Darina Allen: Recipes inspired by a visit to Limerick
The Limerick Milk Market was buzzing on Saturday morning with throngs of eager customers on a mission to fill their shopping bags with goodies from the more than 70 stalls tucked into the market square, protected from the elements by an elegant canvas canopy.
I love the way every farmers’ market has its own vibe and unique collection of stall holders — yet the banter is the same, customers so grateful for the opportunity to buy beautiful artisan produce directly from local producers, and what a choice.
Mimi Crawford was all out of raw milk by 11am but still had just a few joints of her organic beef and pork and a couple of beautiful chickens from her regenerative farm in Cloughjordan in Co Tipperary.
I was delighted to find Oliver Beaujouan from Castlegregory with his brilliant selection of charcuterie from happy outdoor Tamworth pigs “no vaccines, no GM or soy in the feed”.
I also bought some dilisk and a delicious guanciale as well as the garlic salami. Sefik from Turkey was busy juicing fresh pomegranates and oranges and had a tantalising array of borek.
Country Choice was humming and loaded with temptations.
Round the corner, people were bonding in the long queue for the Country Choice toasted baps, sandwiches and rolls — well worth the wait.
Peter and Mary Ward’s daughter Evie’s also award winning NutShed stall is close by, selling what many consider to be the very best nut butters available in Ireland.
The Sushi Truck was also doing a roaring trade, luscious cannoli across the way, artisan breads, tempting home baking, beautiful bunches of flowers, floury British Queens potatoes all the way from Co Wexford side by side with bric a brac.
There was a tremendous selection of local homegrown vegetables and fruit.
Crunchy spiralaetos anyone? Or tiermoyle honey with hazelnuts or walnuts? Upstairs, Ciara Brennan was all smiles on her Happy Food at Home stall with a selection of plant-based, vegetarian and vegan salads.
There was a mesmerising selection of olives, Toonsbridge buffalo mozzarella and many other good things on the olive stall.
Round the side of Country Choice, I made another exciting discovery.
Foragers Thalli foods were behind a hessian-covered stall with an intriguing selection of wild foods from land and seashore — fat rosehips, wood and sheep’s tongue sorrel, sea blite, water pepper, yarrow, wild garlic pickles, fennel and sea blite kraut, elderflower vinegar.
There were many more stalls around the perimeter of the market, including pork and bacon from Cloncannon Bio Farm in Moneygall, Co Offaly.
By then my bags were laden with many good things for a picnic but I really wanted to check out Sodalicious on Lower Cecil street owned by Ballymaloe alumnus Jane Conlan. An inspired concept where virtually everything on the menu is based on, or served with brown or white soda bread or scones.
Delicious food in a contemporary space, worth seeking out.
Alexander Findlater & Co Food Hall is another contact for your list. If you visit Limerick, find time to head to the Hunt Museum for the latest exhibition.
Then back to Glin Castle, one of Ireland’s loveliest places to take a relaxing break. A few recipes inspired by my visit to Limerick.
A Breakfast in a Soda Bun
450g (1lb) plain white flour
25g (1oz) butter
Pinch of salt
25g (1oz) castor sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 small free range eggs
200ml whole milk (not low-fat milk)
8 – 10 bacon rashers fully cooked
4 – 5 hard boiled eggs
Watercress sprigs
Homemade mayonnaise or
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First preheat the oven to 250C/475F/gas mark 9.
Sieve all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, add to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board.
Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about a thickness of 2cm (1 inch) and cut or stamp into scones. Transfer to a baking sheet — no need to grease.
Brush the top of the scones with egg wash.
Bake in a hot oven for 10-15 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
Split the soda bun in half and butter. Fill with bacon, ½ hard boiled egg, a blob of mayonnaise or tomato ketchup and a sprig of watercress. Secure with a bamboo cocktail stick and serve immediately.
White Soda Bread Pesto Swirl
450g (1lb) plain white flour
25g (1oz) cold butter
Pinch of salt
25g (1oz) castor sugar
1½ tsp baking powder
2 small free range eggs
200ml whole milk (not low fat)
4ozs (110g) fresh basil leaves
6–8fl oz (175-225ml) extra virgin olive oil
1oz (25g) fresh pine kernels
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
2oz (50g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Salt to taste
1 egg
1 dstsp milk
1 roasting tin 33cm x 22.9cm x 5.08cm deep, well buttered
Preheat the oven to 250C/gas mark 9.
First make the basil pesto. Whizz the basil with the olive oil, pine kernels and garlic in a food processor or pound in a pestle and mortar. Remove to a bowl and fold in the finely grated Parmesan cheese. Taste and season.
Pesto keeps for weeks, covered with a layer of olive oil in a jar in the fridge. It also freezes well but for best results don’t add the grated Parmesan until it has defrosted.
Freeze in small jars for convenience.
Sieve the flour into a large wide bowl, add a pinch of salt, the baking powder and castor sugar. Mix the dry ingredients with your hands, lift up to incorporate air and mix thoroughly.
Cut the cold butter into cubes or grate coarsely, toss well in the flour and then with the tips of your fingers, rub in the butter until it resembles large flakes. Make a well in the centre.
Whisk the eggs with the milk, pour all at once into the centre. With the fingers of your ‘best hand’ outstretched and stiff, mix in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl. This takes just seconds and hey presto, the dough is made.
Sprinkle some flour on the work surface. Turn out the dough onto the floured board. Scrape the dough off your fingers and wash and dry your hands at this point.
Tidy around the edges, flip over and roll or pat gently into a rectangle about 1cm thick x 45cm long.
For the egg wash: Whisk one egg thoroughly with about a dessertspoon of milk. This is brushed over the scones to help them brown in the oven.
Slather liberally and evenly with the homemade pesto over the scone dough, roll tightly from the long side and if needed egg wash the edge and pinch to seal. Divide into four and then each into three swirls, to give you 12 altogether.
Brush cut side of each with egg wash. Arrange side by side in the buttered roasting tin, allowing a little room for expansion.
Bake for 10 minutes in the preheated oven.
Serve while still warm or at room temperature Pull apart gently like a tear and share.
Filo Pastries with various Savoury Fillings (Borek)
1 packet of best quality filo pastry
Melted butter
500g cheese, grated
2 eggs, beaten
white pepper
1 medium or large onion, finely chopped
2 tbsp oil or butter
500g lean lamb or beef, minced
2 tbsp pine nuts
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tsp ground cinnamon or half tsp ground allspice (optional)
500g fresh spinach or 225g frozen chopped or leaf spinach
1 tbsp butter
125g gruyère or cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg
Black pepper
Quarter tsp grated nutmeg
Cut a sheet of filo in four or six strips. Brush with melted butter.
Put a heaped teaspoonful of the filling of your choice onto the end of each strip, fold and roll into a triangle. Brush with butter, arrange on ungreased baking trays and chill.
Heat the oven to 180C/Gas mark 4.
Brush the tops with egg beaten with water, and bake in a heated oven for about 30 minutes or until a warm golden colour.
Certain fillings are common to many savoury pastries. Here are a few:
Use Greek halumi, gruyère, cheddar, edam, gouda or a mixture of any of these with a little parmesan. Mix the grated cheese with beaten eggs and season to taste with pepper.
Variation: A little pinch of nutmeg and a little crushed mint is also a delicious addition.
Gently fry the onion in the oil or butter (I prefer to use oil) until soft and a pale golden colour. Add the meat and fry lightly until it changes colour.
Stir in the pine nuts and fry for a further 2 minutes. The pine nuts can also be fried separately and added at the end. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and if liked, cinnamon or allspice.
Some even add a little sugar. Moisten with about five tablespoons water — the meat will otherwise be too dry for a filling. Cook for a few minutes more until the water is absorbed and the meat tender.
Variation: In some countries cumin and coriander are preferred as flavouring spices for this popular filling.
Trim the steams of the fresh spinach, wash carefully and chop the leaves finely. Put in a sauté pan with the butter. Cover and let it cook in its own juices over a very low heat, stirring occasionally until tender. If using frozen spinach, defrost it and squeeze all the water out.
Stir in the grated cheese, the lightly beaten egg and black pepper to taste. Do not add salt unless necessary. Take into account the saltiness of the cheese melting into the spinach. Add a little nutmeg if you like and mix well.
Blueberry and Mint Scones
450g plain white flour
25g butter
Pinch of salt
25g castor sugar
110g blueberries
1 tbsp fresh mint finely chopped
1.5 tsp baking powder
2 small freerange eggs
200ml whole milk (not low fat milk)
Egg wash
Granulated sugar for sprinkling on top of the scones
Heat the oven to 250C/gas mark 9.
Sieve all the dry ingredients together in a large wide bowl. Cut the butter into cubes, toss in the flour and rub in the butter until it resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Add the blueberries and the chopped mint.
Make a well in the centre. Whisk the eggs with the milk, add to the dry ingredients and mix to a soft dough.
Turn out onto a floured board. Knead lightly, just enough to shape into a round. Roll out to about a thickness of 2cm (1in) and cut or stamp into scones. Transfer to a baking sheet — no need to grease.
Brush the tops with egg wash and dip each one into granulated sugar.
Bake in a hot oven for 10 to 12 minutes until golden brown on top. Cool on a wire rack.
Serve split in half with butter and serve.
Hot tips
Have you tasted Ethiopian Food? Fizzy Teklegiorgis cooks delicious food for her Emye Vegetarian Food Stall.
Some of the intriguing dishes include Shiro, Ethopian soup, Yellow split pea stew, fresh vegetable samosas and many more. Check her out on Thursday at Mahon Point Farmers Market and Saturday at Midleton Farmers Market every week.
You may not have heard of the name Tim Siadatan – he’s head chef at Trullo, one of the coolest restaurants in London and a sister restaurant of Padella in Borough Market. Guests love the confidently unfussy Italian food in this contemporary trattoria.
It’s always packed to the gills, superb pasta, charcoal grilling, incredibly delicious puds. Tim is coming to the Ballymaloe Cookery School on Wednesday, October 9, to share the secrets to some of his best loved dishes, including Cacio e Pepe.
We’ll also have the Trullo Cookbook for sale. To book contact 021-4646785 or online at www.cookingisfun.ie.
