MUCHO ONIONS

Sunday morning we were walking through our local farmers' market. It was a usual stroll through until I spotted the biggest red onion I'd ever seen. I'm not sure the photo does it justice. Maybe it's just me but I've never seen anything like this in my local supermarket.
As soon as I made my way over there I realised that the whole stall was just onions and lots of them in all shaped and sizes. Depending on which onion you are selecting, you can find onions all year round. You should pick your onions that appear to be heavy for their size. The skin should be dry and papery. There should be no soft spots or black spots, indicating mildew from moisture. Not good!.
This recipe came about from talking to Denis who works at the market. He said some of his customers suggested this technique which is similar to roasting garlic.
The variety I used were Bermuda onions. They're small and firm but when you roast them, man they're good. The flavor is not only sweet from adding the balsamic but the natural sugars will come out during cooking. You'll also get a little tartness when you bite in. The combination is brilliant.
Recipe:
Bermuda onions
good drizzle olive oil
drizzle balsamic vinegar

crushed black pepper

That's it. Lay them in the foil unpeeled with the ends trimmed. Pour the olive oil and balsamic over and wrap them so they steam which will sweeten them while cooking. Pop in the oven @ 375 degrees for 45mins. or until they're soft. As soon as they cool a little, the skin will fall right off and eat as is. They were unbelievably sweet and juicy. Fantastic.

Brown Rice & Mango Salad with Citrus Soy Dressing

When I was coming up with the menu for my party last week, my client asked for some sort of rice salad to be added. They weren't sure what they wanted so I looked at my menu and figured I'd keep it pretty clean and healthy. I also wanted to keep the vegetarians happy as well as offer some soakage for the drink. Trust an Irishman to think of that!

Recipe:
4 servings
3 cups cooked brown rice (about 1 1/4 cup dry)
1 mango, peeled and chopped
4 scallions (green onions)

Dressing:
2 tbsp. tamari (soy sauce)
1 tbsp fresh lime juice
1 tsp. fresh ginger - minced
2 tbsp. fresh lime zest
1 tbsp. honey (agave)
2 tbsp. olive oil
Blend all the dressing ingredients together in a blender except olive oil. With machine on add olive oil slowly to emulsify the dressing. Season with S&P to taste.
To assemble the dish, mix rice, chopped mango and scallions together. Add enough dressing to bind and flavor the rice. Taste and season with S&P. Serve at room temp.
Try serving this at your next barbecue. It's a great healthy dish to serve in place of the heavy mayonnaise based salads like potato salad or coleslaw. Another great advantage of not having mayo is that it'll last longer outside with the warm weather.
If, however you're in Ireland right now, you're having one of the wettest summer's ever so this doesn't affect you, tough!

Grilled Skirt Steak with Guajillo Chili sauce

Whether I go to or have a barbecue, two things are a must, steak and beer. I used to eat a lot more red meat than I do now but sometimes it's hard to beat a good steak. The beer on the other hand, well I could go the obvious route and say "I am Irish after all" but the fact is, I just like beer. That's a whole different story so we'll tackle that another time.

You may have noticed that this was on the menu or in the group pictures from my last post, Hollywood Dinner Party. The steak was the main focus but the sauce worked brilliantly with it.

I did a very simple rub for the steak:
1-ounce dry mustard
1-ounce chili powder
1/2-ounce cayenne
2-ounces brown sugar
1-ounce orange zest
1-ounce paprika
1-ounce garlic powder
1-ounce onion powder
1/2-ounce salt
1/2-ounce black pepper

Mix all the above ingredients together in a bowl. Coat the grass-fed steak on all sides with the rub for a couple of hours and refrigerate until needed. Since skirt steak is a thin cut of meat, be sure to let it stand at room temperature before grilling so the meat will cook evenly.

The Guajillo sauce recipe is pretty straight forward and is bursting with flavor. They are usually found dried and packaged. Depending on where you are in the world try and find a variety of dried whole chili peppers and use in the same way.

Recipe:
REMOVE SEEDS from each chili or you won't be able to taste anything.
In medium hot dry saute pan toast the chilies 'til the aroma is released and chilies are dark. Once done, hydrate in enough cold water to cover them for 30 mins. Once softened, drain and puree with some of the water used to hydrate along with 2 garlic cloves, oregano, & marjoram. You want to puree them to a pulp (a thick puree) so only add enough water to do so. Pour the puree into a saucepan, bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Mixture should be 1 part chili puree to 3 parts beef broth (for example if you get 1 cup of chili puree, add 3 cups of broth). Simmer until sauce is reduced by 1/3. Taste and season if necessary.

Note: I used the whole bag for my dinner party of 20 people. Not to worry if you have left over sauce as you can toss it in a stew.

Skirt steak is perfect for barbecuing. Sear it quickly for 3-4 mins. on a hot grill. Let it rest for another 3-4 mins. When slicing skirt steak always carve diagonally across the grain as it's quite a tough cut of meat.

Wait 'til you try this, delicious.

HOLLYWOOD DINNER PARTY

As you may have noticed, I've been off the scene for the past couple of weeks. My main job being a private chef, I also cater parties whenever they come up (feel free to contact me for more information on how I can cater your next party). With the nature of catering it's usually feast or famine and right now I'm stuffed! It's great but everything else suffers in terms of blogs and recipes. Anyway here's some pics of the last gig I did.

MENU:
HORS D’OEUVRES
Caesar salad spring rolls with crispy shallots
Crispy Lavash Pizza with Arugula Basil Pesto, Heirloom tomatoes and Parmesan
Caramelized Pear and Brie Quesadilla with Crème Fraiche and Tomatillo salsa

BUFFET
Mini pitas with Moroccan Lamb Meatballs, Red Cabbage Coleslaw, Mint Raita
Grilled Skirt Steak with Guajillo chili sauce
Roast Citrus Cedar Plank Salmon
Butternut Squash Risotto Cakes
Baby Arugula and Radicchio with Shaved Fennel, Vine Ripened Tomatoes, Roquefort and Lemon Balsamic Vinaigrette
Brown Rice And Mango Salad tossed with Citrus Soy Dressing

DESSERT
Dark Chocolate Fountain with Selection Fruit, Marshmellows and Macaroons

HOLLYWOOD DINNER PARTY

Asian Steamed Sea Bass with Vegetable Spaghetti

This a simple little dish that I make which I have to say is pretty easy and very tasty.
Steaming liquid:
6 fluid ozs. mirin
6 fluid ozs. sake
2 tb. fresh ginger - minced
Mix together in sauce pan with lid on medium heat 'til needed.

4 x 4oz black sea bass portions

Vegetable Spaghetti
2 medium zuchini (courgette)
2 medium yellow squash
2 medium carrot
1/2 cup chicken / veg. broth
drizzle olive oil
S&P to taste

To prepare, slice all veg. lengthwise, 1/8 inch thick. Once sliced cut into thin strips like, you guessed it, spaghetti. I use a mandoline which is fairly readily available in kitchen supply stores or in Asian markets. It'll make your life a lot easier so definitely look into one.
Once all veg. are cut keep carrots separate as they'll take longer to cook than the others.
In a medium hot saute pan add drizzle of olive oil. Saute carrots for 1 minute. Meanwhile season your fish with salt and white pepper and add to steaming liquid and cover. Steam the fish for 10-12 mins. approx or 'til firm. Add broth to your carrots and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer. Add zucchini, squash and cover. Season to taste. You want the spaghetti to still hold it's shape so be careful not to cook the shit out of it.
If you're new to cooking fish or aren't familiar with it, sea bass is a great fish to use. It's a mild white fish that doesn't over-cook easily. This is a great starter dish for those of you looking to branch out.

iFoods.tv Feature

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Grilled Chicken under a Brick (or two)

This is one of the easiest and most delicious ways to cook chicken on the barbeque. Clearly the marinade is important but the cooking method is key here too. When you put the bricks on the chicken you're basically searing the bird to not only give you really crispy skin but help lock in the flavor as well.

RECIPE:
1 x 1-1.5 lb.natural grass-fed chicken
3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5–6 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tablespoons mixed fresh herbs (such as rosemary, thyme, oregano, and marjoram)
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste
3 lemons - zested
Marinate the chicken in the fridge with the herbs, olive oil and pepper for at least 3-4 hours. Season with salt just before cooking. You could do it over night if you wanted to. Before cooking, let the chicken stand at room temp. for up to an hour. If you try to cook meat that's straight out of the fridge, by the time the heat penetrates the center the outside will burn and over cook. When I cook chicken like this I use an indirect heat cooking method. I place the hot coals to one side of my grill and place the chicken skin side down on the rack away from the heat. A whole chicken should be cooked over a medium-high heat.

Immediately place two heavy bricks wrapped in foil over the chicken. Close the lid of the grill and cook for about 15-20 mins. depending on how hot your coals are. Check to see that the skin is crispy and golden.


Remove the bricks and turn the chicken over placing the crispy skin side up directly over the heat. Cook on the other side for another 10 to 15 mins. or 'til the juices run clear when pierced with a knife. Set aside to rest for 5 mins. If, like any other meat, you carve straight away the juices will run out and leave the meat dry.

I served this with a bunch of grilled veggies (asparagus, zucchini, squash, eggplant). Crack open a beer and you're off!

Roast Halibut w/ Cherry Tomato & Olive Dressing

One of the great things about doing what I do (working as a personal chef) is getting kudos when you hit the nail on the head! Let's be honest not everything turns out the way we think it's going to but when it does, it's the business. I made this for my (work) family and they loved it.

RECIPE:

1 lb. Wild Pacific Halibut (or Striped Bass, Pacific Cod) 4 x 4oz. portions

1 pint cherry tomatoes - washed

1/3 cup Kalamata olives - pitted & halved

3ozs. (1/2 small jar) marinated artichokes

2 cloves garlic - minced

1/3 cup white wine

1/2 cup chicken / veg. broth

1/2 lemon - zested

Olive oil

S&P to taste

Preheat saute pan. Your pan should be quite hot but not smoking. When hot, season and sear fish 'til golden brown. The key here is to get a quick sear on the fish but not to cook it all the way. Remove the fish to a foiled roasting tray. Wipe out the pan with a paper towel and put back on the heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil. Once hot add your whole cherry tomatoes and saute until they begin to blister, 3-4 mins. Add the garlic and saute for 30 secs. De-glaze (flashy term for add the liquid) with wine & broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce and simmer for 4-5 mins. Meanwhile in pre-heated 400 degree oven cook your fish. It will take approx. 5-6 mins. max depending on how thick it is, so keep an eye on it. To finish your sauce, add the olives, artichokes and lemon zest and cook for another 5 mins.

Once the fish is cooked let it sit out of the oven for a couple of mins. and any juice that comes out add to your sauce. This is the difference between a good sauce and a great tasting one.

I served this with some wilted spinach and polenta.

GRILLED SUMMER FRUIT w/ ICE CREAM & MINT

One of my favorite things about Summer, apart from the beach & beers, is being able to cook & eat outside. I love being able to go the market and grabbing something for the barbeque. As you may have noticed from my previous blogs, desserts are not really my thing. I do however, have a wife who is fond of all things sweet (not going to make the obvious pun!) When I was in the market last weekend I saw a great selection of in-season fruit like pineapples, peaches and plums.Since I was going to be grilling anyway I thought I'd pick some up and make a 'healthy' dessert for herself. You can grill the fruit ahead of time but don't do it too far in advance as it's nice to serve them warm off the grill especially, as I did, with ice cold vanilla ice cream. Depending on how hot your grill is, cooking times will vary but as soon as the fruit begins to caramelise and soften, you're good to go.

When I was looking for some ice cream for this recipe I saw a sugar free variety. As I'm always looking for 'healthier' alternatives while shopping, I thought it would be a great substitute for regular ice cream. I was surprised to find that this is not the case. I already had some ice cream in my freezer so I compared them (guys if  you only take one bit of advice from me let it be this: ALWAYS HAVE ICE CREAM IN YOUR FREEZER, it'll save your life and you know why!). Here are the nutrition labels from the two products I compared:

Clemmy's All Natural Sugar Free Ice Cream in Vanilla Bean (on the left)

Breyers All Natural Pure Premium Ice Cream in French Vanilla (on the right)

Though the sugar free choice has no sugar, it has nearly double the amount of fats and cholesterol (Mums, think of your kids here since the news is broadcasting high cholesterol found in kids is on a serious all-time high). Sure you're getting sugar in the Breyers choice (right) but take a better look at the ingredients now. Clemmy's (below) contains maltitol syrup, xylitol, maltodextrin - ingredients you can't even pronounce not to mention know what they are. Breyers contains milk, cream, sugar, egg yolks, natural flavor & natural tara gum. At least I know what's in this! To say it best I will quote from the book, Eat This Not That, "When it comes to ice cream, we're willing to sacrifice a few calories for the sake of purity." But in this case even the calories are less so what are really sacrificing? And if you're wondering how the tastes stack up? Direct from herself the elf, a self-proclaimed ice cream expert who was happy I did any research, said Breyers wins hands down with it's true taste of what else--vanilla. Her advice: don't forget to sprinkle on some mint as it's delicious and refreshing with both the ice cream and grilled fruit. 

This is good news all 'round for everyone on the healthy path this summer.
My point with all this, read the labels, know what you're eating and most of all enjoy what you eat and ....make sure you try this recipe!