As individuals we are defined by our personal values. If you asked me what value I remember most about my Grandmother for example, I could say without hesitation, ‘honesty’.  “Tell the truth and shame the devil”, was her mantra.  The crime was never the issue with her as long as you owned up to it and forgiveness was always the first response.  It was a super lesson for children, the association of telling the truth with the positive consequence of forgiveness and warmth and not punishment and suffering.  Sadly, my Grandmother would have a hard time living in today’s world where honesty is of decreasing importance and marketing relies more on spin than truth.  This was brought home starkly when a glossy brochure from a well known supermarket discounter spilled out of my Sunday newspaper. 

As I picked it up, the retailer and marketer in me instantly recognised a cunning ruse.  Picture smiling Irish farmers and food producers in your fancy brochure and without too much effort you are pedaling the notion that not only have you special offers to tempt me with, but also your products are Irish and therefore the quality is intrinsic.   If I had even a shred of guilt in me before about buying discounted goods from all across Europe, suddenly the consumer in me was acquitted; they were Irish goods after all!  This is, at best, stretching the truth.  Yes you will find Irish produced goods at your local German discounter but nobody will tell you what percentage that is.  Is it 1, 2, 10, 50, 75 or 99% of all they stock?  In fact you will still have to upturn every item to see where it is made and where it has come from.  Not everything is as it seems at first.
 

The trend towards discount supermarkets has been huge in this country.  It has still to sweep the UK in the same manner, but that’s due to tighter controls on planning permission and government imposed competition rules.  Ireland has a different attitude.  During the tiger years our unrelenting appetite for building and development meant that we embraced this European ideal and these stores sprung up everywhere.  Indeed some Irish towns and cities have stores in multiple locations and all Irish market conditions have suited their strategy.  While we were enjoying our prosperity they were bedding in, slowly reprogramming the consumer with the ‘we’re cheaper’ message.  Now at a time of tighter market conditions the bite of recession has blinded us all to the difference between price and value.   We are lured in the main by the cost of the item and in these straitened times few tend to stop and consider the value.  Many would be surprised if they were to learn that sometimes what appears as ‘cheaper’ is actually more expensive and I’m not talking about the added value of nutrition or the environment; actual hard cash.  For example if you see two strip loin steaks for €7.99 it appears fantastic value for the price of a meal for two.  However when you look more closely you will see that the weight might be 300grams per steak.  When you multiply that out, the price per kilo can be more than the price per kilo in your local butchers or in the indigenous supermarkets.  That means that if you were to buy the same size steak at your local butcher’s, it would actually be cheaper in monetary terms.  Of course the other question is do you really want a measly 300 gram steak to begin with!  Maybe if you are on a restrictive diet but eating for pure pleasure will leave you deeply unsatisfied.   There is also the possibility that any profit the local retailer makes will be spent locally.  His or her family will buy their food, their school uniforms, their clothes, their cars, their electrical items etc., from other local retailers.  Sadly when the profits are going to privately owned German companies the likelihood of anybody buying as much as a stick of rock in Clonmel or County Tipperary has about the same odds as hell freezing over any time soon. 

The discounters have done a superb job on the perception front.  By stacking them high and removing all frills they have convinced us that they are ‘definitely’ cheaper.  They have achieved the Holy Grail of good marketing and that is they have managed to change the perception of the public even if the actual difference is, in some cases, negligible and when you consider the offering outside of just price points, they can be more expensive.  So what is the main discounter strategy?  Well essentially it is to keep all business costs to a minimum, hence the no frills and uniform appearance of the stores and the cash only rule.  Also, traditionally they carry a smaller range of goods so choice is restricted.  That said they have had to adapt their model specifically for the Irish market.  Originally they would have sold a small range of own branded, dry grocery goods but the Irish shopper is more used to wider product ranges, fresh produce (meat and vegetables) and fair trade items.  We have all noticed how the Discounter has changed since it first launched on this island.

However I don’t wish to engage in xenophobic bashing of the competition for being foreign or to wage war with guilt and move consumers to buy local and Irish out of some idealistic sense of patriotism.  Money is tight, we are in the grip of recession and we need to find the best bang for our buck, but just because the discounters have the loudest voice in the playground doesn’t mean they have the best value on everything.  As a consumer you owe it to your pocket to verify their claims and statements on value.  Please consider comparing like with like.  Don’t discount the non discounters because of some notional marketing message.  Rediscover your local greengrocer, butcher and deli.  There is monetary value to be had there too and you won’t have to compromise on quality or customer service.   Honest!

I welcome any feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Beef Wellington  for Two

Prepare the Beef Wellingtons ahead of time and you’ll have enough time to change into something more comfortable before you sit down to dinner. Just the two of you.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter, divided
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) minced shallot or red onion
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) red wine
• 2 x 4oz Fillet Steaks , cut 1 inch (2 cm) thick salt and pepper to tast
• 1/2 pkg. frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. (15 mL) water

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the minced shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened — about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. As soon as the butter has melted, add the steaks to the pan, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and quickly sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute per side. Remove steaks from pan immediately. Let cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the block of puff pastry dough out to a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Cut the square in half, then cut one of two halves in half again (reserve the remaining half of the dough).
4. Beat together the egg and the water and brush lightly over the surface of the two small squares of dough. On each square, spoon half of the mushroom mixture and top with one steak. Pull the corners of the dough up and over to wrap the whole thing up like a package — seal up any openings by pinching and folding them together. Turn over and arrange on a baking pan. Brush with egg mixture. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes out of the reserved pastry dough to decorate the top of each packet and brush with egg wash.
5. You can prepare the Wellingtons to this point as much as 3 or 4 hours before you want to serve them. Refrigerate, covered until about one hour before you want to begin baking.
6. Remove Wellingtons from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to allow them to come to room temperature.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
8. Place Wellingtons in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 2

I’m not going all Gordon Ramsay, uttering expletives and being profane, but I am going to talk about the other equally offensive ‘F’ word; FAT.   There is no doubt that this country, and indeed the western world, is in the grip of a growing problem with obesity.  Sadly ‘Fat’ seems to have framed, blamed and tried without jury or due consideration.  It has been turned into a ‘catch all’ for everything negative in the food world and has become very, very misunderstood in the process.

First things first; the flavour is in the fat!  There, I’ve said it.  Don’t come to me looking for ridiculously lean meat and then wonder why it’s bland and tasteless.  Don’t remove all the skin from chicken or duck before cooking it and then wonder why you end up with dry, boring meat that needs a tonne of sauce to make it appetising.  Yes, fat has calories but so do carbohydrates and proteins.  In fact the body needs a certain amount of fat to function healthily.  I don’t know what the written equivalent of a megaphone is, but imagine that I am shouting through a big one and saying FREE THE FAT!  FAT IS FINE!  ONLY FOOD FOOLS FOREGO FAT!

Naturally occurring fat is essential to cooking delicious food.  A traditional Sunday roast will be a triumph or a disappointment based on the naturally occurring fat content.  Even if the fat is removed after cooking and never consumed, the fact that it was present while the meat was in the oven means that the joint is almost self basting and you are guaranteed a better tasting dinner.  If the animal has been fed properly it will be beautifully marbled with thin vein like lines of fat running through it.  Introducing fat to dishes is often a chef’s secret ingredient.  Roast potatoes in real goose fat are the best.  Use real suet in dumplings and you’ll never look back.  Fat is often the chef’s secret ingredient.  Fat has also been proven beneficial in boosting the immune system.  I’ve mentioned it before but in case you missed it, chicken soup really does have medicinal benefits for the common cold.  Known as Jewish penicillin, the curative properties exist in the fat of the chicken that usually surfaces to the top in home made chicken soup.  Do not skim it off before administering it to the patient; that’s where the goodness is.   

We have all heard the myths that eating animal fats will increase your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart attack and at best increase your waistline.  I can assure you and all studies back up the fact that naturally occurring animal fat eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet will not adversely affect your health.  Eating fat does not make you fat.  Eating more calories than you are burning off makes you fat.

We have such a negative mental association with fat.  If it were a person it would be staring at us from a Wanted poster with a substantial bounty attached for capture.  It is a gross misrepresentation.  Without our layers of fat we would be very, very cold.  It protects our vital organs and provides us with energy, vitamins A, D and E and essential fatty acids. 

Consuming too many Trans fats clogs the arteries, makes us fat and can kill us, but get the distinction right!  Trans fats are not to be confused with naturally occurring fats.   When you see people who are morbidly obese I will bet that not one of them will say that their weight problem is due to an over indulgence or addiction to avocados, fresh chicken with the skin on, joints of meat or oily fish.  Let’s prod the subject from another angle and ponder the proven discovery that the lowest incidence of heart disease in the world is among the Eskimo communities.  What would you say is the basis of an Eskimo diet?  Well it’s certainly not fruit and vegetables as last time I checked very little grows in the snow.  You will, however, find that fish and meat are very popular.   Equally when we look at the longevity and low incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean people; while we do find lots of fruit and vegetables, they also love their olive oil, their oily fish and fattier, slow cooked cheaper cuts of meat are very prevalent in rural areas. (In their case I personally believe the presence of sunshine has plenty to do with it also.)

What we want to avoid is too much saturated fat.  You will find the most saturated fat in processed foods, particularly foods such as margarine, cakes, biscuits and pastries which are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils.  Also meat products, (not necessarily meat) such as manufactured, burgers, sausages, pies, puddings and pasties can be high in saturated fat.  If you like pies and puddings then make your own or look for the artisan alternatives; these are usually lower in saturated fats.  Fried and deep fried fast foods can be lethal but remember crisps fall into this category also, although these days there are healthier alternatives available.

The main thing is to stop the confusion and being so afraid of fat.   Life is for living and taste buds are for tasting.   I’m all for balance, health and good nutrition and fat is very much part of a balanced diet.   Get the right information and put the taste back into your cooking; find some fat!

I welcome your feedback pat@jwb.ie

Classic Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of finely chopped onion
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp Worscestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck
• 3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

METHOD

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.
 In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup. 
Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour.
Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches

I got the evil eye from one or two customers this week accompanied by a sharp tongued reprimand.  Patrons of James Whelan Butchers are no shrinking violets.  I committed the heinous crime in this very column of recently referring to dieters as ‘fat fighters’.  One woman went so far as to suggest I could do with a bit of fat fighting myself; that cut deep.

First of all, in my defense, a friend is currently attending a weight loss class and constantly refers to it in jest as fat fighters. I hate diets because I always feel, no matter how good the regime or what it promises, they always get a little boring and repetitive.  I always assume a diet mentality; “I’m on a diet so therefore I couldn’t possibly enjoy my food”.  I also think, “I can’t wait until I’m off this diet so I can have something really nice to eat”, and therein lies the problem.  It’s this thinking that causes the inevitable failure.  The reality is that many people of normal body weight eat great food and enjoy it so why can’t we all do that?

Firstly we have to sort a few things out in our minds. 1) Great tasting food need not make you fat and 2) any food in moderation, be that size or frequency, won’t cause you any harm.  It’s not what you do occasionally that creates the problem it’s what you do every day or at least regularly. 

This fat fighting friend of mine has approached the whole thing quite differently this time and I’m happy to report it is working.  Instead of sticking to traditional diet foods, she has trawled the internet and her own cook books, adapted recipes and found ways of eating like a normal human being – for nourishment and taste – while still losing weight.  She is attending Weightwatchers where all foods are given a points measurement and you have a certain amount of ‘points’ to eat every day.  To be fair it sounds pretty flexible as long as you spend your ‘points’ budget’ wisely.

This time round instead of cardboard tasting crisp breads and bland grilled chicken fillets, which would have been staples on any previous regimes, she has filled her fridge with wonderful, tasty health giving foods.  The main reason for this approach is that she didn’t want to have to cook one dish for the family and create special meals for herself.  They have all been moved to this healthier way of eating and surprisingly, no one has complained or noticed and even desserts are still in evidence.

I called over for lunch the other day and watched the shopping being unloaded.  A punet of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, some deli pancetta and parmesan cheese, fresh basil and chives, a full chicken, a pack of smoked salmon, a tub of crème fraiche, yoghurts, bananas, apples, grapes, blueberries, carrots, an aubergine, a butternut squash, leeks, spinach, rocket, onions – red, white, spring and garlic, stewing steak,  paprika, Italian bread and duck breasts.  It was a riot of colour and freshness; real food, exciting food and you could almost smell the nutrients it was so alive.  I was inspired and amazed.  “I thought you said you’re on a diet” I teased as I picked up the smoked salmon and the pancetta.  “I am and it’s going really well,” was the quick reply.

I was slowly coming around to the idea that there could be such a combination as eating well, enjoying your food and losing weight.  If this was a panto some of you would be screaming “Oh no there isn’t” but I can tell you, “Oh Yes there is”.  We had a diet lunch; a puff pastry circle (approx side plate size) rolled quite thinly and baked in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Two to three large handfuls of fresh spinach thrown on a dry hot frying pan until wilted down.  The spinach was put on top of the cooked pastry base.  Some crème fraiche and an egg were mixed together and a good tablespoon was drizzled over the spinach and then some smoked salmon was popped on the top.  It was returned to the oven for a few minutes and when the salmon had been warmed through, it was plated up with a mound of rocket leaves on the top and garnished with some pesto.  It was delicious.  Dinner that night was Hungarian Goulash, hence the diced beef and paprika, and there was an interesting adaptation of the classic Eton Mess for dessert using yoghurt and a vanilla pod.  At this rate even I could take to this dieting lark.

The bottom line is that diets can be utterly dull and boring if you just live on pre made ‘diet’ foods or they can be very exciting if you cook and experiment with real food.  I’ve certainly seen the light and so to fat fighters everywhere, yes you can enjoy your food, stay healthy and even loose a few pounds into the bargain!   Drop into James Whelan Butchers in Oakville this week and pick up a copy of our low fat, healthy option recipe sheet. We are starting to develop a range of food products that are carrying points. Real Food Real Taste Low Calorie I welcome feed back always. pat@jwb.ie

Salad of New Potatoes and Smoked Salmon with a Dill and Mustard Dressing 

Some hot news this week and God knows we need it after the recent weather we’ve been having.  While spring is just around the corner, it is still chilly enough for warming foods; stews, casseroles, mountains of mashed potatoes, rich gravies and so on.  Well just to mix things up a little why not try a few spices and the odd new ingredient which turns something ordinary into something exotic. 

The average Irish palate being used to a milder and blander type of taste, has taken some time to embrace eastern flavours.   Indian restaurants have opened all over the country in the past while and although not as prolific as Chinese restaurants, you will find at least one good Indian establishment holding its own in most places.  They have opened us up to new tastes and the Irish pioneers who first entered quickly found that there was so much more to Indian food than merely hot chilies.  Sadly we had been misled for many years by sandal wearing charlatans who thought that throwing a fistful of Schwartz Curry Powder and lentils into a pot of meat stew replicated an Indian dish.  The rest of us didn’t know any better and so blindly believing these ‘sophisticates’ we declared that “Indian food was a bit hot and not really to our liking”.  There are indeed very hot dishes available on most Indian menus, but there’s plenty more besides.  It’s like saying that the only thing we eat in Ireland is bacon and cabbage.  Indian food is highly varied and while as a country it has a history of mysticism, its food is not mysterious at all. 

India is highly populated and has many divides which impact the food culture. ‘Curry’ is an all purpose term devised by the English to cover the whole range of Indian food spicing.  The differences in food and traditions between Northern India and Southern India are quite distinct.  In the north much meat is eaten and cooking is often of the “Mughal” style which has a similarity to that of the Middle East and central Asia.  The emphasis is more on spices and less on curry heat. In the north more grains and breads are eaten and less rice while in the south, more rice is eaten and the dishes tend to be hotter.  Religion also plays a part.  Strict Hindus don’t eat beef as the cow is considered sacred while strict Muslims will not eat pork.  Therefore making a sweeping statement like, “Indian food is hot” does an ancient, food rich culture a great injustice and shows an extremely narrow viewpoint.

The good news for cooks is that Indian food is not about expensive cuts of meat.  It is about creating tasty dishes that combine meat, veg, pulses and spices that go a long way with little waste. I particularly love the way Indian food delivers vegetables. While I don’t deny that a lightly steamed Irish carrot can tempt the taste buds in its glorious simplicity, an Indian spiced and dressed dish of leafy green spinach can be a marvelous   meal in and of itself.  Talking of spinach, that brings me nicely onto the health benefits. 

Very creamy, calorie laden Chicken Korma can indeed be the nemesis of the dieter.  Go to any fat fighters meeting and the mere words ‘Chicken Korma’ will have them hoisting crosses and stringing garlic up around the room.    In some cases a two day food allowance can be tied up in one restaurant portion of Chicken Korma, Naan Bread and a half bottle of wine!  For the track suited brigade that pound Irish ring roads every evening, such a meal would require at least two laps and strike fear into their cholesterol free hearts.  Thankfully not every Indian dish is like that and many have great health benefits because of the spices.  Turmeric, one of the basics, has long been used worldwide as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent thanks to a chemical present in the spice called curcumin.  Curcumin’s medicinal properties are now also thought to protect liver and kidney function, ward off Alzheimer’s disease and even kill cancer cells.  Recent research from the Cork Cancer Research centre found that curcumin started to destroy some forms of throat cancer cells in the lab within 24 hours.  Meanwhile chilies are proven to raise the heart rate, increase perspiration and release endorphins due to capsaicin, the substance which gives chilies their heat. In pharmaceuticals capsaicin is commonly used as a painkiller to help manage arthritis, shingles pain and headaches.  Just like the research in Cork, American researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre discovered that capsaicin killed off prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.  The pepper component also dilates the blood vessels, increasing blood circulation and reducing blood pressure.  Ginger is traditionally used to help digestion and reduce inflammation, as the root helps neutralise stomach acid. It’s effective at reducing nausea and may also reduce cholesterol and blood clotting.  Garlic contains the chemical allicin which works to dilate the blood vessels and lessen the chance of blood clots, thereby reducing the risk of thrombosis.  Sadly, to have a fully positive effect on one’s health, two to three cloves should be consumed daily, which admittedly might be a bit much for spouses and co workers.  You might end up in rude health but you risk loosing some friends in the process.  Of course the health benefits are just an added bonus, the real benefit is the taste.   I encourage you to try cooking some Indian this week and remember that adding curry powder and lentils to a pot of meat does not a curry make!  Take the time to do it properly and your taste buds will joyously reap the rewards.

Chicken Terriyaki

 Ingredients: 

• 2 pieces free range chicken breast, sliced

• A little Vegetable oil

• A little Flour

• A little Grated ginger

• 2tbsp Sake (rice wine)

• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce

• Sugar as per taste

• Mixed Green Salad  

Method: 

• Mix sake, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl to make teri-yaki sauce. 

• Smear the chicken with flour. 

• Heat a little oil in a frying pan. 

• Sauté chicken on both sides to a golden finish and remove chicken from the pan. 

• Remove the left over oil from the pan. 

• Pour teri-yaki sauce into the pan and heat up to boil. 

• Simmer chicken well in the pan again on both sides and turn off the heat. 

• Add grated ginger to garnish. 

• Serve with salads. 

I was delighted to see that the Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore, Co. Waterford has just received a much coveted Michelin star.  The Michelin Guide has been in the business of evaluating and recommending restaurants and hotels for over a century, and there are a few things that have distinguished it as a most prestigious award. Firstly the Michelin inspectors anonymously visit restaurants and hotels.  There is no fanfare about their visit or the opportunity for the establishment to put on a special show for their benefit. Myth would have it that Michelin inspectors are sworn to secrecy, even to their own families! They also visit several times so that the judging criteria include marks for consistency, which happens to be one of my own biggest peeves with restaurants.  You go to a restaurant and have good food and service and then you either recommend it to someone or you make a return visit yourself to find that it’s not the same due to a different chef or a change in waiting staff.  With a Michelin star rated restaurant consistency is king.  Finally my favourite part of the Michelin ethos is that you can lose a star as well as earning one.  This gives great incentive to any establishment to keep the standards up.  Let’s face it no one likes to end up on the naughty step.  You can receive a one, two or three star Michelin rating, but all are given very sparingly.  A one star is given for a very, very good restaurant in its category.  Two stars mean, “excellent cooking, worth a detour” and three stars, which is relatively unheard of says “exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.”  There are only about 85 restaurants in the whole world that actually have three Michelin stars.

The Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore is well within driving distance from Tipperary and they have a bar food menu as well as a dinner menu, making it a lovely place for lunch.  Indeed if Michelin stars were handed out for location and decor alone The Cliff House Hotel would have scooped one on opening.  The entire building is sewn into the cliff face and sitting outside gives the impression of being on deck of a cruise liner.  The beautiful view alone is worth the trip. 

So what is it about the food at the Cliff House Hotel?  The head chef is Dutch native Martijn Kajuiter.  Martijn has previously worked under world class chefs such as Marco Pierre White, Michel Roux and Pierre Kauffman.  He proudly boasts that all produce used at the Cliff House is local and comes from within a thirty mile radius of the hotel but he takes it and then offers unusual combinations of flavours.  For example on the dinner menu you could choose a dish simply called ‘Local Lamb’ which sounds pretty basic until you read the description underneath:  Rump, Sweetbreads, Kidney Pie, Taggiasche Olives, Wild Spinach and Mushroom Cannelloni, Lamb Jus.  That’s definitely more than a slice of lamb and some veg.  Equally the dessert menu often features ‘Dark Chocolate 70%’, which is Mousse, Caramelized, Olive Oil, Semi Freddo, Maldon Sea Salt, Pistachio Ice Cream or how about a ‘Whiskey Baba’; Prunes, Earl Grey Tea, Salted Whiskey Caramel, Double Vanilla Ice Cream.  It would appear that Martijn’s gift is combining flavours, textures and tastes and ordinary local produce is transformed into something glamourous and unexpected.

While you may not be able to get to the Cliff House there is a cook book of the same name available.  While you can’t buy Martijn Kajuter’s years and years of experience you will be pleased to learn that you can, pretty much, buy all the ingredients for his recipes in the book pretty readily.  Most of the recipes are very accessible and thankfully there are no seaweeds imported from Japan or rare produce from some other far flung region; it’s all local. 

Finally, talking of good Cookbooks I received Roly’s Café and Bakery book by Paul Cartwright and Paulo Tullio as a Christmas gift.  I finally got around to cooking a few things from it and I can highly recommend it as a good working manual.  Vibrant salads, fantastic main courses, delicious desserts and some good home baking make it a good all round cook book if you want to do something fancy.  I cooked a birthday lunch from it for a friend, starter, main course and dessert and I was astounded that by just following the simply laid out recipes, the dishes actually resembled the accompanying pictures in the book and tasted equally good.  Again I would have to say that the key is, as always, good ingredients; a rule that you just cannot get away from.  With the best ingredients you often have to do very little with them to fool everyone into thinking you are a great cook.  In fact there is a very famous restaurant in California called Chez Panisse which was founded in 1971 by a lady called Alice Waters.  The main premise of the restaurant has never changed; it is a set menu but one that changes every night.  The ethos is that the best tasting food is organic and locally grown.  To that end they once famously served a peach for dessert.  It was just a peach on a plate, not cut, not sliced, just a peach.  The message; it was perfect as it was and nothing they could do would make it any better. 

While we all love the sophisticated and the glamourous, when it comes down to it you just can’t beat the simplicity of good food that is reared or grown with care and passion.  We are very fortunate to boast such local foods in Tipperary and neighbouring counties but it is up to us all to support such local food and ensure that it is there for future generations.

Try our recipe this week and order your corned beef online. www.jameswhelanbutchers.com

To Cook

I’ve always been very fond of Scotland.  Perhaps it’s because the place and the people have a great deal in common with Ireland and so it just feels familiar.  While the stereotypes and the jokes would have us believe that every Scot has short arms and very long pockets, I’ve always found them to be a warm, generous bunch and truly hospitable. 

Scotland has proudly contributed such culinary delights as Scotch broth, Scotch whiskey, the Scotch egg and of course Haggis, the “Chieftain of puddings”, to quote poet Robert Burns.  They also gave us, and I say it with a whisper, the deep fried Mars Bar.  Oh yes, to the deep fried food devotee this sort of naughtiness elevates the deep fryer to a machine with an unprecedented level of badness when it comes to producing calorific food.  If you hadn’t heard of such a phenomenon I can tell you that it caused quite a stir when this dirty little Scottish secret came to light.  Needless to remark the food police were outraged at the idea of taking a high calorie snack, dipping it in batter and then deep frying it. (If you heard a loud thud it was all the nutritionists dropping in shock at the very thought of it.)   If, as an ordinary piece of confectionary, the Mars Bar is a naughty French maid showing off her stocking tops in a Carry On film, then battered and deep fried she is practically naked but for small pieces of very expensive underwear and six inch stilettos and very definitely confined to the top shelf!  The lovely Ms Lawson, being the very naughty minx that she is, took the idea but substituted a Bounty bar instead.  Nigella, perhaps, lent a little bit of class to such culinary filth, but it is still a mucky, mucky pleasure.  Such flagrant disregard for calorie content makes Elvis Presley’s infamous fried peanut butter sandwich look like a lunch recommended by Weight Watchers!

Anyway, I always think of Scotland in January as they have two of the finest celebrations around this time.  While the rest of the world celebrates New Year’s Eve, Scotland enjoys Hogmanay and it is nothing short of riotous.  Then on January 25^th they celebrate Burns’ Night, about which I knew little until I was invited to such a celebration a few years ago here in Ireland.   To be perfectly honest on my first Burns’ Night I was a reluctant reveller.  With Robert Burns being a poet I anticipated a refined, arty affair that would leave me cold.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  I subsequently found out that Burns was known as the Ploughman Poet being from a poor farming background.  While he was very well read and literate his other main study interests were women and whisky!  Needless to remark both featured heavily in his work.  He lived a large, colourful life, was father to many illegitimate children before he married, received huge popularity and fame for his songs and his poetry, but never found fortune in writing.  He was incredibly prolific and died at the age of 37 leaving behind a fabulous legacy of work that is still popular today.  January 25^th is the anniversary of his birth and no Burns’ evening is complete without great company, fantastic food, plenty of whiskey and witty recitals of Burns’ works.  Indeed Burns’ Night is something you could well imagine Robert Burns himself enjoying immensely.  In Scotland Burns’ nights range from wonderfully formal affairs with many courses to small intimate casual suppers and buffets, but the theme is always poems and songs shared with good friends, great food and a few drinks. (Sadly, despite the fact that Ireland boasts some of the world’s best and most prominent literary figures we have nothing to compare to it.  Maybe it’s time we started one.)

My first Burns’ Night included my first brush with haggis.  Of course I had heard about it for years but never tasted it.  As a butcher I am not at all squeamish or offended by offal, which is just as well as haggis is a combination of sheep’s offal. The windpipe, lungs, heart and liver of the sheep are boiled together and then minced. This is mixed with beef suet and lightly toasted oatmeal. The mixture is placed inside the sheep’s stomach and sewn closed. The resulting haggis is traditionally cooked by further boiling for anything up to three hours.  Commercially prepared haggises tend to use other casings than sheep stomachs.  When cooked it doesn’t look too unlike a dark white pudding, but with a slightly crumblier texture.  The haggis I had was gloriously rich and tasty and was served with mashed carrot and parsnip and some cheesy, garlic potatoes.  It was divine although my Scottish hostess was severely ribbed by the other Scots for being too pretentious with her Potato Dauphinoise.  Not being Scottish I thought it was a great, hearty combination that all worked tremendously well together. 

Haggis is a pudding, but never really took off here like black and white pudding, which the Irish do rather well.   Recently, Inch House here in Tipperary and a member of the Tipperary Food Producers Network launched a gluten free pudding which is good news for the growing number of coeliacs in the country. This particular pudding is probably the closest to the Scottish square sausage recipe that we have available here in Ireland. It is quite amazing the difference in texture and taste when this particular product is roasted in the oven as opposed to fried in the pan. In a blind test I’d swear they were different products.  I am delighted to say that James Whelan Butcher’s, have Inch House Pudding instore.

 While black and white pudding is still very popular I do think that we often put it in a particular category of foods and fail to recognise its adaptability.  It is much more versatile than we assume.  It works very well in certain salads and starters but can also be a quirky addition to many main courses; all it takes is a little imagination.  Try doing something different with pudding this week.  There are several varieties available but I would advise a good artisan pudding if you want to really enjoy great flavour.  If you come up with anything unusual let me know.

I welcome your feed back to pat@jwb.ie

 Bacon, Black Pudding and Goat’s Cheese Pizza 

        Ingredients

• 1 ready prepared pizza base
• 1 tablesp. passata – sieved tomato, or 2-3 sliced tomatoes
• 2-3 slices Quality Assured streaky Bacon, diced and cooked
• 2-3 slices of Inch House black pudding, cooked and crumbled
• 50g (2 oz) goat’s cheese, cut into small pieces
•  A few sprigs of thyme

 Set oven to the maximum. Spread the tomato mixture or sliced tomatoes over the base. Sprinkle on the bacon and black pudding, then the cheese and thyme. Bake for 10-15 minutes until crisp and the cheese has melted. Delicious

It really is amazing how the simplest of ideas are so often the best and once they arrive we all wonder why nobody thought of it before.  When it comes to things culinary we expect new ideas from chefs, celebrity chefs or just plain celebrities fronting a chef’s idea.  Did George Foreman really invent the health grill (Lean Mean Grilling Machine) or was it somebody else’s idea and he just stuck his name on it.  Did Jamie Oliver really create that range of pots and pans with Tefal or how about Anthony Worrall Thompson who has a great deal going with Breville appliances?  Even Gordon Ramsay is in on the act with the Bamix hand blender.  Anyway all my cynicism was blown out of the water by two ordinary women who have come up with a sterling idea and are about to become the next big thing in celebrity cooking.

The story starts with two ordinary Australian mothers, Rachael Bermingham and Kim McCosker, who were best friends since kindergarten.  One was very successful in marketing and the other had a degree in finance and Japanese.  Both are 39 years old, have young children, husbands and busy careers and so as their lives paralleled quite a lot they also encountered the same difficulties.  One of those enduring problems was the universal late afternoon cry of working mothers everywhere, “What the hell will I get for the dinner”.  I know that many, many people, if they are in charge of the cooking, can relate to this, particularly if they are also holding down a day job.  Even the most organised who batch cook at weekends get caught out now and again.  What these two ladies came up with was a book simply entitled 4 Ingredients.  It is a cookery book that has become the biggest publishing phenomenon in Australia and is about to take the rest of the world by storm. Obviously the title reveals the premise behind the book.  Every recipe fits the criteria of simple, healthy and just 4 ingredients.   

When they first came up with the idea because they weren’t celebrities or even chefs for that matter, they were turned down by every publisher they approached.  They decided to self publish and two and half years later they had sold a staggering 2.5 million copies.  Needless to remark the publishers soon took notice and now the girls have gone global.  These two women are now responsible for the biggest Australian title in publishing history and naturally that led to TV programmes  and all the usual spin offs.    

The recipes in the book were all collected from family and friends and according to all reports they demonstrate how you can save time and money in the kitchen and still have tasty, nutritional food that is fun to make.  They claim that they have taken the hardship from cooking and returned it to a simple, fun and therapeutic daily exercise rather than the stressful ordeal that some people consider.  Less is more is definitely the ethos and with simplicity at its core, it is not surprising that they have very quickly established an empire.  They are now on their third book in Australia, they have the obligatory TV show that accompanies it and they have just launched a range of cookware.  Naturally they have a website with lots of little cooking videos that you can watch and they’ve also developed a special software application for the iPhone that offers a selection of recipes for any ingredients you might have in your cupboard.  You can check them out on 4ingredients.com. 

I’m all for simplicity and as it is the beginning of a new year there couldn’t be a better time to embrace such a philosophy.  I certainly think these leaner times call for greater clarity and stripping back and so this ethos of four ingredients really appeals to me.  Of course like everything, while these two Australian ladies have been at the forefront of this movement, using just 4 ingredients is the basic idea and you don’t have to necessarily buy these books to take advantage of the concept, although they are available here.  There are plenty of recipes freely available on line that also use only four, and sometimes even less, ingredients.  If you think about it you probably have some of your own that only use four ingredients.  I firmly believe that dinner time should be a time when the family comes together.  I believe that in sharing food we can more naturally share other details of the day.  Meal times are often the only real quality time left for a family during the busy weekday schedule particularly.  A recent study said there were huge emotional benefits for the family who sat down together at least once a day.  It was at this time that problems as well as excitement or achievements were expressed and discussed.  So after the excesses of December, January is the perfect month for a clean sweep, a fresh start and baby steps toward a simpler life.  Happy New Year 

I welcome your feedback at pat@jwb.ie

The Classic French Omelette 

Ingredients

• 3 Quality Assured Eggs
• 3 teasp. water
• ½ tablesp. fresh herbs, chopped
• Salt and black pepper
• Knob of butter

Filling 

• A little butter
• 25g (1 oz) Quality Assured Bacon, diced
• 25g (1 oz) oyster or button mushrooms, chopped
• 25g (1 oz) Farmhouse Cheese, grated

Alternative Filling: 

• Chopped tomatoes, basil, scallions

To Cook

Prepare the Filling

Step 1. A non-stick omelette pan is essential. Beat the eggs, water, herbs and seasoning together. Heat the pan well, add the butter, pour in the egg mixture. Work quickly, drawing the egg to the centre of the pan as it begins to set. This allows the uncooked mixture to reach the base of the pan. Continue until you have the omelette cooked to your liking. 

Step 2. Place the filling along the centre of the omelette. Starting at the handle, fold over the omelette by 1/3.Slide the omelette down the pan. 

Step 3. Then, with your hand under the handle, tip the omelette onto a warm plate, making the third fold. Sprinkle with finely grated regato cheese (optional) and serve with mixed salad leaves.

There’s nothing like the pressure and stress of Christmas Day cooking to provide opportunity for calamity.  We want to impress, we look forward to the glory and praise for our culinary prowess but we’re aware that all the shops and restaurants are closed and you get one shot at cooking the turkey.  Having lived through more Christmases now than I care to reveal, I can assure you that the food, good or bad, actually doesn’t make or break Christmas!  It’s our attitude to each and every situation that makes the difference.  My other pearl of outstanding wisdom is this, keep it simple.  A teenage son of a friend of mine informed me recently that using capital letters in texts or emails is, in this modern technological world, considered as shouting.  I’ll say it once more only louder, KEEP IT SIMPLE.  Your capacity for food does not increase purely because it is the 25^th of December.  While it is fabulous to have a large and varied choice of food for the plate, please ask yourself what is really necessary?  Of course it’s important to celebrate at Christmas, but if you keep the food simple, tasty and nourishing then a jolly, convivial atmosphere with happy people will make it taste sublime.  On the other hand restaurant standard food served by a tired, grumpy, ball of stress will mean a miserable time for all.  At a happy table beans on toast is as good as caviar.

I’ve heard it all in my game.  I’ve seen the organised come in and collect turkeys in plenty of time, only to have the ‘new puppy’ think it was a toy when their back was turned just before it went in the oven on Christmas morning.  I’ve had people tell me after Christmas that they forgot to take the turkey out of the freezer in time and ended up having Christmas Dinner on Stephen’s Day.  There was a great story from a woman who was cooking goose one year.  She was using a large old pan belonging to her mother but during the cooking process a hole developed in the base of it, the juices ran on to the floor of the oven and eventually caught fire!  Fortunately the fire was quickly contained but it smoked the entire house out and all the windows and doors had to be opened on a particularly cold Christmas Day.  The entire family had to bundle themselves up in coats and scarves for several hours to let the fresh air in.  And what about people who are left without power on December 25^th?  Storm damage a few years ago caused this problem for many and strangely, rather than destroying Christmas, in some cases it brought people and communities together.  I know of one street in Waterford where the electricity was out but one house had a solid fuel cooker.  All the neigbours brought a bottle, a chair, some food, cutlery and a plate.  They crowded in and by candlelight, bread was broken and much laughter ensued.  It was a simple meal of turkey, gravy and veg.  There were no fancy arrangements on plates, there was no tinkering with blobs of ‘jus’ drizzled artistically over artichokes or any other such nonsense and yet it’s a Christmas that is still talked about fondly to this day.

Christmas is about warmth, family, friends and love.  Don’t overcomplicate it by thinking it is about anything more than that.  It’s certainly not about presents or toys.  However we probably want to make it as special as we can and even the best chefs in the world encounter some problems.  To that end here are some easy solutions to some of the more common mistakes.  Indeed sometimes the greatest tastes come from mistakes.  A friend was attempting to make delicious fudge which refused to thicken.  Instead she poured the liquid mixture over bowls of vanilla ice cream and was hailed a genius by all present.  Everyone assumed she had wanted to make fudge sauce. 

Always have a strainer handy.  Lumpy gravy or lumpy custard, strain it through the mesh. Have you had tasteless, bland vegetables?  At Christmas there’s always a lemon or two floating around. (We have great intentions of chopping it into slices and having it ready to serve with the gin and tonics, but the gin is long gone by the time we remember the lemon!)  Squeezing a little lemon juice over a pan of greens is a great way to instantly flavour them.  It saves on a few calories as well as most people think that smothering them in butter is the only answer.

If the turkey does turn out too dry, well then it’s your own fault for not getting it at James Whelan Butchers!!  I’m joking of course.  Dry turkey can be the result of many different things or a combination of a few.  Poor basting, over cooking, cooking too fast, not giving it enough time to rest or simply not having a great quality bird to begin with. If you do carve and find you have something rather leathery and not very moist here’s a solution; using the juices from the pan make a gravy.  Slice enough turkey to go around and lay the slices in a casserole dish.  Pour over the gravy and leave to marinate for as long as possible then pop the whole dish into a moderate oven for about 10 minutes before serving.  When you take the slices from the bubbling juice they will be perfectly acceptable.

Lumpy mashed potato is never good.  Again, pass it through it a strainer.  Another tip is to warm the milk before adding it to the spuds before mashing.  (A smidgen of nutmeg in the warmed milk will make it even better!)  Salty soup is a common problem.  A quick method is to put a sliced raw potato into the soup.  Once the potato becomes translucent you can take it out and the salty taste will disappear.

My biggest tip is that you should, at all times, keep your cool and a sense of humor handy.  Any and all disasters can be salvaged.  Even if the entire dinner is unpalatable there’s bound to be a bottle of wine and a selection box that will get you through the day.  Remember love and laughter is what it’s really all about.  HAPPY CHRISTMAS  

Ice Cream Pudding 

Ingredients

• 100g granulated sugar
• 125ml water
• 4 egg yolks
• 500ml cream
• 1teasp.vanilla essence
• 500g dried mixed fruit e.g. raisins, currants, sultanas, figs, apricots (soaked overnight in port)
• 100g toasted almond, chopped

To Cook

Preparation time

30 Mins plus freezing 

Method

Put sugar and water into a pan.  Dissolve the sugar over a gentle heat.  Then boil steadily unitl it forms a syrup.  Beat the egg yolks well, then carefully pour the syrup on to them.  Continue to whisk to a thick, mousse-like mixture.

Whip the cream.  Fold the cream and vanilla esence into the mousse with the fruit and nuts.  Pour into a pudding bowl and freeze.

Possibly the most glorious thing about having an interest in food and cooking is that you will never exhaust the endless combinations of ingredients and methods available to you.  The only limitation is your own imagination.  We create our own mental boundaries by allowing our preconceived notions to direct us. We inherited many of these ideas from the cooks we grew up with and while many are right, some were folly at the time and have just served to build a fence around our own thoughts on a subject.   I guarantee that most people reading the title of this article will have conjured up thoughts of stews and soups.  While both are important to one pot cooking, and there are many variations, we tend to forget that the one pot genre covers other single vessels such as woks and frying pans, roasting tins, casseroles and pie dishes.  Once you start expanding the idea of the vessel itself a whole new world opens up to you.  Now we can also eliminate the idea that all OP (one pot) efforts have to be slow cooked.  I love slow cooking for a number of reasons, but particularly for the build up of wonderful aromas throughout the house as the meal draws closer.  I love it when my taste buds are literally going wild with anticipation and, sure enough, that first mouthful inevitably produces a pleasure explosion that is hard to beat.  But of course not everything done OP style needs to be slow cooked.  Stir fry’s and risottos are very quick and tasty.

There are many great benefits to OP cooking.  Obviously the washing up is at a minimum and that’s a huge plus factor.  It is the perfect style for people with limited kitchen space.  It is a great way of retaining all the vitamins and minerals from the food you are cooking as they all mingle with the juices in the pot and you will also find that you tend not to need a lot of fat or oil.  You only have to keep an eye on one pot and therefore you avoid the crazy mental arithmetic of working out the order in which to cook separate ingredients for a meal.  That certainly reduces the anxiety when you are having people around to eat.  Equally it is easy to transport should you be the one cooking a dish and bringing it with you.  If you are time pressed you can usually prepare a hearty OP meal in advance and either leave it to slow cook for hours or reheat as necessary. Finally it is a very flexible idea where most recipes can be adjusted to the ingredients you have available.  Every country in the world has its own variations on OP cooking.  We are known for our stews, the French have wonderful rustic Chicken versions, the Italians are known for Osso Bucco or vats of meat sauce, the Germans love Pork varieties and of course, the Asian nations are known for their spicy stir fries and flavoursome curries; all One Pot wonders.

Obviously any single vessel can be used and considered.  A particular favourite of mine would have to be Italian Style Roast chicken done in a plain old roasting tin.  Along with roasting the bird and a few spuds, the Italians also cook all the other vegetables in the same dish at the same time.  Peppers, thinly sliced courgettes, rosemary and garlic bulbs keep the feta cheese and sun dried tomato crumbed chicken and sliced new potatoes company, as they all bake together.  When it comes from the oven it is a sight to behold and the aromas and flavours are even better.  However, if you haven’t already done it, I would encourage you to invest in one decent cast iron pot or, as they are commonly known, a Dutch oven.  Yes they are without a doubt expensive to buy but the good ones are a lifetime job.  A friend of mine is still using one that her mother received as a wedding present!  Christmas is coming and you should put one on your list or wait for the traditional post Christmas sales to invest.  They are called Dutch ovens because heavy cast iron pots were manufactured in the Netherlands as early as the 1600s where braising had been discovered as a good way to cook tougher meats.  Wild boar and moose would be slow cooked for hours as the tough fibres were rendered tender and full of flavor.  With the Dutch oven Europeans then began adding vegetables, spices and herbs from their own regions and so distinctive national signature dishes emerged.   These pots have good tight fitting lids that retain the moisture in a dish, but the main advantage is that cast iron conducts and retains heat exceptionally well so food cooks evenly either on the hob or in the oven.  These days they also come in so many great colors that they can be taken straight to the dining table and still look good.  It is definitely an investment that you won’t regret.  Do not foolishly buy a cheap imitation as it is false economy.  Just save up for the real thing and it will save you money in the long run. 

This time of year is ideal for one pot cooking.  We are all busy with little time for fancy cooking and the weather usually demands comfort food on these darker evenings; beef in beer with herb dumplings, steaming risottos or hearty goulashes.  And of course one to remember for the end of the year, the turkey variations: orange turkey with rice, stir fried turkey with cranberry glaze, Italian turkey steaks, all one pot dishes.  Fish also works really well in one pot, from fish stews, tagines and chowders, prawns with coconut rice or how about a big pot of tasty mussels served simply with some garlic bread. The combinations are endless.

Finally I cannot talk about one pot cooking without mentioning dessert.  (You see, you hadn’t even considered it!)  Cobblers, crumbles, chocolate fondues, rice pudding, bread and butter pudding are all cooked in just one vessel.  Imagine a triumphant family meal with main course and dessert and just two cooking dishes to wash up afterwards?  It’s a very attractive proposition.  We live in a world that likes to complicate things and convince us that simple is lazy or perhaps boring.  Not true I tell you, there are fabulous taste experiences to be thoroughly enjoyed in the simplicity of just one pot.  Try it for yourself this week.

I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Rum and raisin bread and butter pudding

40 minutes

Ingredients (serves 4)

• olive oil cooking spray
• 1/3 cup caster sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon vanilla essence
• 1 orange, rind finely grated
• 1 tablespoon rum
• 1 3/4 cups white milk
• 5 slices raisin bread, halved diagonally
• 1 tablespoon pure icing sugar
• 4 scoops ice-cream and 250g sliced strawberries, to serve

Method

1. Lightly spray a 5cm deep, 20cm (base), 5-cup capacity baking dish with oil.
2. Place sugar and eggs in a bowl. Beat with a fork until pale. Add vanilla, orange rind, rum and milk. Beat until well combined.
3. Arrange bread in dish, overlapping slices. Pour over egg mixture. Stand for 20 minutes.
4. Preheat oven to 170°C. Place pudding on a baking tray. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until set. Dust with icing sugar and serve with ice-cream and strawberries.

If there’s one thing that drives me crazy at this time of year it is the continuous stream of articles claiming that by adhering to their wisdom Christmas will be made easy.  Look, Christmas inevitably comes with a certain amount of expectation.  We are all sold this cosy, warm, tinselly Hollywood ideal of what Christmas should be.  In light of such potent imagery, should any of us mere mortals fall a fairy light short of the film magic, then we feel we have failed and we promise to do better the following year, just adding to the pressure and expectation.  The first thing we have to do is debunk this myth of the perfect Christmas.  Only in fiction does such a thing exist.  The reality is that a ‘perfect Christmas’ is different for everyone.  Some people would regard it as a quiet, no fuss, low key affair where they get a few days off to relax after a tiring year.  Others couldn’t imagine anything worse than quietness and happily anticipate an oversized tree and a bustling, noisy house, full of family and guests.  Others still, see it as a happy never ending round of visiting and visitors where bucket loads of nibbles and impromptu meals are rustled up.  All different views, all right in their own way, but none of them perfect. 

The second untruth I wish to push of the side of the cliff is the fact that any or all of this could ever be ‘easy’.  Of course it’s not easy. It is only ever easy for those purely on the receiving end of the hospitality.  For the souls doing the actual work of creating the event, it takes time, effort and money to make sure the whole thing goes off well and everyone has a good time.  What we should be aiming for is a way of making the difficult challenge of Christmas cooking and entertaining an enjoyable and rewarding experience rather than an ulcer inducing stress fest.  I will concede that doing something with calm, confident, efficiency gives an illusion of ‘easy’, but you just can’t avoid the actual work.  The information I am about to impart is not about my attempt to take away the labour involved in Christmas, but simply to encourage everyone to go about it in an enjoyable way that should change your festive outlook forever and make it a much more joyful one.

A teacher at school drilled into us the five ‘Ps’ of life; “Proper Preparation Prevents Poor Performance”.  Our eyes would roll and we would silently and mockingly mouth the words of this mantra as he would belt it out, rhythmically stressing the P sounds.  A sloppy essay, forgetting your homework, misplacing a book or having no gym gear would instantly invoke the five P’s.  It was the answer to all organisational downfalls.  I have largely forgotten everything he ever taught us, but the five Ps have been indelibly tattooed on my brain.  To this day if something goes wrong the first thing I look for is if, perhaps, I didn’t apply the knowledge.  Of course sometimes disasters are unavoidable, but I can tell you that more often than not investigation proves that failure to invoke the five Ps was at the heart of it all. 

With that in mind let’s look at the ways we could properly plan for Christmas.  First of all take some time and just sit and think about it.  Do not rush this part of the process and use the time to visualise the whole thing.  You should be asking questions like how many am I feeding and over how many days?  How much of it has to be formal and how much relatively informal?  Is there a possibility of unexpected guests or impromptu gatherings?  What about family likes and dislikes or allergies?  The great thing about this sort of planning is that, believe it or not, it can actually save you money.  Many people overbuy at Christmas, feverishly shopping at the last minute with that siege mentality.  You are shopping for the three days (a week at most) of Christmas and not a 6 month lock down in an underground bunker.  The shops will open again after the short 24 hours of Christmas Day.  Trust me I have years of experience watching Christmas shoppers.  The organised get better value and waste less than the last minute and frantic, “I better get it just in case!” types who are on the verge of resorting to booze and Valium to get them through the holiday stress.  It’s unhealthy to say the least.

When food planning your lists should be broken down into the things you can do well ahead of time and those that can only be sorted on Christmas week.  Obviously the latter list should be shorter.  You can also decide how much of this you want to do from scratch and how much can be bought in.  By thinking about it well in advance you can rationally assess if the time involved is going to be enjoyable and cost effective or a pain and not worth the trouble.  Cookery books and celebrity chefs will happily tell you that making your own mince meat or mayonnaise is simple, but sometimes it’s much easier just to buy it. Freezers are a great advantage.  There is no problem freezing things in November that will be eaten over Christmas.  And remember that basics such as stocks, soups, butter and even milk can be frozen.  The other thing I recommend is that you always keep batches of pastry in the freezer, either home made or shop bought.  You can run up a pie, a tart or a few sausage rolls in a hurry if necessary.  The other tip is to assess what you already have at home before you go shopping.  This requires a thorough look.  November is a good time to check your basic store cupboard supplies.  Have you enough flour and sugar?  What about chutneys and preserves?  You can make these and they will hold very well or buy some of the lovely Tipperary artisan ones that you will find easily enough.  A supply of rice and risotto rice is also useful.  Whipping up a turkey curry or a quick lunchtime risotto will no doubt impress a hungry crowd.  How about spices, condiments and dried foods – have they gone off, lost their flavour or dried up?  Check it out now and then you won’t a) buy things you already have or b) things you don’t need.

Order with order!  When it comes to suppliers just remember that they are human too.   Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year and mistakes can happen.  Clear lists are required.  Here are the suggested lists you might need; the butcher and/or deli, the fishmonger, greengrocer, alcohol supplier.  You might wish to combine some of these elements in the supermarket but create the lists separately anyway.  Ordering can be done in advance and you can also keep an eye on the budget.

Delegation is my final tip.  While some of us might strive for Martha Stewart perfection, leave it out at Christmas; it’s a time for family.  Give someone else the responsibility of the table setting.  Try the kids, they might surprise you and if nothing else they will certainly feel they’ve played a part in all your hard work.   For more recipes and Christmas tips visit www.jameswhelanbutchers.com or drop into the shop in the Oakville Shopping Centre with any queries whatsoever.  By planning ahead it really can be the most wonderful time of the year if not exactly perfect or easy.

I always welcome feedback pat@jwb.ie. Here is a fantastic recipe for risotto.

Leek & Bacon Risotto

Serves 4
Preparation: 10 mins – Cooking: 20 mins

Ingredients

• 15ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 8 rashers bacon
• 4 leeks, sliced
• 350g (12 oz) risotto (arborio) rice
• 200ml (6½ fl oz) white wine
• 800ml (1½ pint) hot vegetable stock
• grated parmesan, optional

Method

1. Heat the oil in the big pot and fry the bacon to your liking (just cooked or very crispy). Remove the bacon. When it has cooled, chop it into bite-sized pieces.
2. Add the leeks to the pot and fry for 2 minutes until starting to soften.
3. Stir in the rice and cook for 1 minute, stirring.
4. Add the wine and stock, and then bring to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer for 10-12 minutes until the rice is tender.
5. Remove the rice from the heat, add the bacon pieces, then stir in the parmesan if desired and some freshly ground pepper. Serve immediately.

Serving Suggestion

• Enjoy this plate of delight with a glass of white wine.