Mid October Menus for €100 per week

 Autumn is well upon us. The mornings are dark and the evenings are getting a lot shorter; time to starting thinking about bedding down for the coming  winter; keeping warm and having lots of  soothing food.

As always,  the seven day menus are on a budget of €100 per week,  for a family of four with shopping from Aldi, Lidl and our local butcher.  Cooking all meals  from scratch takes more time, but is very fruitful, good for your family's health and saves disposable income for other things. Taking packed lunches and your
own quality coffee to work saves a small fortune in itsself!
We cook between 7pm - 8pm for the following day.
We also always have a sweet treat to have on hand in the fridge.

Enjoy!

Treat for the Week

Florentine Cream Pudding
This pudding is so easy to make, and you will be proud.
Enjoy it each evening, and pretend you are sitting in a gorgeous Italian Piazza with a strong coffee!
Dreams go a long way.

75g peeled almonds
75g hazelnuts
4 tablespoons amaretto (from Aldi)
4 tablespoons brandy (from Aldi)
250g Maderia Cake (from Lidl - all  made!)
150g 70% chocoalte
450ml whipping cream
90g icing sugar - sifted.

-Put almonds and hazelnuts in oven for 5 mins at 200C.
-Take out, using a tea towel rub off the hazelnut skins.
-Chop both almonds and hazelnuts.
-Mix the brandy and amaretto together.
-line a Pudding basin (1.5 litre dome shaped) with cling film
-Then line the basin with slices of the Maderia cake .
-Moisten the cake slices with the liqueur mixture.
-Melt 60g of chocolate in a small bowl, laid over a pan of simmering water.
- cut the other 90g of chocolate into small pieces.
- Whip the cream with icing sugar until stiff. fold in the almonds, hazelnuts and chocolate pieces.
- divide cream mixture in half and spoon one portion into the mould..
- spread cream evenly  over maderia cake
Place in the fridge for 12 hours.
When ready to eat, take out of fridge and turn out on to a plate.
Great for a party  or celebration!


Saturday
Lunch - baguette, ham, cheese and chutneys

Dinner: Homemade Pizza's  - mozzarella, ricotta, salami, field mushrooms.

To do
Make pizza dough before 3pm
Dry rub Duck confit with herbs, salt and garlic (€7.99 from Aldi - fresh)
Soak ham in water overnight (Aldi - small ham  is around €4.30)

Sunday
To do
slow cook duck confit for 4 hours at 140C
slow cook red cabbage for 2 hours at 150C
Place ham in a can of cider and simmer for 2 hours

Monday
Packed lunch -home cured ham sandwiches with dijon  mustard, fruit and raisins
Soup - curried courgette
Dinner Confit of duck with roast potatoes and red cabbage

To do

make  fresh tomato sauce for tuesday


Tuesday
Packed lunch - home cured ham sandwiches with dijon mustard, mature cheddar and oatbiscuits, fruit
Soup - Curried courgette
Dinnner :Fresh tomato sauce with linguine pasta

To do
Roast chicken and make stock
make  carrot and orange soup

Wednesday
Packed lunch - roast chicken sandwiches with crab apple jelly, hazelnuts and raisins
Soup Carrot and orange

Dinner Chicken in a white wine sauce with brown rice, peas and carrots

Thursday
Packed lunch - roast chicken sandwiches with crab apple jelly, oatbiscuits, cheese and fruit

Soup Carrot and orange

Dinner :Leek Flamiche with salad ( a tradtionial dish of Picardy, Northern France - v tasty!)

Friday 
Packed lunch -Tahini sandwiches with fruit, oatbiscuits and cheese
Soup - chard and potato
Dinner: Beef and red onion pie with mashed potatoes and veg

Collecting crab apples and rose hips in "Tullahaought"

The shimmering autumnal sunshine glows across Tullahought in the mellowing light at this time of
year. Tullahought is a small and very pretty village in South Kilkenny, with wonderful  sweeping views below, of  the stunning Kilkenny countryside. If you happen to find yourself in this part of the world, a foraging walk is highly recommended. Join the "National looped Walk", which takes you up along side the hurling ground.
Along this hedgerow is a very large crab apple tree, where you will find plenty of "windlings" on the lane.  The hedge is also laden with rosehips which are ripe for picking. Half away along the lane, you will see a sign to head right into a native irish woodland planation, walk along here and keep an eye out for wild kilkenny boar! The woodland walk is lovely and children of all ages will really enjoy it.
Remember to bring plenty of bags to collect your edibles.


Crab Apple Jelly
4kgs Crab apples
1kg caster sugar
1 lemon juiced

Wash the apples, take out the stems and remove any bruised fruit.
Bring the fruit to the boil and simmer until soft (cooked)
Pour the apple pulp into a jelly bag or several layers of muslim and let drip overnight into a pan.
The next day, measure the juice, and add sugar in the ratio of 10 parts juice to 7 of sugar. Add some lemon juice, then bring to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar.
Keep at a rolling boil for  about 40 minutes, skimming off the froth.
When the jelly is set, it will solidify on the back of the spoon.
Pour into warm, sterilised preserving jars and tightly seal while still slightly warm.
Store in a cool dark place.

Crab apples were the first fruit to be eaten by man.

Rose hip Syrup

700g large ripe rose hips
2 litres of cold water
350g granulated sugar

Mince the rose hips or process coarsely. Place in a pan with 1.2 litres of water.
Bring to the boil, then remove from the heat. Cover the pan and leave to infuse for 15 minutes.
Strain through a jelly bag or several layers of muslim.
Return the pulp to the pan, adding the remaining water.
Bring to the boil and then put aside for another 15 minutes.
Strain juice through a jellybag or muslim as before.
Put into a clean pan, bring to the boil, and the boil until reduced to about 600 - 750ml.
Add the sugar, stir until dissolved, then boil for a further 5 minutes.
Place in sterlized bottles.

Rose hip syrup goes very well with meringues, fruit salads and ice cream.

A trip to Ballymore Eustace

Hidden down in North Kildare, a lovely drive along the N81,  lies the chocolate box village of Ballymore Eustace. Behind an unassuming entrance is the beautiful room of the Ballymore Inn. This is a real central hub of North Kildare. The restauarant has a lovely feel and is extremely fortunate to have a great front and back of house team. Open for lunch and dinner seven days, this a spot that you must visit. Soup of the day is made using the best ingredients and is always served with fresh bread and a wonderful pesto cumin dipping oil. Starters are a choice of generous fresh salads and pates with mouthwatering homemade relishes. Main courses are traditional fare with a modern twist.Lamb and Steak is a must have, all served with a choice of the Ballymore fries or some seriously good champ. Catch of the day, is simply cooked, often with a butter sauce. Recently they added a shop area inside the dining room, selling their wonderful pesto, homemade Ballymore Jams, packaged in delightful jar along with a very well chosen selection of wines.
When lunch is over, take a drive from Ballymore, heading towards to Brannockstown, and onto Kilcullen, taking in  the stunning countryside. Autumn  really shows off its natural beauty.

Eat like a Autumnal King for €100 per week

Autumn is here and its gorgeous, and the extra warmth with our Indian summer, makes it even more heavenly. The leaves on beech trees are on the constant move towards gold, some horsechestnuts are almost there. The Autumnal landscape is starting to look stunning here inIreland.
All these wonderful seasonal changes call for warming soothing food and hot cups of tea,along with
weekends foraging for mushrooms, and hedgerow goodies.

Below are suggestions with a 7 day menu for busy families, using as much seasonal produce as possible.
Think about planting a fruit tree this autumn, if you can,  to provide an edible landscape for future generations to come.

As always the weekly budget is €100 for a family of four, shopping in Aldi, Lidl and a local butcher,
cooking with seasonal produce, which helps to keep the bill down.


Treat for the week!
Nothing beats great homemade icecream. This time of year calls for hazelnut,  " Nocciola" in Italy, which you can buy in almost every Gelateria.
It is a firm family favourite.

Hazelnut Icecream
Hazelnut paste:
Toast 200g of hazelnuts for 3-4 minutes in a hot oven (200C).
Remove shells and allow to cool. Blend with a handblender and 3 egg whites.

Milk base
350ml Milk
350 ml single cream
150g caster sugar

Place the milk and cream in a pan, heat over a low flame and when the milk starts to steam,
add the sugar mixture in a steady stream, stirring all the time. Remove from heat and
allow to cool to room temperature.
Blend the hazelnut paste into the white base and put in a container,put in the freezer and stir after two hours and again after a further two hours.


Saturday

Lunch
Potato and herb soup with french baguette

Dinner - homemade pizza - Children love the whole process of making dough to putting their own toppings on. This is a great way to get them interested in learning about cooking.
Mozarella and salami pizzas, aubergine, tomato and ricotta

To do 3pm - make pizza dough with Italian 00 flour
To do - make hazelnut icecream

Sunday 
Lunch  Picnic in the wood - (see picnic in the wood post)
Dinner - Soup, baguette, ham,cheese and pickle

To do - make pork dish for monday
            make carrot and orange soup for lunch

Monday 
 Packed lunch - chopped carrots and humous, ham sandwiches, raisins, apples
Working from home -  Carrot and orange soup with french baguette
Dinner - Pork cooked in apples and cider -Normandy style. Yoghurt with fruit

To do - make cashew pesto for tuesday dinner

Tuesday
Packed lunch - tahini in breadrolls, plum and raisins, oatbiscuits
working from home - carrot and orange soup with toast and tahini
Dinner - Courgettes with Cashew pesto and spahgetti. Yoghurt with fruit

To do - make potato and thyme soup

Wednesday
Lunch - potato and thyme soup
Dinner -  Roast chicken stuffed with lemon, bay, sage, oregano and garlic, with roasted beetroot,carrots and potatoes. Yoghurt with fruit

To do 
Make pastry for quiche on Thursday
cook off courgettes and keep in fridge
soak beans over night for casserole on Friday


Thursday
Packed lunch - Roast chicken sandiwiches, banana, cheese and oatbiscuits
working from home - potato and thyme soup

Dinner  - Courgette and mint quiche with salad. Yoghurt with fruit

To do -
 make sausage and bean casserole
make chard and potato soup
make red cabbage - slow cook for 2 hours at 140degrees.

Friday
Packed lunch - Roast chicken sandwiches, raisins, apple, oatbiscuits
Working from home - chard and potato soup
Dinner - Sausage and bean casserole with mashed potatoes, green beans and red cabbage. Yoghurt with fruit.

Enjoy!

Norman Cooking

Normandy, a stunning region of northwest France, not to dissimilar at all to Ireland, with its rolling green countryside, filled with apple orchards, lush fields where grazing cattle, horses and sheep pass their day; is the breadbasket of France. The region is very well  known for its artisanal cider production, calvados, butter and its world famous creamy cheeses, such as Cambenbert, Pont L'Eveque and Livarot.
It is a truly wonderful place to visit for a holiday and the Autumn is stunning with its leaf change and many
harvest festivals that take place around the region. Just like Ireland, there is a large population of horses, "point to pointing" races take place all over the region at this time of the year, and give a really good taste
of local life.

The seasonal recipe below  will send enticing aromas through your home and keep all the family and guests very happy and coming back for seconds!


Pork with apples, cider, and shallots

 4 pork chops
8 shallots (peeled, chopped and diced)
3 bramley apples (cored, and diced)
350ml dry cider
350 ml chicken stock
100ml cream



Sear pork chops off in very hot pan, cook on each side until well browned.
Put aside on a plate.
Gently cook the shallots in the pan, after a few minutes add the diced apples, cook for a futher few
minute.
Place the pork chops in the casserole pot with the shallots and apples.
Pour in the cider and bring to the boil, and burn off the alcochol.
After 5 - 8 minutes, add the chicken stock, bring to the boil and then simmer for  10 minutes.
Finish with cream and serve.
If you can make the casserole a  day ahead and keep in the fridge overnight and just heat through  when eating.

Porridge and Plum Compote

Now that the cooler weather has quickly come upon us all. Breakfast certainly calls for
warming porridge with compotes. Porridge is one of the healthiest ways to start your day as it
has a very low Glycaemic Index, which means it is slowly absorbed into the bloodstream, allowing for
the long gradual release of energy and keeping you full for much longer. It is also believed to boost serotoin
and keep away the blues in the dark winter months.

We try to add a seasonal fruit compote to our porridge in the mornings. Below is our latest favourite
with Victoria Plums now in season.

Porridge Oats with Plum Compote

Soak porridge oats overnight in water ( put on before going to bed)
In the morning cook relatively slowly on a medium heat, stirring well.
When cooked, keep the lid on before serving.


Plum Compote
6 ripe plums
1/2 lemon (juice squeezed)
2 tablespoons of demerara sugar

Half plums and pick out stones.
Place in a pan and add the juice of  half a lemon.
Add sugar and let bubble for 4-5 minutes.

Spoon over porridge and keep the leftover in a container in the fridge.

Hedgerow Jams and Chutneys

One of the most enjoyable pastimes on a September Sunday afternoon is making jams and chutneys  with your booty from a successful foraging expedition. Of  late there is a delectable crispness in the mornings
and late afternoon, its time to put on those extra layers.
 Early September is the time to walk the country lanes enjoying the slight cooling of the sun and spectacular blue skies, whilst disecting hedgerows for blackberries, elderberries and rosehip, as well as inhaling  the aromas of  "hedge scent"!
We have been watching the Eldberries closely for the last few days and I reckon this weekend will be the time to start picking.

Combine all these fruits when you get home and make a fantastic hedgerow jam.

Hedgerow Jam

2 kg in total of  blackberries, elderberries and rosehips.

Place in a pan and cover with cold  water.
Bring to the boil and simmer for 30 minutes.
Strain off the liquid and add equal weight of sugar.
Boil  until it reaches setting point.

You will get roughly 6 jars of exquisite jam loaded with vitamin c, which will have cost you no more than
the price of the sugar!


Spiced Blackberry Chutney

1.35kg blackberries
450g cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
450g onions, peeled and finely chopped
1 tablespoon cooking salt
15g dry mustard powder
25g ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground mace
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
600mil white wine vinegar
450g soft brown sugar

wash blackberries
Put all the ingredients except for the sugar in a large pan.
Bring to the boil and cook gently for 1 hour until soft.
Push chutney through a nylon sieve and return to the pan.
Stir in the sugar, then heat gently  until it has completely dissolved.
Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer for 30 minutes, until thick.
Pour into warm, sterlized jars and cover.
Leave to marinate for two to three months.

Elderberry Chutney
900g elderberries
450g cooking apples, peeled, cored, and finely chopped
450g onions, peeled and chopped
450g seedless raisins
1 teaspoon ground cinnanmon
1 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
225g granualted sugar
300ml distilled malt vinegar

Carefull strip the eldeberries from their stalks, and wash well.
Cook slowly for 10 - 15 minutes until soft.
Push the berries through a sieve into a bowl.
Pour the elderberry pulp into a large pan with all the other ingredients. Bring to the boil very slowly, stirring
frequently to dissolve the sugar. Simmer uncovered for 11/2 - 2 hours, until thick, stirring frequently to prevent sticking.
Pour into warm sterized jars and seal. Store for at least one month before using.