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00:00This Christmas, choose food with the Board B Equality mark for the highest standards, verified at every stage.
00:10Hello and welcome to Limerick City, the location for my Christmas programmes this year.
00:15As usual, there's a lot to pack in, because as well as meeting interesting people and going to interesting places,
00:21I've got some new recipes for you, including a delicious glazed rack of pork and a no-bake hazelnut and chocolate tart.
00:27But first, I'm going to start with smoked salmon and crab meat galettes.
00:36So I'm going to show you a really quick and easy starter that you can have everything made ahead,
00:40and it's a smoked salmon and cream cheese galette.
00:42So these are the galettes, they're puff pastry.
00:45So what you do, you get your pastry, you roll it out, so it's the ready-rolled puff pastry.
00:48And then I'm using a saucer, so I'm getting a nice big kind of size for a galette.
00:53Put that on top, and then using the knife, you cut around the circle.
00:56And then this is a cookie cutter, but I'm not using the sharp end, I'm using this end here.
01:00Press that on top, and then you're going to egg wash it.
01:03So I've just used some egg yolk, a little bit of milk, and then what I do is sprinkle it with sesame seeds and poppy seeds.
01:08So that gives lovely texture, nice bit of colour there.
01:11So I lift that off, and then what I did is that prick it with a fork.
01:15So you put them into the oven on parchment paper at 180, and they'll take about 15 to 17 minutes,
01:19often they're beautiful and golden brown.
01:20And this is what they look like.
01:23You can put them on a cooling rack, but I'm going to show you how to make the filling.
01:26So we're going to use some nice cream cheese.
01:28So this is an Irish cream cheese from Cologne Farm.
01:30Have it at room temperature, so you just give that a nice little stir.
01:34So we're going to put in some lovely creme fraiche into this.
01:36Now lots of lovely herbs.
01:39So your chives, first of all, just cut them as fine as you can.
01:43So in goes your chives.
01:45So some dill.
01:46You can use fennel too, but dill is great with fish.
01:50And then this goes in here too.
01:53Now, we're going to grate some lemon.
01:57Now, so that's the lemon.
01:59We're going to put some lemon juice.
02:03Mix that all together.
02:04So I'm going to put in some beautiful Irish crab meat, which is gorgeous.
02:07And this is cooked.
02:08So I've got about 100 grams in there.
02:12So give this a really good mix.
02:14That's what it looks like.
02:16Now, so I'm going to bring this up another little level.
02:18Just have some beautiful pickled red onion and cucumber.
02:22So dice them both, keep the skin on, remove the seeds from the cucumber.
02:26And then you cover up a little bit of vinegar, white wine vinegar, a touch of sugar, some star anise.
02:30So about three spoonfuls of that.
02:32So there's a nice little bit of texture in that.
02:34So there is from the cucumber.
02:35And then we mix all this together.
02:37So that's it done.
02:38So that can be kept for a few days, which is perfect.
02:41Now, what we're ready to do is to serve up.
02:43So make sure these are cold.
02:44These are the galettes.
02:45So we'll get our plate.
02:46And then just give it a spoon.
02:47And then press.
02:48You kind of just, see where I use the cutter?
02:51That's going to press down.
02:52Because I want to get as much of that nice cream cheese in there.
02:55So spoon that in.
02:56Now, we have our beautiful smoked Irish organic salmon.
03:00Room temperature is always nicer to eat it at.
03:02What I've done, so they come in little strips and I've just rolled them.
03:05So I'm going to place three of these on top.
03:07And then we have some capers.
03:11Now, capers is something you either love or you don't like.
03:13You can definitely leave them out.
03:15So I've removed them from the brine.
03:16And they give lovely, little bit of kind of acidity, sharpness.
03:20So about four or five of them is more than enough.
03:25And then we're going to serve this with some salad.
03:27Again, just dress it at the last minute.
03:29A little bit of nice olive oil here.
03:31And then a touch of balsamic vinegar.
03:35Or you can use a white wine vinegar or cider vinegar.
03:38As you wish.
03:39And I always like to put a little pinch of sea salt.
03:44Nice little pile of the salad.
03:46And the last thing about this is a little bit fresh herbs.
03:49Just some dill.
03:50Just over the top.
03:52But a lovely light starter.
03:53Let's make smoked salmon, crab and cream cheese galettes.
04:01Christmas is a very busy time for butchers up and down the country.
04:08And Limerick has one of the oldest butcher shops in Ireland.
04:11Established more than a century ago.
04:13Well, O'Connell's Butchers was established in 1919 by Paddy O'Connell and his son.
04:19As you can see here, we have two shops.
04:21We have our beef and lamb.
04:23And we have our pork shop.
04:25Back in 1919 and in the early 1900s, Limerick was synonymous with pork.
04:30Okay, yes.
04:31And had a big pork trade.
04:32We had four big bacon factories here in Limerick.
04:36So it was very unionised.
04:37So you could either really only have your pork shop or you could be a beef butcher shop.
04:43So Mr. O'Connell at the time when he opened up, he came up with the novel idea of having two doors into your shop.
04:50One for pork and one for beef and lamb.
04:53And I was looking, you know, at your pork shop, you know, all your kind of Limerick ham, of course, it's famous, isn't it?
04:58We're one of the very few producers left in Limerick that produce actually real Limerick ham.
05:04From start to finish, we brine, we cook, we slice and we sell.
05:09We cook and sell within 24, 48 hours.
05:12We have a recipe from the original pork factory, O'Maras.
05:17Yes.
05:18We still have that recipe today and we still use it.
05:23Now, Christmas, as we know, is a very busy time.
05:25What are the customers looking for?
05:27You know, has it changed now, like, since you started being a butcher?
05:30When I started off first, there was no such thing as a crown of turkey or there was no such thing as a butterfly bone enrolled piece of turkey.
05:39You would sell a full turkey and maybe even most families would buy 16 or an 18 pound turkey and a full ham and it would be cooked and used for the entire week.
05:50So no waste.
05:51No waste whatsoever.
05:52Now they would only buy maybe a smaller cut, a smaller full turkey if they want to be a traditional and a small full ham.
06:02A lot of the younger people would go for the turkey butterfly, which is the boneless turkey.
06:09It can be cut to the size and the same with what we call the horseshoe ham, which is the bone enrolled front of ham.
06:17And again, you can cut it to size and it only does for your two or three days for Christmas.
06:23Lovely.
06:23When I saw the pork shop, there was some sliced kind of red meat, like it looked like beetroot in it.
06:28What was that, brawn?
06:29Yes, that's limerick brawn.
06:30Yes, yes.
06:31It was originally made from anything that was left over from the pig inside in the factory and it was salted and made.
06:38And then they added a beetroot extract to give it that real red colour that you see there now.
06:46Limerick is steeped in history where pork and bacon is concerned.
06:51Well, Anton, it's been absolutely brilliant to visit the shop because I see all the awards.
06:55Congratulations to you and your team.
06:56Thank you very much indeed.
06:57And a very happy Christmas to you.
06:59Rose pork is a delicious meat to enjoy over the festive season and what I'm going to cook is a beautiful rack of pork.
07:09So this is French trimmed.
07:10This is our quality assured Irish pork.
07:12It's a beautiful cut, really tender, on the bone gives so much flavour and it's really succulent.
07:17So it's already trimmed, so it is scored a little bit of the fat and the chine bone is removed.
07:21So that makes it really easy to carve.
07:23So I have some vegetables, a little bit of celery, onion, like that.
07:27We're going to put in some apple because apple works really well with pork.
07:30And then just slice them.
07:33So just sprinkle them all over around the roasted tray.
07:37We're going to put in some marmalade.
07:39One of my favourite vinegars, balsamic vinegar.
07:42And then we have some cloves.
07:45You're going to mix this all together.
07:47So using a pastry brush, we're going to brush this all over.
07:50So I'm kind of dabbing it on now on top.
07:53Some water, just around.
07:54It's going to keep it kind of nice, keep it really, really moist.
07:58This is a good tip.
07:59Some parchment paper, just on top of that there.
08:03And there's a reason why when we put the tinfoil on, it's going to stop it from sticking.
08:07So we have some tinfoil, two sheets, and kind of crunch this all up here.
08:16Cut like this will take between an hour and 20, an hour and 30 minutes, 180, and that's in a fan oven.
08:20I'm going to pop this in now.
08:23Now my tip for this Christmas is make a head gravy.
08:32So the start, first of all, is our beautiful chicken wings, which we've just roasted a little bit of oil, salt, and pepper on parchment paper.
08:39They're in there for nearly an hour.
08:41Over here to our saucepan.
08:42So we have some celery, onion.
08:46We have some carrot in there, and they're kind of caramelized, so they're nice and brown.
08:49Now that takes a good 25 minutes to do that.
08:52So some fresh herbs.
08:54And just tear the bay leaf, just two or three bay leaves, into this.
08:56And then we have our rosemary, and then some fresh thyme.
09:01So stalks and all, don't worry about chopping it, just rip it in there.
09:04So with our chicken wings, we're going to pop this in.
09:06Now to give that a mix there, so you can see all those lovely colours and flavours.
09:14You can smell the herbs now, and that's what's crackling there.
09:17So we're going to deglaze with Madeira.
09:18I love this in a gravy.
09:20So it's a fortified wine.
09:21You could use pork, but I do prefer Madeira.
09:23So I'm going to deglaze it.
09:24It's going to be a little bit noisy.
09:25So a nice red wine into this.
09:31Now we're going to bring this to the boil, and we're going to start to thicken it with
09:38a little bit of flour.
09:39So we just have some plain flour here.
09:40Just kind of sprinkle this in.
09:42So that's what it looks like there.
09:43You can see all that lovely sediment.
09:45So the base for this then is just some boiling water.
09:48Bring it to the boil, and then let this simmer for a good hour.
09:53So you're going to extract as much flavour from those chicken wings.
09:57So I have one already done here, I'm going to show you.
09:59So we've let that, and see the way it's just totally broken down?
10:03What we do is we pass it and squeeze all that lovely sediment through a sieve.
10:08So this is, I'll just show you the consistency of this.
10:12So you're getting all those lovely juices here, and this can be cooled down, put into your
10:17fridge or freezer, can be done a week or two ahead.
10:19So that's my make-ahead gravy.
10:21Now I've taken my pork out of the oven, and it's been resting, and you've got to rest
10:24it for a good 15, 20 minutes to relax the meat.
10:26That's really, really important.
10:27While I was cooking, I kept brushing it with that lovely glaze two or three times, and
10:32that's it there.
10:33It's a glorious cut.
10:34So I'm going to put that in the centre of the dish here.
10:37Roasties.
10:38We all love roasties at Christmas, and them for our make-ahead gravy.
10:42You can put in the lovely juices from your roast pork.
10:45Nice big jug of this.
10:47And that's our make-ahead gravy.
10:49That, I hope, is going to be a great tip.
10:50I hope this is going to be a delicious cut that you and your family will enjoy this Christmas.
10:55That's my beautiful Irish pork.
10:56Enjoy with these lovely vegetables, and happy Christmas.
10:59Over the years, I've cooked the Christmas turkey in so many different ways, but this year,
11:23I think I've got the easiest way of cooking it yet, and it's my butter-baseded turkey breast.
11:29Crush some garlic.
11:31Add this to the butter.
11:32Make sure your butter is at room temperature.
11:34This makes the spreading of the butter over the meat much easier.
11:38And grate in the zest of an orange.
11:40Pick some thyme leaves, and add in some chopped parsley.
11:44Mix all the ingredients together completely.
11:45Spread the butter in a thick layer all over the skin, and make sure the skin is dry.
11:52A small palate life is very helpful for this, but a regular knife or a spoon will work well.
11:58You'll see that the turkey is sitting on the trivet, and I've lined the bacon tray with some greaseproof paper,
12:03which makes the washing up a lot easier.
12:06Cover the turkey with pieces of quality-assured streaky bacon.
12:09I prefer smoked bacon here, and drizzle generously with olive oil.
12:13Be generous, too, with salt and pepper.
12:17Finally, add some cold water to the tray, and this will create steam, which will be trapped by the tinfoil.
12:23Place it over the turkey, tucking it in all around the edges.
12:27Place the turkey in an oven preheated 180 degrees.
12:31The time it takes to cook will depend, of course, on the weight,
12:34and don't forget to keep basting every 15 to 20 minutes.
12:37When it's cooked, leave it to rest before carving, and serve it with whatever vegetables or sides you like.
12:43There's a good chance that you may have left over turkey and ham,
12:48so here's a very easy recipe to use up that delicious meat.
12:54Melt some butter in a large pan.
12:56When it starts to foam, stir in some finely chopped leeks.
12:59Make sure that the leeks are completely coated in the butter.
13:03When these are softened a bit, you're not looking for colour.
13:05Add some chopped spring onion, and again, coat these with the butter.
13:09Crush some garlic, stir this in, and add some thyme leaves.
13:15Sprinkle in some flour, and it's important to cook this out, so keep stirring,
13:19so you'll see it turn into like a sandy texture.
13:22Add some chicken stock, a little bit at a time, and keep stirring.
13:26You want a really smooth sauce that thickens the gratin to the consistency that you prefer.
13:34Some people prefer a thick sauce, others prefer a slightly runnier sauce.
13:38When the sauce has been made, add in some mustard, cream, grated cheddar cheese,
13:44chopped parsley, sea salt, and fresh to ground pepper.
13:48Stir it all together thoroughly.
13:49Cut the leftover turkey and ham into similar-sized pieces.
13:54Add this to the sauce, mixing everything together before you place it into an oven-proof dish.
14:00Adding chopped parsley to breadcrumbs gives this some extra colour and flavour.
14:05Sprinkle this over the creamy turkey and ham mixture, and cook it in the oven,
14:09until the breadcrumbs have turned golden brown, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges.
14:14Serve this with a big bowl of green vegetables, and enjoy this very seasonal dish,
14:18which is really straightforward to make.
14:24If you're interested in food, you can't come to Limerick without visiting the historic milk market.
14:29It's not a full trading day today, as the stallholders are getting ready for Christmas.
14:34But I'm going to have a chat with the markets manager, David Fitzgerald.
14:39David, it's lovely to see you, and I know it's a Thursday, and you've opened a specialty for us, so thank you so much.
14:44No, not at all, Niven, and we're delighted to have you down.
14:45Today would be a kind of a prep day for a lot of the traders.
14:48We have about 10 shops and traders here today, but on a Saturday, you could have 80 traders inside, another 45 outside.
14:54So it's like a real beehive here on a Saturday, and that's the real kind of showcase day.
14:58So right behind us here, we've got Bon Appétit, run by Sebastian and Kasia.
15:03They're a couple that have run that business for over 20 years, start out in a little table,
15:06and they make the most wonderful crepes at this side of the country.
15:10So they're a real top-class operator.
15:12They're neighboured in Wild Irish Chocolates.
15:14Patricia, she's been in business here over 20 years, again, starting out on a little table.
15:19That's a common team doing some of the best artisan chocolates in the business.
15:22And then around the periphery, you'll find some of the best bakers, cafes, restaurants, vintage clothes, crafts,
15:28and just a wonderful range of people that have a real passion for their product.
15:33And within the market on a Saturday, you could have farmers market traders with their produce, freshly grown.
15:38You could have people that have added value products.
15:40They've made cheeses or breads or dips.
15:43As well as all the food, we've a wonderful young trader called Fanon Coughlin over in the corner here with Rhys Storey.
15:48He's got some amazing handcrafted products, flying cheese grocer and grill.
15:52There's a wonderful range of local artisan Limerick products as well.
15:54It kind of gives you a little bit of flavour of what's on show on a Saturday because it's kind of a grocery shop as well.
15:59Great. I'm looking forward to that.
16:00And I want to wish you a very happy Christmas and many happy returns.
16:10David, it's lovely to meet you and a lovely chat with David.
16:13And he told me that you're one of the longest tenants here in the milk market.
16:15I am. I've been here 11 years this month, actually.
16:18I took over an existing cheese stall outside and they used to specialise actually in bringing continental cheeses.
16:26But I've switched that around now.
16:28We have a huge selection of Irish cheeses.
16:30Yeah, I see that.
16:31Yeah.
16:32And of course, a Christmas cheese is very popular, isn't it?
16:34For the day after, it's a big thing now.
16:36You know, everybody's had enough of their turkey and their ham, so they want to try something different that day.
16:41Yeah.
16:41So, very popular.
16:42I know we're talking about cheese, but I'm looking at lots of other local produce.
16:46You have your local apple juice.
16:48You know, you have something from Donegal all over.
16:49The fabulous Atty Flynn.
16:50Atty Flynn out in Limerick, huge orchards.
16:53Yeah.
16:54That's beautiful, award-winning apple juice.
16:56On the cheeses, though, we have, like, locally, we have the crackle cheese, just made literally 10 minutes from here.
17:02Lovely sheep's cheese.
17:03I've been going for over 30 years.
17:05Fantastic cheese.
17:06Why do people love shopping in a market?
17:08They love your local fresh produce, like the local cheeses, but it's a huge social thing.
17:15So, people meet friends here.
17:16You'll see them just bumping into people casually, have a cup of coffee, and you get the great service because you're meeting the producers as well.
17:23You're meeting the people that make the products.
17:25The noise here is fantastic.
17:27The atmosphere is fantastic.
17:29So, from 9 o'clock in the morning, it's absolutely heaving.
17:32So, especially at Christmas, you have people coming in here at 7, half 7, to try and get ahead of the crowds.
17:38Yeah, it's fantastic.
17:39Well, I really hope you have a busy Christmas, and thank you, and wish you and your team a very, very happy Christmas.
17:43Thanks very much.
17:48Chocolate and hazelnut is a great combination, and this chocolate tart is so easy.
17:53So, first thing we're going to do, water goes into the pot, and then glucose.
17:57So, this is some liquid glucose.
17:59We're going to give you a nice, clear caramel.
18:00Now, if you can't get liquid glucose, powder glucose, and you can actually make it without, but sometimes it can crystallise.
18:07So, I'm going to use this whisk here.
18:09Just makes it easier to mix it, and then in goes our caster sugar.
18:16Now, you'll see this changing.
18:17I'm picking a nice, wide saucepan for this.
18:20As you can see, this is on full heat now.
18:21Don't put a lid on it. Let it reduce.
18:23Let's talk about our chocolate.
18:24So, we're using some really good coverage of chocolate.
18:27Two bars of the dark, 70%, and then we have milk chocolate.
18:30See the different colours?
18:31We have some butter in there, too, and we're just melting this.
18:34You're going to stir this all together.
18:36This is from a chocolate producer in Cavan.
18:39Oignes chocolate.
18:39It's a really, really good quality.
18:41So, this is a hazelnut and white chocolate spread.
18:44Look at that.
18:45So, I'm not going to waste that.
18:46I'm going to use that in a moment.
18:47Just going to give that a stir.
18:50See how silky that is.
18:52That's gorgeous.
18:53Now, so what I'm going to do, we're going to make what we call a ganache.
18:57Your chocolate is melted.
18:58You have your butter in there.
18:59With some nice double cream.
19:00The hot cream goes into your chocolate.
19:02Pour that all in.
19:04Now, the easiest way that I've learned to make this, just a wee stick blender.
19:12Oh, yes, look at that.
19:14So, for the base for this, we've blended some shortbread.
19:17So, just shortbread like this in the food processor.
19:19You don't like it if you're making a cheesecake.
19:21Just blend this a little bit of butter.
19:23So, the recipe is on your screen now.
19:25You can look that up.
19:26What are we going to do with the rest of the hazelnut spread?
19:27We're going to put this all over the base.
19:30And then with the back of the spoon, you're just going to go right to the edge.
19:35Now, for our lovely ganache, this goes all over.
19:39Just with the spatula, you go right to the edge.
19:42That'll probably set in about three to four hours in the fridge.
19:44So, I'll move that out of the way.
19:48Now, for our caramel.
19:50So, we have, you can see the way it's changing colour.
19:54So, that's ready now for the orange juice to go in.
19:56That's going to be the first citrus fruit.
19:58So, watch this.
20:00Be careful.
20:02Just reduce the heat a little bit.
20:04And you'll see it kind of sets.
20:06You think, oh my God, I've done something wrong.
20:07No, you haven't.
20:09So, just whisk that there for a minute or two.
20:10What I like to add into it is some vanilla.
20:15So, you could use vanilla extract.
20:17This is the full vanilla pot.
20:18We're going to split this down the centre.
20:20And then that's all those lovely seeds.
20:23And that goes in here.
20:25Now, with the skin, that's going to go in there too.
20:28You're just going to whisk this.
20:31So, when this has cooled down, I'll remove the vanilla skin.
20:35So, let that bubble away there.
20:37Now, we're going to put in our lovely clementines and limes.
20:40The full lime.
20:41Just cut it in half and just juice it in there.
20:44Clementines.
20:45When this cools down, it's going to be like a honey consistency.
20:48And that's it done.
20:49So, that's the caramel ready.
20:52What I've done is just strain it and let it cool completely.
20:55Now, when I'm serving this, I like to take this out about 30 minutes before we actually cut it up and decorate it.
21:00But we're going to finish it off with some amaretti little biscuits.
21:04Heat your knife.
21:05And then we're going to just cut it.
21:07So, go right into the centre.
21:09You can hear that kind of crunch.
21:14Sea salt works really well.
21:16And this is some Ackley sea salt.
21:18Creme fraiche.
21:19Just over to the side.
21:20And then the last thing.
21:21I don't drizzle over the tart.
21:23I just drizzle just to the side.
21:25That caramel.
21:27I really love the combination of the hazelnut and the chocolates.
21:30Finished with the amaretti biscuits.
21:31And that little bit of sea salt.
21:32And then that lovely citrus caramel.
21:34I hope you enjoy this recipe.
21:36It's really delicious.
21:43One of my favourite parts of making these festive programmes is hearing the Christmas carols.
21:48And I'm looking forward to hearing the Encore Chamber Choir.
21:52Performing tonight at St Mary's Cathedral.
21:55Earlier today, I visited the cathedral to meet the very Reverend Niall Sloan.
22:01You're very welcome.
22:02From Mount Nevin to St Mary's.
22:04The oldest building in the city, yes.
22:06Founded by King Donal.
22:08And 1168 is a cathedral.
22:09But it predates that.
22:10And the Vikings, when they established the city of Limerick in 922, had this as their city hall.
22:16It eventually evolved into the royal palace for the kings of Munster.
22:20And 1168, King Donal gifted it to the church.
22:23So it's been a place of worship since 1168.
22:26But we like to think that the feasting as part of what we do here, whether it's over coffee after Sunday morning or around the table at the Eucharist, that echoes back to its historic foundations.
22:38You mentioned feasting.
22:39And I know you were telling me that you do gala dinners here.
22:41We do.
22:42Throughout the year, as supporting our income and our mission, our ministry, we have events here, corporate events throughout the year.
22:49And it very much supports what we do as a cathedral to the city and beyond.
22:53And like how many people could you have at an event like that now?
22:55So at a gala dinner, we can accommodate up to 250.
22:58But we have other events throughout the year with hospitality, whether it's lecture, talks, recitals, concerts, musical events.
23:05And again, hospitality will be a key element to that for us.
23:09Now, I know Christmas is a very, very busy and special time here in the cathedral, which are also very, very well known for the bell ringing.
23:15So, yes, on New Year's Eve, the bells ring out, welcoming in a new year.
23:20And people congregate outside in the grounds of the cathedral, along with St Mary's Prize Band ringing in the new year.
23:25We have a team of ringers.
23:26There must be great excitement and buzz here.
23:29Absolutely.
23:29And just when you're waiting those few seconds before the bell to toll, it's really, it's electric, the atmosphere.
23:35Well, Laila, I want to wish you a very happy Christmas.
23:36You're a fellow Calverman, aren't you, like myself?
23:38Yeah, absolutely.
23:39You're good.
23:39And thank you so much for your time.
23:41Not all.
23:41Happy Christmas to you.
23:43Take the whole with boughs of holly, fa-la-la-la-la-la, fa-la-la-la-la.
23:48I'm delighted to end tonight's programme with a Christmas carol, sung by the Encore Chamber Choir.
23:53And I look forward to seeing you next time for the next episode of Neville's Christmas in Limerick.
23:57La la la, while I sing of beauty's treasure
24:01Fa la la la la, fa la la la la
24:04Bust away the old year passes
24:08Fa la la la la, fa la la la
24:10Hail the new ye lads and lasses
24:13Fa la la la la, fa la la la
24:16Laughing, laughing all together
24:18Fa la la la, fa la la la
24:21Heathers of the wind and weather
24:24Fa la la la, fa la la la
24:27This Christmas, choose food with the Board B Equality Mark
24:38For the highest standards, verified at every stage
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