11 September 2009

John Martin's Tales of the Dogs: A Celebration of the Irish and their Greyhounds is out now. The launch of the book is on Wednesday 16 September, but my husband and I had an amazing introduction to the greyhound racing experience at Shelbourne Park last Saturday, when we went to the semi-final of the Irish Greyhound Derby.

We soon got a general grasp of the terminology and by the end of the night, were feeling confident enough to place combi bets. We're now hooked and my husband is off to the bookies at lunchtime to place our bet for tomorrow night's Derby final . . .

Thank you to Orla and everyone at the Irish Greyhound Board for a great night.

27 August 2009 - Recipe from The Yellow Door

The August bank holiday weekend is a great time to cook for family and friends. The weather forecast looks woeful, for NI anyway, but this lovely recipe from The Yellow Door: Our Story, Our Recipes is sure to brighten the rainiest day.

Seafood Stew with Saffron and Tomatoes

This golden-orange fish stew is one of my favourite suppers to share with friends. It is easy to prepare, very versatile and just hits the spot in late summer – a ray of sunshine in a bowl.

Serves 6

3–4 tbsp olive oil
2 onions, thinly sliced
1 leek, white part only, finely sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 glasses of white wine
1 x 400g can tomatoes
500ml fish stock
pinch of dried chilli flakes
large pinch of saffron threads
grated zest of ½ lemon or orange
2 bay leaves
bunch of marjoram stalks
bunch of parsley stalks
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1.5kg mixed fish, such as hake, mullet and monkfish, skinned, filleted and cut into chunks
500g raw shellfish, such as mussels, clams and prawns, scrubbed and beards removed from mussels
2 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley or coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a large frying pan or skillet. Add the onions, leek and garlic and cook for 3–4 minutes. Do not allow to colour. Add the wine, tomatoes, stock, chilli flakes, saffron and lemon or orange zest. Tie the bay leaves into a bunch with the marjoram and parsley stalks, then add them to the pan with some salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 25 minutes, after which time the tomatoes will have started to break down. Give the tomatoes a squash with a wooden spoon to help them along.

Add the chunks of fish, firmest fish first, and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the shellfish, discarding any open mussels or clams that do not close when tapped, and cook for a further 4–5 minutes until the prawns are cooked and the mussels and clams have opened. Discard any unopened mussels or clams.

Remove the bunch of herbs and add the chopped parsley or coriander. Serve the stew immediately, with big chunks of crusty bread and a bottle of well-chilled crisp white wine.

© Simon Dougan, taken from The Yellow Door: Our Story, Our Recipes