Me with the lovely Imen McDonnell, Fare Plate/ Refinery Rooftop

On March 12, 2016, I traveled to New York City to attend Fare Plate, an Irish food tasting event held at the lovely Refinery Rooftop. Featured at the event was the food of Imen McDonnell, an American woman living on an Irish farm and a brand-new cookbook author (The Farmette Cookbook). She is living my dream! And is the nicest woman. I encountered her on twitter (@modernfarmette) and it was an honor to meet her in person. She has a great blog too: www.farmette.ie

I travelled home eagerly the five hours from New York with my new signed cookbook; so far I have made her brown bread (amazing!), and I continue to drool over the pictures as well as be enthralled with her storytelling; she has led such an interesting life. But the most exciting thing for me was making my own cheese! I thank her for the inspiration! After making the cheese, I even developed a new recipe to feature my creation (see the crustless quiche below).

Best Brown Bread, The Farmette Cookbook, recipe on page 41 (all photos ©Irish Food Revolution unless otherwise noted)


Best Brown Bread with Kerrygold butter and drizzled honey (ate too much of this one!)


My First Cheese: Basic Farmer Cheese, page 12, The Farmette Cookbook (available on Amazon)


Getting ready (purchased cheese cloth from Bed, Bath, and Beyond – worked great, hung with twine)

The only challenge I had with the cheese was ensuring the milk did not scorch as it heated up. Be vigilant and make sure you stir often, including the bottom of the pan. I used a 5 quart dutch oven, which worked very well. I also found locally made raw milk, which yielded a nice amount of cheese. You can also use organic milk.

Raw milk purchased from Brandmoore Farm, Rollinsford, NH. Thanks to @NHHomeGrownEats for telling me about the farm!



My obsessive stirring!


Beautiful!

Drained it, hung the cheese for a couple of hours, and then used it! Before I developed the quiche, I also spread some blackberry jam on the toasted brown bread, sprinkled with cheese and salt: divine! Tastes like rich, creamy butter! And I sprinkled some cheese over roasted vegetables, which was also very tasty. I plan on making some roasted tomatoes, which I will sprinkle with cheese and balsamic glaze.

Farmer Cheese, Potato, and Tarragon Crustless Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs of butter (Kerrygold salted is my favorite for this dish)
• 1 large leek, thinly sliced (white part only)
• 1 Tbs of fresh, finely chopped tarragon
• 2-3 cups of potato and asparagus, steamed
• 8 organic eggs
• 1 cup of organic milk
• 3/4 cup of crumbled farmers cheese (you can also try 1 cup of shredded cheddar if you have not made cheese)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper

Preheat the oven to 400° Throughly butter a 9 inch glass pie plate

Heat up the tbs of butter in a frying pan. Sauté the leeks with a bit of salt and pepper until soft and barely golden brown- 5 minutes or so. Layer them on the bottom of the glass pie plate and sprinkle the fresh tarragon over it (the tarragon really brings this quiche to the next level). They will form a "crust" on the bottom of the dish. Put aside.

Tarragon and Leek "Crust"

While the leeks are cooking, peel and chop up the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a saucepan and place a steaming basket in. Put the potato pieces in the steamer. Then steam on medium high heat for about 15 minutes; as it steams, chop up the asparagus. After 15 minutes, add in chopped asparagus on top of the potatoes. Steam both for another 5 minutes or so.

As the potato and asparagus steam, mix together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper in a large bowl. Break up the yolks and stir gently for about a minute or two.

After the potato and asparagus are done steaming, remove them from the stovetop and cool for about 10 minutes. Then fill the pie plate about 3/4 of the way with the vegetables.

Next, pour in the egg mixture (be careful not to overfill). If you have mixture left over, use it for some scrambled eggs or an omelet! Depending on the density of the veggies and the amount in the pie plate, I do often have a bit left over.

Put it in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. Serve immediately, sprinkle with salt if desired. Also makes great leftovers!

Balance is an important aspect to eating, and here, it is embodied in two distinct drinks – although they do share my latest obsession with peppermint oil. Cannot get enough of the stuff.

The martini is for the St. Patrick’s Day party; the smoothie is a cure for the hangover after the party!

Irish Mint Martini

Put ice in your martini shaker.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 ounce of Amaretto
• 1 ounce of Kerrygold Irish Cream Liqueur (or another Irish Cream)
• 2-3 ounces of organic milk (amount depends on your flavor preference, I like 3 ounces)
• ¼ teaspoon of organic peppermint oil
• 5 drops of green food coloring (optional)

Shake it up, pour into a chilled martini glass, drink immediately, and repeat.

Shamrock Smoothie Hangover Cure

Alcohol robs the body of B vitamins, so start March 18th out right with this Shamrock Smoothie. It contains spinach, which is great for cleansing and boosting some B vitamins. Banana contains a load of B-6 and vitamin C for immunity. Peppermint is also great for digestion. Maca powder (optional) boosts immunity and contains B vitamins – and gives you an energy kick. Note: please check with your physician if you are taking any medications before using maca, and avoid peppermint if you have heartburn due to GERD.

Ingredients (serves 1)

• 1 ½ cups of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• Large handful of organic spinach
• ½ -1 tsp of organic peppermint oil (depends on how much you love peppermint)
• 1 banana
• 3 ice cubes
• 1 tsp of vanilla paste or vanilla extract
• 2 pitted medjool dates
• 1 tsp of maca powder (optional)

Blend in a high-powered blender until smooth and drink.

Shamrock Smoothie ingredients

This cake is versatile, tasty, and dare I say it: sort of healthy. It uses no eggs, no white sugar, and spelt flour, making it easier to digest than regular flour. A somewhat guilt-free indulgence.

I left mine plain since I find the chocolate chips plenty. I treated it like a brownie. However, a creamy soft vanilla frosting will be lovely. I also tried it one time with some peppermint extract, which also worked nicely. Leave the vanilla extract in, but add on a tablespoon of high quality peppermint oil with the other liquid ingredients. The batter can be used to make cupcakes as well.

Cupcake version with peppermint oil too!

Ingredients

• 2 cups of spelt baking flour (I use Bob's RedMill)
• 1 cup of raw cacao powder (packs a super chocolate punch, available at most grocery stores now)
• 1tbs of baking powder
• a pinch of salt
• ½ cup of vegetable oil
• 1 cup of maple syrup (pure maple syrup, Grade A Dark Amber is best)
• ½ cup of light agave syrup
• ½ cup of Guinness Stout
• ½ cup of soy milk
• 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
• 1 cup or so of chocolate chips (use at least 60% cocoa and/or vegan if you need to ensure no dairy)

Preheat the oven to 350° fahrenheit. Thoroughly grease your 9x11 pan or muffin pan with vegetable oil.

Sift together the dry ingredients (flour, cacao, baking powder, and salt) into a large bowl and mix. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients (oil, maple syrup, agave, Guinness, soy milk, vanilla extract). Blend the dry and wet ingredients, making sure not to over mix the batter as the cake will be drier. I did it by hand – no mixer required.

Pour half the batter into your pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over it. Then pour on the rest of the mix. Sprinkle more chocolate chips on the top.

Cook times will vary depending on your oven and taste preferences. I recommend about 20-25 minutes. However, this cake has no egg, so undercooking it is a great option! Simply check it with a toothpick after 15 or 20 minutes and decide. The toothpick should have a small amount of batter left on it after you pull it out.

Cupcakes will most likely be 15-20 minutes. Make sure not to overcook them. They might be dry.

I always thought of seaweed as something only used in Japanese cuisine; however, after a study of Irish foods, I realize it has a long tradition of use in some recipes. Darina Allen says: “...seaweeds are an entire world of undiscovered knowledge for many people although they have been part of the diet of coastal peoples since time immemorial....In our family, the babies are weaned onto carrageen moss (a type of seaweed) pudding” (The Forgotten Skills of Cooking, page 65). I never knew about this aspect of Irish food history until recently, and the more I learn, the more fascinated I am.

Despite my foray at the beach that you see in the pictures, I chose to purchase my seaweed at a local health food store to ensure freshness/safety, and to be certain I knew the variety. I plan on taking a seaweed walk in Ireland to improve my knowledge of the varieties, of course (see below for seaweed walk companies).

At a local health food store, I was lucky to find raw kelp that was already cut into noodles (Ocean Approved is the brand name). The kelp I purchased was green and simply seaweed cut into noodle shapes. There are clear “kelp noodles” found in most health food stores or Asian markets; however, these are not raw. I wanted as close an experience to raw seaweed, and I found it with the Ocean Approved Kelp!

Kelp, Noodle Cut

Below I have listed where you can purchase kelp and Irish sea spaghetti, which Clodagh McKenna uses in her Vegetable and Seaweed Salad. Her dish simply inspired mine, so I have not tasted the sea spaghetti; however, the kelp worked delightfully! I am sure the Irish sea spaghetti will also.

Ingredients (serves 4)

For the salad

• 3-4 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size pieces
• Olive oil
• Salt
• Half head of red cabbage, chopped
• 3 scallions, diced
• 1 granny smith apple, peeled and grated
• 1-2 handfuls of rinsed and blanched seaweed (either Irish sea spaghetti or raw Kelp- noodle cut)

For the dressing

• 2 tbs of lime juice (about 1 or 2 limes)
• 2 tbs of honey
• 2 tbs of olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400°

Preparing the seaweed:
If using Irish sea spaghetti (see below for availability): rehydrate the sea spaghetti and rinse -according to the package- then put in boiling water for about five minutes. I cooled them before tossing with the other ingredients.
If using RAW kelp noodle cut (harder to find- but my local health food store had them. Again, they are green, not clear like the popular kelp noodles you find- so look for raw): defrost if frozen, overnight in the fridge. Rinse thoroughly. You can eat them raw or throw them in boiling water for about a minute, which I did.

Toss the peeled and chopped sweet potatoes with a bit of olive oil and salt. Then roast them in oven for about 15 minutes (be sure to stir halfway through)

While the sweet potatoes are roasting:
Chop half a head of red cabbage into bite size shred-like pieces- then rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
Rinse and dice three scallions
Make the salad dressing by whisking together the lime juice, honey, and olive oil
Finally, peel and grate the apple. Do this step after all the other ingredients are ready since apple tends to brown quickly.

Toss everything, from kelp noodles to apple (except the sweet potato), with the salad dressing. Divide onto plates and place the sweet potatoes on top of each plate of salad. And dig in!

To Purchase

Whole Foods, various locations

Ocean Approved www.oceanapproved.com Portland, Maine (to find a store near you that sells their kelp)

The Cornish Seaweed Company www.cornishseaweedcompany.co.uk (ships to the US for about $6.50, which is reasonable)

To Learn More About Seaweed

Prannie Rhatigan www.irishseaweedkitchen.ie (knows everything about seaweed)

Milseog na Mara www.milseognamaraonline.weebly.com (a seaweed company started by five teenagers- based in Donegal)

Atlantic Irish Seaweed www.atlanticirishseaweed.com (conducts seaweed walks)

Irish Seaweed Safari www.wildirishseaveg.com (conducts seaweed walks)

Tentatively identified as the Alaria variety by the folks from Atlantic Irish Seaweed!