Last weekend, I had a really enjoyable time at the Ideal Homes show at the RDS in Dublin. This is always a great event with great crowds and it was a real pleasure to see so many children out with their families.

It was especially good to see so many of them interested in cooking. I was kept busy at the show doing three demos every day with Dunnes Stores Simply Better.

This year, our theme was ‘Christmas Made Easy’. In the coming weeks, I’ll be sharing plenty of holiday food recipes and tips here in Irish Country Living, as well as some of our traditional Christmas favourites, so be sure to stay tuned.

At the Ideal Homes Show, I started each cookery demo with a celebration of Irish seafood followed by a main course of buttermilk-brined roasted turkey. Hogan’s Farm in Co Meath is a second-generation farm with over 50 years in business; now operated by brothers Fintan and Paul. They are great producers and, needless to say, are getting very busy at this time of year.

There were a lot of Irish producers there who are part of the Simply Better range, and it was also great to meet producers and people I met previously while filming my various food trail programmes on RTÉ.

Bon Chocolatiers, run by Georgia Quealy and Daniel Linehan, make wonderful Irish artisan chocolate in Athlone. Both are classically trained chefs who worked in top restaurants both here in Ireland and abroad before starting their business.

I also got the chance to meet the Meere family from Quinn, Co Clare, where Barry and Orlaigh (Meere’s Pork Products) make a range of traditional sausages and puddings.

Some of the recipes they use go as far as back as Granny Meere, which is really special.

At events like these, I always invite people to join me on stage and I am never disappointed with the culinary talent out there. I am also always happy to have Claire Beasley on stage with me – she is part of our team in the restaurant and cookery school and she keeps the show on the road.

During and after the cookery demonstrations, I have people as young as six years old approach me with questions and comments. I have also met people who have come back to me again to say they are now working as chefs, and I am always so delighted that I may have provided some small bit of encouragement to them.

In addition to the demos, I also do some masterclasses in things like knife skills, or how to prepare and present the perfect cheese board. If there is time afterwards, I am always happy to sign books for people. I have a new book out now called Eat Out at Home.

Fishmonger

Today, I am sharing two seafood-forward pasta dishes with two different but equally delicious flavour profiles. The first is this linguine dish, and it is the perfect one-pot meal. If you don’t like linguine or don’t have any on hand, don’t worry – you can use any type of pasta for this recipe.

I am very conscious that an increasing amount of seafood is now being enjoyed in Ireland and we certainly notice this at the restaurant. You can use tiger prawns here, but if you want to splurge, use langoustines (Dublin Bay prawns) instead. They really are the king of prawns, with a soft texture and naturally sweet flavour. For the restaurant, we get ours from Mullaghmore in Co Sligo.

For the seafood spaghetti recipe, it is worth visiting your local fishmonger who may have a seafood mix or will make one up for you. Mussels are great value and we produce excellent quality mussels here in Ireland. The chilli adds the ideal kick, but sometimes I also like to add some smoked bacon or chorizo to the dish – both of which work really well with seafood.

Linguine with prawns, peas and fine beans

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

500g linguine

175g frozen peas

200g fine green beans, trimmed and halved

450g cooked black tiger prawns

Finely grated rind and juice of 1 small lemon

300ml crème fraîche

20g fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves stripped and roughly chopped

20g fresh basil leaves, stripped and shredded

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Cook the pasta in a large pan of boiling salted water for 10–12 minutes or according to the packet instructions, until al dente (tender but still with a bite). Four minutes before the end of the cooking time, add the frozen peas and green beans to the pan.

2 Drain the pasta and vegetables, then return to the pan over a low heat. Add the prawns, lemon rind and juice, crème fraîche and the herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper and heat through for 4–5 minutes, until the sauce is slightly reduced and piping hot.

3 Divide between bowls and add a good grinding of black pepper to each one before serving.

Top tip

One of the most crucial aspects of cooking pasta is achieving the perfect texture known as al dente. Al dente is an Italian term that translates as ‘to the bite’. The pasta should have a slight resistance when you bite into it, without being too soft or chewy.

Spaghetti with seafood

Spaghetti with seafood. \ Photography: Philip Doyle. Food Styling: Janine Kennedy.

Ingredients: Serves 4-6

1.5kg mussels

2 tbsp dry white wine

350g spaghetti

4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 red chilli, thinly sliced into rings

2 small squid, cleaned and cut into thin rings

350g raw prawns, peeled and veins removed

200g cherry tomatoes, halved

2 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method

1 Clean the mussels and remove the beards under cold running water. Place in a pan with a lid and pour over the wine. Cover tightly and cook over a high heat for a few minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until all the mussels have opened – discard any that do not.

2 Strain through a sieve, reserving 150ml of the cooking liquor, leaving behind any grit. Reserve a few mussels for garnish and remove the remainder from their shells.

3 Meanwhile, twirl the spaghetti into a pan of boiling salted water. Stir once and cook for 10–12 minutes or according to the instructions on the packet, until al dente (tender but still with a bite).

4 Heat the oil in a heavy-based frying pan over a medium-high heat. Add the garlic and chilli and sauté for about 30 seconds, until lightly golden. Add the squid and continue to cook for a few minutes, then tip in the prawns and sauté for another minute or so, until just sealed. Add the reserved cooking liquid and reduce slightly, then tip in the mussels, tomato halves and parsley.

5 Season to taste and then allow to just warm through.

6 Drain the pasta and return it to the pan, then pour in the seafood sauce and fold together until well combined. Divide among warmed wide-rimmed bowls and serve at once.

Top tip

Wash the mussels under cold, running water or place in the sink or in a large bowl of cold water. Move them around with your hands to wash thoroughly.