Salt Hake with Spiced Aubergines and Rocket
Virtually all the food comes from the farm and gardens, the floury British Queen potatoes from Willie Scannell’s farm in Ballyandreen and the fish comes from nearby Ballycotton.
It’s a magical evening – a celebration of the work of the gardeners and farm lads and an opportunity for the guests to get a glimpse behind the scenes of a 100-acre organic farm and gardens.
We also have lots of hens, several sows, heritage breeds that snuffle about outdoors all their happy lives. The home-made butter, cheese, yoghurt and buttermilk is made from the milk of our Jersey cows and the beef from the Aberdeen Angus, Kerry and Dexter cattle.
This was the third year. People came from Alabama, Arkasas, Los Angeles, North Carolina, Copenhagen, UK and Ireland, many were return guests who joined us in former years. The event raises money to support the East Cork Slow Food Educational project which links in with nine local schools to teach children how to grow and cook.
We deliver a chicken coop to each school with two hens so the children can learn how to look after poultry. The chicken manure goes onto the compost heap in the school which helps to enrich the soil so the children can grow more beautiful fresh vegetables, herbs and fruit.
Rory O’Connell, my brother and co-founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School devised the menu, planned the event, cooked the meal with Ballymaloe Cookery School team of teachers and full supporting cast who wouldn’t miss the buzz for anything.
The Long Table has been covered with a white linen cloth and there’s a marigold peeping out of the top of each starched napkin. It all looks so beautiful in the midst of the vegetables and fruit and the feast begins.
The Gardeners play a tantalising mix of compositions and traditional — a totally enchanting event raising money for an incredibly important cause – East Cork Slow Food Educational Project.
1 x 1-1 1/2lbs (450g – 675g) hake
1 1/2oz – 2oz (40 – 50g) salt
3 fl ozs (75ml) cream
2 fl oz (50ml) olive oil
1 clove garlic, crushed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
Spiced Aubergines
500g (1 lb 2 ozs) Slim Jim aubergines
250ml (8 fl ozs/1 cup) approximate extra virgin olive oil
2 inches (5cm) cube of fresh ginger, peeled and coarsely chopped
12 large cloves of garlic, peeled and coarsely crushed
110ml (4 fl ozs/1/2 cup) water
2 teaspoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon (1 American tablespoon + 1 teaspoon) cumin seeds
700g (1 1/2lbs) very ripe tomatoes, peeled and finely chopped or 2 x 400g (14ozs) tin tomatoes + 1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons (2 1/2 American tablespoon) freshly ground coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like)
sea salt
Rocket
First make the spiced aubergines.
Cut the aubergine into 3/4 inch (2cm) thick slices. Heat 175ml (6 fl ozs/3/4 cup) of oil in a deep 10-12 inch (25-30cm) frying pan.
When hot, almost smoking, add a few aubergine slices and cook until golden and tender on both sides.
Remove and drain on a wire rack over a baking sheet. Repeat with the remainder of the aubergines.
Alternatively brush generously with extra virgin olive oil and cook on a hot pan-grill.
Put the ginger, garlic and water into a blender. Blend until fairly smooth.
Heat 3 tablespoons (4 American tablespoons) of oil in the frying pan. When hot, add the fennel and cumin seeds (careful not to let them burn).
Stir for a few seconds then put in the chopped tomato, the ginger-garlic mixture, coriander, turmeric, cayenne and salt. Simmer, stirring occasionally until the spice mixture thickens slightly, 5-6 minutes. Add the fried aubergine slices and raisins, and coat gently with the spicy sauce.
Cover the pan, turn the heat to very low and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Keep aside. Salt the hake. Sprinkle a thin layer of dairy or sea salt over the base of a lasagne dish or plastic box. Put the fish fillet on top. Cover loosely and refrigerate for two hours.
Cut into pieces, cook in boiling water for 3-4 minutes depending on thickness, lift out carefully and drain. It is ready to be cooked. Salted cod can keep for up to a month, but we normally lightly salt it and use it within a couple of days or a week. Put the fish into simmering water for 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness.
Bring cream, olive oil and garlic to the boil. Drain the fish and remove the skin.
Put a portion on a warm plate, spoon a couple of tablespoons of garlic cream over the fish.
Top with some warm spiced aubergine and garnish with a few rocket leaves.
1 large cucumber organic if possible
8 fl ozs (225ml) light cream
4 fl ozs (110ml) natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon tarragon vinegar
1/2 or 1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tablespoon finely chopped gherkins, optional
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon very finely chopped verbena
1 Charentais or Ogen melon
Fresh verbena leaves
Grate the cucumber on the coarsest part of the grater. Stir in all the other ingredients. Season well.
Taste and correct the seasoning. Serve chilled in shot glasses or small bowls garnished with a few balls of ripe Charentais or Ogen melon and fresh verbena leaves.
1 x stainless steel or enamel pudding bowl, 4 pints (2.L/10 cups) capacity
Vanilla Ice Cream
4 ozs (110g/1/2 cup) sugar
8 fl ozs (250ml/1 cup) water
4 egg yolks
1 teaspoon pure vanilla essence
2 pints (1.1L/5 cups) whipped cream
Blackcurrant Ice Cream
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons (2 American tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) sugar
4 fl ozs (120ml/1/2 cup) water
1/2 pint (300ml/1 1/2 cups) blackcurrant, puree
1 pint (600ml/2 1/2 cups) whipped cream
Strawberry Ice Cream
2 lbs (900g) very ripe strawberries
1/2 lb (225g/1 cup) castor sugar
juice of 1/2 lemon
juice of 1/2 orange
1/2 pint (300ml/1 1/4 cups) water
1/4 pint (150ml/generous 1/2 cup) whipped cream
Strawberry Coulis
16 ozs (450g) fresh strawberries
2 1/2 ozs (70g/1/2 cup) icing sugar
lemon juice
Clean and hull the strawberries, add to the blender with sugar and blend.
Strain, taste and add lemon juice if necessary. Store in a fridge.
1/2 lb (225g) whole strawberries
whipped cream and fresh mint leaves
First make the vanilla ice cream. Put the egg yolks into a bowl and whisk until light and fluffy (keep the white for meringues). Combine the sugar and water in a small heavy bottomed saucepan, stir over heat until the sugar is completely dissolved, then remove the spoon and boil the syrup until it reaches the ‘thread’ stage, 106-113°C (223-226°F).
It will look thick and syrupy when a metal spoon is dipped in, the last drops of syrup will form thin threads. Pour boiling syrup in a steady stream onto the egg yolks, whisking all the time.
Add vanilla essence and continue to whisk until it becomes a thick creamy white mousse. Softly whip the cream. Make sure you have two pints (600ml/2 1/2 cups) of whipped cream.
Fold this into the mousse. Put the pudding bowl into the freezer for about 10 minutes, so that it will be icy cold. Line a bowl with the vanilla ice cream in an even layer, put it into the freezer and after about one hour take it out.
Make the blackcurrant ice cream. Make as the previous recipe to the mousse stage.
Add to it a semi-sweet blackcurrant puree. This fruit can be raw and sweetened with a thick syrup or cooked in a syrup.
Taste for sweetness after adding to the mousse add more syrup if necessary. Fold in the cream. Set to freeze.
Next make the strawberry ice cream. Dissolve the sugar in the water, boil for 7-10 minutes, leave to cool.
Puree the strawberries in a food processor or blender, sieve. Add orange and lemon juice to cold syrup.
Stir into the puree, fold in the whipped cream. Freeze in an ice-cream machine or alternatively in a freezer until slushy. Fill the strawberry ice cream into the middle of the bombe, cover the bowl with a plastic clip on lid or cling film and freeze sold. Leave overnight if possible.
Unmould the bombe and decorate with fresh strawberries, rosettes of whipped cream and fresh mint leaves. Serve with a strawberry coulis.
John and Sally Mc Kenna were quick to support the brilliant marketing strategy, The Wild Atlantic Way, which highlights the myriad of attractions from Donegal to Kinsale.
The new McKenna Guide on where to eat and stay on the Wild Atlantic Way is so full of gems that it was all I could do to resist the temptation to jump into the car and head for Inishowen.
I thought I might start at Harry’s restaurant to get a taste of Inishowen and if I made it for Saturday morning I could taste the Slow Food Co breads fresh from the woodfired oven at Harry’s Saturday market – tempted…
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