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APPETISERSCOUNTRY PÂTÉPâtés originally were invented, it seems, to use up leftover and cheaper cuts of meat. Eventually they became a culinary art form in themselves. Many a French restaurant has built a substantial reputation owing to a good start with an original pâté or terrine. The Irish, whose pâtés used to be imported, have now taken up the challenge, and a number of Irish chefs have invented splendid native variants. Here is my own humbler contribution.Preparation time: 20 minutes Oven position: centre Cooking time: 1 hour Oven temperature: gas mark 6, 200°C, 400°F Ingredients: 1lb chicken livers 500g 2 cups 6 streaky rashers 2 tablespoons oil 1 large onion (finely chopped) 2 cloves garlic, crushed 8oz sausage meat 225g 1 cup 1 small red and 1 small green pepper, seeded and finely chopped 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh mint 2 tablespoons brandy (optional) seasoning watercress Method: Rinse chicken livers under cold water, then steep in salted tepid water for 10 minutes. Rinse in cold water. Line a loaf tin with streaky rashers. Heat the oil and fry the chicken livers for 15 minutes. Add onions, garlic, sausage meat, peppers and mint and continue cooking rashers for 15 minutes. Allow to cool, liquidize (using blender if available) and put mixture through a sieve. Add brandy, if using it, and season to taste. Put into rasher-lined loaf tin. Stand the loaf tin in a deep roasting tin half filled with boiling water. Cover with tinfoil. Set in oven and bake for one hour.Turn onto serving plate; garnish with watercress. MACKEREL TERRINEServes: 4Preparation time: 15 minutes Cooking time: 20 minutes Ingredients: 8oz smoked mackerel 225g 1 cup 5 fl oz milk 150ml 5/8 cup pinch of grated nutmeg 1oz butter or margarine 25g 11/2 level tablespoons 1oz flour 25g 1/4 cup 2 hardboiled eggs finely chopped parsley lemon wedges Method: Put mackerel into a saucepan with milk and nutmeg. Bring to the boil and poach gently for 15–20 minutes. Remove the fish and retain the flavoured milk. Remove skin and bones from the mackerel and flake the flesh. Melt the butter or margarine for a minute, add the flour and beat with a wooden spoon over a gentle heat. Gradually add the flavoured milk. Bring to the boil. Remove shells from the hardboiled eggs and sieve. Combine flaked fish, sauce and eggs and beat well. Pile into serving dish; garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. To vary: Take the rind and juice of an orange. Combine orange juice and enough milk to make up half cup of liquid specified in recipe. Add the orange rind to the sauce along with remaining ingredients BUTTERED COCKLESThere are cockle beaches all round the coast of Ireland. People living nearby collect them in bucketfuls. They are washed several times to remove the sand, then put into a saucepan without any liquid other than that from the shells. They are cooked for five minutes or so, then strained and eaten on their own without any bread or salad.Serves: 3–4 Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time: 4–5 minutes Ingredients: 2 dozen cockles 2oz butter 50g 3 level tablespoons finely chopped parsley seasoning buttered brown scones (to serve) Method: Wash and scrub cockle shells well in cold water, put into saucepan and cook for 4–5 minutes over a gentle heat. Strain off liquid and remove shells. Heat the butter in a saucepan, add deshelled cockles and parsley and heat through for a minute. Turn onto serving dish. Serve piping hot with buttered brown scones. PRAWNCOCKTAILPrawns have been a very popular starter over the years, and such dishes are particularly good when jumbo prawns are available. Mixed with a nice home-made mayonnaise and a little cream, they make a delightful overture to any dinner party.Serves: 4 Preparation time: 20–25 minutes Ingredients: 8 lettuce leaves, washed and shredded 1lb cooked and shelled prawn meat 500g 2 cups 1lb cooked shrimp meat 500g 2 cups 10 fl oz mayonnaise 275g 11/4 cups (See Chapter 10) 1–2 tablespoons cream 1–2 tablespoons tomato purée seasoning lemon wedges paprika Method: Arrange half of lettuce in the bottom of 4 cocktail glasses. Arrange half of fish on top of lettuce. Mix mayonnaise, cream and tomato purée together and season to taste. Pour half of the mayonnaise over the fish. Continue with a second, and if desired a third, layer of lettuce, fish and mayonnaise. Garnish with lemon wedges. Sprinkle with paprika. As an alternative appetiser, using half the amount of fish, take a grapefruit, cut it in half, scoop out the flesh and chop. Mix all of the ingredients together with the grapefruit flesh and pile back into the half shell to serve. Watchpoint: Shrimp should always be cooked when very fresh. |
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