Food Matters with Aisling Larkin

• Food Matters - Yoghurt

  In Episode 34 of Food Matters, well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin talks about Yoghurt - It’s More Than a SnackIreland’s Love Affair with a Cultured ClassicToday, we’re diving into the creamy, tangy, and endlessly versatile world of yoghurt — a fridge staple in homes across the country.From the rise of the Irish yoghurt market to the many varieties available, Aisling explores the nutritional benefits and takes us on a journey through yoghurts from around the world.

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• Food Matters - Summer Salads

  In Episode 33 of Food Matters, well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin gives us some great recipes for Summer Salads

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• Food Matters - Mexican Food

  In Episode 32 of Food Matters, well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin explains why Mexican food can be a great way to get us to eat 30 plants per week.Food Matters is brought to you thanks to Jack Molloy & Son Craft Butchers, Barrack Street, Waterford. Spices Garlic Powder - backbone savoury mellow noteOnion Powder - savoury undertoneCumin - strong, warm, earthy, toasty flavour. Cumin is traditionally Mediterranean and a lot will say has no origins in Mexican cookery, but it is essential for that Tex-Mex style of cookingSmoked PaprikaOregano - again even though considered a quintessential Italian herb, it adds an earth freshness to a dish. Mexican oregano is different, and we tend to use it dried a lot. Mexican oregano is a cousin of lemon verbena, with lingering citrus liquorice notes and a little bit grassy. Mexican oregano is not as strong. Dried oregano is very popular.Coriander - seeds - dried powder - much less harsh than fresh coriander. Its brings an earth-floral warmth to dishesChilli - ancho, chipotle, dried, smoked, jalapeno - ancho rich dried fruit flavour, whereas chipotle big, robust is better for salsa and sauce. Other hints of spices that will work wellCinnamonNutmegCacaoSesame HerbsRosemarySageMint Popular Mexican SaucesPico de Gallo Pico de Gallo is a fresh chopped mixed of red tomato, fresh shallot, jalapeño, lime and coriander. Pico is always a salsa fresco, a fresh salsa with chopped ingredients. It should be made fresh and serves fresh.Salsa is a cooked version of this with more of a tomato base or it can be a more blended version. Guacamole / avocado cremaAvocado, lime juice, coriander, red onion, tomatoAdd sour cream or mayo Salsa Verde / ChimmichurriVerde means green. A classic Mexican salsa verde is not like we know it. It is made from tomatillos. Tomatillos look like small green tomatoes with husks but they are not tomatoes, they are cousins. They are borderline sour, so roasting them is a great idea.Then the salsa is just a combination of roasted tomatillos, chilli peppers, garlic, onion, and coriander. The Italian salsa verde is a combination of capers, cornichons, anchovy, mustard, garlic, big bunches of fresh, soft bright green herbs and then red wine vinegar, salt and olive oil.Sometimes bug chunks of bread are soaked in the vinegar first and then blended in. MoleMole poblano is a dark, reddish-brown sauce made from a combination of ingredients such as dried chili peppers (like ancho, pasilla, and mulato), nuts (such as almonds, peanuts, or sesame seeds), chocolate, spices, fruits (like plantains or raisins), and sometimes even a small amount of bread or crackers to thicken the sauce. The exact ingredients and proportions can vary widely depending on the recipe and the cook's preferences.Making mole poblano from scratch can be quite involved, as it often requires toasting and grinding various ingredients before simmering them together to develop complex flavors. Here's a basic outline of the process:1. Prepare the chilies: Remove the stems and seeds from the dried chili peppers, then toast them in a dry skillet until fragrant. Be careful not to burn them. Once toasted, rehydrate the chilies by soaking them in hot water until softened.2. Toast other ingredients: Toast nuts, seeds, and spices in a dry skillet until fragrant. Again, be careful not to burn them.3. Blend ingredients: Drain the soaked chilies and combine them in a blender or food processor with the toasted nuts, seeds, spices, chocolate, and any other ingredients specified in your chosen recipe. Blend until smooth, adding a bit of chicken or vegetable broth as needed to achieve the desired consistency.4. Cook the sauce: Heat a bit of oil in a large pot or skillet and pour in the blended mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for several minutes to allow the flavors to meld and the sauce to thicken slightly.5. Simmer: Once the sauce is cooked, add more broth to reach your desired consistency, and then simmer the sauce over low heat for at least 30 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally.6. Adjust seasoning: Taste the mole and adjust the seasoning as needed, adding more salt, sugar, or spices to balance the flavors to your liking.7. Serve: Mole poblano is often served over cooked chicken or turkey, but it can also be served with pork, beef, or vegetables. Traditionally, it's accompanied by rice and warm corn tortillas. While making mole from scratch can be time-consuming, the result is a rich, flavorful sauce that's sure to impress. If you're short on time, you can also find pre-made mole paste or sauce in many grocery stores, which can be a convenient alternative. MeatSlow Cooked Pulled PorkCarnitas - Carnitas are Mexico’s version of pulled pork. Made by slow-cooking pork fully submerged in lard, this confit method of cooking yields pork that’s unbelievably rich and tender with loads of crispy golden bits. Unfortunately, most of us home cooks don’t have huge vats of lard just sitting around. So luckily there is a way to make very similar carnitas I a slow cooker or a pressure cooker..Use a dry spice rub mic of oregano, cumin, smoked paprika, onion powder and garlic powder, salt and pepper.Dry until caramelised around the edges.Put it in the slow cooker and top with onions, garlic, jalapeños and orange juice. Cook it low and slow for 10 hours. Until it is pulled part tender and infused with incredible flavour.Pan-fry the meat, tossing it in some of the cooking juices.Optional then to grill for crispy bits.serves drizzled in more juices. Remove the skin but leave the fat Uses of this meatTacos, burritos, quesadillas, enchiladas, sliders, Mexican rice, taco soup. It will keep for 3 days in the fridge. Elote - corns on the cobGrilled corn on the cob, spread with butter, slathered in a thin layer of mayo topped with a sprinkle of chilli powder, cheese ( parmesan, cheddar ). Garnished with lime and coriander. Eat immediately. Refried Beans1 tin mixed beans - pinto, kidney, chickpeas, butterbeanOilClassic 5 - onion and garlic powder, smoked paprika, cumin and oregano, salt and pepper.Tin of beansDrop of water or stockBlitz, stir in some sour creamServe Churros and Chocolate sauce Chocolate sauce 250ml water100g sugar160g glucose / golden syrup75g cocoa powder55g dark chocolate Method • In a medium saucepan, whisk together the water, sugar, glucose and cocoa powder.• Warm the mixture over medium heat, whisking frequently. Once it just begins to boil, remove from heat and stir in the chopped chocolate until melted.

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• Food Matters - Lamb

  In Episode 31 of Food Matters well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin will give us examples of some recipes for Lamb dishesFood Matters is brought to you thanks to Jack Molloy & Son Craft Butchers, Barrack Street, Waterford. Recipes to DiscussLamb Massaman Curry Creamy Tomato Lamb Ragu PastaLamb Flatbreads with Creamy Yogurt Seasonality and Religious Tradition • The tradition of eating lamb at Easter comes from Judaism. For the Jews, Easter was a feast to celebrate the freedom from slavery. • The Jewish tradition of eating lamb recalled the lamb blood used to mark the doorjambs of Jewish families that were prisoners in Egypt, and which protected the firstborns from the coming of the ‘exterminator lamb’.• The Jewish Festival of Passover is traditionally a spring festival – and this is when the Passover Lamb is killed.• For Christians, the lamb is more a representation of Jesus sacrificing himself and dying on the cross – Jesus being “the lamb of God”. It’s most likely that Christians eat lamb at Easter to remember this sacrifice.• The association of Jesus as "the lamb of God" also may have helped tie the consumption of this meat to Easter. Furthermore, lamb's availability as an accessible meat after winter months with no livestock to slaughter would also encourage our ancestors to serve up a few lamb legs to celebrate. Nutritional ValueVery similar to beefWhat we want to be watching out for - from an over-analysed perspective that is regardless to most - grass fed lamb v grain-fed lamb.• Similar protein as beef and fat content• The iron is haem iron - haem and non haem - haem great to circulate blood around the body.• Full of B vitamins, 100g of lamb can provide around three quarters of your daily requirements. These clever vitamins (B12, niacin, pyridoxine, riboflavin and panthothenic acid) are like a superhero squad which help your body run smoothly. Some B vitamins help with energy levels and some help with skin, brain, blood and eye health, so there’s something for nearly every body department• It's high in zinc Zinc, a nutrient found throughout your body, helps your immune system and metabolism function. Zinc is also important to wound healing and your sense of taste and smell. Fatty / Gamey Flavour Lamb comes from sheep under 14 months old, while meat from older animals is called mutton. The younger the lamb, the more tender the meat. • Why? The tenderness of cooked lamb is directly related to the number of chemical cross-links holding the collagen proteins together. • The number of cross-links increases with the age of the animal, and as the number increases, the process of breaking down the collagen to soluble gelatin becomes more difficult, requiring longer cooking times or higher temperature.• Lamb's unique flavour comes, for the most part, from its fat. • Beef and lamb each contain both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids. But lamb also has smaller, branched-chain fatty acids, produced by bacteria in their rumen. • These medium-length branched-chain fatty acids make up a small percentage of the total fat, but because they are fairly volatile and have a very low odour threshold, humans can detect them at low concentrations. They give lamb its particular "gamy" flavour.This is in part because lamb has a strong and distinctive flavour. It's a flavour that comes mainly from its fat—in particular, branched-chain fatty acids (BCFAs) produced by bacteria in the lamb's rumen. (Research published in the journal Meat Science in 1997 proved that these BCFAs, which are found in a far higher concentration in lamb meat than any other meat, are responsible for this characteristic “gamy” flavuor.)The concentration and resulting pungency of these BCFAs depend in part on the breed of lamb, but mainly on the lambs' diet. Lambs raised on a diet of grass tend to have a more intense flavour than those raised on a diet of grain. The grassy, gamy flavors, known as “pastoral flavors,” that occur in pasture-finished lamb come from an increased amount of compounds called indoles, primarily one called skatole, found in the fat tissues. The amount of BCFAs and indoles increases with age. This flavour change is largely due to chemistry: pasture-fed on mixed grasses is different to lamb who begins their diet of grass but finishes with grain. The switch to grain has a direct impact on the composition of the animal's fat, reducing the concentration of the BCFAs, and ultimately leading to sweeter-tasting meat.n addition to choosing lamb that's grass-fed or grain-fed, you can control how gamy or mild lamb tastes by choosing the right cut. Cuts from the shank, shoulder (including roasts, chops, and stew meat), and leg (bone-in or boneless leg of lamb) have more fat and thus a more intensely lamby flavour, while cuts like rack of lamb, rib chops, and loin chops have less fat and taste sweeter. COOKING LAMBRoast Lamb or Braise LambAromatics - bay, onion, garlicStock and wineSearStudCover with foilLow and slow - 140oC.RestReduce to make a jus / gravy WHY ITS OK TO EAT PINK LAMB When it comes to gamey perfection, don’t overcook the meat. Instead, think pink • For a time there was a fashion among the supposedly sophisticated to go to the opposite extreme and serve roast lamb bleeding rare. I’m not advocating for that either. For me, leg of lamb served rare is unpleasantly stringy. I find myself wanting to pick at my teeth while eating it.• But there is a happy medium that can be found at about 60 degrees internal temperature (you do use a meat thermometer when roasting, don’t you?). The lamb cooked to this temperature is pink, not red, but it is still juicy and the texture is firm, almost buttery.• The muscles in a lamb’s leg get a lot more work and build up quite a bit of tendon and tough connective tissue. These need to be cooked to a higher temperature, but then they will soften and melt and will actually moisten the meat and make it seem more tender. Lamb chops can be served rarer since they come from the loin.• Start the roasting at a relatively low temperature (about 160 degrees) to ensure an even doneness, then crank the oven up to 220 or so for the last 20-30 minutes to get a nice brown crust.• Spring lamb is very tender with a fairly mild flavour. This is one roast I wouldn’t be afraid to serve rarer than usual. As the season progresses and the animal matures, the flavour becomes more pronounced. FlavoursOk when I am cooking Lamb I am thinking Greek, Middle Eastern, Indian, and classic French ( red wine, garlic, rosemary ) Spices that Pair WellMiddle Eastern Earthy not overly spicy onesCuminCorianderSmoked PaprikaOnionGarlicCurryras el hanoutOreganoMintCoriander• Harissa pastes with lemon zest or juice is the perfect condiment for lamb dishes.Whether you rub, sear, grill, or roast your lamb chops or roast in the oven, this North African specialty will surely take your meal to the next level. The combination of herbs, spices, and chilis can bring a depth of flavor that is rarely matched by other sauces or seasonings. With an unforgettable taste that adds a unique twist to any type of dish, it’s no wonder why harissa paste with lemon zest or juice is such a must-have for all lamb eaters!• Greek seasoning is a wonderful way to add complexity and depth to lamb dishes.The quintessential Mediterranean blend of oregano, garlic, onion, dill, parsley, marjoram, and thyme can be used in either a dry or wet form. Sprinkle it onto lamb chops before grilling or roasting for an extra burst of flavor; use it as an aromatic rub on lamb legs or shoulders which will permeate the meat while cooking; mix it into a marinade to give lamb kebabs a unique character. No matter how you choose to use it, classic Greek seasoning blends are sure to take your lamb recipes to the next level.• Shawarma Middle Eastern seasoning is an incredibly flavorful and unique blend of spices that makes lamb dishes irresistible.This combination of cinnamon, nutmeg, clove, allspice, and cayenne pairs perfectly with lamb kofta, which comes as no surprise considering its children’s favorite lamb dish! Not only does it enhance lamb kofta but when added to lamb ribs, steaks, and roasts it elevates the flavor

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• Food Matters - Treats for Mother’s Day

  In Episode 30 of Food Matters well-renowned Chef, TV Cook, and Food Media Broadcaster Aisling Larkin bring us a Treats for Mother’s Day special with LOADS of great ideas. Food Matters is brought to you thanks to Jack Molloy & Son Craft Butchers, Barrack Street, Waterford. Treats for Mother’s Day History - Mothering Sunday. - servantsLove languages, and then look after your mom, according to thatAn Edible Gift - Homemade Salted Caramel BaileysMother Day dishes to cook (breakfast, lunch and dinner )My food festival eventTo Taste:Buttermilk SconesHummingbird Cake Homemade Salted Caramel Baileys(Irish cream Liquor )• 300g dulce de leche (we used Merchant Gourmet)• 1 tbsp instant coffee dissolved in 1 tbsp boiling water• 1 tsp vainilla extract• 300ml Irish whiskey• 284ml/9½fl oz and 142ml/5fl oz pot single creamMethodSpoon the dulce de leche into a bowl, then beat in the coffee, vanilla and whiskey until smooth. Stir in both pots of cream until well mixedPour into 1 large or several smaller sterilised bottles. This will keep in the fridge for 2 weeks. Drink in liqueur glasses or serve over ice. Breakfast in Bed (but not in Bed) Dubai Chocolate PorridgeButtermilk Scones with lemon curd and blueberries400g sr flour350mls of cuinnogs buttermilk1/2 tsp baking powder Think about what you serve your scones with: Jam and Preserves Coffee - Tra Coffee, Bluebird, Coffee House Lane, Pontecelli DinnerAs little wash-up as possibleOne Pan Mediterranean Chicken & Gnocchi TraybakeSpring Pea Pasta Burrata, and HamPrawn Linguine with Lemon & ChilliSide of Salmon - Greek yogurt, cucumber, mint and pomegranate, baby potatoes, local salad leavesPesto Chicken and creamy Greens Lasagna DessertHummingbird Cake - where it comes from and recipe. So Delicious Food Festival MenuSmall plates menu Hummus plate, crispy garlic butter chickpeas and a herb oil Parmesan Arancini with truffle and smoked onion dressing Halloumi with black seed honey dressing with Green Salad (local leaves, shiso, apple and hazelnut with a creamy preserved lemon dressing) Korean Chicken with smacked pickled cucumber, chili crips, pink. Pickled ginger and coconut ice Chocolate Cremeaux with olive oil and sea salt

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