Vegetable Crumble - Irish Foodies Vegetarian Cookalong

Apologies for the worse than normal picture quality in

this post but crumbles are quite tricky to photograph.

The last Irish foodies cookalong theme was vegetarian.  While I love vegetables and would eat them until they come out of my ears this made me very aware that I never conciously cook an entirely vegetarian meal.  I set my little brain to thinking and settled on a vegetable crumble.  If I remember correctly the night in question was a little chilly and so I fancied something comforting.  My first attempt while nice didn't really float my boat.  It seemed quite flour heavy and lacked the lovely crunch of the traditional sweet crumbles so I decided to give it another bash this week and was very impressed with the end result. 

I found the original recipe online, I can't even remember which site now, but I knew when flour and butter and some seasoning were the only ingredients that it maybe wouldn't be up to much.  As usual I should have trusted my instincts.  So I set my brain to thinking and decided that if I reduced the flour content and added a savoury 'granola' type thingy ma bob that I could be onto a winner.  This is what I came up with.

For the 'granola'
(I just measured everything very roughly but the below worked well for me)

3 handfuls of Porridge Oats
2 Handful of chopped Mixed Nuts
1tbsp Olive Oil
Salt, Pepper and a little Brown Sugar to season

1.  Place the porridge oats and mixed nuts into a bowl and give them a little mix.
2.  Add the oil and mix again.  If you feel the mix is too dry add a little more oil.  You really just want to lightly coat the mix in the oil.
3.  Season with the salt, pepper and sugar and place on a baking sheet and spread them out evenly.

Vegetable Crumble
Serves 4-6 as a side dish

1 Sweet Potato, peeled and diced
1 small Butternut Squash, peeled, deseeded and diced
1 large Onion, peeled and diced
2 cloves of Garlic, thinly sliced
2-3tbsp of Olive Oil
1tsp ground Cumin
1tsp ground Coriander
1tsp ground Tumeric
1tsp Brown Sugar
A pinch of Sea Salt
A pinch of freshly ground Black Pepper
229ml/7.5floz Single Cream
100g/3.5oz Plain Flour
75g/2.5oz Butter, diced
Savoury 'Granola' (see above)
2 handfuls of Grated Cheese (optional)

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4
2.  Place the diced vegetables and garlic in an oven proof dish.
3.  In a bowl mix the olive oil, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground tumeric and brown sugar.  Pour over the vegetables and mix to ensure they are evenly coated.
4.  Place into the preheated oven and roast for 45 mins, mixing occasionally to stop the tops caramelising too much.

5.  Place the butter and flour into a seperate bowl and rub together to form a coarse, bread crumb like consistency.

6.  Add the granola and mix well with your hands to distribute evenly.
7.  Remove the vegetables from the oven and add in the cream.  Give it a little stir to coat them all.

8.  Pour over the crumble mixture and spread evenly over the vegetables.  Scatter with the grated cheese if you are using.  Return to the oven for 30 - 40 minutes until the top is golden brown and the cream is bubbling around the edges.

9.  Serve and enjoy.

Barcelona

Two weeks ago Mr Boo and myself headed to Barcelona for a week of relaxation.  We had been there 6 years ago and little did I know Mr Boo had a little surprise for me back then.  One evening as I was about to get stuck into a chocolate mousse in Les Quinze Nit a little box was proffered across the table towards me and the sparkly treasure within has been in proud residence on my finger ever since.  It even has a little buddy now!  This was our first trip back to Barcelona since then and I had forgotten quite what a wonderful city it is.

The very table in Les Quince Nit on Placa Reail where we got engaged in September 2004

We stayed in Chic and Basic hotel on Carrer Princessa in the El Born district.  The hotel is very centrally located.  A five minute walk from Las Ramblas but far enough away to avoid the hustle and bustle of the tourist traps.  It is surrounded by residential apartment buildings so you get a better feeling of being immersed into the local culture.  The balcony from our room overlooked a courtyard and faced onto the balconies of private residences.  As we pottered about our room in the evenings getting ready to go out for dinner the sounds of locals settling in for the evening or getting ready to go out to party wafted through the open doors. 

The hotels name describes it perfectly, it is indeed chic with beaded lights that change colour adorning rooms and hallways and minimalist decor throughout.  This modern decor is offset against the many original features preserved throughout the hotel.  Our room had a beautiful decorative door, intricate coving, fabulous high ceilings and an arched door way leading to the balcony.  A perfect marriage of old and new has been achieved by the designer and I think it would suit many tastes. 

The main feature of each room is a large curved glass shower that dominates the middle of the room at the foot of the bed.  This is draped with beaded lighting to conceal your modesty and beyond that is a separate bathroom.  Each room has a remote control to set the lighting to a colour suitable to your mood at any given time & an electric blackout blind from ceiling to floor did it's job each night.  At the end of the corridor that our room was on is a common area complete with fridge stocked with complimentary bottled water, a Nespresso machine, tea making facilities and a PC with free Internet access and free wi fi.  It was a light and airy space, ideal if you fancied a coffee while catching up on emails and the complimentary water was most welcome after a few tasty beverages of an evening.  The staff in the hotel were all very friendly and helpful and it was spotless at all times.  I would most definitely stay there again if I return to Barcelona.

Chic and Basic Hotel, El Borne District, Barcelona

Once we had checked into the hotel, and smothered ourselves with SPF 50, we set out into the heat and sun.  Yes my fellow Irish nationals, the sun actually shines in other countries in September, and would you believe me if I told you temperatures reach over 30C.  Honest to God.  Mr Boo was starving, naturally, so we popped into a little bakery not far from the hotel for a bite to eat.  With his belly full we set off on a little stroll around the city, walking the length of the beach, and back again.  Needless to say once we showered and beautified ourselves that evening we were starving!  We decided to check out a recommendation from Mr Boos brother and so wandered off Placa Reail to Los Caracoles (snails) for their house special rotisserie chicken.  It did not disappoint.  I don't think I have ever tasted a nicer roast chicken. EVER. My mouth is watering right now just thinking about it.  The Sachertorte was pretty good too. Wah?!  I was on me holliers, desserts are mandatory.

Los Caracoles (or the chicken place as my brother in law calls it),

off Placa Reail, Barcelona

The next day we decided to stroll up to Las Ramblas and visit Mercat de La Boqueria to buy a picnic to enjoy in Parc de la Ciutadel, situated a stones throw from our hotel.  We had great fun watching some of the street performers that lined Las Ramblas and the reactions of startled passers by who fell foul of their mischief.  Then we headed across the street and into food heaven.  We had great memories from our previous visit to Barcelona of buying fresh bread rolls filled with parma ham, and juicy melon to take with us to the beach and were both keen to get back.  I would have given my right arm as I strolled around to have been staying in an apartment with a fully functional kitchen so that I could have tried some of the fresh veg and seafood on offer.  The market was a hive of activity each time we visited and it is such an amazing resource, something we are badly lacking in many parts of Ireland in my opinion.  I took a few little pictures to show you the delights within.

Las Ramblas and it's street performers,

some pretty little flowers for sale from one of many floral stands

and Casa del Paraiques(House of the Umberella)

Some of the wonderful fresh produce available from

Mercat de La Boqueria,

Las Ramblas, Barcelona

That evening we ate in one of the restaurants in the marina.  For some reason I don't have any photos (obviously tucked straight in before I remembered) but the food was amazing.  Afterwards we headed to Tapas Royale, a very nice cocktail bar.  One mojito later and I was well and truly fooked.  We had shared a bottle of Cava over dinner so I hadn't really consumed enough alcohol to be in the sorry state that I was but we were to discover the reason for this on Saturday night.  As we were leaving Mr. Boo declared that he was "starviiiin" and by happy coincidence we passed a pizza place about 5 seconds later.  €2 bought him a huge slice and it was absolutely delicious and just enough to tide him over until sleepy time.  I crawled into bed and prayed for sleep or death, I wasn't fussy at that point, just whichever came first would do.

The following day we purchased our little picnic for lunch again and took the Bus Turistic to Parc Guell to admire some of Gaudi's handiwork.  We had missed it on our last trip and so I was excited to see it this time.  We passed La Pedrera(Casa Milá) and Sagrada Familia on the way but didn't stop to tour them as we had done so on our previous visit.  La Pedrera is stunning and well worth a visit.  Sagrada Familia again is stunning and an amazing feat of architecture but I am not so sure I would waste a couple or hours climbing the towers again.  You climb up behind a gang of arthritic aul wans going at a snails pace, walk out onto the foot bridge and back down behind the same gang of arthritic aul wans who by this stage are knackered following the climb up the stairs.  Take some pictures from the outside and then go find a nice placa somewhere and enjoy a nice glass of cava.  Alternatively adopt a friends attitude and say, "Is that it?  Bring me back when it's finished.  I'll be in that bar over there."  We got off the bus and climbed the (extremely) steep hill to the park where we spent a lovely few hours wandering around and feasting on our picnic. 

Parc Guell, La Pedrera and Sagrada Familia

Mr. Boo was determined to take in a match whilst we were there and what with me being such a kind hearted soul I sacrificed one evening of MY holiday to grant his wish.  Barcelona F.C. were due to play a la Liga match against Hercules on the Saturday evening so we bought a couple of tickets to shut him up.  That plan didn't quite work as he then decided to tell me at every opportunity that they are probably the best club team in the world and that Messi is a genius and that zzzzzzzzzzzzz.  Oops sorry I must have nodded off for a second there.  As I was so selflessly giving up one whole night of MY holiday he was warned that he had better bring me somewhere nice for a slap up lunch.  He didn't disappoint.  We strolled back down to the marina to la Gavina.  This was another recommendation from his brother and it didn't disappoint.  He advised that we go the the "third place in the marina for the prawn tempura", he trailed off then as he started to drool.  I understand fully now.  Mr. Boo ordered the prawn tempura and I ordered mussels to start, well you could have fed a family for a week on the portions they were so generous.  The mussels were delicious but the prawn tempura was just perfection.  Large tender prawns encased in a delicate tempura batter accompanied by a simple soy sauce for dipping.  There was plenty of lip smacking to be heard so apologies to our fellow diners.  Both mains were delicious also and when we were leaving we made a reservation to return on our last evening for another helping of the tempura.

La Gavina, Marina del Mar, Barcelona

With our tummy's suitably stuffed we did a little dash back to the hotel to change into more suitable match attire.  Once changed we headed out to catch the subway to Camp Nou to see Barcelona trounce Hercules (they have only just been promoted from a lower division).  The atmosphere in the Nou Camp was fantastic, lots of families out enjoying a match in the evening sunshine.  Mr. Boo was like a little kid, sitting there on his wonky seat taking in everything.  He was positively beside himself when the 'genius' Messi finally trotted onto the pitch.  We joined in as best we could with the Catalunyan chants and as the match heated up a little I got swept up in the spirit of things and shouted such encouragement as, "Go on my son", and, "That's a good lad, now bring the ball forward and put it in the net".  It would seem there was another Irish lady in the vicinity who was shouting out shocking profanity's at the lagging Barcelona side.  I am just thankful that the majority of the locals couldn't understand the language she was screaming.  I couldn't repeat it here as I wouldn't want to offend anyone.  An appalling 5-0 defeat from Hercules and the entire stadium stood and applauded the crushed home team and left the stadium in the same high spirits they arrived in.  A thoroughly enjoyable evening, just don't tell Mr. Boo I said that, I'm still putting the guilts on him!

 

Barcelona -v- Hercules, Camp Nou, Barcelona

When we got back to the city Mr. Boo again declared he was, "starviiiiiin", so we headed for a tapas and oyster bar we had passed each day that looked pretty scrummy.  They have both tapas and an a la carte menu.  We ordered from the a la carte menu and were very impressed and returned a couple of days later for a little afternoon snack of tapas, this did not disappoint either.

Orios Tapas and Oyster Bar, Barcelona

From here we headed back to Tapas Royal for some more cocktails.  I ordered a non alcoholic mojito as I didn't fancy another evening of lying in bed praying for death.  As we sat at the bar and watched the mixologist make up Mr. Boos mojito all became clear.  She mixed a white rum with a gold rum and easily poured 5 or 6 measures into the glass.  I was drunk just looking at her!  One mojito later and he was finished.  Yet again he had the munchies so as we passed a sweet shop that was still open he dragged me in to stock up on biscuits for a midnight feast.  In his drunken state I decided to take advantage and so piled his arms high with yummy florentines and a pretty biscuit tin, €45 later we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed Nespresso's and scummy biscuits. 

La Cure Gourmande, Barcelona

The rest of the holiday was spent strolling through the streets of the city, browsing the stands of antique and craft markets, sitting in placas sipping cava, eating, lazing on the beach, eating, sipping cava, eating, sipping cava, eating.  I really enjoyed our week in Barcelona and am raging it took us so long to get back there.  It is right up at the top of my to do list, well just after a trip back to New York, and maybe a little break in Paris, and I really do want to go see a show in London.  Hmmm, I will definitely get back there at some stage and I hope it is sooner rather than later. 

Art i Sa, Placa Reail, Barcelona

Marina del Mar, Barcelona

The Food Coast Harvest Feast

This fell into my inbox last week and I thought some of you might be interested in it.  On Sunday, September 26th 2010, four of Donegal's best restaurants will be joining forces to serve up a harvest feast using Donegal's finest ingredients.  The feast will take place in the beautiful historic setting of the Battery, Rathmullan.  For more information you can check out http://www.thefoodcoastharvestfeast.com/ or read the press release that I have included below. 

"On 26 September 2010, four Bridgestone recommended restaurants – Rathmullan House, Harry's Restaurant, An Bonnán Buí, and The Beach House – will be joining forces to serve 300 guests a sociable harvest feast against the backdrop of Lough Swilly and Rathmullan's historic Battery. What¹s on the menu? Donegal's best local ingredients turned into a four-course, communal lunch by Donegal's best chefs. 

We're planning it around the best and freshest ingredients we can get here in Donegal at this time of year, says Mark Wheeler of Rathmullan House, one of the drivers behind the event, and are actively recruiting any and all local producers we can to supply us with seafood, meats, dairy, baked goods, fresh fruits and vegetables. The diversity of products out there once you start looking is tremendous. We already know we have some of the world's best quality seafood, lamb, and potatoes, but there are some nice little surprises out there too like local honey and rapeseed oil, cheeses and organic dairy, and heritage breed pork.


The event is taking place under the umbrella of The Food Coast, a new programme designed by the Donegal County Enterprise Board to make Donegal a food county, a place with a vibrant food culture and food economy. We see great potential for job creation in the food sector in the Donegal, says Danny McEleney, the programme's manager. For it to thrive, we need to put Donegal on the good food map as a place for quality products and a destination for a quality experience – The Food Coast.


While one side of the initiative provides local producers with the supports they need to develop and improve, the other side focuses on building consumer awareness for local food products. The Food Coast Harvest Feast brings both sides together in one. What better way to support local food producers than to create outlets for their produce, says Donal Doherty of Harry's Restaurant and a co-organiser of the event.  And what better way to raise consumer awareness than by serving them great food in a great location.


Rathmullan's Battery, a napoleanic-era defensive fortress, sits on the shore of Lough Swilly, one of Donegal's most beautiful stretches of sheltered coastal waters.  The Battery¹s courtyard makes the perfect backdrop to the ultimate social dining experience, Claire McGowan of the Beach House Bar & Restaurant says.  Hopefully the sun will be shining, and we'll have Donegal's incomparable autumn light and colours to complement the meal and the historic setting. This being Ireland, though, we're leaving nothing to chance. The entire courtyard will be covered and weatherproof if necessary.

The organisers want The Food Coast Harvest Feast to become a staple event on Donegal's annual food calendar.  We see it as a full-day, family event, where food and community meet, says Martin Kelly of An Bonnán Buí.  We want people to come out for a leisurely walk on the beach, or to partake in some of the activities planned for the day, before joining their friends and neighbours – or even complete strangers – at communal tables for what will hopefully be an unforgettable Sunday afternoon feast.


Some of the activities on the agenda include boating excursions on Lough Swilly, mushroom foraging in Rathmullan Wood, live jazz and traditional music in the village's pubs, as well as guided cycle and walking tours. A final menu and list of activities will be announced on 15 September 2010.

The Food Coast Harvest Feast
26 September 2010
2pm – 4pm
The Battery in Rathmullan
Adults 25 Euros / Children 15 Euros
Contact any of the participating restaurants to book:


Rathmullan House 074 915 8188
An Bonnán Buí 074 915 8453
Harry¹s Restaurant 074 936 8544
The Beach House 074 936 1050"

Happy 1st Birthday Like Mam Used To Bake

It was exactly 1 year ago today that I sat down and tapped away on my laptop and published my first blog post.  I really didn't know what I was doing.  I wanted to try out a new hobby to pass the long winters nights to come and decided, "maybe I will try blogging".  I had no idea of where it might lead and if I'm truthful with myself I honestly didn't hold out much hope for lasting more than a month.  I bore easily and move onto something new and then something else and usually something new after that.  But here I am, 1 year later, wishing myself a happy birthday and blowing out a solitary candle on a chocolate cake made with love, joy and pride.

I am proud of what I have achieved in the past year.  I tried something new.  I made mistakes.  I sat for hours at a time trying to figure out something technical that baffled me.  I figured it out.  I taught myself lots of new things, small things, but new.  I learned from others.  I learned from myself.  I persevered.  I did it.  Alone.  For no one else but me.  I introduced myself to new people, online and in the flesh.  Me, the chronically shy woman met new people and spoke to them.  So many lovely people. 

Psssst, you are the lovely people, and I would like to thank you all.  Thank you for reading my blog.  Thank you for commenting.  Thank you for complimenting.  Thank you for encouraging.  Thank you for trying my recipes.  Thank you all so very much.  I would especially like to thank all of the wonderful ladies of beaut.ie, the Irish Foodies and the lovely people of Bord Bia.  Your support, help, advice and encouragement is truly appreciated.  Blogging has become such an enjoyable hobby for me but each and every one of you has made it even more so and so as a little thank you I have a present for one of you.

Up for grabs is a copy of Baking Magic by Kate Shirazi.  I think it is a beautiful book and would be equally loved by an accomplished baker or a baking virgin.  If you would like to win a copy this book please leave me a comment telling me about your favourite food memory and email likemamusedtobake@hotmail.com with the username that appears with your comment, marking the email 'Competition'.  The competition will close at midnight on September 24th 2010.  Entrants must be resident in Ireland.  No cash alternative is possible.  I will not share any details with third parties. 

COMPETITION NOW CLOSED. 
PLEASE FEEL FREE TO CONTINUE TO LEAVE COMMENTS THOUGH!

CPM: Chocolate, Peanuts & Marshmallow (GF)

*Before we get started, apologies for the atrocious pictures in this post, I was feeling a bit lazy. Soz!*

I was watching Food Network the other day, not like me I know, when this popped up.  It was one of those snippets of a Food Network chef talking about 'The best thing I ever tasted...'.  You know the ones I mean.  The theme for this particular one was sugar and Chef Duff from Charm City Cakes was in the hot seat. 

I wasn't paying too much attention to him as I was also scribbling something or other onto a piece of paper at the same time.  I very rarely just do one thing at a time, I always have one eye here and t'other there.  It's just the way I like to roll.  Even when I look like I am only concentrating on the task at hand my brain is generally 2 hours ahead thinking of the next thing I intend to do.  Anyhoo, I digress.  My attention turned solely to the tv when the chef who had created Duff's favourite dessert started to describe it.

First you pop 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream into the bottom of a glass, then you scatter on some sweetened peanuts, follow that up with a layer of chocolate ganache and then top the lot with some warm marshmallow fluff.  Naturally at that stage I found myself on my knees licking the tv screen. (Note to self, dust the tv.) 

I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of recreating this sweet confection and kept dreaming about it for the 24 hours that followed, so last night I gave in and made it before dinner.  I know, I shouldn't have but I was alone in the house and it was a good hour and a half before dinner so I did it.  This is one of my favourite things about being an adult, you can decide what to eat and when and if you want to eat dessert before dinner, you can go right ahead and do it!

As this was not part of an actual cookery show there was no recipe to accompany it.  The following is a rough guide:

CPM: Chocolate, Peanuts & Marshmallow
(the following quantities are for one serving but can very easily be multiplied)

*** NB Check that the brand of marshmallows you use are gluten free if making for someone with coeliac disease***

2tbsp Salted Peanuts
A squeeze of Honey
A handful of white Mini Marshmallows
4tbsp of Milk
3 scoops of Vanilla Ice Cream
3-4tbsp of Chocolate Sauce

1.  An hour in advance of assembly place the peanuts into a small bowl.  Squeeze over just enough honey to coat them all evenly.  Cover and set aside until required.
2.  Place the mini marshmallows and milk into a small saucepan and set over a low heat to melt.

3.  While you are waiting for the marshmallows to melt remove the ice cream from the freezer and allow to soften slightly.
4.  Once the marshmallows have melted remove them from the heat. 

5.  Place the 3 scoops of ice cream into the glass.  Flatten down with the back of a spoon.  Spoon the peanuts on top of the ice cream.  Cover the peanuts with the chocolate sauce.  Finally, cover the chocolate sauce with the melted marshmallow. 

6.  Grab a BIG spoon.  Lock yourself in a room on your own and dig in.  It is very important to get a bit of each layer in every spoonful.  Trust me, you will be glad you did.  Enjoy!

Notes:

• I had no vanilla ice cream in the house so used a homemade honeycomb one I had been meaning to taste.  It worked perfectly and I will post the recipe for that soon.
• Marshmallow fluff is not something that is readily available here.  I know Avoca sell a jar of pink marshmallow fluff but I think the melted marshmallow I used worked perfectly well.  Actually, I know it worked perfectly well because it was feckin delicious.
• I used a shop bought chocolate sauce but feel free to make your own ganache if you wish.  If I was serving it as a dessert I would most probably opt for a homemade version.

Catherine Fulvio's Apple Cake with Olive Oil

I posted last week about Catherine Fulvio's new book, Catherine's Italian Kitchen.  The lovely people at Gill & Macmillan were kind enough to send me a copy prior to release helping to feed my cookbook addiction.  I pretty much want to try every recipe in the book and will do, eventually, but spotted a little something that I knew Mr Boo would like.  That night I popped on my apron and whipped up Catherine's Apple Cake with Olive Oil.

The batter was really easy to mix up and didn't take very long.  While it was in the oven it filled the house with the most delicious warm, comforting aromas.  As soon as Mr Boo stepped in the door that night he popped his head into the living room to ask me what he could smell.  He was more than happy when he followed me to the kitchen I showed him.  Now, I'm not really a big fan of fruit cakes but I did have a little taste so that I could report on the outcome.

The cake was deliciously light and moist, with subtle flavours of cinammon and ginger.  The raisins were perfectly plump following their hot bath prior to baking and the cake was studded with tender cubes of apple.  It was perfect for the unexpected chilly night we were experiencing last Thursday, much to early for my liking in August.  Mr Boo made short work of making two rather large wedges disappear so I think it has his seal approval. 

Catherine suggests this cake as an alternative to a traditional *whispers* Christmas cake (I know, it is still to early in the year to mention the C word but I think it would be perfectly suited to the festive season too).  It does not contain any alcohol so it won't last as long as a traditional whiskey soaked cake but it did last perfectly well in a cake tin for 5 days in our house.  You could also add a little rum (maybe 3oz) if you want to add more of a festive touch to it.  Obviously you would not be able to make this weeks in advance as with traditional cakes but it would only require a few minutes on Christmas Eve.  I have an other idea in mind for a nice autumnal twist and will report back soon if it turns out as tasty as I think it will.  Whatever time of year you decide to try this recipe I hope that you enjoy it!

Apple Cake with Olive Oil
(Serves 8-10)
This recipe was also accompanied by an 'E' symbol (E = easy to make)

"This is a lovely cake from the north of Italy, where interestingly, olive oil replaces butter in the recipe.  The apple softens in the baking process, resulting in a wonderfully moist cake.  The flavours are very autumnal, and in fact, I have made this as my alternative Christmas Cake. "

110g/4oz Golden Raisins or Sultanas
200g/7oz Golden Caster Sugar
3 large Eggs
150ml/5floz Extra Virgin Olive Oil
350g/12.33oz Plain Flour
1tsp Ground Cinnamon
0.5tsp Ground Ginger
1tsp Bicarbonate of Soda
1tsp Baking Powder
Pinch of Salt
Zest of 1 Lemon
500g Cooking Apples, peeled and diced into 1.5cm pieces

1.  Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas Mark 4.  Butter and flour a 20cm springform cake tin.
2.  Place the raisins or sultanas in a bowl of hot water and allow to soak for 15 minutes to plump up.  Drain and set aside.

3.  Whisk the sugar and eggs until doubled in volume and pale cream in colour.  Warm the olive oil in a saucepan, then slowly whisk it into the eggs and sugar.

4.  Sieve the flour, cinammon, ginger, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt, then gradually add to the oil and egg mixture.  Fold in well.

5.  Add the drained raisins/sultanas to the mixture, along with the lemon zest and diced apples.  Mix thoroughly.  The mixture should be stiff at this stage.

6.  Spoon the mixture into the prepared cake tin.  Bake for at least 1 hour, until a clean skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.  Carefully remove the cake from the tin and allow to cool on a wire rack.

* As an alternative to the apples, try diced pear.

Catherine's Italian Kitchen - Catherine Fulvio (Gill & Macmillan)

Picture from Gill & Macmillan

The lovely people at Gill & Macmillan contacted me a couple of weeks ago to ask if I would be interested in receiving a copy of Catherine Fulvio's first cookbook prior to it's release date.  Would I? WOULD I?  Do they even have to ask?!  With a cook book addiction to feed and having maxed out my credit card recently with a full Amazon trolley I replied in the affirmative.  A few days later a lovely package fell with a thud through my letter box.  I get postively giddy when the post man arrives with a parcel for me and it was only seconds later that I had ripped the package open to reveal what lay within.  Instantly I knew I would love it.

The cover is beautiful, a table set for al fresco dining under clear blue skies, with Catherine looking radiant, ready to serve her dining companions.  I was busy right at that moment so vowed to sit down that evening to look through it properly.  But you see it kept calling to me from the kitchen table and so there I was, 5 minutes later, with my feet up and a line of drool running down my chin. Wah?!  I hadn't had lunch yet and I could almost taste the delights in each picture.

I actually don't think there was 1 recipe in the book that I thought to myself, "nah, I don't think I fancy that".  Everything looks and sounds delicious.  I found myself earmarking pretty much every page with a day on which to try it out, I eventually gave up on that and just resolved to give them all a bash, and soon.  This is a rare occurence for me as I usually find a few recipes in each book that either seem a little too complicated, have ingredients that are not readily available or that use a combination of ingredients just that little bit too adventurous for my humble taste buds.

Some of the things that I really like about Catherine's Italian Kitchen are:

• The book is visually stunning.  The pictures are beautifully styled, the food looks completely delicious and there are pretty, decorative elements throughout.
• Conversion tables have been included at the front to allow the reader to easily convert from metric to imperial if they so wish. 
• The introduction to the book includes some of the unwritten rules of food and cooking in Italy.  My personal favourite: "Chi la sera i posti li ha fatti, sta agli altri lavare i piatti" ("If one cooks the meal, then the others wash up")  I think this should be adopted as law in all countries.
• Recipes are grouped into sections eg. Antipasta, starters and salads, Soup, Fish, Sides etc.  Nothing ground breaking here but this is my preferred layout in cook books.  Some books follow a format of grouping complimentary starters, mains and desserts together and I have to say I have never cooked all three courses at the same time.  
• 'E' (Easy) and 'F' (Can Be Frozen) symbols accompany many recipes throughout the book.
• Catherine introduces each recipe explaining a little about it's history or her reason for liking it.
• An additional note follows each recipe with a tip to help with preparation or a suggestion for an adaptation to the recipe.

I have had this book in my possesion for a week now and already I have baked from it and made a beautiful dinner.  Both were really simple to make, were very quick to prepare and tasted delicious.  I am really looking forward to working my way through the rest of the recipes and I know that it will become one of my favourite 'go to' books when I am entertaining. 

Catherine Fulvio has suceeded in producing recipes that are accessible and achievable for all.  The book follows on from Catherine's hugely popoular RTE tv series of the same name, a second series 'Catherine's Roman Holiday' will air in September, and I have no doubt that the book will prove equally as popular.  Catherine's Italian Kitchen is published by Gill & Macmillan on August 27th 2010 and is priced at €19.99.  (Psssst, if you follow the little link there you can avail of a very generous 20% discount from Gill & Macmillan)