Achill Mountain Lamb Celebrates New Season

As you approach Achill Island, located off the County Mayo coastline, you are immediately struck by the wild beauty of the landscape. This is countryside that is stunning and dramatic but which also possesses an air of foreboding about it. Ever present is the island’s brooding headland which on the wet and windy day that I visited was covered in an ominous looking blanket of sea-mist.

This is where Mayo Blackface lambs are born and reared by the Calvey family to produce the exclusive and unique tasting Achill Mountain Lamb. Here the sheep wander freely, grazing on the wild grasses, heathers and seaweeds that they find on the thousands of hectares of land to which they have unfettered access to on the island. If you ever doubted the veracity of the old adage ‘you are what you eat’ I urge you to sample some Achill Mountain Lamb and you will be smitten by this vaguely salty yet wonderfully sweet meat which comes from animals who feasted on the best that the earth around them offered up. Without a doubt, Achill Mountain Lamb has a taste and tenderness unlike any other lamb I have ever eaten and without doubt, is very much a product of the West of Ireland and the place it comes from.
 

Achill Mountain Lamb is reared, slaughtered and butchered on Achill by the Calveys who have been producing this distinctive tasting lamb for over 50 years. Although there were originally 23 other butchers/abattoirs on the island when Martin Calvey started off in 1962, the Calveys are now the only licensed abattoir within a 30 mile radius. It is testament to their tenacity and their belief in their product along with a willingness to embrace and respond to customer needs that has seen this family-run business continue to develop to a point where the lamb is much sought after by many of Ireland’s top restaurants.

 

The Mayo Blackface lambs which make up the Calvey flock is a pure breed, which has never been crossed with any other and is specifically suited to the conditions on Achill. The sheep love to wander up the mountains and as one can imagine, herding them can be challenging! However, Martin told me that they dislike midges nipping at their faces and will always try to come back down from the mountains in the evening to avoid being bitten.

 

I strongly believe that Ireland has some of the best food and food producers anywhere in the world and Achill Mountain Lamb is a wonderful example of this. I was therefore delighted to be invited to this year’s launch of the New Season Lamb which was held earlier this month on Achill.  Achill Mountain Lamb has a later season than most other lamb, kicking off in late June/July and continuing until Christmas.

 

The event was officially launched by Mairead McGuinness MEP, Vice President of the European Parliament. At the launch a lamb carcass was brought in and presented with great pomp and ceremony to the sound of bagpipes playing. As a full member of the Agriculture & Rural Development/AGRI Committee in the European Parliament, her time as a presenter on RTÉ’s Ear to the Ground and her work in agricultural journalism, Mairead McGuinness is extremely well-versed on the issues and concerns of Irish farmers and food producers and gave a very witty speech as part of the launch.

 

Grainne Calvey, one of Martin’s daughters then gave a fascinating butchery demonstration. Watching the skill and dexterity of Grainne as she worked was totally absorbing and something I found very interesting. In no time at all she had divided the lamb carcass up into different joint and cuts and as she did so, gave some great suggestions on how the different cuts could be used.

 

The Calveys operate a bespoke butchery service and can arrange delivery to anywhere in Ireland, so you don’t have to live in and around the Island to be able to cook and enjoy eating Achill Mountain Lamb. Although they have a well-established trade directly with restaurants which they continue to develop, the ordinary consumer can also buy their product; either the whole animal butchered into different joints or specific cuts of the meat. When you buy Achill Mountain Lamb, you can be certain that it is 100% traceable meat that you are buying, from animals that had a good life and were able to roam freely.

 

Gary O’Hanlon, Head Chef at Viewmount House in Longford Town then treated the crowd to a great cooking demonstration using the lamb. Many people will be familiar with Gary as he is one of the resident chefs on TV3’s (previously RTÉ’s) The Restaurant. What Gary so deftly showed us was that lamb is far more versatile than we might think. Granted, I love a roast leg of lamb with all the trimmings, but that takes time to prepare… the dishes that Gary made were flavoursome and more importantly quick to prepare using different, less familiar cuts of the meat.

 

I love cookery demonstrations where you get to sample the food and I can confirm that all three of the dishes that Gary cooked were absolutely delicious. First up was a Lamb Stir-Fry, full of oriental flavours and next came a fabulously fragrant Lamb Pasta dish. Both were fantastic and incredibly easy to make. The final dish, a Lamb Tagine, was superb. Lamb can stand up to very robust flavours and here garlic, chilli pepper and other spices were added to create an incredibly tasty dish and one that I will definitely be trying out at home. These recipes and many others are available on the Calveys’ website at www.AchillLamb.ie

 

Too often we are removed from the food we eat and where it comes from. We all posture and pay lip-service to terms like ‘artisan’ and ‘locally-sourced’ without often really understanding what they mean. Sadly these are terms which have also been hijacked by big business and multi-nationals and this has resulted in the underlying philosophies and practices behind these terms being somewhat devalued. It is therefore reassuring and heartening to visit farmers like the Calveys where you can witness (and taste) for yourself, the results of their commitment to producing lamb of the highest quality from the island which they were brought up and live on.

 

Calveys of Achill

Keel

Achill Island

County Mayo

Web: www.AchillLamb.ie

Email: sales@calveysachillmountainlamb.ie 

Tel: 09843158

 

This article first appeared in TheTaste.ie

 

A simple Gooseberry Pie

I am a massive fan of gooseberries as is evident by the amount of recipes that I have on the blog which use them.  Often when I’m thinking of recipes to post, I try to think of new and different ways to use my favourite ingredients but, by doing this I don’t get to share some of the recipes that I have been using for years and which are tried and tested favourites.

Part of my reason for starting this blog was to collect all my favourite recipes together in one place so that my children would have an easily accessible database of the dishes and meals that I cooked for them. I genuinely hope that as they approach adulthood and start rearing their own families that they will use these recipes from time-to-time and will remember me with fondness through my love of food and cookery.

 

Many of my favourite things to eat were dishes cooked by my grandmother when I was a child and it is a huge regret of mine that I did not write them down and take more notice of where she originally got them from. Each family has their own unique history when it comes to the foods that they eat and this is something that should be cherished and preserved. Our attitudes to food, in this collective context, say so much about who we are and our attitudes to life. Many key family events happen around meals or are celebrated by coming together to eat and for me it is something of fundamental importance.

 

This is a very simple pie, made using fresh gooseberries picked from bushes growing in my garden. Gooseberries can be very tart, so I have sweetened them with a little more sugar than I would use when making an apple pie and have added nothing else. This is a straightforward, no-nonsense pie which is all about the flavour of the gooseberries.

 

The pastry is incredibly simple to make. Very cold butter is grated directly into the flour and loosely mixed through without being further worked in. A splash of water helps to bring everything together into a dough, which is then refrigerated to allow the pastry to rest before it is rolled out and used to make the pie. The resulting pastry is flaky when baked with a buttery taste which goes perfectly with the gooseberries!
 

Ingredients:

Pastry:
225g plain flour
160g cold butter (I place it in the freezer for 30 minutes)

3-4tblsp cold water

To fill the pie:

500g gooseberries, topped and tailed

75g caster sugar

To finish:

1 egg, beaten
 

Method:

Pastry:

1. Place the flour into a large mixing bowl. Using a coarse grater, grate the butter directly into the flour, mixing it gently through so that it is evenly distributed, but do not rub in. Sprinkle the water over the flour/butter mixture and mix in using a fork until it starts to come together into a dough.

2. Turn out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead briefly and then shape into a ball. Wrap in cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to give the pastry a chance to rest.

To make the pie:

3. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan Oven 160C/Gas mark 4. Lightly grease a Pyrex pie plate with some butter and place on a large baking tray. Set aside.

4. Divide the pastry in half and roll each into a circle slightly bigger than the pie plate.

5. Place one pastry circle on the buttered pie plate with any excess pastry slightly hanging over the edge.

6. Tumble the gooseberries into the centre of the pastry-lined pie plate and sprinkle over the caster sugar, leaving a 2cm pastry edge free around the outside.  Moisten the exposed edge of the pie with a little of the beaten  egg and top with the remaining circle of pastry.  Seal the pie around the edge by pressing the top and bottom pastry edges together to enclose the fruit.

7. Trim the excess pastry from around the edge of the pie, using a small sharp knife. Brush the pie with the remaining beaten egg and cut a cross in the centre of the pastry top to let steam escape as the pie bakes.

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 35-40 minutes until golden brown and the gooseberry juices are bubbling. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 10-15 minutes before serving warm. The pie is wonderful served with some vanilla ice-cream or some lightly whipped cream.

 

Serves 8.

Peanut Butter & Jelly Macarons

At their simplest, macarons are made using three ingredients; egg whites, ground almonds and sugar so they should be really easy to make? You might think so, but in all honesty, I tried a number of recipes and had some complete disasters before I found one that worked for me on a consistent basis and here it is!

As with a lot of baking, you don’t absolutely have to use specialist equipment in order to guarantee success, but I do think that a piping bag fitted with a ½cm plain nozzle is a necessity as using one ensures that all your macarons are of a uniform size. I also use a silicon mat which has the macaron circles pre-printed on it. Again, this helps ensure uniformity, but you can use baking parchment and draw little circles on the reverse side.

Once you have piped out the macarons, it is crucial that you leave them aside for at least 30 minutes to form a ‘skin’, which means that the macaron mixture should not stick to your finger when gently touched. Allowing this ‘skin’ to form encourages the development of the thin wavy ‘foot’ which is a characteristic of properly made macarons.

I have been experimenting with peanut butter recently and trying out loads of different sweet and savoury recipes which include it. It was therefore inevitable that I would try making Peanut Butter & Jelly Macarons and believe me if you are a fan of peanut butter you will love these.
 

Ingredients:

125g ground almonds
150g icing sugar

100g caster sugar

3 large egg whites (110g in total)

A drop of brown gel/paste colouring

25g salted peanuts, chopped

To finish:

50g smooth peanut butter

30g raspberry jam, sieved to remove seeds
 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/Fan oven 160C/Gas Mark 4. Cut a sheet of baking parchment to size, to fit a large (approximately 30cm x 40cm) baking tray. Draw 50 x 3cm circles, spaced about a centimetre apart on the sheet of baking parchment and flip over so that the side you drew the circles on is against the surface of the baking tray. (Alternatively use a silicon macaron mat). Set aside.

2. Mix the ground almonds and icing sugar together and then place in a metal sieve. Use the back of a metal spoon to work the mixture through the sieve into a large mixing bowl. Discard any solids that you can’t work through – there should only be a small amount. Set the mixture aside.

3. Place the egg whites in a separate large mixing bowl and then, using a hand-held electric mixer, whisk them until they form stiff peaks. Gradually whisk in the sugar to create a smooth and glossy meringue. Add a drop of brown gel/paste food colouring and mix again to fully incorporate the colour.

4. Fold the meringue into the ground almonds mixture. Don’t worry if you knock some of the air out of the meringue as you don’t want the mixture to be too stiff. The consistency you are aiming for is one where the macaron mixture just holds it shape but any peaks settle and merge smoothly into the rest of the mixture.

5. Spoon the macaron mixture into a piping bag fitted with a ½cm plain nozzle. Using the circles you drew on the parchment paper as a guideline, pipe out equal sized discs. The easiest way to pipe the macarons is to place the tip of the nozzle in the centre of each circle and keep squeezing the piping bag until you reach the edge of the circle and then move on to the next one.

6. Once you have piped all the macarons, lift up the baking tray and with one sharp tap bang the tray against your table/work surface. This gets rid of any large air bubbles in the macarons and helps prevent them cracking as they bake. Sprinkle a few chopped salted peanuts over the top of each macaron.

7. Set the macarons aside for at least 30 minutes at room temperature. During this time the unbaked macarons will form a skin. You will know they are ready as when you touch them lightly no mixture will stick to your finger.

8. Place the macarons in the preheated oven and immediately reduce the temperature to 150C/Fan Oven 130C/Gas Mark 1. Bake for 13-15 minutes but do not allow them to brown. You will know they are ready if you gently try to wiggle one and it doesn’t come apart from its ‘foot’. Remove from the oven and allow to cool before attempting to move them from the baking parchment.

To finish:

9. Place the smooth peanut butter in a disposable piping bag fitted with a small star nozzle. Pipe a circle of peanut butter on the underside of half the macarons. Spoon a tiny blob of jam inside each of these circles and then top with an unfilled macaron shell to create a ‘sandwich’.

 

The macarons can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days.

Makes 25-30 sandwiched pairs.

Review: Neven Maguire Cookery School, County Cavan

Set in a beautiful landscape of rolling hills and picturesque lakes, Blacklion is a tiny village in County Cavan close to the Fermanagh border and is home to the extraordinarily popular MacNean House & Restaurant owned by Neven Maguire – chef, cookery book author, television host and champion of Irish food and producers.

 

In 2014 Neven realised a lifelong ambition and opened his own Cookery School; a place where he could share his enthusiasm for and knowledge of food and cookery with the aim of getting more of us into our kitchens cooking! Located beside the restaurant in Blacklion, there are a number of courses on offer at the school and definitely something to suit everyone irrespective of age or cooking ability.

 

Courses on offer include the half day Parent & Child cookery course with full day courses on Summer Entertaining, Cooking for Friends & Family and Christmas Made Easy, amongst others. A two day Home Chef course is also available and was the one that I decided to attend, using the two days away as an excuse to stay overnight in the MacNean House accommodation!!!

 

Some people idolise actors or pop stars but I go weak-at-the-knees for famous chefs and as such, I will admit that I was a little star-struck meeting Neven for the first time! Managing (probably not that successfully) to retain some level of composure, I joined the rest of the class, who had arrived before me.

 

Classes are kept deliberately small with no more than ten or twelve participants. As a result, not only is there great camaraderie within the group but the small numbers mean that you really have the chance to get stuck in and cook everything yourself without feeling cramped. The kitchen is beautifully decorated in grey and muted green tones and has every mod-con that you could possibly want during the course. Induction hobs are fitted in the kitchen and even after only two days using them, I am converted and WANT one!

 

Neven demonstrates each dish first, giving you plenty of tips along the way including useful suggestions on alternative ingredients that can be used. Booklets of all the recipes covered over the two days are distributed but Neven is on hand at all times to answer questions and offer guidance.

 

Ably assisted by the wonderful Claire and Olivia, all the ingredients are weighed out and ready, so that you can get straight down to cooking but you still prepare your meats, vegetables and practice your knife skills and other cooking techniques along the way.

 

We cooked in pairs, each having a work station, hob and oven to ourselves with each duo making the decision on how to divide the various tasks involved in making each dish. During the two days, we baked breads and pastries, made soups and sauces and cooked an astonishing array of starters, main courses and desserts. Lunch on both days consisted of dishes that we had cooked ourselves, washed down with a glass or two of wine.

 

The first dish that Neven demonstrated to us was his Kaitafi Prawn Salad but this was only the beginning. During the two days we also made Vietnamese Chicken Salad, Braised Pork Belly, Gratin of Hake, Duck with Creamed Cabbage & Sweet Potato Fondants as well as Pear Frangipane Tart, Lemon & Passion Fruit Posset with Macerated Berries, Chocolate Truffles and many other sauces, breads etc. We all found making the sugar cases for our possets great fun, if more difficult than we initially thought and couldn’t understand how Neven made it look so easy!

 

To say that the Home Chef course is only about cooking would be inaccurate. In the afternoon on the first day, we were treated to a Wine & Cheese Tasting delivered by Blaithín, the restaurant’s highly experienced Sommelier. Sitting on the veranda behind the Cookery School on a heavenly summer’s day, it really felt as if life couldn’t get any better! I found the tasting session very informative and learnt some very interesting things.

 

On the second day, we were given a tour of the gardens by Kevin, who grows and tends to the plants, herbs and vegetables many of which are used to supplement ingredients used in the restaurant.

 

We also visited the restaurant kitchen; where under Head Chef Glenn Wheeler a brigade of chefs was busy at work preparing the food prior to that night’s service. I was mesmerised by the amount of work and attention to detail that goes into preparing dishes for a fine-dining menu, so to get a glimpse of life behind-the-scenes was fascinating.

 

The course is relaxed, informal and tremendous fun. Neven speaks fondly about his family and in particular his wife Amelda and their twins Connor and Lucia. Perhaps unsurprisingly, as he comes from a large family, you really get the feeling that, for him, food and cooking are very much about a sense of community and showing your love for those closest to you. This may sound rather hackneyed in this cynical old world of ours, but all things considered, it’s not a bad philosophy; food certainly has the ability to bring people together!

 

Neven wants to give participants a culinary experience to remember and I can truly say that this is one of the best cookery courses that I have ever been on. Given the amount of dishes you cook, the Home Chef course is intensive but you never feel stressed or harried. Although I would be an enthusiastic and fairly experienced home cook I still learnt so much and, over the two days, made dishes that I know will become mainstays in the cooking I do for my family.

 

The Home Chef course was one of the most enjoyable things that I have ever done and I would strongly recommend it to anyone. At €495 for two days, it may initially seem like a whack of money to pay but all the ingredients are provided, you learn so much and most importantly you have great fun. I felt that it was worth every cent and I genuinely believe that there are few people who would come away disappointed after the two days.

 

Everything that you make and don’t consume on the course is packaged up for you to bring home when leaving. It’s not an exaggeration to say that my car was packed full of tasty treats which my family and I feasted on over the next few days! Amongst other things, each of us was also given a bag containing an apron, some Donegal Rapeseed Oil and a choice of any one of Neven’s cookbooks which he signed and personalised for us.

 

This was such a memorable experience and who would have thought that two days cooking in County Cavan could be such great fun?
 

Neven Maguire Cookery School

Main Street

Blacklion

County Cavan

 

Telephone: 0719853022

 

For information on courses: www.nevenmaguire.com

 

This review first appeared in TheTaste.ie