Press through a sieve pushing through most of the berries. Stir in the vanilla extract and optional teaspoon of Kirsch and chill in a glass bowl. Serve with Almond Tuiles (see recipe).Mary Jo's Redcurrant Panna Cotta
Makes 120-140 approx. depending on size Preparation Time Cooking Time Total Time Course Ingredients 110g butter 110ml egg whites 375g caster sugar 75g plain flour 225g sliced almonds (flaked almonds) Method Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan)/Gas Mark 6. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Cool slightly. Stir in the egg whites, sugar and flour, add the sliced almonds and fold in to combine. Drop by half teaspoons onto Silpat mats or parchment lined baking sheets. Make sure the cookies are well separated. Bake in the preheated oven (180°C fan preferably) for 8-10 minutes or until golden. The cookies will be very thin and crisp.Mary Jo's Almond Tulles
Seems months away but now is the time to think about booking tickets for the opera at Lismore Castle.
This year, it’s Benjamin Britten: A MIDSUMMER NIGHT’S DREAM and Dido and Aeneas with many additional events and concerts in historic venues across the Blackwater valley.
Don’t forget to order your Midsummer-inspired dining experience picnics to enjoy in the beautiful Lismore Castle gardens.
- For more information, see www.blackwatervalleyopera.ie
, the Real Bread Campaign’s business guide to micro-bakery and beyond has just been published by Grub Street. Also includes some information about bread making, bakery terms and tips on sourdough recipes.
Incorporating knowledge and advice from many bakers in the Campaign’s network, the book was written by Chris Young, who has coordinated the Campaign for food and farming charity Sustain since 2009.
Whether you are turning a hobby into a kitchen-table micro-bakery business, establishing a community-supported bakery or social enterprise, or taking the next steps to open on the high street, this handbook is crammed with useful information and inspiring insights.
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