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James Whelan Butchers: Chutney Secrets

Posted on Tuesday, June 18th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | 1 Comment »

It’s a sure sign you’re married with young children when the long, wine fuelled gluttonous dinner parties of youth turn into sober Sunday daytime affairs where the excitement reaches its crescendo at the thought of trying a new flavour from the Nespresso machine with a homemade shortbread after you’ve eaten. I suppose as we mature we have to be so much more Daniel O’Donnell than Keith Richards during these responsible years. This thought occurred to me recently when we had some people around for a relatively restrained daytime get together and the obligatory bottle of wine had, in this instance, morphed into a selection of artisan chutneys. I also noted that I was much more excited about receiving these dark jars of treasure than had it been alcohol, which I couldn’t have shared then as I needed to drive later in the day to pick up one of the kids from a birthday party.

Chutney is one of those things that I am never without. I always have at least a few different varieties to hand and I’m in the fortunate position that I’m often given it as gifts. Sometimes it will be a home made affair and other times, like recently, it will be a present of shop bought varieties. I just couldn’t imagine a hot or cold sandwich without it or the lift it instantly gives to cold meat and leftovers let alone the hot meats that benefit greatly from a dollop on the top.

I always tended to associate chutneys and pickles with England and in particular the Ploughman’s Lunch, which is traditionally bread, cheese and chutney. However the name ‘chutney’ comes from the Hindi word ‘chatni’, which simply means ‘sauce’, and it was brought to England by traders coming back from India in the 17^th century. Chutney, in its many and wondrous variations, can be found all over India and is often used with curry. As it was popularised in Britain it then became equally fashionable in the colonies and so today chutney is found all over the world and considered part of the indigenous cuisine. Chutney is also the perfect way of preserving summer fruits and vegetables and while preserving is by no means necessary for our survival through the winter months in this day and age, I think there is great satisfaction in the idea of preserving food to eat later. It’s also really important to note that home made chutney takes at least three months to mature and settle and so anything made in August and September will probably be just right for those cold December days.

Having just romanticised the idea of going all Barbara and Tom from the Good Life and making your own, there are really great chutneys available to buy. There are some excellent artisan brands widely available and then there are the cottage industry types at Farmers Markets and Country Markets up and down the country. It is among the more maverick home made group where you will find the most variation and the odd one that you may not like at all. If you find it too ‘vinegary’ that’s a sure sign it hasn’t had enough time maturing. While there are quick and ready to eat chutney recipes in abundance on the web, I tend to be a little bit of a traditionalist in believing that you just can’t buy or make time; there is no substitute.

So what exactly is chutney? Well very simply it is just a fruit or vegetable chopped up into chunks such as apples, plums, onions, mangoes, pears or a combination of fruit and vegetable of choice. It’s then cooked with vinegar, sugar and spices until reduced down into a dark, thick and chunky sauce that can be put in jars and kept for quite some time. Unopened chutney can last anything up to a year and once opened for a good three to four weeks kept in a fridge. (This will be determined by the type of chutney and where it was made. Always check the labels.

Along with all the usual chutney uses I have tried it more and more on hot food. It started with some pork when I realised I didn’t have any apple sauce but I did have a jar of spiced apple chutney. I served it with the chutney and it was great. I was then given a very simple recipe that I believe came from James Martin. It was a breast of chicken – butterflied, seasoned and then pan fried until cooked (about 4 to 5 minutes a side, depending on the thickness of the breast.) Once cooked I laid out some fresh sage leaves along the centre, two tablespoons of apple and plum chutney on top of that, then half ball of mozzarella diced and topped it all with a slice of Parma ham. I then placed my little chicken based mound under a very hot grill to crisp up the ham and melt the cheese a little. It was great and really made a restaurant quality dish out of a simple breast of chicken.

Knowing how good chutney is with cheese I have also used it to make a very quick starter. Just take some filo or puff pastry and you can make a tart or a parcel. I did parcels as they don’t have to look as pretty. I basically used a little filling of goats’ cheese and chutney mix and baked them in the oven until the parcels were cooked. I have also added some chopped black pudding into the mix from time to time and this works well too. These little parcels are great starters or lunchtime treats. Chutney can be mixed with other ingredients such as sour cream or mayonnaise and can be used as sandwich condiments or dips (Go with mayonnaise for the sandwich and sour cream for the dip) and to a barbecue sauce as a marinade or coating. It can also elevate stuffing for pork, chicken or turkey. And you don’t need me to tell you that mango chutney is lovely with a curry. Speaking of Indian food you will also find plenty of chutney and fish recipes from that part of the world also.

I can’t urge you enough to try some chutney even if you start by simply spreading it on a warm toasted cheese and ham sandwich. I have no doubt that for many cooks chutney could become the all important secret ingredient.

This post was written by me, Pat Whelan, owner of James Whelan Butchers and a passionate advocate of local artisan food. My family have been producing quality Irish Angus beef for generations using a traditional dry aging process. This tradition is one that I continue to practice at our abattoir on our family farm in Garrentemple, Clonmel. These posts aim to impart some of the wisdom to readers and help them get the best out of the meat they eat! Our meat is available online here! I welcome your feedback to [email protected]

We hope you enjoyed reading this post by Pat Whelan of James Whelan Butchers. Pat is a 5th generation butcher, cook book author and the director of James Whelan Butchers with shops in Clonmel, the Avoca Handweavers Rathcoole and Kilmacanogue, Dunnes Stores Cornelscourt, Rathmines and Swords in Dublin. Sign up to our newsletter for more updates from James Whelan Butchers

Tags: Apples, chutney, foodie articles, India, James Whelan Butchers, mangoes, onions, Pat Whelan, pears, plums, preserves, sauce, summer fruit, vegetables

James Whelan Butchers: Foraging for Food

Posted on Friday, June 14th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

There should be no doubt that the economy influences how we eat. Those of us who care are seriously trying to maintain that delicate balance between good value, good nutrition and great taste. After all you and I have long since agreed right here in this column that eating is so much more than a means of fuel for the body. Eating and preparing food is and should be one of man’s most loved rituals. It is a daily ceremony that nourishes and gives us a chance to stop and, hopefully, break bread with our loved ones. Eating and enjoying good food should be seen as a break from the harsh realities and by looking at it this way the observance of mealtimes enriches our spirits as well as our bodies. Happy mealtimes spent amongst family can produce happy memories and wonderful associations with food; it touches us on many levels. Hippocrates, referred to by many as the ‘father of medicine’ is famously quoted as saying, “Let food be thy medicine, and medicine be thy food”. I expect he is spinning rapidly in his grave as conventional medicine has largely taken a manufactured drug route and yet they still practice and take the Hippocratic Oath in the profession! This great ancient sage is also quoted as saying, “Leave your drugs in the chemist’s pot if you can heal the patient with food.”

So obviously there is a historical case for eating ourselves well. Walk into any health food store today and many of the herbal remedies are concentrated forms of wild plants in little pills. Rather than waiting for symptoms to occur and then reaching for these cures, it makes more sense to nourish ourselves through the seasons using wild plants and herbs in our everyday cooking. It can also taste quite delicious; much better than little capsules. I always marvel at how nature produces different plants at different times of the year to help us with exactly what we need.

After a long winter, particularly this year, the body needs a good boost and that is why nettles are at their peak around this time. Wild stinging nettle is a wonderfully nutritional plant. It is rich in chlorophyll, calcium, silicon, chromium, magnesium, zinc, and potassium. It contains vitamins A, C, D, and E, along with the minerals sodium, copper, and iron. It’s very high in protein and traditionally it has been used as a spring tonic. Past generations always capitalised on what nature had to offer but our ‘know it all’, prepackaged, convenience mentality has long since forgotten such benefits. Hopefully this generation will re-discover what our ancestors have known all along. We also benefit from the exercise and fun elicited from the simple act of going out picking and foraging for food. At this time of year you never know what else you might find including several varieties of wild garlic and flowering wild fruit trees.

So as we are currently in nettle season I can’t encourage you enough to go out and grab some, but don’t forget your gloves. Possibly the reason we have such poor associations with nettles is the nasty encounters we all remember from childhood. There was the joy of running through a field in the sunshine only to have your bare ankles unexpectedly bitten by a stinging nettle. I seem to remember it burning for hours afterwards. These days I actively go out looking for nettles to harvest instead of trying to avoid them.

While we mainly associate nettles with liquid foods such as nettle tea or nettle soup, effectively it is a green and can be used just like any other green; spinach, cabbage or kale. Nettles can be substituted for any of the above in recipes you may already have for lasagne, quiche, stew or even pesto. A simple minute steak with some warm wilted nettles and a little salad is one of the best and quick suppers available.

Nettles are excellent for the blood system; detoxifying and removing unwanted impurities. They help with lowering blood sugar, improving digestion, relieving pain and lowering high blood pressure. They enhance the operation of the circulatory, immune, endocrine, nervous, and urinary systems thereby reducing fatigue and exhaustion. It is said to be a particularly good source of iron and calcium for pregnancy. And, the one we all love, nettles are calorie free and said to be an aid to weight loss

Okay, so I have convinced you of the benefits but what about the taste? Quite delicious, I can assure you and now to the harvesting and getting your little gloved hands on some. I can’t stress enough that now is the time. The nettles are best harvested at this time of year before flowering and can be easily dried for use later in the year. The stems, leaves, flowers and roots of the nettle plant all have powerful medicinal properties so take the whole lot.

Nettle tea couldn’t be easier and doesn’t require any milk or sugar. Use about 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh nettles to each cup of boiling water. (For God’s sake remember to continue wearing your gloves when handling and chopping the fresh nettles, but cooking and heating will remove the sting.) Leave it to infuse for five to 10 minutes before straining and enjoy. And just for fun below is a recipe for nettle soup. However, it must be pointed out that the cream in the soup cancels out the calorie free status of the nettles, but then again who’s counting when a soup this nutritious tastes so good.

Tags: detox, foodie articles, Foraging, Health Benefits, improving digestion, James Whelan Butchers, lowering blood pressure, Nettles, Pat Whelan, relieving pain

James Whelan Butchers: Simple Basics

Posted on Monday, June 10th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

I love cities in the early morning. Here or abroad I love strolling around quiet-ish streets observing the gentle bustle of the various businesses setting up shop for the day. There are the familiar sounds of shutters opening and delivery vans pulling up and unloading and yet it is still quiet enough to hear the birdsong, all together creating that unique urban symphony that’s bursting with the day’s potential and the possibilities of what the hours ahead may hold. You can also add in the odd bedraggled stray from the previous night’s excesses, a groggy student or two with languid gait slouching past and the determined strut of the young suited and immaculately groomed who sail by leaving a distinct whiff of ambition in their wake.

I found myself in this early bird environment recently in Dublin; early morning in the capital heading to a meeting but with a little time to spare before my nine o’clock appointment. It was just after 8am and while this might normally be breakfast time, that day I had started out at the unearthly 4.30am, so it was almost lunchtime in my head.

With many of the restaurants and coffee houses surprisingly still closed or in the very early throes of getting organised for the day, I happened upon a little eclectic independent that was open. Its spotlessly clean but worn, down to earth image complete with functional chairs, mismatched tables and poster covered walls belied the quality of the food inside. It also had an interesting mix of clientele. There was the obviously retired guy with his newspaper, two bohemian types who at an extravagant guess might have owned and operated some marvellous vintage clothing shop and at yet another table there were three suits having an obligatory early morning coffee. Apart from the steam and whistle of the elaborate modern coffee machine I imagine that the décor here has been almost static for decades, solely relying on the music gig posters to change regularly, adding both colour and character.

The glass case in front of me was already being filled with freshly made sandwiches for the lunchtime trade. I was hungry, but I needed something easy and relatively quick. I opted for a simple cheese and tomato sandwich and a coffee. As I sat and waited I scanned the posters and all the gigs and comedy nights that I would never attend. It was evidence of another world, a late night world that I have long since left behind. I was pulled from my reverie by the arrival of my plain sandwich on an old fashioned side plate and a steaming mug of coffee. Then I took the first bite and I was amazed. My dull and predictable sandwich of cheese and tomato was a revelation. My own mantra of excellence rang in my head, “simple, excellent ingredients will make fantastic grub every time”. This was superbly fresh and soft batch loaf, with sweet juicy tomatoes, crisp cucumber, tasty cheese and uncomplicated mayonnaise; nothing fancy here but a combined taste sensation all the same. From feeling rather boring for ordering a plain cheese sandwich, I suddenly felt like the cleverest person in the room – like I had discovered something wonderful that no one else knew about. It was the marriage of simplicity and excellence and suddenly I knew why this place was popular with everyone – good food was the common ground that transcends all tribal behaviour.

One of our biggest problems with food today is that while things may share the same name, not all things are equal. We live in a world where there are just too many choices and trying to buy one ingredient can offer up quite the conundrum. Let’s take a simple sandwich filling like a slice of ham. How and where do you buy ham? If you purchase it in an average supermarket there are decisions to make. Do you buy it in a pack from the fridge or from the deli counter? Do you choose branded or own brand, high end or low end, smoked or unsmoked, sliced wafer thin or sliced thick, crumbed or plain, square shaped or large shaped? Decisions, decisions and then there are differences in price to be considered. Go to the bread section and you will be faced with the same dilemma. So in effect my ham sandwich and your ham sandwich could be two entirely different taste experiences depending on the quality of ingredients chosen and it is remarkably easy these days to fall into the tasteless and bland pothole on the culinary highway.

Apply this to all common food and the problem for the consumer becomes very obvious. Take a basic Cottage Pie as an example of an economical family meal. By using excellent quality mince, fresh carrots, high quality stock and superior potatoes the resulting dish will be well above average in the taste stakes when compared with a supermarket mass produced, pre prepared, boxed freezer version. Yet they will all claim the name ‘Cottage Pie’. I am convinced this is why some people have little regard for old fashioned simple dishes; at some point in their lives they were scarred by convenience junk using the same name as classic dishes, masquerading as real food. That early morning sandwich alerted me to the fact that even I had one foot in the trap.

So first things first if you want great food you have to use great ingredients. It’s a simple philosophy shared by the great chefs all around the world. And I would also stress that ‘great’ is not interchangeable with ‘expensive’. At all times buy good quality, fresh and local wherever you can and even if you stick with simple food combinations your satisfaction levels will go through the roof. Don’t think price, think excellence and before you know it your appreciation for the food you eat will undoubtedly increase. Don’t cheat yourself, food is too important – buy the best you can afford and enjoy the results thoroughly. Drop by James Whelan Butchers the next time you are in the area and catch a glimpse of what we mean by simple and excellent.

Tags: basics, Cottage Pie, Food Choices, foodie articles, ham, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan

James Whelan Butchers: Flavour Time

Posted on Friday, June 7th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

Rain or shine, because the clock tells us it’s the summer, we can’t help but pull out and dust down our dreams of country picnics, lazy days at the beach, eating in the garden and barbecuing all round us until the end of August. Needless to remark the sun shines high in the cloudless sky throughout those dreams. Admittedly it only happens perfectly in our heads, and the reality is that many different factors prevent us from manifesting these lovely thoughts. We are held to ransom by the elements day to day throughout the season. Then of course the lovely shiny haired, polite and well behaved children who attend the perfect barbecue in your might just be a small rampaging mob with an appetite for destruction akin to Genghis Khan. The garden in your fantasy with the manicured lawns and the furniture filled patio might not match up with the actual view from your kitchen window and that magnificent out door cooking grill station with the control knobs of the Star Ship Enterprise might in fact be a disposable charcoal filled foil tray from Dunnes. But don’t despair, because we do have control over the most important element of the event and that’s the food. Using a little culinary skill we can elevate our parties and gatherings via our taste buds and even the most cynical will go home in the knowledge they were at a great event.

Over the next few weeks I have no doubt that the subject of barbecuing will come up a few times. I would also direct you to the James Whelan Butchers website for great tips about this whole area of summer cooking. However as a starter today I want to talk about marinades. Allowing the meat you are cooking to soak, even for a very short while, in a little sauce can make all the difference. When you experiment you will eventually hit on a recipe that quickly becomes your own. In fact some people are quite covetous of their secret ingredients. It is usually just some small condiment tweak here and there from a standard recipe, but it creates a signature all the same that with time can be thrown together in a few minutes to create a luscious, moist and tender feast. My only advice, however, is to write down what you do for the first few times you do it. I say this from experience, I have stumbled across some really good marinades, many times by just necessary ingredient substitution and not by design, but then later while basking in the adoration from the sated crowd, I forgot what I had done and it was never to be repeated.

So let’s talk about marinating and marinades as there is a great deal of myth around the subject. Go on the hunt for good marinade recipe and you will find anything from 2 hours to 24 hours needed for similar cuts of meat. It can be very confusing. The thing is that not all marinades were or are created equal and neither is meat. Marinades supposedly serve two functions one is to tenderise the meat and the other is to flavour it. Now here’s the thing, more than likely if you are throwing some meat on the grill you will have bought a suitable cut recommended by your butcher. If bought from a reputable source, it should be pretty tender to start off with so the real function of your marinade is flavour. There is the assumption that the marinade penetrates deeper into the meat depending on the length of time it sits in it. Let’s put that to bed straight away – it doesn’t. After the first while it is as deep as it is going to go and after that, the changes are minimal. Now just to be clear, I’m discussing marinades from the point of view of a common barbecue, this is not about marinating for brining or pickling which is another day’s work entirely. When it comes to simple grilling, greater minds than me have carried out controlled scientific studies on this flavour penetrating aspect of marinades. A study carried out in 2007 showed that after eight days a slightly salty marinade gave meat a somewhat mushy surface but penetrated less than 1/8 inch into the flesh. This would suggest that a mildly acidic mixture would have practically next to no effect at all. So while a marinade certainly ups the flavour of our cooked meat, leaving it to sit in the marinade for hours and hours isn’t as necessary as we think.

The reason I enjoy the long marinating process for barbecue is that I can make all the mess of preparation in advance and have everything sorted and organised in the fridge ready to go. But here’s the thing, if you have people coming over you can still prepare a marinade quickly and not have to worry about leaving it to sit around for hours and hours on end to get the best results.

Homemade BBQ Sauce Recipe

So what kinds of marinades give good flavour? Well there seems to be as many marinade recipes out there as there are people who like to marinate. I have a few recipes of my own that I have come to over the years. Sometimes I’ll have to tweak and substitute purely because I won’t have the right ingredient to hand, but the base is usually the same. I learned this one from a South African friend. It is based on a good chutney so use a good dollop of that, another good dollop ketchup, a dollop of mayonnaise, a few tablespoons of Worcestershire sauce, the same of balsamic vinegar or apple cider vinegar, 2 sliced red onions, a little white vinegar and some salt and pepper. (I usually do this one the night before for convenience.) Leave the steaks to marinade in this and then while they are grilling I like to heat the remaining thick sauce, simmer it down and use it as a pouring sauce for the meat. A marinade can be livened up with some fresh chillies if you like a little fire. I’ve also tried this recipe with chicken and it works just as well.

Another variation of a steak marinade is one based on red wine. This is light and very quick and needs only a few minutes steeping. Take some red wine (if you can bare to pour it into a dish and not a glass for yourself), a little Worcestershire sauce (just a few drops), a clove or two of garlic chopped, some chopped parsley and chopped coriander, a crushed bay leaf, a pinch of sugar and some salt and pepper. I always taste the mixture just to make sure it’s got a nice balance and correct it if it doesn’t. Now if I have the time to leave it steep for at least an hour and I want a slightly more oriental flavour I will often add some soy sauce, cinnamon bark and a star anise. You can continue to baste the meat with this juice while cooking.

Marinades are all about enhancing flavour but we should keep in mind the meaning of that word. Hopefully you are trying to enhance the natural flavour of the meat and not give it flavour to start with. Marinades shouldn’t overwhelm or mask as this is not their job. Enjoy the experimenting and don’t forget that even if it pours out of the heavens a nice marinated piece of meat or poultry will cook just as well indoors.

Tags: bbq, brining, foodie articles, grill, James Whelan Butchers, marinades, meat, Pat Whelan, pickling, summer cooking

James Whelan Butchers: Talking Tripe

Posted on Tuesday, May 21st, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | 1 Comment »

Some foods tend to polarise opinion and tripe would certainly make that list. You have a niche group that love it, the naysayers who have terrible memories of it and those who have never even tasted it but the suggestion alone causes ugly facial contortion. It is clearly a divisive food. Tripe and onions was once a very acceptable and commonplace dish in Ireland, but it became unfashionable and achieved a rather unfavourable reputation. I believe there are many factors in its fall from grace. I happen to like tripe, but it does have a particular texture, especially honeycomb tripe, that may cause an instant dislike before we even get to the taste elements. Tripe is quite nutritious and it isn’t very expensive and so that would also have gone against it for a time. Surprisingly in a recently past era we believed that eating inexpensive food was unnecessary and a reflection of our personal status; how ridiculous a viewpoint, but one that endured for years in this country. Secondly incorrect or poor cooking of this particular dish also fed into its demise. Being white in colour, if overcooked in lumpy unappetising, onion sauce, tripe can take on a greyish hue. The pale yellow onion combined with thick white gravy and a grey leathery tissue is indeed wholly unpalatable. I once had the awful experience of badly cooked tripe and I can only liken it to eating a tepid, thick rubber glove covered with an old bath sponge that tasted of nothing nice at all

Even when we cooked it well we were very unadventurous with tripe. We tended to stick to our white onion sauce as the Holy Grail of Tripe-dom, when in fact our European neighbours were embracing tripe and trying different things with it. Tripe soup, tripe with chorizo, tripe with other offal cuts, tripe with tomatoes; oh yes our French and Italian counterparts were not afraid to try different things and so tripe is still a popular dish in those countries to this day. We are seeing a small renaissance here. Our current fascination with vintage (you could also substitute ‘value for money’ here, but vintage sounds so much nicer) is leading us down the path of these old dishes once more. The problem is that this generation doesn’t know what to do with them. Tripe has much to offer, particularly in texture, but get it wrong and its current moment in the spotlight will end abruptly.

So what is tripe? It is the stomach lining of animals and the common variety sold in most butchers is beef tripe. In its raw state, fresh from the animal, the lining is indeed unappetising. As a butcher we prepare or ‘dress’ the tripe for sale. This means washing it, trimming it of all fat and partially cooking it before it reaches the customer. (So if you are diet conscious you are right in assuming this is a low fat, highly nutritious food!). While the general population may be unaware of what to do with tripe, sadly the same could be said of some younger butchers. Thankfully that will change as there is currently a push on the idea of nose to tail eating and creating less waste from animals.

One question I get asked about tripe quite frequently is why it doesn’t always look the same. There is a simple explanation. A beef stomach is divided into two parts and yields three different textures of tripe. You have plain tripe, honeycomb tripe and packet tripe – all from the same stomach, just different in appearance. Generally they taste the same but I personally think that honeycomb tripe is the most flavourful. This comes from the second stomach chamber. I suppose I should really qualify the idea of using the words ‘flavour’ and ‘tripe’ in the same sentence. Tripe tastes like……..well…..tripe, which is relatively bland but easily flavoured by the sauce around it. The actual tripe brings the texture or ‘meatiness’ to the dish. I love tripe cooked simply and traditionally in a lovely, hot white onion sauce where there is a tender bite in the tripe and a subtle harmony of herbs, peppercorns and onions in rich smooth gravy. I love it served with warm, almost toasted, crusty bread spread with melting butter that can be used to mop up any leftover sauce at the end. The warm buttered bread certainly ups the calorie count, but it’s worth it. Some people add carrots for colour and flavour but I tend not to. In Darina Allen’s marvellous book, Forgotten Skills, I found a lovely recipe for Tripe and Trotters with Chorizo. If you don’t like tripe then you might not like pigs’ trotters or crubeens, but this is a Spanish influenced dish that is hearty and rustic to the core: definitely a recipe worth finding.

So how do you cook traditional tripe? In most butchers you will buy tripe pre cut into bite size pieces. Even though it has been dressed and prepared for sale, it’s good to wash it again, drain it, rub it all over with salt and leave it to sit for at least 30 minutes. When you are ready to cook it, rinse it again of the salt. Put the tripe in a pot with a chopped onion, a bay leaf and plenty of salt and pepper. If I have some left over white wine to hand I will often put this in too. You can also add a carrot or other herbs to the pot at this stage. I then cover it with water and leave it to simmer for about 90 minutes to two hours. Cook it slowly and gently and you should avoid an undesirable rubbery finish. Once cooked, drain the tripe and put it aside and strain the cooking liquid, reserving a few tablespoons for the onion sauce. Cook your onion sauce separately. We all have favourite onion sauce recipes and there are many different takes on this classic. Some people use only milk, others prefer a mix of cream and milk and so I leave that up to you. Using a few tablespoons of the tripe cooking liquid can lighten the sauce a little if you desire. (You can also cook your onion sauce ahead of time as it will keep in the fridge.) Once the sauce is made add the warm tripe and allow it all to heat through. Plate it up, scatter with fresh parsley and serve with warm bread or toast. For me tripe cooked this way has always been a breakfast dish but there are no rules, so why not be European and have tripe whenever you feel like it. One final thought only buy tripe in a reliable and reputable butcher shop and eat it as fresh as possible.

Tags: beef stomach, chorizo, foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, offal cuts, Pat Whelan, tripe

James Whelan Butchers: Opposites Attract

Posted on Monday, May 13th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | 1 Comment »

The world of snacks and treats was thrown into a state of frenzy this week as Tayto, the iconic Irish crisp, teamed up with Butlers Chocolate to produce a limited edition Tayto Cheese and Onion Milk Chocolate Bar. Of course it initially causes a small wrinkle in the brain as you try to imagine the two together and for many the first response will cause us to wrinkle up our noses as well. The thing is that this combination of salty savoury and richly sweet together isn’t so unusual. Neither is mixing crisps and chocolate revolutionary; just google chocolate covered crisps and there are hundreds of recipes all over the internet. Several years ago I discovered the chocolate covered crisp in the States. A department store called Neiman Marcus was (and still is) doing this with a thin-ish chocolate covered crisp presented in a tall Pringle like tin. They were given to me as a gift and I remember biting into the first one with a little trepidation. They were fine, the classic combination of salty and sweet with a creamy chocolate and a little crunch provided by the crisp. If I’m honest I wouldn’t go out of my way to get them again but I wouldn’t refuse one if it crossed my path.

It got me thinking about the whole idea of opposites and how it really works very well for food combinations and creating different taste sensations. Sweet and savoury, sweet and sour or even hot and cold can be exciting. I always enjoy a hot fruit crumble with a decent dollop of cold vanilla ice cream on the top. Equally when we are talking hot and cold, there is nothing nicer than a spicy samosa or an onion bhaji balanced out with by a cooling yoghurt dip.

We always tend to think of sweet and sour as strictly Chinese. We believe it does originate in China, but more and more European and American dishes are working with the idea. Salads are a great easy area to experiment with sweet and sour. Try an exotic mix of chopped peppers, cucumbers and baby tomatoes with some moist pineapple or even pear slices. Then if you serve this with, for example, a perfectly cooked duck breast or even some tender lamb chops you get the sweet and sour plus the hot and cold thing all going on together. These are easy combinations to get right and a great way of dipping your toe in the water of opposites.

Our lives are constantly twisting and turning. We enjoy the familiar but it is always spiced up by a surprise or the unexpected here and there. We should treat our food in the same way. We tend to eat the same foods, cooked the same way over and over again. Of course familiarity makes for ease of cooking but as the saying goes, “familiarity breeds contempt” and that can be particularly applied to cooking. If we have a small repertoire of dishes cooked regularly even the favourites and the perfectly executed can become dull. Make an effort to add at least one new dish, meal or menu to your skills each month and by the end of the year you’ll be surprised how far you have pushed those stale boundaries.

Using opposites is a great jumping off point for trying new things. Heavy and light for example, rich starters followed up by a light fish course. Oily and dry get you thinking of food textures and how they balance each other. The classic is bread and butter, the dryness of the bread with the oily butter or think sardines on a cracker for another simple combination. While talking of textures smooth and rough – again a crunchy peanut butter has the smoothness of the butter but the crunch of the peanut. Add this to a chicken stir fry while cooking and the combination is super. Indeed try a stick of celery dipped in a smooth peanut butter for a lovely light and heavy, crunchy and soft, sweet and savoury combination.

Soft and hard, hot and cold – the possibilities are enormous. What you are really looking for is balance. There is nothing I like more than a heavy chunky steak with a lovely light mix of rocket and fresh coriander. It is simplicity itself. Again I’m getting heavy and light along with hot and cold. Contrasting colours and textures also look good on a plate. If everything is the same there is a blandness of colour, character and taste and the death of any meal. No matter how perfectly cooked the individual elements are it will always feel like there was something missing.

A friend of mine is an expert with wine. He says the law of opposites works well here too. He suggests that if you enjoy spicy Asian food then that should be paired with a slightly sweeter wine like a chardonnay as the sweet will set off the spiciness of the food. Dryer wines like cabernet sauvignon work best with high protein foods such as steak or a cheese plate perhaps, while a heavy, creamy pasta dish works well with a Merlot that will cut through the oils within the dish. Personally I think you will know the wines you like and there are no rules, but it might be a rough guide. In fact what I have found is that many of the lovely, fruiter and lighter red wines that I have liked have been Italian and they work very well with heavy pasta or meat dishes.

So this week start thinking about the everyday opposites we currently enjoy in food and that should get the creative juices flowing. If you do come up with some rare gem don’t be afraid to drop me a line.

Tags: chicken stir fry, chocolate, coriander, duck breast, foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, lamb chops, Pat Whelan, peanut satay, rocket, round steak mince, salads, sweet and savory, tayto

James Whelan Butchers: Spring Forward

Posted on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

With the Easter blowout over and spring (hopefully by the time you read this) in full swing properly with longer evenings, it’s time to freshen our plates and our palates once more. It must have been one of the coldest Easters on record and if not, it certainly felt like it. Despite all the lovely spring recipes in the magazines and pastel coloured Easter baking booklets that fell out of the papers last week, it was distinctly hot beefy stew weather rather than the lighter ideas they were promoting for this time of year.

I think a nice segue into spring is risotto. It has the convenience of a one pot with the depth and creaminess of a dish that tastes as if it took much longer. You must use risotto rice (Arborio is a common type of risotto rice found in supermarkets). Risotto always feels fresh and spring like while at the same time being filling and satisfying. The main thing is not to overcook it. You need the risotto to retain a little bite and remember it’s not a dish that will hang around for too long; the best restaurants serve it the minute it’s cooked. Risotto is also hugely versatile when it comes to adding things to it; make it a full meat dish, with prawns perhaps or keep it vegetarian. Depending on what exactly you add it is relatively low fat so you can retain that little angel’s halo over your head while enjoying the wonderful tastes. Chicken and mushroom are always a good combination, prawn and asparagus with a touch of basil or ham and basil are also some good mixes. Sprinkle in some fresh herbs with the onions at the start. I recently had some left over chicken and used fresh rosemary with in a simple chicken risotto and it worked really well. I also got the benefit of the lovely aroma of the rosemary as it was cooking. I put the rosemary in at the start while I was gently cooking the onions and as the chicken was already cooked I didn’t put that in until the end. I use white wine as well as stock and I always start with some softened onions. Take your time and add the liquid in small amounts. Season it well and add some grated parmesan at the end for an extra creamy finish.

If you are working on a budget, as many of us are these days, a great way to bulk out a meal or stretch some mince is to add some lentils. Lentils come dried or tinned. The tins are really handy because you just have to drain them and add them to a dish. Lentils taste like other dried legumes. They are high in protein and commonly found these days in recipes promoting weight loss. I like the idea that they add a new flavour dimension to a dish. Lentils are used commonly in India as a stand alone side dish. However if you do mix them with mince or add them to a meat soup it’s a great way of getting them into kids without them even knowing. A meaty, creamy, saucy Italian lasagne has always been popular in my house so having tired slightly of it I was looking for an alternative. Moussaka is the Greek version traditionally using lamb mince and layers of aubergine and thinly sliced potatoes rather than beef mince and sheet pasta. While the finished dish may look similar it is a totally different taste and well worth introducing as another family meal. With the lentils, aubergines and tomatoes it is another virtuous dish and the topping is usually a Greek yogurt rather than a high calorie béchamel sauce with cheese topping.

From warming ‘one pots’ to the other extreme; simply cooked meat cuts with fresh sides are also a nice introduction to spring. How about some juicy lamb chops with a tender cooked broccoli mixed with fried onion and garlic? I love this vegetable mix and it works well with any cut, pork chops, steak or even chicken. Boil some young broccoli for about 3 to 5 minutes, drain and set aside. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil over a high heat and fry a finely sliced onion for about 3 minutes until it is starting to caramelise. Add in two crushed (or finely sliced) garlic cloves and fry for one minute more. Then throw in the broccoli and cook for about 90 seconds or until it has all combined and warmed through and serve as a great warm nutritious side.

While I know the weather has been cold and hardly conducive to cold food, the trick is to think cold and substantial rather than cold and light! Duck is hugely popular at the moment and while we are doing some lovely pre prepared duck dishes in the shop that take all the hassle out of thinking, I’m also very fond of a duck salad with an oriental twist that is easy to make at home. The Asian influence is hardly surprising as many of us believe that the Chinese have cornered the market on cooking duck well. I totally agree and love the way they do it, but I still think it is something we can also enjoy at home. This duck salad is really easy and is quite filling as it uses noodles and vegetables. First of all rub the duck all over with some Chinese Five Spice Powder (readily available in the spice aisle of any supermarket) and bake on a tray in a hot oven for about 25 minutes. Meanwhile cook the rice noodles according to the pack instructions. (I told you this was easy!) Cut some celery, carrot, cucumber and spring onions into slim matchsticks or batons. Toss all the vegetables with the drained noodles and plate up. When the duck is cooked and cooled enough to handle, remove the crispy skin and finely shred and spread on top of the noodles and veg. Make a pouring dressing by mixing 2:1 tablespoons of hoisin sauce and soy sauce and serve it on the side. Wholesome, fresh and filling with a lovely aromatic kick this duck salad has spring written all over it.

If you’re looking for some more inspiration then drop by the website or come into the shop and see our collection for spring 2013, there’s always something new to tempt to you with.

Tags: barbary duck, Farm Fresh Chicken, foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, Organic Chicken, Pat Whelan, risotto, round steak mince

James Whelan Butchers: Little Lambs

Posted on Tuesday, April 16th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles, Good Food | No Comments »

As a nation we like to talk about the weather it is our ‘got to’ ice breaker for any and every occasion. It is strange that we have such a fascination with the elements given that we live in a relatively moderate climate and extremes are unusual. However, this winter has been one of them. It has been very difficult to watch as the farmers in the North of Ireland struggle against high walls of compacted snow. It’s lambing season, but one seriously hampered by the weather and, sad to say, in some situations completely annihilated. It seems so wrong to see little lambs with snow all around when they should be lolloping around green, dewy fields.

Lamb Hot Pot

Thankfully the sun has been shining down here in the South the last few days and suddenly there’s a glimpse of the proper season. That mix of watery sunshine and longer evenings triggers those lamb thoughts instantly. Going for the papers last Sunday morning people were generally in slightly lighter clothes, one or two slightly shivering, but putting it up to the weather all the same. I imagined them all scurrying home for a leg of lamb roast. I’m not sure if there is anything more elegantly simple, succulent and tasty than spring lamb. With the major advances in animal husbandry lamb is now available year round, but I’m glad to say high demand is still intrinsically linked with springtime.

Today’s lambs are tender creatures, except for the shanks, neck and shoulder. Even these not so tender parts make wonderful dishes if cooked correctly, which usually means slowly. I love slow cooked lamb shanks in tinfoil parcels. It’s a superb rustic dish and visually appealing an

d considering it uses one of the cheapest parts of the lamb, an absolute winner if you want to stretch a few euro. However it does take around 4 hours in the oven so it’s a meal you need to plan. On a flat piece of tinfoil lay up some slices of carrots, onion, leek and celery, then liberally butter the lamb shank and sprinkle with coriander and pop on top of the vegetables an season with salt and pepper. Pull up the sides of the tin foil to form a parcel. Pour in about a half to a glass of white wine into each foil packet. Place in t

he oven at around 140° for 3 to 4 hours, depending on the size of the shanks. The rest of a lamb is tender enough to be cooked by dry heat like grilling and roasting. Even shoulder chops can be grilled, although personally I prefer a moist heat method such as braising.

When it comes to roasting you just can’t beat the leg and I like to dress it with fresh rosemary and garlic; classic but simple. I usually use 1 tablespoon of good quality olive oil, 2 good dollops of Dijon mustard (lovely and mild), 1 tablespoon of chopped, fresh rosemary, 1 teaspoon of rock salt (Maldon is an excellent brand), half a teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper and 1 tablespoon of minced garlic (roughly 2 to 3 cloves). Mix all of these ingredients together to form a rough paste. Brush the meat with this mustard and rosemary paste and let it sit for up to two hours at room temperature before cooking.

The leg is probably the most versatile cut of the lamb. While it is sold on the bone it can also be completely boned and is often found butterflied, rolled, and tied for roasting. This type of roast is perfect for stuffing; just remove the net, fill the cavity left by the bone with a stuffing of choice and tie it up again. Half legs of lamb are also available but for information the shank end is less meaty and a bit chewy; the sirloin end is meatier and tender, but either makes an ideal roast for about four people.

I like my lamb accompanied by oven roasted herbed potatoes. Recently though I found a lovely recipe for boulangere potatoes where you allow the juices from the lamb drip down into the potatoes while cooking and this really is a treat. You can keep the whole spring theme running through the meal with young, barely cooked fresh green beans.

When it comes to leftover lamb I would encourage you to break out and explore the spicier, more aromatic side of life. Lamb is very popular in Asian cooking, particularly traditional Indian dishes. If you haven’t conquered the art of Asian cooking, experimenting with leftovers is a good place to start. Try a simple lamb korma or lamb byrianni for a refreshing change.

As it happens I stumbled across a relatively new small indoor farmer’s market on my travels recently. One stand was selling slabs of freshly backed red onion, gruyere and rosemary bread. I felt they were a little expensive, but I bought them as a treat. I made a braised lamb dish to go with last week’s cold weather and instead of potatoes or rice we had the bread as an accompaniment instead. It was great and made a nice change from the usual. There are plenty of these easy, rustic bread recipes floating around and so I am on a mission to try and make some different varieties. Watch this space for how I get on. Don’t forget it you want any further information on lamb or how to work with different cuts drop by our website or call into James Whelan Butchers in the Oakville Shopping Centre, Clonmel.

Tags: foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, lamb, Pat Whelan, Spring

James Whelan Butchers: Latin America

Posted on Friday, March 22nd, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Good Food | No Comments »

Inspiration for food, how we eat and how we cook is all around us. It is often a simple phrase, something in a newspaper, an innocent observation perhaps that will strike a mental chord and turn into a food thought. Writing also shares that space of infinite inspiration in the world around and about us. The news this week has been particularly fruitful for both. The Conclave in Vatican City has been to the fore and the faithful of all creeds, the agnostic and the atheist all looked on together in anticipation of the new head of the Catholic Church, united in a moment of pure theatre and curiosity. Believer and non believer mesmerised by the cloak and dagger, smoke and mirrors ritual the church engages for such elections. The doors close, we watch and wait and then, just like a stage magician, there is a puff of smoke and, ‘boom’, a shiny new pope emerges. He is the first Pope from outside Europe for a long time and the first ever Pope from South America and so immediately his hometown comes into sharp relief. Argentina is of interest and I immediately wonder about their food.

We know that as an area beef is very prominent, but all protein is popular in this Latin American country. They love to grill and big, big barbecues are called asados, (translated as meat feast) where everything is grilled quite slowly. They have a saying that sums up the Argentine attitude to food, “Everything that walks may end up on the grill”. I can also tell you that from a ‘nose to tail’ eating experience, “everything in and on the ‘everything that walks’ may also end up on your plate.” A friend of mine had the opportunity to try out a delicacy in a steak restaurant in Buenos Aires. Wanting a new taste experience he tried some ‘Criadilla’ or Mountain Oysters; bull testes to you and me. He was expecting something quite large and was surprised to see that when cooked and plated they weren’t notably bigger than his own. Having had sweetbreads (sheep testes) in the past he was expecting something similar in taste, but he discovered that not all testicles taste the same; he felt let down by the “leathery, coppery, mouldy taste” (his words, not mine). Thankfully aside from bulls’ balls there is plenty more to Argentine food.

Argentina is largely a melting pot of Italian and Spanish populations. Before the European invasion in the 1500s it was Native Indian. So you mix these cultures together along with the lush and yielding landscape and the good weather and you have an exciting mix. There is a wide range of livestock reared and agricultural products are in abundance. They do consume a great deal of beef, but there is diversity also. As a nation the people have a reputation for their love of food. Many social gatherings pivot on a shared meal as the centrepiece and, not too unlike Ireland in the past, the Sunday family dinner is considered the most significant meal of the week. There is also a great deal of fresh food in Argentine cuisine and an emphasis on the homemade including fresh pasta. A homemade dish is considered an honour for the guest and is also seen as a way of showing affection.

Like all big cities Buenos Aires has a huge variety of restaurants and styles including international cuisine, but the little local ‘bodegones’ (traditional taverns) offer great local food. In these little places you will find breaded and fried meats, similar to the Italian Milanese style. Thin strips of meat is breaded and fried and used in warm sandwiches or eaten as snacks. Small pastries filled with savoury meat, cheese and many other fillings are also common snacks and all of this is accompanied by fresh salads of tomatoes, onions and lettuce. Pizza and pasta are very prominent and Italian style ice-cream can be found all over the city. Chorizo sausage, blood sausage and other cured meat, just like you would commonly find in Spain, is sliced razor thin and used in crust less bread sandwiches. And when it comes to sweet treats, Argentina’s treasured national food, dulce de leche, is one of my all time favourites. This smooth, creamy, toffee like paste is used to fill cakes, to pour over pancakes or ice-cream and even, dare I say it, spread over toast for breakfast! It is the type of food that makes diet club leaders break out in a cold sweat and keel over. It has to be tried to be appreciated but only try the finest quality you can get your hands on.

So when it comes to food in Argentina we would be very surprised at how familiar everything would be. The huge European influence has created an indigenous cuisine that is meat rich, often Mediterranean in style, home cooked and full of fresh vegetables. Actually it would be relatively easy to recreate an Argentine meat feast here. However you’ll have to skip the Mountain Oysters, we just don’t stock them at James Whelan Butchers.

Tags: Argentine cuisine, bbq, beef, grill, James Whelan, Latin America, meat, pasta, Pat Whelan, sweetbreads

James Whelan Butchers: Go Irish

Posted on Friday, March 15th, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles | No Comments »

It’s that time of year again when all over the world there will be people dying everything they can get their hands on green. Others will be decorating anything that moves with a shamrock, while various statues and national monuments abroad will be lit brightly in a Halloween-ish hue. We, in the real Ireland, shall look on with great amusement and for our own efforts the business community will wash their vans and trucks, chuck a bit of bunting at them and drive them through the obligatory, usually wet, St Patrick’s Day parades in towns and villages all over the country. Why is it that people abroad ‘do’ our national day so much better than ourselves; it is a true paradox. They take it so much more seriously. They seem to respect it and celebrate it with a degree of enthusiasm that we just can’t seem to muster. It is nothing short of a phenomenon – there is no other little country in the world that gets such global recognition for its patron saint.

Because of the annual interest in Ireland around March it’s always interesting to look at some of the websites and magazines suggesting ‘Irish’ food and recipes to cook in honour of the big day. In a way it feels as if we have progressed and moved on to the current cosmopolitan (if broke) position while the sentimental view is largely unaltered. I looked at one website that reported us as huge soda bread eaters! This was certainly true of the past, but today you’re more likely to find focaccia bread, garlic loaf or a French stick in an average Irish kitchen. When did you last make soda bread, some brown scones or a porter cake? The meat section was equally mystifying. It suggested ‘common’ recipes for Dublin Coddle, Chicken Stroganoff pheasant and, of course, Irish Stew. Apart from a beef stew, I can’t remember when I last had any of the others. To be fair they got the full Irish breakfast bang on the money, complete with black and white pudding. It’s no wonder people are still visiting Ireland for the first time and are relatively surprised at our outward looking food landscape.

So what if we were to go back to our roots and revisit some of those favourites? I definitely think a loaf of soda bread would have to make it onto the list. I have very fond memories of visiting farms as a child and young adult where there would always be a slice on the go. If you were lucky you could hit it just as a fresh one was unwrapped from the clean tea towel. Light fruit cake loafs were also popular and in some places you even got a slice with an extra (if unnecessary) spread of country butter, though by far my favourite was a hot apple tart preferably without the cloves.

I was never a huge fan of what is commonly known as traditional Irish stew. All that mutton and potato that always had a sort of light beige-y colour never excited me. I prefer a rich brown beef stew and while I love the taste of lamb, a roast leg at this time of year is always to be favoured. However learning how to create a good stew gives you endless recipes. Change the liquid and general taste of the dish by adding red wine, or a good quality stout or ale (never, ever lager!). Put it in a pastry crust or add some suet dumplings. As stewing beef is also economical it is a great family dish and any leftovers freeze very well. Cook it as slow as you can to really get the best out of it. If you really want to try a traditional Irish stew, try using lamb chops as opposed to mutton and sweet, new baby vegetables. I think it gives a nicer overall look and taste to the dish. While bacon and cabbage is also synonomous with our little island and always great if cooked properly, try a ham joint instead. I love to see a nice glazed ham being cooked as I know I will enjoy it with a little Irish cheese in a sandwich later. If you are having people over for celebrations don’t forget that we have plenty of traditional Irish vegetables and cheeses that shouldn’t be overlooked. Leeks, cabbage, turnips and potatoes have great versatility and flavours that give that traditional Irish feel to many dishes and can also be used to make lovely soups as starters. Finish it all off with a traditional bread and butter pudding, with a jug of custard and it’s an Irish feast fit for St Patrick himself.

When I look back over this list you can’t help but be transported back to childhood. It also strikes me that it is all accessible food. Nothing is overly expensive and the common factors are simple, fresh, local and Irish. We have great, filling hearty recipes and while we sometimes tend to dismiss traditional dishes as ‘plain food’, we really should take another look. In the past perhaps that bland reputation had more to do with our cooks rather than the food! Today we have acres of resources, books, programmes, websites and apps telling us the best way to cook everything and anything; no excuses. Good Irish food is great at any time of the year. Take another look.

Tags: green, Irish, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan, St. Patrick's Day

James Whelan Butchers: A Little Dish

Posted on Friday, February 22nd, 2013 by Pat Whelan in Foodie Articles, Good Food | No Comments »

If we’ve never met then I can say with some degree of certainty that no one would ever choose to use the word ‘dainty’ in a description of me. The food I like and enjoy also falls into the more robust category. For example I like meaty, rustic, slow cooked one pots that are drenched in flavour. I’m rather partial to the idea of being the overarching creator in the kitchen, where I constantly adjust to taste with a pinch of this or a smidge of that until the bubbling meaty gravy sings on my taste buds. I always follow some vague cooking principles from my head but I add my own twists here and there. As I sample and savour the juices it usually elicits an audible ‘Oh yes’ or ‘Lovely’ to myself, which heralds an even greater taste sensation when we finally get to the actual ‘meat on a plate’ moment. I also enjoy succulent joints of meat and luscious pies accompanied by in season vegetables. While I’m fond of the new and always keen to try it, I’m not ashamed to say that I love the traditional and in particular old dishes that have undergone a modern make over. My point in sharing these insights is really to emphasise that my subject this week is not an obvious fit for me. Cooking and serving food in small portions in little pots is something I didn’t think I’d ever particularly enjoy and yet here I am extolling the virtues of ……….wait for it……..the ramekin!

I had an epiphany of sorts. It began with a naughty little minx of a highly calorific dessert actually. Oh yes, the kind of dessert that adds inches to your waistline while you are just looking at it. It’s one that has enormous pulling power and you can smell the whiff of temptation even when it’s just a flat group of letters on a menu. I talk of none other than that brazen siren known as Crème Brulee. Of course my recent encounter was with an extra special version that involved some delectable, plump raspberries. ‘Summer Berry Crème Brulee’ was the title on the menu. I laughed as I noticed it came just before the words ‘Fruit Cocktail’. You really have to feel for the fruit cocktail in this instance. It’s like being photographed beside some current, buff bodied god that women swoon over. Needless to remark the fruit cocktail didn’t get a look in; all eyes were on the Summer Berry Crème Brulee.

And so it arrived looking deceptively innocent and small in its own personal ramekin. As I cracked the torched, sugar glazed topping like an Arctic polar bear doing a little fishing, my spoon pierced right through to the end of the dish and the fresh raspberries squirted their tart, acidic juices all over the custard. Oh this would be a slow one indeed, no need to rush it, I was going to appreciate every lick of tasty nuance – this could take some time! Now I really don’t want to suggest that it was the gastronomic equivalent of a sexual experience as, after all, it’s only food, but I would have to admit that offered a secret assignation right this second or a repeat performance of the Summer Berry Crème Brulee, I have a funny feeling the raspberry and custard would come out on top.

While the contents were obviously the star, that dainty little dish added to the overall charm. For a start I liked the way it controlled the portion; there was no chance anyone else at the table was getting any more than me. I could also see the merits of cooking and serving in the same dish; less washing up. That triggered the idea that the kids would probably get a kick out of these miniature adult servings that would be just right for them as a main were we to substitute a savoury dish in place of a creamy dessert.

I was more enthused than I had expected when I finally got around to digging out the ramekins from the back of the cupboard where they have resided unloved for quite some time. I can now tell you honestly that the ramekin is quite versatile. Mine are just the standard size, but if you do come across a more generous or extra large version I suggest you snap them up. On the other hand for breakfast, brunch, starters, desserts or small children, the ordinary ones are perfect. I started with some individual toad in the hole. These were a triumph. The sausage was almost cooked before I popped it into the little basin of batter, where it lay lazily against the side. As it cooked, the batter rose up around the sides and the result was a crispy, golden risen Yorkshire pudding with a delightful fat sausage jutting out the top at an angle, rather like the flake in a ’99. Macaroni and Cheese also works really well cooked like this. It was a bit messy and fiddly to start with but I also like the fact that you can cook the individual portions separately. If you do have people coming and going at different times it doesn’t mean re-heating things which can sometimes take the enjoyment level down a notch. Having an extra ramekin hanging around the fridge also meant I had a ready made, portion controlled evening supper. Some leftover chicken from one night made some great miniature chicken pot pies with filo pastry. I made up the filling, placed it in the ramekins, topped it with a little filo pastry and popped the whole lot on a tray into the freezer ready to go as a starter when I need them. I might even use them as part of a weekend lunch. Of course putting my ramekins into the freezer meant I had to buy some more, but at an average of about €1.50 to €2 each for standard ramekins, they are affordable.

Finally ramekins really come into their own when it comes to eggs. If you want to impress at breakfast then the ramekin will fool people into thinking you’ve made a huge effort every time. You can do something really simple like breaking the egg into the dish with a little butter, pepper and salt and baking them in the oven. Or you can find one of the gazillion more involved baked egg recipes on line. They have everything in them from bacon and cream to spinach and asparagus and most are idiot proof to cook. (A word of caution though be extra careful around the breakfast soufflés, they can be tricky to perfect.)

My message to you this week is to embrace the ramekin. With a little thought you too could be creating your diminutive, culinary masterpieces with surprisingly satisfying results. Maybe you already are! Let me know how you get on.

Tags: Creme Brulee, foodie articles, James Whelan Butchers, Pat Whelan

James Whelan Butchers: It’s a Butcher’s Life for me 2