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Odlums Christmas Cake Recipe

Christmas Cake

CategoryCakes

Cook Time3 hours

What you need:

  • 225g/8oz Odlums Cream Plain Flour (sieved)
  • 175g/6oz Butter or Margarine
  • 225g/8oz Shamrock Dark Muscovado Sugar
  • 350g packet Shamrock Sultanas
  • 350g packet Shamrock Fruit Mix
  • 100g tub Shamrock Cherries
  • 100g packet Shamrock Chopped Almonds
  • 100g packet Shamrock Ground Almonds
  • 3 large Eggs
  • Rind and Juice of 1 Orange
  • 1 teaspoon Goodall’s Mixed Spice
  • 2 baby bottles of Brandy

How to:

  1. Put butter/margarine, sugar, fruit, rind, juice and one baby bottle of the brandy into a large saucepan.
  2. Slowly bring to the boil, stirring occasionally, until the butter/margarine has melted.
  3. Turn off heat and leave to cool for approx 30 minutes.
  4. Meanwhile pre-heat oven to 140°C/275°F/Gas 1 and line an 8″/20cm round deep cake tin with greaseproof paper.
  5. Stir the eggs, nuts and ground almonds into the fruit mixture and mix well.
  6. Finally, stir in the sieved flour and mixed spice.
  7. Spoon the mixture into the tin and smooth it out evenly – the back of a metal spoon dipped in water is handy for this!
  8. Bake for 2½-3 hours approx. After 2 hours, cover with paper if cake is browning too quickly. To check the cake is done, insert a skewer into the centre – if it comes out clean, the cake is cooked.
  1. Make holes in top of warm cake and pour over remaining brandy.
  2. Leave cake in tin to cool completely.
  3. When cold, wrap in greaseproof paper and then tinfoil. Store in a cool dry place.

Note:

This mixture can be divided between two 900g/2lb lined loaf tins or two 15cms/6″ round cake tins or a combination of both and will bake in about 1½ hours at the same temperature. This is ideal for those who just want a small cake and the second cake would make a very acceptable Christmas present!

Christmas Cake

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Happy National Porridge Week! 🥣✨@flahavans

To celebrate, we have some gorgeous recipes from our National Porridge Week ambassador, Eunice Power.

First up is Eunice’s Hot Porridge with Cranberry, Apple & Orange Compote 🍎🍊

Bring a little early festive colour to the breakfast table with a steaming bowl of creamy Flahavan’s porridge topped with cranberry, apple and orange compote. Sweet, tart and gently citrusy, it’s a lovely way to brighten the cooler mornings ahead.

Serves 2

Porridge Ingredients:
• 100g Flahavan’s Rolled Oats
• 300ml Flahavan’s Vitamin Rich Oat Drink
• 150ml water
• 1 crisp apple, coarsely grated
• 40g dried cranberries
• Zest of ½ orange
• 2–3 tbsp fresh orange juice
• 1–2 tsp honey, to taste
• 1 tsp (5g) butter
• Pinch of salt
• ½ tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground ginger
• Pinch of nutmeg
• 2 tbsp chopped walnuts or pecans

Compote:
• 250g apple, peeled, cored and chopped
• 100g frozen cranberries
• Juice of 1 orange (roughly 60–80ml)
• 20–25g sugar (about 1½–2 tbsp)
• 2–3 tbsp water
• Optional: a small pinch of cinnamon

Method
1. To make the compote, add the apple, cranberries, orange juice, 20g sugar and 2 tbsp of water to a small saucepan.
2. Bring gently to a simmer, cover & cook over a low-medium heat for 12–15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the apple is completely soft & the cranberries have burst.
3. Taste and adjust the sweetness with additional sugar if needed.
4. Remove from the heat, allow to cool for a few minutes, then blitz until smooth using a stick blender. If it’s thicker than you’d like, blitz in an extra tablespoon or two of water or orange juice.
5. Once cooled, refrigerate until needed.
6. To make the porridge, add the rolled oats, oat drink, water, grated apple, dried cranberries, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg & salt to a saucepan.
7. Cook for 5–7 minutes, stirring frequently, until thick and creamy.
8. Add the orange zest and juice & cook for another 30–60 seconds.
9. Remove from the heat & stir through the butter and honey until melted.
10. Swirl compote through the hot porridge, sprinkle with chopped walnuts or pecans.

Enjoy!

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Alanna Moffitt from Blacklion Co. Cavan started at Neven Maguire’s Macnean House and Restaurant 😀 @rtetoday

Student chefs from TU Dublin joined Maura and Dáithí in the studio.

Ingredients

Sticky Toffee Pudding

· 200g butter, room temperature

· 185g self-raising flour

· 185g dates, roughly chopped

· 1 tbsp bicarbonate of soda

· 185g brown sugar

· 30g treacle

· 1 tsp nutmeg

· 1tsp mixed spice

· 2 medium eggs

· 1 tsp vanilla extract

· Pinch of salt

Butterscotch Sauce

· 70g butter

· 70g brown sugar

· 70g golden syrup

· 100ml double cream

· Pinch of sea salt

· ½ tsp vanilla extract

· A few drops of lemon juice

Student chefs from TU Dublin joined Maura and Dáithí in the studio.

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C / 350°F / Gas Mark 4. Line a baking tin with parchment paper.

2. Dice the butter and place it in a saucepan over medium heat. Allow it to melt, then continue to cook until it foams and turns a light golden-brown colour. Remove from the heat immediately and set aside to cool.

3. Place the chopped dates in a saucepan with 300ml water. Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until the dates are soft.

4. Remove from the heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda (the mixture will foam). Set aside to cool slightly.

5. Transfer the date mixture to a mixing bowl and add the brown sugar, treacle, vanilla extract, nutmeg, mixed spice and cooled brown butter. Mix well.

6. Beat eggs and add to the mixture until fully incorporated.

7. Sieve in the flour and salt, then gently fold until a smooth dropping consistency is achieved.

8. Pour the batter into the prepared tin and bake for 35–40 minutes, until risen and firm to the touch.


Butterscotch Sauce

1. Place the butter, brown sugar, and golden syrup in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir and allow to simmer gently.

2. Remove from the heat, add a few drops of lemon juice, then whisk in the double cream.

3. Finish with sea salt and vanilla extract. Serve warm over the pudding.


Chef’s tips:

· When making brown butter, don’t use a high heat, as milk solids can burn easily

· Brown butter can be used in so many other dishes, such as madeleines and fish dishes, or even vegetables, with its rich nutty caramel flavour.

· Best served warm with some vanilla ice-cream.

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Neven Maguire’s slow cooker Moroccan chicken tagine with butternut squash

Neven Maguire

By Neven Maguire

Celebrity Chef

As heard on the Brendan O’Connor Show on RTÉ Radio 1.

Ingredients

Serves 4–6

I like to make this with chicken thighs, but I’d always get my butcher to prep them for me by removing the skin, trimming them and removing the bones. Otherwise breasts also work well, and because the heat of the slow cooker is so gentle, they stay nice and moist. Use pumpkin instead of the butternut squash if it’s in season.

Prep: 25 mins
Cook: 4.5 hours

  • 4 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 large onions, roughly chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
  • 1 × 2.5cm (1in) piece of fresh root
  • ginger, peeled and finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp mild curry powder or paste
  • 2 tsp ground turmeric
  • 2 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 2 × 400g (14oz) tins of Italian chopped tomatoes
  • 500g (1lb 2oz) boneless, skinless
  • chicken cubes (thigh or breast)
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cut into cubes
  • 2 tbsp clear honey about 450ml (¾ pint)
  • Chicken stock (from a cube is fine)
  • sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

  • Chopped fresh mint and/or coriander
  • Roughly chopped toasted pistachio nuts

To serve:

  • Couscous
  • Natural yoghurt

Method

  1. Preheat your slow cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If your slow cooker has a
  2. sauté option, you can use this; if not, use a large sauté pan on the hob over a medium heat.
  3. Heat the oil, then add the onions and sauté for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are softened
  4. and have taken on a little colour.
  5. Add the garlic and ginger and sauté for another 3–4 minutes. Stir in the curry powder or paste, turmeric and cinnamon and cook for 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes and carefully blend to a thick purée with a hand-held blender.
  6. Using a spatula, transfer to the slow cooker (if you have used a separate pan). Stir the chicken into the tomato base along with the butternut squash and honey, adding enough stock to make a thick-ish sauce that barely covers all the ingredients.
  7. Season with salt and pepper.
  8. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, until the chicken and butternut squash are completely tender.
  9. When ready to serve, make the couscous according to the packet instructions and spoon into wide-rimmed bowls. Ladle over the tagine and add a dollop of yoghurt to each one, then scatter the herbs and pistachio nuts on top to garnish.

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Aromatic Potato, Pea & Mint Soup with Garlic Toasts

A beautiful soup recipe exploding with the beautiful flavours of garam masala blending in with the thick consistency born out of mixing rooster potatoes and peas and mint. This recipe is served best with a slice of French bread flavoured with garlic. 

Prep in:
5 mins
Cook in:
15 mins
Serves:
4

Ingredients

250g Rooster potatoes, peeled and cubed

400g petits pois

1 onion, sliced

1l vegetable stock

1 small bunch of mint leaves

2tbsp garam masala plus extra to serve

8 slices of French bread

Rapeseed oil

Salt, pepper and chilli flakes

1 bunch coriander

Method

Heat a saucepan with a little oil and gently cook the onions until soft and translucent and starting to caramelise a little. Stir in the garam masala

Add the potatoes and stock, then bring to the boil. Simmer for ten minutes then add the peas, coriander and mint leaves, leaving a few for the garnish. Return to the boil then blend carefully until smooth.

Toast the bread then rub with a little garlic, sprinkle with garam masala and serve with the soup garnished with a little more garam masala, some chilli flakes a few drops of oil and some mint leaves.

 

https://potato.ie/recipes/aromatic-potato-pea-mint-soup-with-garlic-toasts/?Id=7434