3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (Nam Pla)
300g (11oz) rice noodles
Small handful each of fresh mint, basil and coriander
½ red onion, peeled and finely sliced wafer-thin
Bunch of spring onions, finely sliced
1 red chilli, deseeded and finely sliced
2 limes, cut into quarters
Sea salt
Place the onion halves and ginger pieces on a grill tray and place under a hot grill to char on all sides. The onion should become slightly soft and caramelised.
Meanwhile, toast the cloves, star anise and coriander seeds in a dry frying pan until they become fragrant and aromatic.
Remove the onions and ginger from the grill and add to a large, 9 litre (16 pint) cooking pot, along with the chicken and toasted cloves, star anise and coriander seeds. Cover with cold water and bring to the boil. Simmer for 50 minutes or until the chicken is cooked all the way through. Turn off the heat and leave the chicken to cool in the liquid.
Lift out the chicken from the liquid, remove its skin and shred the meat. Bring the liquid in the pot back to the boil and then lower the heat, add the fish sauce and simmer for a further 40 minutes until the flavour has intensified. Season with sea salt to taste.
Strain the broth through a fine sieve and skim any fat from the top once it has settled. Place the broth back in the pot and bring to the boil. Add the rice noodles and cook until soft.
Serve the noodles and broth in deep bowls, topped with the shredded chicken, the mint, basil and coriander leaves, slices of red onion and spring onion, red chilli and a wedge of lime.
ANGIE’S SKEHAN FAMILY IRISH STEW
Angie looked after my dad when he was growing up, and when I first started going to school she used to walk me home and give me lunch, which was regularly Irish stew. Her Irish stew is legendary in the Skehan family, with my dad’s five siblings and my eleven cousins all having been brought up on it. Angie always knew how to feed an army of hungry mouths, so I hope this version of the recipe does hers justice!
SERVES 6
2 tbsp rapeseed oil
1kg (2lb 3oz) lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped
4 large carrots, peeled and roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 litre (1¼ pints) beef or lamb stock
900g (2lb) potatoes, peeled and cut into 1cm (½in) slices
Good knob of butter
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Slices of white bread, to serve
Place a large, flameproof casserole pot over a high heat, add 1 tablespoon of the oil and brown the lamb pieces in two batches. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium–high, add another tablespoon of oil and fry the onions, celery and carrots for 4–6 minutes or until the onions have softened.
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3. Return the meat to the pot, along with the bay leaf and stock, season with sea salt and ground black pepper and bring to the boil.
Remove from the heat and push the slices of potato down into and across the top of the stew, dot with a little butter and give a final seasoning of sea salt and ground black pepper. Cover and place in the oven to cook for about 1½ hours or until the meat is tender, then remove the lid and cook for a further 10 minutes until the potatoes have coloured.
You can serve the stew straight away or leave it covered overnight in the fridge for the flavours to develop. Serve in deep bowls with slices of white bread to soak up the liquid.
CHINESE FIVE-SPICE PORK BELLY
Crispy crackling and tender pork belly meat paired with Chinese five-spice powder – a match made in heaven. For just the tiniest amount of work in the kitchen, using an inexpensive piece of meat, you get the most amazing results, which will feed a crowd. There are many different things you can do with pork belly as it’s quite versatile, but I like the simplicity of this method; it’s a nod to Asia, where this is an incredibly popular cut of meat.
SERVES 6
2kg (4½lb) pork belly, fat scored horizontally
3 tbsp rapeseed oil
1–2 tsp Chinese five-spice powder
2 garlic bulbs, peeled and sliced in half horizontally
1 large onion, peeled and cut into thick slices horizontally
Sea salt
Asian Greens and sugar snap peas, to serve
Preheat the oven to 160°C (325°F), Gas Mark 3. Rub the pork belly all over with oil, dust with the Chinese five-spice powder and sprinkle with sea salt.
Place the garlic bulb halves and onion slices in the base of a large roasting tin and place the pork belly on top, flesh-side down. Pour in a few tablespoons of water. Cover with tinfoil and put the roasting tin in the oven and cook for 2½–3 hours.
Turn up the oven to 220°C (425°F), Gas Mark 7, remove the tinfoil and cook the pork for a further 15–20 minutes until the skin is crispy. Carve into thick slices and serve with wilted Asian greens and sugar snap peas.
MUM’S COQ AU VIN BLANC
Coq au vin blanc was a regular winter dish in my house when we were growing up. I have memories of it steaming up the kitchen windows while we did our homework on the kitchen table. It’s a wonderfully warming meal, perfect for cold evenings. Chicken joints such as thighs and legs are often far cheaper to buy than chicken breasts, and meat cooked on the bone always has more flavour.
SERVES 4
1 tbsp olive oil
4 chicken legs
15g (½oz) butter
150g (5oz) bacon or pancetta pieces
2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
200g (7oz) mushrooms (about 10–15 mushrooms), sliced into quarters
2 fresh thyme sprigs
450ml (16fl oz) white wine (about 2 glasses)
250ml (9fl oz) single cream
Good handful of freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley
Sea salt and ground black pepper
Place a large cooking pot over a high heat and add the olive oil. Put the chicken legs in the pot and brown on all sides until they are a golden colour. Remove and set aside on a plate.
Reduce