Pork Ribs with Sweet Potatoes Wedges

1 onion, finely chopped

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 tsp of chilli powder

300g chopped tined tomatoes

2 tbs of tomato puree

100mls of red wine vinegar

100g of honey

4 large sweet potatoes, sliced into wedges

Put the ribs on a large baking tray with sides and fill with a layer of water about an inch deep. Cover completely in tinfoil and pinch the sides so that the ribs are sealed. Place into an oven heated to 160 degrees for 90 minutes.

While the ribs are cooking heat a dash of oil in a pan and sauté the onion until it is turning translucent. Add the garlic and stir fry for another minute. Add the chilli powder, tomato puree, vinegar and honey. Allow to bubble away over a very low heat for 30 minutes. Blitz it with a soup gun then taste and season.

Toss the sweet potatoes in a little oil and seasoning and spread on a baking tray. Rub or brush the sauce all over the steamed ribs. Discard the water. Place the whole lot back into an oven heated to 200 degrees and cook for a further 35 minutes. Toss the potatoes halfway through and turn the ribs. The juices and sauce should drip onto the potatoes giving them a nice flavour. You can serve with a side salad also.

Avocado and Sausage on Toast 

Serves 4

8 sausages, sliced

8 eggs, lightly whipped and seasoned

8 slices of bread, toasted

butter for the toast

2 avocados, stoned, scooped from the peel and sliced

1 red chilli, finely sliced

2 tbs of creme fraiche

a generous bunch of coriander, chopped

Fry the sausage pieces until cooked and golden. Remove from the pan and add the eggs to the same pan and scramble to your liking. Then stir in the sausages.

Butter the toast and scoop the egg mixture onto the toast. Top with the avocado, chopped chilli, and a dollop of creme fraiche. Sprinkle with coriander and serve.

Chicken and Cabbage Slaw

Serves 4

2 breasts of chicken

2 tbs of mayonnaise

1 tbs of white wine vinegar

1 tbs of olive oil

1 tsp of Dijon mustard

300g of white cabbage, stalk removed and then the cabbage finely shredded

1 large carrot, roughly grated

2 apples, cored and roughly grated

a large handful of dried cranberries

Rub a little oil into the chicken and season. Roast in an oven heated to 180 degrees until they are cooked through, which will take about 25 minutes depending on their size. When cool enough to handle cut or shred into bite size chunks. If you have left over chicken you can cut that up instead, it works great in this salad.

Whisk the mayonnaise, vinegar, oil and mustard. Taste it and season.

Toss the cabbage, carrot apple and cranberries in the dressing and lay the chopped chicken on top.

Smoked Trout and New Potato Salad 

Serves 4

500g of waxy new potatoes

a large bunch of chives, chopped

zest of 1 lemon and ½ tbs of lemon juice

½ a tbs of cider vinegar

3 tbs of olive oil

4 spring onions, very finely chopped almost minced

2 large hot smoked trout fillets, skin and any bones removed and crumbled

100g of soft mild goats cheese, crumbled

2 tsp of pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

If you can not get smoked trout you can used smoked salmon or smoked mackerel instead. The hot smoked fish has a different texture to the more standard process of cold smoking.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until they are soft. Cut into bite size chucks once cool enough to handle.

Mix the lemon juice, zest, vinegar and oil. Taste and season. Toss the warm potatoes in the dressing.

Toss the potatoes with the spring onions, cheese and pepper corns with the trout and serve.

Pink Peppercorn and Thyme Butter Ravioli

Serves 4

500g of fresh ravioli

75g of butter

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

a large bunch of thyme, removed from the stalk and chopped

1 tbs of lemon juice

3 tsp of pink peppercorns, lightly crushed

green leaves for four

1 tbs of vinaigrette dressing

80g of parmesan cheese, finely grated

I bought some really nice ravioli in Iago’s shop on Princes Street in Cork recently and made a very simple dish with it. You can pick up different varieties of fresh ravioli in most supermarkets.

Drop the ravioli into lightly salted boiling water and remove with a slotted spoon once cooked. Fresh ravioli about three minutes to cook, the parcels will start to float when they are done.

Melt the butter until it is starting to foam, add the garlic and thyme and fry until the garlic is giving off an aroma. Squeeze in the lemon juice and stir the ravioli and pink peppercorns. Taste and season.

Toss the leaves in the dressing and serve on the side.