Some like it hot

OH MY goodness, the weather would drive you to the drink. I am often at a loss to know what to cook for supper, one minute there is thunder and lightning and flash floods, within half an hour one could be searching for a deck chair to enjoy the scorching sun.

This evening I had planned to have a gorgeous salad of summer vegetables for supper with some soused mackerel but the weather changed again. There’s a howling gale and pelting rain and no one will thank me for a cold supper.

So I think I’ll cook a neck of lamb moussaka that we tested recently, which we all loved. Neck of lamb is deliciously sweet and terrifically good value for money. I also love a little streaky bacon glazed – that’s a good plan because I can serve that hot or cold so I can be ready for ‘figaries’ of the Irish summer. Served hot it would be delicious with a fondue of ripe tomatoes, some beans and floury potatoes. If the sun is splitting the stones, I’ll serve it with a few salads.

Our heirloom tomatoes have just come on stream, a variety of beautiful juicy fruit in odd shapes and colours with bizarre names such as; Tiger Ella, Black Russian, Red Ox heart, Tiger Tom and White Beauty.

Simply sprinkle the thick slices of fruit with salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar. Halve a lemon and squeeze it over, add lots of fresh mint or basil and a good drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Taste and tweak until the balance is right. Irish cucumbers are also in season at present, try this salad with radishes and Irish cucumber.

Emer Fitzgerald’s Braised Lamb Neck Moussaka

Serves 8

2 x lamb necks (approximately 1.6kgs/3½ lbs in total)

450g (1 lb) onions

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 x 400g / 14oz cans of chopped tomatoes

½ tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

1 tbsp fresh marjoram leaves chopped

800ml lamb stock

Salt, freshly ground pepper and sugar

2 aubergines (500g /18oz) in total

500g (18oz) potatoes, scrubbed well

50g (2oz) raisins

Cheese sauce:

45g (1½oz) butter

45g (1½oz) flour

600ml (1 pint) milk

1 bay leaf

2 egg yolks

1 tbsp of cream

4oz grated Gruyere cheese

Equipment:

1 earthenware dish 25.5 x 21.5cm (10 x8½inch)

1 large casserole

Preheat oven to 150C/300F/Mark 2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large casserole dish. Season the lamb necks with salt and freshly ground pepper. Brown the meat on all sides in the oil. Remove and place on a plate.

Add the onions and garlic to the casserole, cook over medium heat for 3–4 minutes until soft and beginning to brown. Add the chopped tomatoes, ground cinnamon, and nutmeg and chopped marjoram. Season with salt and pepper and sugar. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add the lamb stock and bring to the boil.Add back in the lamb necks. Cover the casserole and place in a preheated oven for 2 – 2½ hours or until tender. The meat should be falling off the bone. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes in boiling salted water until two-thirds cooked. Peel and slice into 5mm (¼inch) slices.

Slice the aubergine into ½ inch slices. Sprinkle with salt and allow to de-gorge in a colander for half an hour. Preheat a grill pan. Pat the aubergines dry, toss in olive oil. Cook in a preheated grill pan until golden on both sides.

When the lamb is cooked, remove from the braising liquid. Coarsely shred the lamb, removing any bones or sinew. Strain the vegetables from the liquid and add to the lamb. Moisten this mixture with some of the braising liquid (3–4 tablespoons). Season to taste and add the raisins.

Lay the aubergine slices on the base of the earthenware dish, top with the lamb mixture, then cover with slightly overlapping slices of potato.

For the sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Stir in the flour, cook stirring for 1 minute, then draw off the heat add the milk slowly, whisking out the lumps as you go. Add the bay leaf, season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Return to the heat and simmer for two minutes.

Mix the egg yolks and cream in a large bowl. Pour the sauce into this mixture, whisking all the time. Add half the cheese and pour over the dish. Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top and bake for 35–40 minutes until completely reheated and golden brown on the top.

Butterflied Leg of Lamb with Harissa and Chickpea Salad

This is one of our new favourites, if the weather is hot; this is perfect for the barbeque.

Serves 8

1 butterflied leg of lamb (1.5kg/3lb 5oz approximately)

100g (3½oz) harissa (see Fool Proof Food)

Zest and freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons

Chickpea Salad:

700g (1½lb) dried chickpeas

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 onions, sliced

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

Dressing:

175ml (6fl oz) extra virgin olive oil

50ml (2fl oz) freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 clove of garlic, crushed

2 tsp ground cumin

Salt and freshly ground pepper

To Serve:

3 tbsp coriander, chopped

3 tbsp flat leaf parsley, chopped

150mls (5½fl oz/scant) natural yoghurt

Barbeque or preheated oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.

Night Before: Mix the harissa with the zest and freshly squeezed juice of the lemon. Place the lamb in a large bowl. Pierce some holes in the lamb with the tip of a sharp knife – this will allow the marinade to penetrate into the meat. Pour the marinade over the lamb and rub in well. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Cover the dried chickpeas in plenty of cold water. Allow to soak overnight.

Next Day: Drain the chickpeas, put into a saucepan. Cover with fresh cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer until tender. Heat the oil in a saucepan; sweat the onion and garlic until soft. Then allow to become golden and caramelised. Mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a bowl. Remove the meat from the marinade, place on the barbecue near the coals to seal in the juices on each side. Raise the grill and cook for 20 minutes on each side, occasionally basting with the remaining marinade. Alternatively put on a roasting tray and roast in a moderate oven for 1 – 1½ hours depending on how well you like it cooked.

When the chickpeas are cooked, drain and toss immediately with the caramelized onions, garlic and dressing. Allow to come to room temperature. When the lamb is cooked, remove from the grill and allow to rest for 15 minutes. Toss the freshly chopped herbs through the chickpea salad. Slice the meat thinly; serve.

Darina’s Birthday Cake

Duck eggs are renowned for making a lighter, yellower sponge cake than hen’s eggs, and are, as such, much sought after. This sponge is interesting because the whites, rather than the yolks, are beaten with the sugar, which is opposite to the way most whisked-up sponges are made.

Serves 8

3 duck eggs

75g (3oz) caster sugar

75g (3oz) and an extra dessertspoon flour

2 x 18cm (7 inch) round cake tins

Filling:

4 ozs (225g) home-made strawberry jam

10 fl ozs (285g) whipped cream

Decoration:

A selection of Summer berries, strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, redcurrants, and blackberries.

4 fl oz whipped cream icing

Sugar to dust

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/gas mark 4. Line the base of the tins with a round of silicone paper. Brush the base and sides with melted butter and dust with white flour.

Separate the egg whites from the yolks. Put the whites and sugar into a bowl and whisk until stiff, preferably in an electric mixer. Whisk in the yolks one by one and then fold in the sieved flour, making sure not to deflate the mixture. Divide the mixture between 2 prepared tins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 20–25 minutes. Turn out carefully and cool on a wire rack. Sandwich together with a layer of homemade strawberry jam, a layer of freshly whipped cream. Sprinkle with sieved icing sugar over the top. Serve on an old fashioned plate with a doyley. Pipe rosettes of the remaining cream and arrange the berries on top.

Hard-Boiled Eggs with Anchovy, Pepper and Flat Parsley

This salad makes a lovely little supper dish.

Serves 4-8

8 organic eggs

115ml (4fl oz) extra-virgin olive oil

2 large cloves garlic, sliced thinly on a microplane

1 red pepper, seeded and cut into 5mm (¼in) dice

8-12 anchovies, either salted or in vinegar

Flat parsley leaves

Maldon sea salt and freshly ground pepper

Lots of crusty bread and rocket leaves

Hard-boil the eggs. Cool, peel, wash and split in half lengthways. Arrange in a single layer, cut side up, on a serving dish. Heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat, add the garlic slices. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes until pale golden (careful not to burn or the garlic will turn bitter and acrid). Reduce the temperature, add the pepper and toss for no more than a minute.

Turn off the heat, cool, and add the hopped anchovy. Spoon over the hard-boiled eggs and top with snipped flat parsley. Season with freshly cracked pepper and a little sea salt. Serve with crusty bread and rocket leaves.

foolprooffood

HARISSA

Makes 100g (3½oz)

10 dried red chillies, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes

5 fresh red chillies

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

½ tsp salt

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

De-seed and roughly chop the dried and fresh chillies. Put in a food processor with the garlic, cumin, coriander, salt and olive oil. Whizz until smooth.

Store in a jar with a layer of olive oil over the top. It will keep for three months.

Thrifty tip

If you have leftover potatoes from a meal, peel and cube them while they are still warm, toss them in French dressing, add chopped scallions, parsley and a few dollops of mayonnaise for a delicious potato salad.

hottip

- The Merrion Hotel: If you feel like a little treat to cheer yourself up the Merrion Hotel in Dublin has some attractive offers at present. Telephone [phone] to enquire about The Merrion Gourmet Experience or visit www.merrionhotel.com

- Good Food Ireland launched their exciting new website on July 29, 2009. One can now book good food holidays directly. Visit www.goodfoodireland.ie/index.cfm/section/special to avail of all the latest special offers.

- Lemon Tree Café: The award -winning Lemon Tree Café in Dunmore East is worth knowing about for their fresh “catch of the day”. We loved their open crab sandwich on their homemade brown bread and the freshly baked cakes and chocolate chip brownies. www.lemontreecatering.ie or telephone [phone].