Recipe ideas from Michelle Darmody
Then, when there’s a bit more time at the weekend, there’ll be a recipe you can do at your leisure. And of course there’ll be a baking recipe too. We else could we expect from the owner of the Cake Cafe? Enjoy.
Lemon are wonderfully versatile fruits and come into their own in shortening days of winter. Their bright yellow skin are a reminder that the sun is still shining somewhere around the globe.
In years past they must have seemed so unnaturally bright arriving on sea weary ships, in the grey, dark Irish winter.
Opening a scented box of lemons or oranges must have been a wonder that we can not quite quite imagine today, the smell wafting from the cracks in the wood as the box is pried open.
Preserving lemons or limes at home is a relatively quick process and the results are well worth it. You slit a cross shape in the point of the fruit.
Cut deep enough to slit either the lemon or lime in both directions.
Cut the slit three quarters the way down so the fruit is almost quartered but still held together at the base.
Spoon a teaspoon of salt into the opening and put the fruit into a jar. Do this with as many as you can fit in your jar then top it up with water, seal and leave in for a month.
Check back on the jar regularly and top it up with water if needed. The fruit should always be submerged. If you have not tasted preserved lemons or limes before the taste is wonderful and adds so much bounce to sliced to salads, couscous and even a little blended into dressings.
I had a wonderfully simple meal of fried octopus in The Fish Shop in Smithfield in Dublin recently and the chef tossed little slivers of lemon peel in the same batter and fried them with the octopus.
They were a lovely zesty surprise to bite into and the perfect match with the soft seafood.
This would work very well with a few slivers of preserved lemon.
Blitz the red onion, half of the garlic, paprika, turmeric, ginger, lemon juice, olive oil, coriander and honey to form a smooth paste.
Heat a dash of oil and fry the rest of the garlic with the carrots, parsnips and potatoes until they are beginning to soften. Stir in the paste and 350mls of water and allow to simmer away until the vegetables have softened. Taste and season.
In the meantime put the couscous on to boil and drain when it has fluffed up.
Serve with the parsley and lemon sprinkled over and the couscous on the side.
The lemon in this recipe marries very well with chicken and you can add a variety of herbs to brighten up the flavour or leave them out and have a simple zesty hit. A teaspoon of honey will add a little contrast to all the delicious zestiness of the lemon. Making twice as much chicken the first night will lessen your cooking load the second night by making a shredded chicken salad.
Heat the oil and sauté the shallots and garlic for a minute. Add the chicken breasts and brown all over.
Place into a large oven proof dish. You may need two if you are making the eight breasts, four for tomorrow. Add the white wine, lemon juice and zest, the thyme, oregano and place into an oven heated to 180D. Bake for about 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through. Boil the rice and serve it with the chicken scooping the juices over the the meat.
Leftover chicken can be stored in the fridge in a sealed container for up to four days, and in the freezer for four months.
Heat the butter in a pan until it is beginning to turn brown. Add the garlic and lemon zest (preserved lemon if using ) and stir them through. Stir in the breadcrumbs and allow to turn golden. Stir in the parsley, taste and season well.
Cook the broccoli and beans until they have softened but still retain some bite. Toss them in a little extra butter and seasoning. Squeeze a little lemon juice over the vegetables.
Serve the veg with the crumbs sprinkled on the top. You can use this crumb topping on other vegetables instead if you wish. It works well for carrots. I often cook the carrots in orange juice first so they are lovely and sweet.
These squishy, zesty squares are probably our most popular cake. They are rich and beautifully flavorsome with a lightly crisp base and a soft curdy topping.
It is a nice way to wile away a few hours on a weekend morning preparing these treats and have the smell of lemony baking wafting through the house.
We have been making these religiously every morning for nine years in the cafe and I never tire of the wonderful smell.
Line a 9in square tin with baking parchment.
Mix all the above ingredients together until they look similar to breadcrumbs.
Pat the mixture evenly into the tin and bake at 180C for 20 minutes.
Beat the eggs, salt, zest and sugar until they are foamy and white, and have doubled in volume. Add the other ingredients; don’t beat at this stage just mix together.
If you over-beat the topping it will turn out more like a meringue than the curdy texture you are looking for.
Pour on top of the slightly cooled first layer and bake for 20 minutes on 180C. If it still wobbles, bake it for another one or two minutes.
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