A Year In Redwood

As I wrote earlier in the week…. we had a truly scrumptious fish supper with friends last Friday.  I promised to share the recipe which I took from the Irish Times a number of years ago, and I think originally came from Paul Flynn of the The Tannery Restaurant in County Waterford.

I have adjusted the batter recipe which called for Guinness – I have substituted sparkling water, which we find makes a much lighter batter.

Baked Beans

• 450 g haricot or similar beans (I used Canellini) soaked overnight
• 1 carrot, roughly chopped
• 2 sticks celery, roughly chopped
• small bunch thyme
• Bunch parsley
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 onion, studded with 4 cloves
• 4 tbsp. chopped shallots
• 1 tbsp. butter
• 1 x 400 g. tin tomatoes

Bring beans tot he boil in a saucepan, along with the carrot, celery, thyme, parsley stalks, bay leaves and the onion studded with cloves.  Simmer for an hour or until tender.  Remove the onion, carrot, celery, parsley stalks and bay leaves.

Saute the shallots in the butter, add the beans and coat well.  Add the tomatoes and chicken stock, season with pepper and salt.  Simmer for 30 minutes.  Carry on cooking until the liquid has reduced and the mixture is thick – approx. another 30 – 40 minutes.

These quantity made enough for 6 on the evening… and there was sufficient to freeze 2 more quantities for 2 more dinners for Farmer Alfie and I another evening.  I will have to get better at taking photographs throughout the process… I took none at all of the beans!  Sorry!

Oven Chips… or as my young nieces call them Daddy’s Tater Trotters!

There is no real ‘recipe’ for these!  Scrub potatoes and dry, cut into wedges.  Heat oil in roasting dish until hot.  Add in the potato wedges and sprinkle with onion seeds.

Depending on potatoes and oven, generally takes about 30 – 40 minutes.

Battered Cod

Battered Cod

• 225 g plain flour
• 300 ml sparkling water
• 4 thick pieces of cod

Sieve flour into bowl, mix in water and set aside to allow to settle for about 40 minutes. Heat oil and dip fish in batter.  Fry fish for approx. 8 minutes.  Keep warm in oven.

The only thing I now need to work out is how to make my own Tartare Sauce!  We had half a jar, Yvonne brought her own jar…. and there was very little left at the end of dinner!

Do try this recipe and let me know how it goes!