Brian McDermott's recipes

Roasted Vegetable Frittata

Serves: 4 Persons

For the roast veg:

1 red & 1 yellow Pepper diced

1 Red Onion, peeled and cut into wedges

Sprig Fresh Thyme & Rosemary

Drizzle of Rapeseed Oil

Salt & Paper

100ml Milk

8 Large Eggs

50g Parmesan Cheese Grated

Handful Spinach leaves

2 Tomatoes, sliced

Pinch fresh parsley

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree c. Place a flat tray in the oven for at least 10 minutes.

Add the diced peppers, onion and chopped thyme and rosemary to a bowl. Add rapeseed oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss together.

Place on heated tray and return to the oven for 12 minutes.

Whisk together the eggs and milk, Add pepper and grated parmesan.

Line a tin with parchment paper or use an earthenware dish and place roasted vegetable in, followed by spinach leaves, egg mix and arrange sliced tomatoes and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

Reduce oven to 180 degree C and bake for 30 minutes and allow cool slightly before serving.

Brian’s Tip:

Add some smoked Salmon or Smoked Mackerel if non vegetarian is preferred

Brian's Brown Bread

125g Plain Flour

Teaspoon Bread Soda

350g Whole Wheat Flour

50g Treacle

275ml Buttermilk

150g Natural Yoghurt

1 Egg

Method:

Preheat Oven to 180 degrees C

Use a bowl and wooden spoon, do not use an electric mixer.

Sieve the plain flour, add bread soda, whole wheat flour and mix thoroughly


Beat the egg, add the yoghurt, treacle & buttermilk . Mix together then add the liquid to the dry flour mix and mix to form a deliberate wet mix


Grease two 1lb loaf tins and drop mix into the tin half filling each tin. Do not pat down the mix as this tightens the resulting bread. Scatter some porridge oats on top and bake for approx 40 minutes


Brian’s Tips: Wrap bread in clean dry tea towel not cling film. Bread will freeze very well.

Butternut Squash Soup

Serves: 6

Ingredients

1 carrot

1 stick celery

Half a leek

1 onion diced

1 Apple Diced (remove core)

2 cloves garlic

40g butter

Drop of Rapeseed oil

200g Butternut Squash peeled and diced

1.5 litres Chicken or Vegetable Stock

Ground White Pepper

Handful Fresh Parsley

Creme Fraiche (optional)


Method:

Peel and dice the carrots

Wash celery stick and dice. Slice and wash the leeks. Dice the onion and mix all vegetables together.

In a saucepan melt the butter with the oil and sweat for 5 minutes the onion, crushed garlic, leeks, carrots, celery. Add the diced butternut squash & chopped apple. Sweat for 4-5 minutes on low heat.

Season with pepper and cover with stock.

Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 20 minutes or until the butternut squash is soft.

Blend the soup in a blender.

Add chopped fresh parsley and serve piping hot. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds.

Brian's Tip

When serving add some toasted pumpkin seeds

Brian’s Basic Scone Recipe

Ingredients

225g self-raising flour

55g butter softened

25g caster sugar

150ml butter milk

1 egg

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C. Lightly grease a baking sheet.

Sieve the flour into a bowl and add the sugar.

Rub the butter into the flour then stir in the buttermilk to form a soft dough.

Turn out onto a floured work surface and knead very lightly.

Pat out until the mixture is 2cm thick. Use a 5cm cutter to stamp out rounds and place on a greased baking sheet.

Brush the tops of the scones with the beaten egg.

Bake for 18/20 minutes until well risen and golden.

Cool on a wire rack and serve with local butter and good quality jam and cream for a real treat.

Scones Three Ways;

Irish Berries – Add chopped raspberry, strawberries for an Irish fruit scone

Apple & Blueberry - Add peeled grated apples and chopped blueberries

Cheese & Spring Onion – Add some grated Cheese and chopped spring onion to the recipe for savoury scone

Lasagne

Ingredients

Serves 6/8

drizzle rapeseed oil

1 Onion, peeled and finely chopped

1 carrot, peeled and chopped

4 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed

500g minced beef

350ml Beef Stock

Glass red wine

75g tomato puree

400g chopped tomatoes

2 tsp dried oregano

Fresh ground black Pepper

White sauce:

700ml milk

70g Butter

70g Plain Flour

1 bay leaves

100g Cheddar

ground black pepper

pinch nutmeg

300g Lasagne sheets

30g Parmesan Cheese

Method:

Pre heat the oven to 200°C.

Head a pot and add a drizzle of oil and brown the meat. Add the chopped onion, garlic and carrots and cook for 4-5 minutes then add the oregano.

Add the wine and allow the wine to reduce by half then add the tomato puree and chopped tomatoes. Season with fresh ground black pepper.

Add the beef stock and allow to simmer for 1 hour stirring occasionally.

While it is simmering make the white sauce by melting the butter in a saucepan and adding the flour. When you have combined the butter and flour add the milk, bay leaf, nutmeg and pepper and whisking all the time allow the sauce to thicken. Once thickened add half the grated cheddar to the sauce. Set sauce aside.

Soak the lasagne sheets in warm water for at least 15 minutes before assembling.

To assemble: Spoon a thin layer of meat sauce into the dish, then a little cheese sauce. Put a layer of lasagne on top, add more of the meat and cheese sauces, repeat a further layer. Finish with lasagne sheets and cheese sauce. Sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 1 hour

Allow to stand for 10 minutes before serving.