Entertaining at home: a celebration of great Irish ingredients

This lamb hot pot is a favourite comfort food of mine. It is like an Irish stew done in a slow cooker. You could cook it in a casserole for two and a half hours at 160oC. The main thing is to have very tender meat. We have so much good lamb in Ireland, so always look out for the Bord Bia quality assurance mark. This meal is also full of great vegetables and, if you like, you could add spices, such as curry or harissa, for example. I also love the texture of the pearl barley in this.

This hot smoked salmon salad is a nice stylish salad. I particularly like this dressing. I often use cider vinegar instead of balsamic and Highbank Orchard offer excellent organic Irish apple products. For nuts and seeds look to Good4u in Sligo, who are nearly 20 years in business. Instead of pea shoots, you might use some rocket.

This apple and almond tart is one of the first things I learned to make as a youngster. You can make the pastry ahead of time and freeze. The filling is like a frangipane. I like it with ice cream. Morelli Ice Cream, made in Coleraine, use double cream and the best of Irish dairy to produce lovely smooth velvety ice cream.

Happy cooking,

Neven

Serves four

4 eggs

500g baby new potatoes

100g baby spinach leaves

1 shallot, finely chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp apple cider vinegar

1 x 200g vac-packet of baby beetroot, halved or quartered

4 hot smoked salmon fillets (about 300g)

1 x 50g packet of pea shoots

2 tbsp spiced nuts and seeds (such as Good4U)

For the dressing

120g soured cream

Juice of ½ lemon

3 tbsp snipped fresh chives

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Sea salt and black pepper

1. Place the eggs in a pan of boiling water and simmer for seven minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and cool down under cold running water. Peel off the shells and cut each one in half. Set aside until needed.

2. While the eggs are cooking, make the dressing. Place the sour cream in a bowl with the lemon juice, chives and mustard. Season to taste.

3. Meanwhile, place the potatoes in a large pan of boiling salted water and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender when pierced with a sharp knife. Drain the potatoes and cut into slices and add to the spinach with the shallot.

4. Drizzle over the oil and vinegar and season to taste.

5. Spoon the baby spinach and potato salad onto plates and scatter over the beetroot and spiced nuts.

6. Scatter over the flaked salmon, then drizzle with the dressing. Add the soft-boiled eggs and a good grinding of black pepper, then scatter over the pea shoots to serve.

Serves four to six

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

450g (1lb) stewing lamb pieces, well trimmed (if it has bones in it, add another 225g (8oz) to the weight)

100g (4oz) smoked streaky bacon lardons

1 large onion, sliced

4 carrots, cut into big chunks

1 small turnip, cut into chunks

6 potatoes, cut into chunks

2 bay leaves

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

1.2 litres (2 pints) chicken stock (from a cube is fine) or water

50g (2oz) pearl barley

1 large leek, trimmed and sliced

Knob of butter

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Preheat your slow cooker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. If your slow cooker has a saute option, you can use this, but if not then use a saute pan on the hob.

2. Heat the oil over a medium heat, then add the lamb and brown all over, turning regularly. Add the bacon and saute for a few minutes, until sizzling.

3. Place in a slow cooker (if you have used a separate pan). Add the onion, carrots, turnip, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and enough of the stock or water to just cover. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low for six hours.

4. Stir in the pearl barley and leek, then raise the temperature to high and cook for two hours more, until the pearl barley is tender.

5. Stir in the butter just before serving, then ladle into warmed bowls and add a good grinding of black pepper to serve.

Serves six

125g (4½oz) butter, softened

100g (4oz) icing sugar, sifted

100g (4oz) ground almonds

25g (1oz) plain flour

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 vanilla pod, split in half lengthways and seeds scraped out

Large pinch of ground cinnamon

450g (1lb) cooking apples

Juice of ½ lemon

2-3 tbsp apricot jam

Softly whipped cream, to serve

Caramel ice cream, to serve (optional)

For the pastry:

175g (6oz) plain flour, plus extra for dusting

100g (4oz) butter, chilled and diced

50g (2oz) caster sugar

1 egg yolk

½ tbsp cream

1. To make the pastry, place the flour in a food processor with the butter and sugar and pulse until just blended. Add the egg yolk and cream and blend again briefly. Wrap with cling film and chill for one hour to rest.

2. To make the filling, place 100g (4oz) of the butter in a large bowl with the icing sugar and beat until light and fluffy using an electric hand beater. Beat in the ground almonds and flour, then gradually beat in the eggs, vanilla seeds and cinnamon. Continue to beat for five minutes, until light and fluffy.

3. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a 23cm (9in) loose-bottomed flan tin. Chill again for 15 minutes to allow the pastry to rest.

4. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/gas mark five).

5. Peel the apples and cut into quarters to remove the cores, then cut into thin wedges. Tip into a bowl and toss in the lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Spread the almond filling in the pastry case and carefully arrange the apple slices on top in a fan shape, then gently press the apples down into the filling. Dot with the remaining 25g (1oz) of the butter.

6. Bake the tart for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pastry is cooked through and the apples are golden brown. Remove from the flan tin and transfer to a plate. Melt the apricot jam in a pan or in the microwave and brush it over the tart.

7. To serve, cut the tart into wedges and serve warm or cold on serving plates with a good dollop of whipped cream and a scoop of caramel ice cream.

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