I had been thinking of making a clam linguine but I didn’t have my pasta machine with me so put that idea on hold and went to the great fishmongers in Skerries. I have great confidence in Elora so I asked her to pick up something for lunch whilst I waited in the car. There were some  beautiful mussels and monkfish so she bought these and they came home with us.

I had a think about what would be nice with these wonders of the sea and decided on spaghetti.

I put my Food Alchemists hat on a made a beautiful Tapenade of  black olives, garlic, onion, lemon juice and top quality olive oil that we got as a present from our good friends Linda & Joe.

I blanched and skinned some plump vine tomatoes,  cut them into concasse by removing the inner pulp and dicing the flesh. I then diced a medium courgette and set these aside for the sauce.

I chopped half a small onion into a fine dice and finely chopped a small bulb of garlic, the 1 piece variety. I then took the tomato pulp and threw these into a hot casserole pot smoking with fine olive oil. I cooked these out for a couple of minutes and added a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

A bottle of Lambrusco jumped into my hand and a third of it hit the aromatic flavours intensifying in the casserole. Once reduced I dumped 2 kilo of freshly cleaned mussels into the pot, stirred and topped it with a tight fitting lid.

Whilst this was happening I had a pot of boiling salted water and dropped in the spaghetti to cook to a hard al dente. Then refreshed it in cold water to stop the cooking and reserved it coated in olive oil.

The mussels had opened after 3 or so minutes and I poured them into a colander. Now the cooking liquor smelled and tasted amazing but it will have sand/grit from the mussels in it so I passed it through some muslin and a fine sieve.

The liquor was then put into a saucepan to rapidly boil down and intensify the flavours. Elora happily volunteered to pick the warm mussels from their shells and munched on a few and I remembered to reserve some shells for  garnishing.

I then took the second skin off the Monkfish, it doesn’t eat well with it on and most places don’t take it off. The tail was then sliced into thick slivers of pure white,covered and refrigerated.

It was at this point I cleaned and sharpened one of my knives on the diamond steel and whilst talking to Elora I cleaned residue off the blade and cut through my left index finger. So a quick trip to the chemist later had me testing spray-on plaster, and its bloody good (excuse the pun).

Now back to the food.

I heated the now cleaned casserole pan and added some really good olive oil and got it hot. The mussel liquor sauce was put in a pan to heat up.

The courgette got thrown into the casserole first and  cooked for a minute then the concasse tomato was added.

The hard al dente spaghetti was dropped into boiling water and the slices of  Monkfish were added to the hot mussel liquor to poach.

After 1 minute I added the tapenade to the casserole and stirred it into the vegetables.

The mussels were then added to the poaching Monkfish and the heat turned off. Now the magic happens I drained the spaghetti and dropped it into the tapenade and stirred it through and  added some of the mussel liquor. Then plated up the dish.

It tasted amazing I really mean it I was very happy with this and Elora ate like a piggy.

This dish is one of my favourite’s, I got the recipe idea after many chats with Turkish chefs and friends. We discussed the spices used in everyday cooking and the feel of the meat. It had to be soft like butter when cooked, the bone has to lift out without effort. It can be used as a wonderful roast dinner served with a lemon mash potato and crisp vegetables or my favourite: as a Kebab served in a warm pitta with fresh salad and wedges of lemon.

Prepare it and walk away…

The best thing about this dish is the fact you can leave it cook for up to 7 hours. I cook it in 4 usually but if your out and about cook it for  when your about to come back.

Spices.

I used spices that are found all over the Med but are used a lot in Turkish dishes. The flavours should evoke feelings from past lives. The exotic smells wafting around your kitchen bringing to life the spice markets of Istanbul. Smells should do this, your food should be a sensual experience.

Cumin:

Cumin is a wonderful spice a favorite of the Ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. In the Middle Ages, when spices were relatively rare, cumin was one of the most common spices. It was thought to promote love and fidelity. People carried it to weddings and walked around with it with their pockets. It was reputed to keep lovers and chickens from wandering.

Paprika:

Paprika is an amazing spice, it originates from South America but is now grown all over the world,even on my bedroom window. It is made from ground capsicum’s (we know as peppers) It has a huge amount of Vitamin C even in it’s dried form. I used Spanish Pimenton Dulce a sweet paprika that has a far superior flavour to most other paprikas. Paprika adds a beautiful red colour to dishes and a wonderful flavour. In June there are festivals held all over Spain where Pimenton(paprika) is celebrated. Groups of  young men and women rub a paste of Pimenton Dulce all over their bodies and chase each other through the evening streets carrying fiery torches shouting “Pruebame” (“taste me”) at those they encounter.

Pink Himalayan Rock Salt:

Pink Himalayan Rock Salt is a pure, hand-mined salt found naturally deep within the Himalayan Mountains. 200 million years ago,  the ancient sea beds were covered by flows of  volcanic lava, the lava protected the salt from modern-day pollution, and it  is thought to be the purest salt found on earth. It it thought that using pink Himalayan rock salt daily will lead to culinary enlightenment it also looks lovely.

White Pepper:

Pepper corns were found stuffed up the nose of  Egyptian mummies. They were used as currency in ancient times as they were so rare and only they rich could have them, pepper was “a favourite ingredient of the most expensive Roman cookery”. White pepper consists of the seed of the pepper plant the darker coloured skin of the pepper fruit removed. It has a milder flavour than black pepper and blends nicely into my mix. Pepper is one of my favourite spices I cover my eggs in it.

Oregano:

Oregano is an important green woody herb, used for the flavor of its leaves, the leaves can be more flavourful when dried than fresh. It has an aromatic slightly bitter taste that is used all over the Mediterranean and very much in Turkish Lamb dishes. In medieval Italy rival towns on different banks of the river Reno near Bologna would bake large rock shaped pies stuffed with oregano, tomato and cheese, and throw them at each other, to prove who made the tastiest pies. But in 1642 some citizens baked rocks in the dough and there were dozens of fatalities. So the Signorie (Lordship) of Bologna decreed that on pain of death only flat dough pies could be thrown, so that rocks could not be hidden in them. It was this act that created what we now know as Pizza.

Ingredients:

• Whole shoulder of lamb or lamb shanks
• 2 tsp Ground cumin
• 6 tsp Spanish dulce pimenton (paprika)
• 3 tsp Ground white pepper
• 6 tsp of ground rock salt
• 8 tsp Dried oregano
• Whole lemon (optional)
• Half bulb of garlic (optional)
• Medium onion (optional)
• 2 sprigs of fresh rosemary (optional)
• 1/2 bottle of white wine (optional)
• water
• virgin olive oil

Preparation and  Cooking:

• Turn your oven on and  pre-heat at maximum.
• Get your butcher to cut the shoulder into 2 to 3 pieces so it will fit in a domestic oven tray.
• Make some cuts into the meat so you can rub the spices into it.
• Mix together your spices and rub into the lamb.
• Then pour over a couple of glugs of olive oil and massage the lamb getting the spice deep into the cuts.

• Put in the oven for 25 mins to brown the meat and kick start the cooking.
• Now add a lemon cut into quarters.
• half a bulb of garlic & the sprigs of rosemary.
• 1/2 bottle of wine
• 1/2 pint of water
• Cover tightly with foil and put back in the oven @ 140C for 3 & 1/2 hours or lower the temp for longer cooking times.

This is what you can do with it once cooked:

This year I decided to do 6 different cookery demonstrations to share some of my skills and knowledge to anyone who is interested in food and cooking.

I chose to ask Eugene McKenna @ Noyeks Newmans Kilkenny if he would like me to do some cooking at his kitchen showroom as my parents had just bought a kitchen from him and we were very happy with the quality and service.

So  The Devils Menu comes to Kilkenny City. We have done 2 demos already and I have met some wonderful people. The first demo was ‘Curry in a Hurry’ that went really well.

I cooked Onion Bahji’s , Peshwari Nann Bread and Chicken and Coconut Curry. I served these with Basmati rice and some dips.

Mango and chili, Cucumber raita and a Super hot Scotch Bonnet chili dip. My dips went down a storm and I have promised to give the recipes for them as well.

KCLR 96FM came along and the lovely Aisling Kelly interviewed me. We had a fast paced live interview, and then Aisling interviewed me whilst I cooked my curry for the Edwina Grace show on KCLR.

The Kilkenny People newspaper came along as well and took some lovely pictures and wrote a nice article on the events, me and Noyeks. Here’s a short video from the ‘Turkish Delight’ demo that was great fun. A big thank you to all who have come and all those who will be coming.

John & Elora

Events:

Curry in a Hurry

Turkish Delight

Winter Warmer

Something Fishy

Romantic Valentine’s Breakfast 

It’s my party and I cook if I want to  

Download Cooking Demo Poster

This is an amazing dish that I created for my cooking demo ‘Curry in a Hurry’ a beautiful curry that’s light, fresh and full of flavour but only takes a few minutes to cook.

I took my influences from the south of  India and Thailand where they make great tasting healthy curries, using the freshest ingredient’s.

Everyone loved the curry at the demo and it can be a very healthy meal if you use low fat coconut milk.

So gather your ingredients and get ready to cook something devilishly good.

Chicken & Coconut Curry Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 Diced chicken thighs
• 2 dessert spoons of chopped ginger
• 2 dessert spoons of chopped lemongrass
• 1 medium chopped onion
• 3 cloves of chopped garlic
• 1-2 medium hot chopped red chilli pepper
• 2 dessert spoons of Mustard seeds
• 3 teaspoons of Garam Massala
• 3 teaspoons of Cumin
• 500g of Baby Spinach washed
• Bunch of fresh coriander
• 1 tin of coconut milk
• 1 fresh lemon
• A large splash of sunflower/rapeseed oil

 Step 1:

Put your diced chicken in a bowl or large freezer bag and add 2 teaspoons of garam massala, 2 teaspoons of ground cumin, 1 teaspoon of salt and a splash of sunflower/vegetable/rapeseed oil and mix together throughly coating the chicken. You can let this marinade for 6-24 hours for a better flavour. Or use it straight away if your in a hurry for a curry.

Step 2:

Take a large non stick frying pan and heat it till it starts to feel quite hot when you hold your hand over. Now add half your chicken to the pan and stir it around to separate it. Do not put all of your chicken in straight away or it will boil the chicken and not seal it.

After a couple of minutes the chicken will be lightly golden and you can take it out of the pan and repeat the process with the rest of the chicken.

Step 3:

Now add your chopped onion to the pan and cook for 1 minute. Add all the chicken and the chopped ginger to the pan. 30 sec later add the chopped lemongrass and the mustard seeds and cook for 1 min.

Now add chopped chilli (to your taste) and chopped garlic. Cook for 30 seconds more stirring the mix. Now add a teaspoon of garam massala and cumin and stir in.

Step 4:

Add a couple of handfulls of washed baby spinach to the pan and let it wilt into the mix, the spinach releases its water content as it cooks adding its flavour to the sauce. Mix in the spinach then add half to 3/4 of a can of coconut milk to the pan. Stir well and lower the heat so it cooks for 1 to 2 minutes soaking up the flavours. Just at the end add a good handful of chopped coriander and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the curry and its finished. Enjoy

 The Ultimate Chicken Bacon and Mushroom Pie

Ingredients:

• chicken breast
• bacon
• 2bags enoki mushroom
• 3 large ceps
• onion
• white wine
• flour
• butter
• flat parsley
• salt & black pepper

This is a luxury version of chicken and mushroom pie. It tasted so good that we all had two pies for dinner!… and nothing else It is a simple recipe for an amazing filling when you follow the steps, so give it a try and let me know how you get on, but here is a little tip:

Add more milk/water to the sauce if it looks too thick as it can get like a jelly easily. 

 Directions

 Step 1:

Cook sliced onion until golden brown. Remove to a bowl and cool.Cook chopped Ceps in a splash of olive oil and butter until golden brown. Add the Enoki mushrooms and cook for 1 minute. Add flat parsley and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove to a bowl and cool.

Step 2:

Step 3:

Season and add 3 dessert spoons of flour. Stir in and cook gently for 2 minutes. Add the reduced glass of wine, stir in and then gradually add the milk to create a thick smooth sauce.

Step 4:

Cook sauce for 2 more minutes on low heat and add the onions and mushrooms. Season to taste and stir it together. Leave to cool and your filling is ready.

IRISH CHEFS must return to traditional food and put dishes, such as bacon and cabbage and Irish stew, back on Irish menus if Ireland is to raise its profile as a culinary destination - Colman Andrews

If Ireland wants to raise its profile, it must not be afraid to revive traditional Irish recipes or be ashamed of some of its best known dishes - Colman Andrews

Excerpt: The Irish Times
We saw a pile of beautiful looking recipe books by Colman Andrews and decided to buy one. Then an amazing synchronicity happened: our good friend and great chef JJ Healey with whom we were having lunch had a wonderful belly of pork recipe in the book. I grabbed a copy of the book and tore off the plastic cover and handed it to JJ demanding he sign my book .

A smiling JJ let the book fall open at the exact page and graciously signed his recipe for me. Its a great recipe that I shall be cooking many times in the future.
I then took the book over to Colman Andrews and asked that he sign my book too. Colman happily dedicated his book to me and I was well chuffed with my double signed copy as you can see in the pictures.

I have since had time to pour over its contents and found it to be a wealth of information, eloquently written with beautiful pictures and great recipes. Bravo Colman you captured the soul of Irish food.

I went to the Virginia Pumpkin Festival two days later and tasted Fadge (potato cake/bread) and it tasted amazing and now thanks to Colman’s book I have the recipe, I just have to get a thick cast iron griddle and a bag of turf to cook with as I saw in Co. Cavan.

Chorizo and Goats Cheese Croquette with Yogurt Sauce

The croquette (from the French croquer, “to crunch”)

The art of cooking can be simple or complex. As a child I always wanted to know how a scotch egg was made, I had eaten them but found the practical side to making them a complete nightmare.

But then I learnt the secret and now they are simple and delicious, if done correctly.

So it goes to show that something that looks simple can be complex.

Yum Yum

A croquette is a wonderful little crisp surprise and one of our favourites.

We all know the bland frozen potato croquettes but there are so many more wonderful variations that can be made, and you can make these at home with your favourite ingredients very easily!

Rarely  you can find good examples of these gastronomic pearls for sale, so learn to make your own and you will be overjoyed with the results.

• Endless ideas all coated in a crisp golden breadcrumb shell,and for me shallow fried in olive oil.
• Familys can have these as a way of using up leftovers.
• They can be frozen, eaten cold ,used on a buffet, Picnic, with a pint, with a glass of wine, champagne even.

Fresh from the oven

This is the best tasting onion bread you will ever try and it’s so simple to make.

First as I am not a “Pastry Chef” forgive me for using a bread mix with the yeast already in it.

I used  500 grams of Ciabatta flour added a small splash of extra virgin olive oil and 350 ml of lukewarm water.

Add these all together in a bowl and mix with a wooden spoon (you can use a mixer with a dough hook, but mine’s in Spain) then knead the dough on a floured surface for at least 15 mins (Tip, use plenty of plain flour on your hands to stop the dough sticking to you). Cup your hands and make a ball shape with the dough.

Now get a clean tea towel and flour it lightly and loosely cover the bread, put it in a large bowl somewhere warm for 15 mins to 1/2 an hour until it doubles in size or looks bigger.

Pre Heat your Oven to 150C , 300F, Gas mark 2.

My onion supplier

Now get some lovely onions, any will do but I used some from my Dad’s garden that are like large spring onions and young enough to make use of the green bits

I used about 8 onions as they were fairly small, but use 4 or 5 medium sized round onions. Thinly slice and then cook in a heavy bottomed pan with a touch of olive oil on a low heat for about 30 min. Stir fairly often so they don’t burn or stick to the pan, season with sea salt. They should be soft, sticky and a bit sweet but not to brown.

Witchy Herbs

I have the luxury of a wonderful little witches herb garden to borrow from so I got some fresh sage and thyme to add to the onions.

Chop the herbs finely and cook with the onions for a couple of minutes.

It adds an extra little something

Put the onions onto a cold plate to cool down and have a look at the dough.

If the dough has puffed up you can put it onto a floured surface and cut it in half cover 1 half in the teatowel to use a few minutes.

Gently shape the dough into a square shape and use a rolling pin or any clean cylinder to roll it out till its about 5 ml thick.

Now spread half of your onions over the dough, leaving about 1 cm border around the outside.

Here’s the easy part, roll the dough over about 5 cm (away from you) then roll over again till you have a snake shape.

Ready for the oven

I  wet lightly one side of the onion snake and then coil it in itself. Just like the picture, its that easy !

Now lightly oil and flour a baking tray (I use fairly heavy ones as they won’t buckle in a hot oven) and put the bread onto it.

With the end of a wooden spoon I made little dents all around the coiled bread and poured a little extra virgin olive oil into them.

Finely I cracked some Pink Himalayan Salt (you can use normal sea salt) over the bread and covered it with a clean tea towel and left it in a warm place for  15 mins.

Then put the bread in the oven and cook it for about 30 mins at (remember your pre- heated oven)150C, 300F, Gas mark 2.

Check the bread after 20 mins pick it up with a tea towel and tap the bottom with your finger if it sounds hollow it should be cooked

Oh yeah baby

Let the bread cool on a rack for as long as you can bare it and then slice that lump of magic or tear it apart.

Oh I nearly forgot repeat the process with the other piece of dough. You can add anything to it that you like I also added black olives and roasted red peppers to one it was lovely

Enjoy !

John ‘The Devils Chef’

This recipe is rough measurements as I just threw things together

• Cold mash potato about 500g
• Plain flour for mixing and dusting work surface
• Salt & Pepper
• Pot of salted boiling water

Now the mash I used had been mashed with olive oil, not milk or butter and this may be the reason it felt very light in the mouth.

1. I put the mash in a large bowl and seasoned it with salt and pepper, then I added a handful of plain flour and stirred it together with a wooden spoon. I kept adding flour little by little until I had a dough that wasn’t sticking to my hands or bowl. You must work quickly as it becomes sticky again.

2. Dust a work surface with flour and roll the potato dough making little snakes with the till they are about the same size as a 1 euro coin.

3. Then chop then into equal pieces and put on a plate.

2. Gnocchi Snake

3. Chopped Gnocchi

Pieces of Gnocchi

4. Now get your pan of boiling water add some salt and a splash of olive oil to it and let it calm down to a very gentle simmer.

5. Add your plate of gnocchi to the water in one go. This means they all cook at the same time.

6. After a a minute or so the gnocchi will rise to the top of the water; leave for about another minute, then gently take them out with a slotted spoon or spider.

7. Add to a pan with your warmed sauce, season with salt and pepper and serve straight away.

5. Gnocchi Divers

6. Gnocchi swimmers

7. Gnocchi in tomato sauce

Gnocchi in tomato sauce

Yum Yum,

John

The Devils Chef

_________________________________________________________________________________

The Devils Chef

Lamprea

Beautiful smile

Lamprea Head on

A lamprey (sometimes also called lamprey eel) is a parasitic marine/aquatic animal with a toothed, funnel-like sucking mouth. Translated directly, their name means stone lickers (lambere: to lick, and petra: stone). While lampreys are well known for those species which bore into the flesh of other fish to suck their blood, these species make up the minority. In zoology, lampreys are often not considered to be true fish

Lampreys have long been used as food for humans. They were highly appreciated by ancient Romans. During the Middle Ages, they were widely eaten by the upper classes throughout Europe, especially during fasting periods, since their taste is much meatier than that of most true fish. King Henry I of England, is said to have died from eating “a surfeit of lampreys”. On 4 March 1953, the Queen of England’s coronation pie was made by the Royal Air Force using lampreys. (Excerpt taken from Wikipedia)