One of the things I love about Irish winters is the justification to close the curtains at 5pm, build a roaring open fire, open a big bottle of red wine, and tuck into some winter comfort food. As the Italian’s developed cuisine around an abundance of sunshine, us Paddies were sticking to Irish stew and spuds to keep ourselves warm from the inside.

This recipe was given to my Mum about 25 years ago by dear friends in Carlow, hence the name that’s stuck to it ever since and been passed onto countless other friends and relatives. It’s a tasty, savoury side-dish for main meat dishes such as roasts and casseroles, but equally – on the those cold winter nights in-front of the fire – it’s makes a deliciously comforting meal all on its own.

For 4/6:

• 2 lb potatoes (waxy work better than floury)
• 1½ oz butter or marg
• 1½ oz flour
• ¾ pint milk
• ½ tsp thyme
• ½ tsp basil
• ½ tsp marjoram
• Good pinch ground nutmeg
• 3 oz grated cheese (mature cheddar’s great or Gruyere if you’re a bit posher!)
• Seasoning

Preparation:

• Peel and slice the spuds to about ½ inch/1cm thick.
• Put in a saucepan, cover with cold water and add salt, then boil and simmer until tender not mushy.
• For the sauce, melt the butter/marg in a saucepan, add the flour and stir together, then slowly add the milk over a low heat.
• Add the herbs, nutmeg and seasoning as soon as you’ve the milk in, and bring to the boil, stirring all the time. Simmer until nice and thick.
• Now grease a shallow dish with a little more butter or marg and layer in the potato slices. Pour over the sauce and sprinkle the cheese on top.
• Now bake for 30-35 mins at 180 deg C, or until you see the sauce bubbling under a crispy top.

This is simple food so no need to get too wound up on the choice of wine. Try a good value Cabernet Sauvignon blend like the Heartland Stickleback Red or the Compass Navigator’s Reserve from Santa Alicia, but equally if you prefer white, try a fuller bodied Chardonnay like the Heartland Stickleback White blend, or the Santa Alicia Reserve Chardonnay.

I’ve gone all Italian of late. Not in the belligerent, brooding, erratic-driving kind of way (that’s me normally), rather in my love of the wines and cuisine of my favourite holiday destination. There’s something in the food that reflects the sunshine, the rolling hills and terraces, the simmering passion of the natives. And the wine, by evolution, is in perfect harmony with the rich, full-flavoured dishes, their fresh-off-the-vine ingredients and lashings of olive oil.

So following on from last week’s desperately simple Spaghetti Bolognese, here’s another classic made easy, and without the need to have an olive grove in your back garden.

Go with either of the white equivalents of the Dievole and Farnese recommended with the Bolognese – the dryness and acidity of the Dievolino Malvasia and the Trebbiano d’Abruzzo are perfect for the creamy starchiness of the pasta and sauce.

For 2:

• ¼ lb dried tagliatelle (or roughly double of the fresh stuff)
• 4 oz smoked bacon, chopped
• 4 oz mushrooms, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tbsp grated Parmesan
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

And the cooking:

• Start cooking the tagliatelle, adding a bit of salt to the water.
• Lightly fry the bacon, mushrooms and garlic in a decent glug of olive oil.
• Whisk the eggs in a bowl, add seasoning and the grated Parmesan.
• Drain pasta and quickly mix in bacon and mushrooms followed by beaten egg mix. The egg will cook in the hot pasta and be slightly granular.
• Sprinkle over lots of Parmesan and serve immediately.

Could it be any easier?

Ah, Spaghetti Bolognese. The quintessential student staple, and probably the dish most debated as to who’s got the best recipe. I know, because I’ve argued passionately myself. I’ve seen recipes with sun-ripened this, and Italian deli that. And don’t start me on the addition of carrots to the mix (sorry, that’s just wrong!).

Yes, this recipe is crassly simple; and yes, it’s probably a million miles from the original, “authentic” version (whatever that is); but I guarantee you’ll never taste a more comforting, versatile and utterly more-ish Bolognese recipe – ever.

Shh! Dont tell anyone you used SOUP for the base!

It was given to me by a dear friend back in our (yes) student days, who went onto become a chef. So this is to Rick, wherever you are now you mad eejit.

(Apologies in advance to all you metric heads out there, but I’m a stubborn old crank and pounds and ounces are just easier.)

For 6-ish servings, you’ll need:

• 2 lbs minced beef (always worth paying a bit more for the good stuff)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• ½ lb mushrooms, sliced
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped (or less if you’re a vampire, but trust me, 6 is just great)
• ½ pint chicken stock (the real thing if you can get into the habit of making it and freezing it after a roast, but a stock-cube’s fine if you can’t)
• 3 standard tins (295g) Campbell’s Condensed Tomato Soup (now stupidly renamed Erin in Ireland and Batchelors in the UK)
• ½ can of beer (lager’s cool, don’t over-do the flavour)
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• Salt and black pepper

Now the cooking:

• Pour a little olive oil in a large pot or casserole dish, then add and break-up the mince over a medium heat. Add the beer and leave it to brown, stirring as needed.
• Separately in a wok, over a high heat, add some oil, then the onions, and cook for a minute or two. Then add the mushrooms and the garlic, and cook for 4-5 minutes, no more.
• By now the mince should be pinky-brown which is perfect. Now add the cooked onions, mushrooms and garlic, along with the chicken stock and the tins of condensed soup.
• Now mix the whole lot up and season with the black pepper, the salt (unless you’ve used a stock-cube in which case there’s no need, you’ve tons) and a couple of teaspoons of dried herbs if you’ve got them (one each of Oregano and Basil ideally).
• Bring up to the point where the sauce starts bubbling, then simmer over a low heat for 20-25 mins, stirring regularly to make sure the bottom doesn’t stick. And you’re done!

This is great straight away, but it’s even better if you leave it for a day in the fridge.

Serve with pasta, garlic bread and grated Parmesan cheese, or anything else that grabs your fancy. It’s superb on a baked potato, and makes the perfect sauce for Lasagne – just halve the beer and the stock to keep it a bit thicker. In college, the local pizzeria had a Bolognese pizza called the Chin-Dripper, and I’ve tried that too (it’s amazing).

For the wine, it’s got to be red and Italian, and I’ve two suggestions: try the Dievolino Rosso or the Farnese Sangiovese – both with great structure and flavour, and heaps of mouth-watering acidity to tackle the creamy tomato sauce.

Now try it, and I challenge you to come back and tell me it’s not the best Bolognese you’ve ever tasted.

This weekend is National Pork Weekend. So naturally our Curious Food post will have something to do with Winston Churchill’s favourite pet:

“I like pigs. Dogs look up to us, cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals.”

Slow Food Ireland (click link and see under ‘January Events’), will be arranging national events throughout Ireland, including “Pig Extravaganza” in Bandon this Sunday.

A three course lunch will be served with talks and demonstrations from artisan food producers including award winning Bandon butcher, Martin Carey, Willie and Avril Allshire of Caherbeg, Frank Krawcykz of West Cork Salamis, and Anthony Creswell of Ummera Smoked Products.

This weeks pig orientated recipe (below) will taste even better accompanied by an off-dry or medium Riesling. Decanter 5-star rated Muddy Water James Hardwick Riesling is our choice. It has the natural sweetness to compliment those of the casserole.

Pork with Apples & Cider Casserole (Serves 6)

1.5 – 2 lbs pork pieces

6 smoked bacon rashers

1 large cooking apple, peeled, cored & sliced

2 medium onions, finely chopped

1 pint dry cider (enough to cover meat)

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

Potatoes, sliced, to cover top of casserole

1oz of butter

Seasoning

Trim fat off meat and cube. Brown in frying pan or wok and transfer to wide shallow casserole dish. In the same pan, lightly fry chopped bacon and put on top of pork. Sprinkle on garlic and spread with layers of apple and onion. Add cider and cover with a layer of overlapping potatoes. Finally, dab top with butter and cover tightly.

Cook at 140 degrees C for 3 hours, before browning under the grill for a few minutes when done.

Have fun with this one and if you need any help, just give us a buzz!