Darina Allen: This is Ryan O’Sullivan’s recipe for ravioli that feeds a dozen
Ryan O’Sullivan’s Ravioli with Ricotta and Salsa Verde
Compliments keep pouring in for the Ballymaloe Festival of Food a few weeks ago, the biggest and best so far. Tickets gave people access to all cookery demos, the Kerrygold main stage, Cook the Books stage, Drinks Theatre and tastings, Scoop and A Yarn, the Garden Marquee, the Ballymaloe House Walled Garden, Food Producers Market, walks and talks. Bosco was there, he and I had the best fun! The Change We Must Theatre had stimulating challenging talks all weekend on foo,d farming and the environment.
I was on several panels: It all starts with the soil and The definition of food — how processed food is changing the way we eat and why we should stop.
I dashed between the various venues and wandered in and out of the Big Shed where over 80 producers sold their wares. Graham Herterich was there with his barmbracks and now legendary Mikado biscuits.
Gillian Hegarty spoke about the kids food revolution in Clonakilty. Preserves, beautiful honeys, Ummera smoked food, Cratloe Hill’s Sheep milk cheese, WASI from Clare, and Barrie Quinn from Portnoo was there with soap and inspirational talks.
For the Irish Breakfast session in the Change We Must Theatre, everything came from Darren Allen’s Farm around Ballymaloe House. The bacon was cured by local butcher Frank Murphy from Midleton and sausages from the meat of the free-range pigs. The free-range eggs were also from Darren’s hens. The relish, from you-know-where and the 48-hour naturally fermented sourdough bread from the Ballymaloe Cookery School Bread Shed.
People loved being able to taste a plate of breakfast, all of which came from ‘This Place’. So many highlights, but I will focus on the guest chefs Sami Tamimi, the Palestinian chef, friend and collaborator of Ottolenghi cooked broad bean falafel and this delicious plum dish with crunchy pistachios which I will certainly continue to make, one of many good things from his new book Boustany — A celebration of vegetables from my Palestine.
I introduced Helen Goh’s cookery demonstration where she cooked a sensational Matilda cake with layers of sponge and meringue piled high with summer fruit and cream. That recipe is also in her latest book Baking and the Meaning of Life.
Tommi Miers, a Ballymaloe Cookery School alumna, cooked a lunch at Ballymaloe House and did a cookery demonstration of yummy Mexican dishes from Mexican Table, her eighth cookbook.
The Honeys Itamar Srulovich and Sarit Packer were there. They too have a new book Daily, from which I’ve been cooking lots. I really love their style of food. Check out their restaurants located on Lamb’s Conduit Street, Great Portland Street, and Store Street next time you are popping over to London.
James Henry came from celebrated La Doyenné near Paris to cook for another sold-out dinner at Ballymaloe House, as did Ed Wilson from Brawn in London and also Robbie McCauley from the Michelin-starred Homestead Cottage in Co Clare.
So frustrating to only have space to mention a fraction of the action, there was so much more, including all kinds of riveting talks and tastings of both wine, spirits, and alcohol-free drinks, even Aronia berry wine at the Drinks Theatre curated by Caroline Hennessy with contributions from Colm McCann and his wonderful friends in the world of wine and, oh, the Cocktails Workshop by Ciarán Shannon of Boatyard Distillery and Andy Ferreria of Paladar and Cask.
The hilarious Tracie Daly hosted various cookery demonstrations at the Cook the Books Stage — Tamsin and Scarlett were on the main stage.
As they say ‘that’s it’ for this week, but organisers Bree Allen and Evanna Lyons tell me early bird tickets are already available for next year.
Barquq bil Sumac w al Creama
This recipe transformed simple plums into a feast, a real keeper…
Servings
4Preparation Time
45 minsCooking Time
25 minsTotal Time
1 hours 10 minsCourse
MainIngredients
8 plums (366g)
3 cardamom pods
1 tsp sumac
3 tbsp runny honey
Zest of ½ orange
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tbsp water
300ml double cream
3 tsp honey
¼ tsp ground cardamom
For the candied pistachios
45g caster sugar
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
3 tbsp water
Salt
70g pistachios
Method
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan.
Halve and stone the plums, then place cut side up in a roasting tin or ovenproof dish in which they can lie snugly in a single layer.
Crack the cardamom pods, then tip the seeds into a pestle and mortar and grind them to a fine powder. Mix with the sumac, honey, orange zest, lemon juice and water, then drizzle this mixture over the fruit. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until the plums are almost collapsing.
Meanwhile, make the candied pistachios. Line a baking tray with baking parchment and have it ready next to the stove. Put the sugar, cinnamon, water and ⅛ teaspoon of salt into a large sauté pan, on a medium heat. Cook until the sugar has almost dissolved, stirring occasionally. Add the
pistachios and continue to cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally (to avoid the nuts browning too much), until all the liquid has evaporated and you can see crystallisation forming on the nuts. Tip the nuts on to the lined tray and quickly spread them out to separate them. Leave to cool completely.
Place the cream, honey and ground cardamom in the bowl of a free-standing mixer, with a whisk attachment in place, and whip the cream on a medium speed for about 3 minutes, or until soft peaks form.
When ready to serve, divide the fruit and whipped cream between four plates and add a generous scattering of the candied pistachios.
Ryan O’Sullivan’s Ravioli with Ricotta and Salsa Verde
If this makes more than you need, you can simply do half this recipe.
Servings
12Course
MainIngredients
For the homemade pasta
OO flour 400g
durum flour (fine) 520g
salt 12g
egg yolk 650g
water 15g
For the ricotta filling
1kg of quality dry ricotta (drained overnight if wet)
250g shredded fontina (or something similar)
220g Parmesan (or good Irish aged hard cheese)
120g egg yolks
12g fine sea salt
5g black pepper
freshly grated nutmeg
fresh chives, very fine sliced
pinch of fresh oregano
zest of 1 lemon
For the salsa verde
1 bunch of coriander
1 bunch of parsley
1 bunch of basil
250ml olive oil
3 limes zest and juice
20g capers
6 anchovies
50g golden raisins or something similar
salt and pepper to taste.
Method
To make the pasta.
Sieve the flours into a bowl and add the salt. Make a well in the centre, add the eggs (no need to whisk the eggs) and water. Mix into a dough with your hand. The pasta should just come together but shouldn't stick to your hand - if it does, add a little more flour. (If it is too dry, add a little extra egg, being careful not to add too much.) Knead for 10 minutes until it becomes elastic. It should be quite pliable, wrap in parchment paper and rest in the fridge for 20 minutes.
Divide the dough in half and roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta. A pasta machine or long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin.
To roll in a pasta machine.
Half the dough, keep the remainder covered while you work with the other.
Roll the dough through the pasta machine Number 10 setting with the rollers furthest apart. Fold it like a book ensuring no overlap and put through Number 10 setting 5-6 times until very smooth (this is further kneading; it will depend on how much kneading was done by hand).
Now do a rough roll to shape the dough to the appropriate size required for your pasta shape. Roll the dough through the machine from Number 10–3 setting until you reach the desired thickness. Try not to use too much flour while putting the dough through the machine, if the dough is getting sticky, just a dusting of flour on the pasta should suffice. You can do a ‘patch test’ and only take a little of the pasta dough when you think you have nearly reached the required thickness and test for the final ½ setting in the rollers to see which setting you are happiest with.
To roll by hand.
Divide the dough in half. Dust each piece of dough with flour before you roll each time. Roll out one piece at a time into a very thin sheet, keeping the other piece covered with a tea towel. You ought to be able to read the print on a matchbox through the pasta. A long thin rolling pin is a great advantage, but you can manage perfectly well with an ordinary domestic rolling pin.
To make the ricotta filling
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.
To make the ravioli
Cut the sheet of pasta into pieces, 30.5cm in length and 15cm wide approximately. Approximately 4cm from the top of the pasta, place a teaspoon of filling along the top half of each sheet of pasta allowing 2.5cm intervals between each ravioli. Fold the bottom half over the top half and seal around the filling of each ravioli with your fingers. This is important to remove any air bubbles. Using a serrated pasta cutter cut around each ravioli. Each ravioli should be 7.5cm square approximately. Transfer to a tray sprinkled heavily with semolina flour.
To cook; poach the ravioli in a large saucepan of boiling water (4.8 litres water to 1 tablespoon salt) for 1 ½ - 3 minutes depending on how thin the pasta is, or until almost tender - al dente.
To make the salsa verde.
Chop the herbs and mix with the other ingredients. Taste and correct seasoning, if necessary, adding a few drops of lemon juice to freshen the taste. Store in a covered container in the fridge or freeze.
To serve
Heat a little of the salsa verde with a little of the pasta water, toss the ravioli then drizzle a little fresh salsa verde on top. Serve immediately and enjoy.
Honey & Co’s Peanut Butter Mousse with Salted Peanuts and Chocolate Sauce
Everyone loved this super easy mousse, what’s not to like about the peanut and chocolate combo. *Recipe adapted from Honey & Co. Daily by Itamar Srulovich & Sarit Packer published by Quadrille
Servings
4Preparation Time
30 minsCooking Time
10 minsTotal Time
40 minsCourse
SideIngredients
For the mousse
40g butter
40g muscovado or dark brown sugar
80g smooth peanut butter
1 tbsp honey
250ml double (heavy) cream
a small handful of roasted salted peanuts, to serve
For the chocolate sauce (makes 150g)
50ml double cream
50 dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), chopped
1 heaped tsp peanut butter
1 heaped tsp honey
50ml water
Method
Slowly melt the butter with the sugar, peanut butter and honey in a low-sided saucepan on a low heat until they combine to form a thick paste, stirring occasionally so the mixture doesn’t stick. Transfer to a large mixing bowl and cool.
Mix in the double cream by hand with a balloon whisk or handheld blender until you reach a lovely thick ribbon consistency (the whisk should leave a trail of the mixture on the surface before sinking in).
Divide the mousse between four glasses and chill in the fridge for at least an hour before serving.
Shortly before you want to serve, place all the sauce ingredients in a small pan on a low heat. Stir all the time until the chocolate has melted and everything has combined to make a smooth sauce. Pour into a small jug.
Allow everyone to top their own mousse with warm sauce and salty peanuts.
The growing number of fans of Kevin Scully’s organic oats from the Merry Mill in Vicarstown, near Portlaoise will be delighted to hear he has opened a Farm Shop selling a varied range of organic products – porridge oats, flours and bread mix, gluten-free porridge oats, cookie mix, granola mix, coffee, chocolate….
Monday-Saturday, 9.30am-4.30pm
Click and Collect service also in operation.
Entrepreneurial boys Jack and Theo Kirwan of Sprout & Co have just released salad drizzles and an extra virgin olive oil with various combinations to choose from: Everyday Drizzly Sunny Plump Juice EVOO, Mustardy Salady Drizzle, Tokyo Sesame and Ginger Drizzle, Sweet Miso Drizzle, Super Savory and Chilli Drizzle.
Available in their Sprout restaurants and online.
Elderflowers are in full bloom at present so harvest them to make elderflower syrup, lemonade, cordial, ice cream, sorbet…Best picked in the morning when they have maximum pollen and aroma.
