Éamonn's Taste of Ireland
Wednesday, 5 March 2008
In Ireland, we're lucky enough to have some fantastic artisan produce unique to the country and its regions. Today, and over the next couple of weeks, Éamonn will be cooking some fabulous dishes, with 3 artisan products of choice from around the country!
BRUSCHETTA OF CANNELLINI BEANS AND RICOTTA
Ingredients
1 slice ciabatta bread per person
1 tin canellini beans
Handful of black olives
1 clove of garlic
Olive oil
Sea-salt
1 courgette or 1 bulb of fennel
1 small bunch of basil
1 tub of ricotta or one mozzarella
3 ripe tomatoes on the vine
Method
Rub the bread all over -liberally! - with olive oil then grill or toast it. Rub with garlic.
Chop and de-seed the tomatoes
Slice the courgette or fennel thinly, rub with olive oil and char-grill.
Drain and rinse the beans then mix with chopped garlic, the basil, chopped black olives, black pepper and olive oil.
Spread the slice of toasted ciabatta with ricotta and sprinkle with se- salt. Top with the bean mixture.
Arrange slices of charred courgette or fennel on top and finally top with the chopped tomato.
ROAST ARCTIC CHARR WITH SEAWEED BUTTER
Ingredients
1 whole arctic charr, cleaned and prepared
Olive oil Sea-salt
200g unsalted butter
Dried seaweed
20g flaked almonds
1 head of broccolli
1 clove of garlic
1 orange
20g black olives
Cracked black pepper
Method
Allow the butter to soften, then chop up about 10g of seaweed and incorporate into the butter adding a little at a time so that the butter is just flecked with seaweed. Roll up in aluminium foil forming a sausage shape and place in the freezer.
Begin by making incisions on the flesh of the char, three deep into the flesh on each side.
Rub all over with olive oil and sea-salt. Place in an oven dish and put under the grill and leave to cook for at least 5 minutes on each side, though this will depend on size.
Separate all the florets of broccoli. Blanch quickly in boiling salted water, remove and refresh.Slice the garlic and cook lightly in olive oil.
Finely grate the zest of the orange. Chop all the olives up roughly.
Add the broccoli to the garlic in the oil and mix well. Incorporate the olives followed by the orange zest and finally the flaked almonds.
Transfer this mixture to a serving dish, place the cooked char on top and finally top with slices of seaweed butter. Eat at once.
ARTISAN PRODUCE
FISH
CLONACOOL ARCTIC CHARR
Arctic Charr is an exquisite, delicate fish that has been native to Ireland since the last Ice Age. Charr are still found in the deepest waters of our coldest, purest lakes and thrive in these natural conditions.
For over ten thousand years Arctic Charr have been adapting to their changing environment. In the wild, they once risked becoming an endangered species - (they are still classified as an endangered species in Ireland).
Today, Cloonacool Arctic Charr are reared on a state-of-the-art family fish farm, which is exclusively devoted to the production of these superior fish. The farm is fed by pristine natural spring water, filtered through the limestone rock of south Sligo. We add nothing to the process but food and oxygen - no chemicals, antibiotics, or colourings of any kind come near our fish.
Clonacool Arctic Charr would love you to try their product and let them know if you agree.
Clonacool Arctic Charr, Clonacool Co. Sligo, from €3.75 per fish or €18.99 per kilo (prices may vary)
Visit www.clonacoolarcticcharr.ie for more details or email billcarty@eircom.net
SEAWEED
LO TIDE DILLISK SEA WEED
From its creation in 2005, LoTide Fine Foods has undertaken to produce quality and innovative sea vegetable products.
LoTide Fine Foods aim to set the standard and continually raise the bar in the production of sea vegetables. From our first harvesting of Atlantic sea vegetables, we have strived to create for our customers, new and exciting ways of enjoying all the benefits of a wonderful natural resource.
Lotide Fine Foods' products are served in fine dining restaurants nationwide. They are available through retail and selected gourmet outlets throughout Ireland.
Lo-Tide Dillisk Seaweed, Lo-Tide Gourmet Sea Vegetables, from €2.75 per pack
Visit www.lo-tide.com for more details and a full list of stockists or email info@lo-tide.com
BREAD
THE BRETZEL BAKERY - BREAD MADE THE OLD WAY!
The sweet smells of the bakery have been wafting down South Richmond Street since the 1870's and have inspired love and loyalty in the hearts of Dubliners. Still known as the Jewish bakery and even though the Kosher certificate is no longer there, the tradition and quality remains. The recipes and the (sitting room-sized) double-decked brick oven have not changed much in the past 100 years.
Back in the 1900's the Grinspon family ran a small bakery here. The Elliman family took it over in 1910. The chain of Jewish ownership was broken when the Christe Hackett took it over from Ida Stein in the 1960's, however the Bretzel Bakery was strictly Kosher bakery until the mid 1990's. The Hackett family was the custodian until the end of the century, when ill-health forced a sale. A new century - a new owner, William Despard stepped in to revitalize this institution which is the Bretzel Bakery.
The Bretzel Bakery's thoughts.
Our bread is local
We believe there should be a geographical and tangible link between bakery and its customers.
At the Bretzel Bakery we make bread while others manufacture theirs
No additives are needed.
We make it the same way a those before us made it
Not out of our stubborn loyalty, but it tastes better: our customers tell us so.
There is nothing like fresh bread
It goes stale when it goes stale. We will make more tomorrow.
Dublin Born 'n Bread
Hard work, flour, water and yeast, with natural seeds, herbs & spices are the Bretzel's only secrets. In a fast paced world we do the simple stuff.
"Slow dough", nothing added but time
We are working closely with the Irish Bakery School to explore some old flavours and varieties that are new to us.
We make bread the old way BUT
We find that some of the new ways are much better when it comes to things like administration, health & safety. We run a modern and efficient back office, which keeps things running smoothly out front.
Ciabatta, The Bretzel Bakery Dublin, loaves from 80c
Visit www.bretzel.ie or visit their store at 1A Lennox Street, Portobello, Dublin 8