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Jerry Buttimer, Chairperson of the Oireachtas Health Committee previews the first of three days of committee hearings into the heads of the governments Protection of Life during Pregnancy Bill. Today the Committee will hear from medical representative groups and experts, including the masters of the main maternity hospital.

The economic crisis has damaged the fabric of countries across Europe, and some like Ireland are bumping along the bottom. This week it was announced that France - which has the second largest economy in Europe - has entered it’s second recession in four years.

One of the countries badly hit by austerity and recession is Spain where unemployment has reached a record high of more than six million.

Joe Haslam, Associate Professor at the IE Business School in Madrid, joined Pat. (Joe is in Dublin to speak at the MBA World Trophy/Startup Dublin event where he gave a talk yesterday titled: Entrepreneurship, the highest form of protest)

The rate of suicide in Counties Cork and Kerry are amongst the highest in the country, with some areas witnessing a 50% rise in deaths through suicide since 2008. In Kinsale and surrounding areas in County Cork, a number of tragic deaths in recent years compelled locals to act and to take a community stand against suicide. Brian O’Connell visited Kinsale this week and heard about how measures being put in place there could serve as a template for dealing with this issue in other areas of the country. He joined us from our Cork studio.

Ireland’s largest homeless hostel, Camden Hall in Dublin is to close less than a year after being taken over by the Peter McVerry Trust. The facility which in a previous life was a backpackers hostel was deemed to be in a very challenging state when Dublin City Council approached the The Trust to take over the running of it. The idea was that conditions could be improved in the short term and that it would eventually be decommissioned.

Pat Doyle, CEO of the Peter McVerry Trust spoke to Pat. 

If you’re looking for a day out and you like your quality food then you could do worse than head to Sheridan’s Cheesemakers fourth Irish food festival on Sunday 26th May. There’ll be plenty there for all tastes, workshops, stalls – the lot - and with a small sample of what’s on offer, Pat was joined by joined by Kevin Sheridan..

Traditional Irish Brown Bread

Recipe provide by Maura Sheridan

Ingredients:

250g plain white flour

200g wholemeal flour

1 level teaspoon bread soda

1 level teaspoon salt

2 large free range eggs

250ml Yoghurt (or Buttermilk)

Method:

I turn on the fan oven at 200 – 250C to preheat while I prepare the mixture.

First, prepare baking tray or ceramic pot- I use an old Le Creuset pot to bake the bread in. I line it with the wrappers from butter, but you can use greaspeproof paper.

Beat the eggs very well, add the yoghurt and beat again –leave aside.

In a large mixing bowl, mix the dry ingredients (flours , bread soda, salt). Make a well in the centre of the bowl.

Add most of the liquid and using your hand start mixing the flour in from the centre out with a light touch.

When the mixture comes together, form a round and place on a floured baking tray or in a heavy bottomed ceramic dish such as I use.

Place in the centre of the oven.

Note on temperatures and times: Ovens vary. I have mine at 200 – 250C for 10/15 minutes. Then turn down to 190/180C for the remainder of baking time - total baking time 1 hour.

To ensure that the bread is cooked, turn upside down, tap the bottom, and a hollow sound lets you know that it is done.

When cooked, wrap in a tea towel and leave to cool.

Mackerel Paté with dill on brown bread with a chive sour cream

Recipe provided by Pauric White of the Forge Restaurant

Served with Brown Bread or Brown Bread Crackers

Ingredients:

For pâté

4 fillets of fresh mackerel

Juice of 1/2 lemon

1 tablespoon chopped dill

Salt & pepper

For Chive Sour cream

5 tablespoons cream

Juice of 1/4 lemon

Freshly ground pepper (4 good turns of a mill)

½ tblsp Finely chopped chives

1. Lightly grill the mackerel with a little lemon juice , salt & pepper allow to cool

2. Remove all the bones and the skin .

3. Place in a food blender; add the lemon juice and chopped dill, blend , taste & season

4. Allow to cool in the fridge before serving

5. For the sour cream place all the ingredients in a bowel whisk until they become thick add chives at the end

To serve take a Sheridans brown bread cracker or some brown bread, smooth a nice portion of pâté on the cracker followed by a nice helping of sour cream

Baked Fillet of Irish Hake

with tomato , lemon scented parsley crust

Recipe provided by Pauric White of the Forge Restaurant

Ingredients:

2 portions of hake ( ensure the bones have been taken out )

2 slices seeded whole meal bread crumbed

1 tomato sliced

Zest of 1/2 lemon

Nice bunch of parsley chopped .

Salt & pepper

Method:

1. Seal the hake in a hot pan skin side first with a little butter and oil

2. Place the slices of tomato on the flesh side of the hake

3. Mix the lemon zest , parsley & crumb together

4. Lightly crumble the crumb over the tomato ensuring all is covered

5. Bake in a per heated oven at 180 C for 10 - 12 mins

6. If you have a probe thermometer it should read 74c

Great served with a lemon mayonnaise and a dressed salad ( rocket would be nice or pea shoot )

Alternatively with seasonal oven roasted veg

Donal Skehan’s Banana & Oatmeal Muffins

Recipe from Donal Skehan’s Book: Kitchen Hero

Ingredients:

125g Plain Flour

75g Wholemeal Flour (we used Dunany Flour from Co. Louth)

200g Rolled Oats, plus extra for sprinkling (we used ** Kilbeggan? Macroom)

75g soft light brown sugar

1 tblsp baking powder

1 tsp ground cinnamon

250ml milk

2 large free-range eggs, separated

3 tblsp rapeseed oil

1 tblsp cold coffee

2 bananas, mashed, plus 1 banana, cut into 12 slices

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F), Gas Mark 6. Line a muffin or cupcake tray with 12 paper cases.

In a large bowl, combine the flours, oats, sugar, baking powder and cinnamon.

Measure the milk in a large measuring jug and whisk in the egg yolks, oil, coffee, and mashed bananas.

In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites until they form soft peaks.

Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in the contents of the jug. Using a spatula, mix together until just combined.

Fold through the egg whites, then divide the mixture amongst the paper cases.

Push a slice of banana into the centre of each muffin and sprinkle with oats. Place in the oven to bake for 25 minutes until golden on top.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.

Tip:

Donal also suggested before I came on the show that adding in a handul of blueberries or raspberries is a great idea with these muffins!

Cheeses

Durrus -Semi soft, mildly pungent cheese(Made by Jeffa Gill in Sheep’s Head Peninsula, West Cork)

Cooleeney – sof bloomy rind, camembert style cheese (Made by Breda Maher in Moyne, Thurles, Co. Tipperary)

Served with Sheridans Irish Crackers and Chutney for Cheese with Apples & Plums

This week a garda report on the cancellation of penalty points found no evidence of criminality or corruption, however 3 officers are facing disciplinary proceedings.

A gruelling night of negotiations between unions and management in the Bus Eireann dispute settled a deal on cost saving measures amounting to €5 million.

There was a breakthrough on Croke Park 2 though health workers and teachers are still not on board.

And plans for major hospital reforms were unveiled by Minister Reilly during the week

Joining Pat in studio were Liam Doran, INMO, General Secretary, John Drennan, Political Editor, Sunday Independent, Regina Doherty, FG TD, Meath East, and Roisin Shortall, former Junior Minister for Health, now, Independent TD, Dublin North West.