Darina Allen: Embrace the challenge of zero waste

Darina Allen in the gardens of the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Picture Dan Linehan

Sustainable continues to be quite the buzzword with many awards being meted out to establishments and companies who are making strides in this area. 

It seems the general public is anxious to make a difference and long for bold, courageous leaders to show us the way with legislation and incentives. We fear that time is running out for our planet and desperately want to play our part in making a difference in the many little ways we can in our own environment.

Well, by coincidence, a brilliant new book I had ordered recently arrived on my desk last week, It’s entitled The Everlasting Meal Cookbook: Leftovers A-Z by Tamar Adler, author of yet another gem, Something Old, Something New.

Regular readers of this column will be aware that I have always loved to use up leftovers. It’s not a recent conversion on the road to Damascus. For me it’s almost like a game. I get terrific satisfaction out of using up leftovers deliciously.

Plus, those of us who were brought up by parents who lived through the war and rationing will feel a kind of culinary caution until our final days. Butter, meat and eggs, no matter how plentiful, are not to be lightly wasted. In the words of MFK Fisher, ‘there can be no more shameful carelessness than with the food we eat for itself’.

CLIMATE & SUSTAINABILITY HUB

I suppose that dates back to my childhood, when wasting anything, even a piece of spare string, wasn’t an option, we actually washed and hung out plastic bags to dry on the clothesline in the early days.

I reckon to be able to do a ton of riffs on leftover bits of this and that, but Tamar Adler has 1,500 recipes ‘for cooking with economy and grace’. 

Here at the Cookery School, we have a ‘leftover of the day’ suggestion, so the students learn the art and skill of using up leftovers, creatively.

This is an essential part of their culinary training. After all, costs are so high and margins so small nowadays that the chef’s attitude to waste can quite easily be the difference between profit and loss in the hospitality business.

There is waste at every level in many different areas of production. There can be phenomenal waste in the vegetable and food sector on the farm, partly to do with the tight specifications on size and shape for the retail trade, but also for traditional reasons. Forever, we’ve chopped off and discarded the green tops of leek and cauliflower and dumped the turnip greens so sought-after in many countries.

Young beetroot, stalks and greens are delicious in salads or wilted with a lump of good butter or doused in a good extra-virgin olive oil. The tender sprouting shoots at the end of the kale or broccoli crop are a true delicacy, meltingly tender. They ought to be sold at twice the price, that’s if you could even get them. 

Bravo to the Organic Stall at the Skibbereen Farmers’ Market for introducing them to their customers. Many will already know how good those thick broccoli stems are peeled and grated into coleslaw. Free, delicious and nutritious.

Use the tough ends of the asparagus that’s in season at present to make a simple asparagus stock. Remember you have paid a premium price for it, so use the stock to make an asparagus risotto.

Throw garlic and ginger peelings into a ‘stock box’ in the freezer with other vegetable peelings and fresh herb stalks to make a celebration pot of stock every now and then when you have the time. The new season’s vegetables are jumping out of the ground right now. Don’t waste a scrap. 

We’re using broad bean shoots in soups, add to stews, gratins, risotto, frittatas, melted greens or use fresh in salads. And on and on, once you begin to think of zero waste, it becomes like an exciting challenge. Enjoy the fun and feel-good factor of working towards being sustainable.

Ballymaloe Asparagus Risotto

recipe by:Darina Allen

Everyone needs to be able to whip up a risotto, comfort food at its best and a base for so many good things, from crispy pork lardons or kale to foraged nettles.

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 31 mins

Total Time

 51 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 225g Irish asparagus

• 1 - 1.3 litres chicken or vegetable stock made from the asparagus ends

• 50g butter

• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

• 1 onion, finely chopped

• 400g risotto rice, such as arborio, carnaroli, or Vialone Nano

• 50g freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of Parmesan and Pecorino

• sea salt

Method

1. Cook the asparagus in boiling salted water for 2-3 minutes until al dente. Cut into 5mm (1/4 inch) thick slices at an angle.

2. Bring the stock to the boil, reduce the heat and keep it at a gentle simmer. Melt half the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan with the oil, add the onion, cover and sweat over a gentle heat for 4-5 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the rice and stir until well coated. Cook for a minute or so and then add 150ml (5fl oz) of the simmering stock, stir continuously, and as soon as the liquid is absorbed add another 150ml (5fl oz) of stock. Continue to cook, stirring constantly. The heat should be brisk, but on the other hand if it’s too hot the rice will be soft outside but still chewy inside. If it’s too slow, the rice will be gluey. It’s difficult to know which is worse, so the trick is to regulate the heat so that the rice bubbles continuously.

3. The risotto should take 25-30 minutes to cook.

4. After about 20 minutes, add the stock about 4 tablespoons at a time. I use a small ladle. Watch it very carefully from there on. The risotto is done when the rice is cooked but is still ever so slightly al dente. It should be soft and creamy and quite loose, rather than thick. The moment you are happy with the texture, stir in the asparagus plus the remaining butter and Parmesan, taste and add more salt if necessary. Serve immediately on hot plates.

5. Alternatively, you can pre-cook the rice for finishing later. After about 10 minutes of cooking, taste a grain or two between your teeth. It should be firm, slightly gritty, definitely undercooked but not completely raw. Remove the risotto from the saucepan and spread it out on a flat dish to cool as quickly as possible. The rice can be reheated later with some of the remaining stock and the cooking and finishing of the risotto can be completed. Risotto does not benefit from hanging around - the texture should be really soft and flowing.

Ballymaloe Vanilla Ice Cream

recipe by:Darina Allen

A take on an ice-cream staple.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• 4 organic egg yolks

• 100g sugar

• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract or seeds from 1/3 vanilla pod

• 1.2 litres softly whipped cream (measured after it is whipped, for accuracy)

Method

1. Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep the whites for meringues). Combine the sugar with 200ml of water in a small heavy-based saucepan. Stir over heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the spoon and boil the syrup until it reaches the ‘thread’ stage, about 106–113°C. It will look thick and syrupy, and when a metal spoon is dipped in the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour this boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time by hand. If you are whisking the mousse in a food mixer, remove the bowl and whisk the boiling syrup in by hand; otherwise, it will solidify on the sides of the bowl.

2. Add the vanilla extract or vanilla seeds and continue to whisk the mixture until it becomes a thick, creamy white mousse.

3. This is the stage at which, if you’re deviating from this recipe, you can add liquid flavourings such as coffee. Fold the softly whipped cream into the mousse, pour into a bowl, cover and freeze.

Brown Bread Ice Cream

recipe by:Darina Allen

This is also known as ‘poor man’s praline ice cream’ because it gives a similar texture but uses cheaper ingredients. This is a great way to use up brown soda or wholemeal yeast breadcrumbs that would otherwise be wasted.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 30 mins

Course

 Dessert

Ingredients

• Ballymaloe Vanilla Ice Cream (see recipe on ieFood)

• 350g brown soda or wholemeal yeast breadcrumbs

• 150g vanilla sugar

• 150g soft dark-brown sugar

Method

1. Make the Ballymaloe vanilla ice cream and freeze.

2. Preheat the oven to 230°C/450°F/Gas Mark 4.

3. Spread the chunky breadcrumbs on a baking tray. Sprinkle with sugar and toast in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Stir every four to five minutes until the sugar caramelises and coats the breadcrumbs. Turn out onto a Silpat mat and leave to cool. Pulse the caramelised breadcrumbs into small, chunky bits in a food-processor. When the ice cream is semi-frozen, fold in the mixture and freeze until fully frozen.

Hot Tips

Irish Sea Salt

A little flaky sea salt put a finishing touch to many of not just savoury but also sweet dishes – chocolate and toffee squares, brownies, ice cream…

• I love the texture of Achill Ireland Sea Salt from the Wild Atlantic Way - www.achillislandseasalt.ie
• Also, look out for Ballycotton Sea Salt in East Cork - www.ballycotton1851.com
• Irish Atlantic Sea Salt (West Cork) – www.irishatlanticsalt.ie
• Dingle Sea Salt - www.dingleseasalt.ie
• West Dingle Sea Salt – @WestofDingleSeaSalt on Instagram
• Oriel Sea Salt (Co. Louth) – www.orielseasalt.com

Autumn Foraging at Ballymaloe Cookery School

Another exciting Autumn Foraging at Ballymaloe Cookery School on Saturday, September 2. An opportunity to learn how to identify the delicious and nutritious foods that grow wild all around us and not just in the countryside but also in urban areas. In just a couple of hours, learn to spot 40-50 different plants and how to incorporate them into your family meals. Who knows when this knowledge could turn into survival skills… Booking essential, limited numbers.

For more information, see www.cookingisfun.ie

How to Cook a Wolf

By coincidence, I’m reading a brilliant book by M. F. K. Fisher, whom many consider to be, perhaps the greatest food writer of all time. 'How to Cook a Wolf' was written in 1942, to inspire courage in those daunted by wartime shortages. With her trademark wit and wisdom, Fisher shares her timeless tips for keeping up spirits and appetite when ingredients are in short supply.

Instead of regretting what we don’t have, she teaches us how to savour what we do. There are dozens of recipe ideas for sprucing up a few simple ingredients, knowing that the last thing hungry people need is hints on cutting back and making do. 

Fisher gives us permission to dream, experiment, and invent adventurous and delicious meals for whatever we can salvage from the back of the cupboard. The revised edition couldn’t be more relevant for this time, the ultimate lesson in sustainability. Updated edition published by Daunt Books.