The real deal
He gave me a present of his latest book, Neven’s Real Food, which I have been enjoying very much. Neven is the proprietor and head chef of MacNean House and Restaurant, Blacklion, Co Cavan, awarded Georgina Campbell’s Restaurant of the Year Award, 2007.
Neven has been cooking in the kitchen of the family restaurant, McNeans’, since he was 12. Like myself, he’s one of nine children and he credits his passion for cooking to his mother, Vera. He dreamed of being a chef since those early days and was supported by his parents.
Sadly his dad, Joe, was tragically killed in a car accident seven years ago and his mother was involved in a serious accident two years later. Consequently, she no longer felt able to run the business, so, in 2003, Neven took over as head chef and proprietor of the greatly expanded MacNean House and Restaurant in 2003.
The décor and menu at the restaurant were inspired by his travels with his girlfriend, Amelda, in London, Paris, Australia, New Zealand and Thailand. They married in 2006, and at first lived above the restaurant, but recently moved into their newly built home around the corner. At last, Neven has a huge kitchen, which he adores.
He is passionate about food and continues to travel and add to his knowledge. He has done ‘stages’ in many eminent restaurants throughout Europe, including Roscoff in Belfast, the Grand Hotel restaurant in Berlin, Lea Linster restaurant in Luxembourg and Arzac in San Sebastian in Spain.
Neven employs 27 people in Blacklion in Co Cavan, and recently he and his team pooled their tips and went to Rome to check out the restaurants and food markets, experience the culture and have fun.
Neven makes regular television appearances and is familiar as resident chef on RTE’s Open House, from 1998-2004, and he has also appeared on many other shows and series in the UK, France, South Africa and Australia. His new book, Neven’s Real Food for Families, contains 100 recipes, for all occasions, presented in a straightforward way. The recipes highlight easily available ingredients, ease of cooking and maximum flavour.
They are focused on making a nutritious, family meal easier than ever, with everyone in the family helping out and sitting down together to eat the finished product. He pays attention to time-poor parents, and gives advice on engaging children and getting them to cook.
Neven has covered all occasions — Late Late Toy Show treats, Christmas lunch, Valentine’s Day, St Patrick’s Day, Easter, anniversary dinners …
A must-have for anyone who wants to eat well at home without spending hours in the kitchen.
Here are some of Neven’s recipes from Neven’s Real Food for Families by Neven Magire, published by Gill & Macmillan.
This soup has a wonderfully subtle, almost nutty flavour. For a more velvety finish, pass the soup through a fine sieve.
Serves 4 to 6
2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 kg (2 ¼ lb) butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
1.2 litres (2 pints) vegetable or chicken stock
4 fresh thyme sprigs
200g (7ozs) crème fraîche
50g (2ozs) butter
8 slices white bread
200g (7ozs) Gruyère cheese, grated
1 tbsp snipped fresh chives
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Heat the oil in a large pan. Cook the onions, garlic and butternut squash over a gentle heat for 10 minutes until the onions have softened but not coloured, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and add the thyme. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about 25 minutes, until the butternut squash is tender.
To make the cheese toasties, butter the bread and arrange the cheese over half of the slices, buttered side down. Sprinkle over the chives and cover with the remaining slices, buttered side up.
Preheat a griddle or large non-stick frying pan and cook the sandwiches two at a time for two minutes on each side, until golden brown and the cheese has melted. Cut into fingers and keep hot.
Remove the thyme stalks from the soup, then purèe the soup with a hand blender until smooth. Stir in the crème fraîche and reheat gently. Season to taste.
Serve in a warm bowl with the cheese toasties stacked on the side.
This cake is a favourite of mine, the raspberries, hazelnuts, and chocolate being a good combination. Fill the meringue about three hours before serving; it will then cut into portions without splintering. I’ve decorated it with white chocolate shavings, which can be very easily made using a thick bar of white chocolate and a potato peeler.
Serves 6 – 8
100g (4ozs) skinned, toasted hazelnuts
6 egg whites
Pinch salt
350g (12ozs) caster sugar
3 tsp sifted cocoa powder
300ml (½ pint) cream
250g (9ozs) raspberries
50g (2ozs) plain chocolate, broken into pieces
2 tbsp cream
White chocolate shavings, to decorate
icing sugar, to dust
Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4. Line two baking sheets with non-stick parchment paper. Draw a 20cm (8 inch) circle on each piece of paper. Place the toasted hazelnuts in a food processor and pulse until roughly chopped. Set aside.
Place the egg whites in a large bowl with the salt. Whisk on maximum speed, with an electric whisk, until stiff. Add the sugar a tablespoon at a time and continue whisking, still at top speed, until the mixture is very stiff, stands in peaks, and all the sugar has been added. It should be stiff enough for you to hold the bowl over your head, upside down. Fold in the reserved, chopped hazelnuts with the sieved cocoa powder.
Divide the meringue mixture between the two circles, spreading into rounds of an even thickness with a spatula. Bake for five minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 110°C/225°F/Gas Mark ¼ and bake for one hour, until the tops of the meringue are crisp and the insides are soft, like a marshmallow. Switch off the oven, then open the oven door slightly, and leave the meringue to dry out for another 30 minutes. Slide the meringues, which are still on the parchment, off the baking sheet onto wire racks and leave to cool completely, then peel off the parchment paper.
Whip the cream in a bowl, until it holds its shape, and use to sandwich the meringues together, along with the raspberries. Melt the chocolate and cream in a small pan over a gentle heat, stirring constantly until smooth. Leave to cool.
To serve: decorate the top of the meringue with the white chocolate shavings, then dust with the icing sugar. Bring straight to the table, then cut into slices and arrange on plates with a swirl of the chocolate sauce.
This is a winning breakfast for children and adults alike. As dried fruit and nuts are an excellent source of energy, they should keep everyone happy until lunchtime. Eat in the car if you are planning an early start or use for lunchboxes or picnics as an excellent healthy option. Experiment by replacing the sultanas with dried cranberries, cherries or banana chips. Leave out the peanut butter and almonds if you have any doubt about a nut allergy.
Makes 16 bars
150g (5ozs) porridge oats
50g (2ozs) sultanas
75g (3ozs) ready-to-eat apricots, chopped
50g (2ozs) dried papaya, finely chopped
50g (2ozs) dates, pitted
25g (1oz) flaked almonds
25g (1oz) sesame seeds
2 tbsp clear honey
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
1 egg white
Preheat the oven to 190C/350F/Gas Mark 5. Line a 27 ½ cm x 18cm (11 inch x 7 inch) baking tin with non-stick parchment paper. Place the porridge oats in a bowl and stir in the sultanas, apricots, papaya, dates, flaked almonds and sesame seeds.
Place the honey and peanut butter in a small pan and heat gently, stirring occasionally until smooth. Drizzle into the oat mixture and mix well to combine.
Put the egg white in a bowl and beat with a balloon whisk until light and frothy. Fold into the oat and honey mixture, until everything is sticking together. Transfer to the prepared baking tin and spread out evenly, pressing down the mixture with the back of a spoon to make the surface as even as possible.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until the top is golden brown and feels firm to the touch. Remove from the oven and cool slightly in the tin, then cut into 16 bars. Leave to cool completely before removing them from the tin. Store the bars in an airtight container for up to five days.
This recipe could also be made using a microwave. Simply place all the ingredients for the chilli butter in a heatproof bowl and cook on full power for 30-40 seconds, until melted and just bubbling. Set aside. Cook a bag of microwave popcorn according to packet instructions, then immediately pour over the chilli butter, shaking the bag to ensure an even coating. Tip into a bowl to serve.
Serves 4 – 6
50g (2ozs) butter
1 clove of garlic, crushed
½ tsp dried chilli flakes
2 tsp hot curry paste or powder
2 tbsp sunflower oil
75g (3ozs) popcorn kernels
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Melt the butter in a small pan and add the garlic, chilli and curry paste or powder, stirring to combine. Season with ½ teaspoon each of salt and pepper and keep warm over a low heat.
Heat the oil in a large pan until very hot, almost smoking. Add the popcorn kernels, and as it starts to pop, cover with a lid. Cook for 2-3 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally until the corn stops popping. Quickly pour over the chilli butter, shaking the pan to ensure it gets evenly distributed.
To serve: Tip into bowls and hand around to guests.
Slow Food Festival Market on Patrick Street on Sunday, October 21. Over 40 local food producers will line the pavements of Patrick Street from 11.00am – 5.00pm, tomorrow.
Cork Free Choice Meeting at the Crawford Gallery Café, Emmet Place, Cork, on Thursday, October 25, 2007 at 7.30pm.
Chicken for Dinner — Showing of Andrew Legge’s film, Fowl, breeding and feeding chickens for the table.
Food and Living in Ethiopia — Gerald McSweeney expands on his life and work there.
Admission: €6 including tea, coffee and tastings — proceeds to help projects in Ethiopia.
Gourmet Nights at Cookes Restaurant in Dublin: Three events priced at €85 per head to include a paired wine/ accompaniment per course. A wine expert will choose the wines and introduce each choice.
Wild Game Banquet — Thursday, October 25.
Seafood & Shellfish Extravaganza — Thursday, November 1.
Spain Gourmetour — Thursday, November 8, featuring two chefs from Salamanca and Andalucia with the Cookes Team.
Tel 01-6790536 for information and bookings or email: cookes1@eircom.net
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