Try your hand at these five delicious traditional Irish recipes from the wonderful Richard Corrigan

Chef patron Richard Corrigan is a pioneer of ingredient-led Irish cooking in London, garnering multiple awards and two Michelin stars across the fi ne dining and bistro style eating establishments in his growing portfolio. A multi-award winning chef and food entrepreneur Richard Corrigan has been a trailblazer for Irish food, blending contemporary cooking with traditional ingredients, in Britain - cooking for the Queen and the Obamas among many other luminaries. He is a farmer's son from Co Meath where he learned his love of simple food from the land. He continues to be “fanatical about simplicity and about the provenance of ingredients”.

He appears regularly on television, hosted his own television series, Corrigan Knows Food and was a quadruple winner of the Great British Menu. Having served his time in Ireland, the Netherlands and in London with Stephen Bull (gaining a Michelin star at Fulham Road) and Mulligan’s in Mayfair, he opened his first restaurant, Lindsay House, in London’s Soho. He was awarded a Michelin star soon after and held on to it for ten years until the restaurant closed in 2009.

He bought Bentley’s, a bistro-style seafood and oyster restaurant and bar in Piccadilly, in 2005 and then his fine dining Mayfair restaurant Corrigan’s in 2009. Bentley’s Sea Grill at Harrods followed in 2012. In between, he also led some stellar fine dining establishments in London opening the private restaurant and bar at the top of St. Mary’s Axe (The Gherkin) in 2004, the Brasserie at The Barbican, House and The English Garden. He fulfilled a long-held dream when he purchased Virginia Park Lodge, an 18thcentury hunting lodge in Co Cavan, in 2013.

He got married to Maria there in 1985. In recent times he is one of a joint venture trio of Irish men that launched Daffodil Mulligans in London’s Shoreditch.

For more visit corrigancollection.com

RICHARD CORRIGAN'S Classic Irish Stew

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

◆ 2 middle necks of lamb, filleted, boned and bones reserved

◆ 450g floury potatoes, such as King Edward, peeled

◆ 450g waxy potatoes, such as Pentland Javelin or Maris Peer, peeled

◆ 700g carrots, peeled

◆ 1 onion, peeled and thickly sliced

◆ good pinch of fresh thyme leaves

◆ salt and freshly ground black pepper

◆ chopped fresh chives and parsley to garnish

METHOD

➊ When the butcher bones the lamb for you, have him give you the bones too. Make a well-flavoured stock using the bones and the trimmings from the carrots and onion, plus other vegetables and herbs you like. You need about 900ml of lamb stock.

➋ Cut the lamb into large chunks and put in a heavy-based saucepan. Pour in the stock. Bring to the boil, skimming o all the impurities from the surface. Remove the pieces of lamb with a draining spoon and reserve. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Add the pieces of lamb and bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer gently for 10 minutes.

➌ Meanwhile, cut the carrots into pieces a little smaller than the pieces of lamb, and the potatoes into pieces the same size as the lamb. Add the carrots, onion and floury potatoes to the pan and simmer for another 10 minutes.

➍ Add the waxy potatoes and the thyme, and simmer for a further 15-20 minutes or until the lamb is very tender. The floury potatoes will have broken down to thicken the sauce, while the waxy potatoes will keep their shape.

➎ Remove from the heat, cover and leave, without stirring, for 15 minutes. Check the seasoning, then serve, sprinkled generously with chopped chives and parsley.

RICHARD CORRIGAN'S Turbot with Mussels, Sea Vegetables and Salsify

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

◆ 2 turbot steaks, on the bone, 200g each

◆ 400g of mussels, cleaned

◆ 400ml of fish stock

◆ 100ml of white wine

◆ 100g of butter, diced

◆ 65g of seaweed

◆ 65g of sea purslane

◆ 65g of sea aster

◆ 20g of sea lettuce

◆ 100g of salsify root, sliced

◆ vegetable oil

METHOD

➊ Preheat the oven to 200°C/gas mark 6

➋ Place a pan over a medium heat and add a splash of oil. Once the oil is hot, sear the turbot steaks until golden all over but not cooked through. Carefully transfer to an oven dish with the mussels, fish stock and white wine

➌ Place a lid on the dish and bake until the turbot is cooked and the mussel shells have opened, approximately 5-6 minutes. Once cooked, remove the turbot and mussels and leave to rest

➍ Strain the juices from the oven dish into a saucepan. On a gentle heat, whisk in the diced butter a little at a time, until emulsifi ed and smooth. Add the sea vegetables, sea lettuce and salsify and cook for approximately 30 seconds to 1 minute until al dente

➎ To serve, place a turbot steak in the centre of each plate with mussels and sea vegetables alongside. Spoon some juices over the top of the fish and serve immediately

RICHARD CORRIGAN'S Beef Wellington

SERVES 2

INGREDIENTS

◆ 500g all butter puff­ pastry, rolled to 15cm x 30cm and ½ cm thick 2cm and left in the fridge

FOR THE MUSHROOM STUFFING:

◆ 50g unsalted butter

◆ 2 pinches sea salt

◆ 2 pinches of pepper, ground black

◆ 1 clove garlic, finely chopped

◆ 500g button mushrooms, finely chopped

FOR THE SAVOURY CREPE:

◆ 150g plain flour

◆ 1 large egg

◆ 325ml semi-skimmed milk

◆ 30g unsalted butter, melted

◆ 1 pinch of salt

FOR THE BEEF:

◆ 300g Irish Hereford prime fillet

◆ 2 pinches of sea salt

◆ 2 pinches of ground black pepper

◆ 30ml vegetable oil

◆ 50g English mustard

FOR THE GLAZE:

◆ 1 egg yolk

◆ 1 pinch salt

FOR THE RED WINE SAUCE:

◆ 2 tbsp butter, unsalted

◆ 2 small shallots, finely sliced

◆ 100g button mushrooms, finely sliced

◆ 250ml red wine

◆ 350ml brown chicken stock

◆ 1 tarragon leaf

METHOD

➊ First of all prep your beef. Season the fillet with salt and pepper before coating in the mustard. Wrap in clingfilm and chill in the fridge.

➋ Next make your crepe which will be a little barrier to help your pastry become crispy by preventing the meat juices reaching it.

Mix the eggs and flour first, then slowly add in the milk and then the butter. Whisk until smooth. Heat a lightly buttered pan and when just about smoking, pour in a large ladle of the mixture, turning the pan as necessary to ensure an even layering. Flip once one side begins to lightly brown. Chill in the fridge.

➌ Then make your stuffing by sweating the mushrooms with garlic and butter until dry. Season before placing in the fridge to cool.

➍ Lay out the crepe on a cold surface, spread the mushroom stuffing evenly and place the beef on top. Roll the meat and wrap tightly again in clingfilm to set for half an hour.

➎ Meanwhile preheat your oven to 270 degrees C or as hot as it goes, before making your sauce. Reduce the red wine and stock with the shallots and mushrooms. When it is the consistency of a glaze, stir in the butter and tarragon and set to one side.

➏ Remove the clingfilm and wrap the beef in the puff pastry before brushing on the glaze. Place on a flat baking tray lined with greaseproof paper and transfer to the centre of the preheated oven. Immediately reduce the temperature to 210 degrees C. If you have a meat probe, remove once the core reaches 47 degrees C. If not, this should take around 40 minutes.

➐ Rest on a cooling rack for around 40 minutes.

➑ To serve, reheat your sauce and slice your wellington. Pour the sauce on the side.

RICHARD CORRIGAN'S Soda Bread

MAKES ONE LARGE LOAF

INGREDIENTS

◆ 250g plain flour

◆ 10g salt

◆ 15g sodium bicarbonate

◆ 150g whole meal flour

◆ 150g jumbo oat flakes

◆ 1 tbsp clear honey

◆ 1 tbsp black treacle

◆ 500ml buttermilk

METHOD

➊ Pre-heat the oven to 200°C and line a baking sheet with greaseproof paper.

➋ Combine all of the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Make a well in the centre, then mix in the honey, treacle and buttermilk, working everything together lightly with your hands until you have a loose, wet dough.

➌ Flour your hands and shape the dough into a round and lift it onto the lined baking sheet. Cut a cross in the top (as the loaf cooks this will help to separate it into quarters).

➍ Transfer to the oven and bake for about 45 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when you tap the base with your knuckles.

➎ Transfer a wire rack, cover with a damp cloth and leave to cool. Don’t even think of putting dairy spread on it. This bread needs and deserves butter

RICHARD CORRIGAN'S Honey and Stout Tart

EQUIPMENT

◆ 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin

◆ Baking beans (rice will work as an adequate substitute, if necessary)

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE HONEY AND STOUT FILLING

◆ 80 ml stout Use a quality, flavourful stout for a beautiful depth of flavour

◆ 1 Bramley apple (approx 150g) peeled and grated

◆ 90 g golden syrup

◆ 50 g rolled porridge oats

◆ 90 g honey

◆ 90 g breadcrumbs stale

◆ 2 eggs

◆ 1/2 lemon zest and juice

◆ 1/2 orange zest only

FOR THE PASTRY

◆ 250 g plain flour

◆ 1 pinch salt

◆ 125 g butter cut into cubes, plus extra for greasing

◆ 50 g caster sugar

◆ 3 eggs

◆ 1 egg for egg wash

METHOD

➊ In a food processor simply pulse together the flour, salt, butter and sugar until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs, then transfer to a bowl, add two eggs and form into a ball of dough. Do not overwork, just mix enough to bring the dough together.

Wrap the dough in clingfilm and leave in the fridge to chill for 20 minutes.

➋ Preheat the oven to 150°C/gas mark 2. Grease a 25cm loose-bottomed tart tin and set aside. Once the pastry has chilled, lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll the pastry out into a large circle, 5cm bigger than your tin. Loosely roll the pastry around the rolling pin, then carefully drape the pastry over the tin and lightly press the pastry into the edges to fit. Carefully trim the edges of the pastry using a sharp knife. Line the pastry with some greaseproof paper, then pour in some baking beans. Blind bake the pastry case in the oven for around 45 minutes until pale golden in colour. Remove from the oven and increase the oven temperate to 180°C/ gas mark 4.

➌ Discard the greaseproof paper and baking beans and brush the entirety of the pastry case in egg wash – this will help to prevent cracks appearing in the pastry.

➍ To make the filling, add the stout and grated apple to a pan and bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and leave the liquid to reduce by half, then remove from the heat and set aside until warm.

Add the remaining ingredients, mix well and pour into the pastry case. Bake the tart for 20-25 minutes until the filling is set.

➎ Remove from the oven, allow to cool and cut the tart into slices. Serve with a good dollop of double cream or some sweetened buttermilk.

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