Recipes from Taste of Dublin 2013 (2024)

Open Tomato Ravioli with Palermo Chicken

Serves 4

My children always call this recipe Palermo chicken as the flavours are a great reminder of happy dinners gathered together during the summer.

For the sauce

2 free range chicken fillets, organic preferably

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tsp thyme, chopped

1 tbsp tomato puree

2 sundried tomato halves, finely diced

2 red peppers, sliced into thin strips

120ml white wine

180ml double cream

4 tbsp grated parmesan

4 basil leaves, torn

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Rapeseed oil

Parmesan shavings, for garnishing

Basil leaves, for garnishing

Make the pasta dough as per the pasta making instructions below, wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 C
2. To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large frying pan, add the chicken and sauté to brown on both sides, then transfer to the oven to cook – about 15 minutes
3. Meantime add the onion, thyme, sun dried tomatoes and red pepper to the pan, with a little more oil if necessary and cook until softened – about 7 minutes.
4. Add the garlic and tomato puree cook for about 1 minute.
5. Add the wine, cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
6. Stir in the cream, parmesan, torn basil leaves and set aside. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper as required.
7. Divide the tomato pasta dough into 5 equal pieces; roll the dough through all the settings on your pasta machine, ending with the second to last setting. Keep the dough you are not working with covered with a damp cloth. Cut the dough into 12cm x 8cm rectangles.
8. Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil. Add a little olive oil. Cook the rectangles for about 2 – 3 minutes and carefully lift them out with a slotted spoon.
9. Meantime, slice the roasted chicken into strips and mix gently with the sauce
10. To serve, layer the pasta with the chicken and sauce – three layers per plate is ideal.
11. Sprinkle over a few parmesan shavings, basil leaves and serve immediately.

Pasta Making

Freshly cooked homemade pasta is far superior to the commercially produced alternatives. The following quantities are only guidelines: depending on the humidity, type of flour etc, you may need to add a little more flour. The dough must not be too soft – it should be quite hard to knead. Too much extra flour will make the pasta tough and taste floury.

Traditional method of making pasta:

Sift the flour and salt onto a clean work surface and make a well in the centre with your fist. Beat the eggs, herbs and tomato puree together and pour into the well.

Gradually mix the liquid ingredients into the flour, using the fingers of one hand. Knead the pasta until smooth. Wrap in cling film and allow to rest for at least 30 minutes before attempting to roll out; the pasta will be much more elastic after resting.

Using a food processor:

Sift the flour and salt into the bowl. Pour in the beaten eggs herbs and tomato puree and process until the dough begins to come together. Turn out and knead until smooth. Wrap in cling film and rest for at least 30 minutes.

Rolling out using a Pasta Machine:

Feed the rested dough through the widest setting several times. Pass the pasta through the machine, narrowing the setting by one notch each time, until the required thickness is reached. Generally the second from last setting is best for tagliatelle; the finest setting is used for ravioli or other pasta that is to be filled.

Once the required thickness is reached, hang the pasta over a piece of dowelling or a clean broom handle to dry a little; this will make cutting easier as the pasta won’t be as sticky. (If you are making stuffed pasta, drying isn’t necessary because it needs to be slightly sticky to adhere properly.)

Fit the appropriate cutters to the machine. Pass the pasta through, then transfer to a tray covered with a lightly dusting of flour. Toss the pasta lightly in the flour or drape the pasta over the dowelling or broom handle again allowing to dry a little until ready to cook.

To Cook Pasta:

As a guide, you will need 4 litres (7 pints) of water and 45ml (3 tbsp) salt to every 350-450g (12 oz-1lb) fresh or dried pasta. A tablespoon of olive oil will help to stop the water boil over and prevent the pasta sticking but if you have enough water in the pan and you stir the pasta as it goes in, it will not stick. Add the pasta to a large pan of boiling salted water and stir once to prevent sticking. Do not cover, or the water will boil over.

Quickly bring the pasta back to a rolling boil, stir once and boil until al dente, literally to the tooth. The pasta should be just firm to the bite; it should not have a hard centre, nor should it be very floppy. Calculate the cooking time from the moment the pasta starts to boil again.

Fresh unfilled pasta such as spaghetti and tagliatelle, usually takes 2-3 minutes to cook.

Quickly drain the pasta well using a large colander or sieve. Hold back 30-45ml (2-3 tbsp) of the cooking water – this will help the sauce to cling to the pasta. Dress the pasta immediately with the sauce, oil or butter. Serve hot pasta straight away. It is up to you whether you toss the sauce before serving or serve it piled on top of the pasta. Either way, the pasta should be tossed with the sauce before eating.

Beef Stir Fry with Dillisk Flatbread

Serves 4 and makes about 16 flatbread triangles

This is our Ballyknocken fusion recipe. You can add rice or noodles with the stir fry but I like the dillisk flatbread triangles.

For the Beef Stir fry

350g Irish strip loin steak, sliced into thin strips

3 tbsp oyster sauce

Zest and juice of 1 lime

1 tbsp honey

1 tbsp chilli sauce

1 red chilli, finely sliced

1 yellow pepper, sliced into thin strips

4 spring onions, sliced

2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

2cm ginger, peeled and sliced into fine julienne

1 carrot, peeled and grated

1 pak choi, sliced

50g spinach, washed and trimmed

2 tsp Nam pla (fish sauce)

Rapeseed oil, for stir frying

For the Dillisk Flatbread

100g plain flour

1 tbsp finely chopped dillisk

1 tsp clarified butter, plus extra for brushing

1 tsp rapeseed oil, plus extra for rubbing over the dough

¼ tsp salt

1. For the flatbread, mix the flour, chopped dillisk, clarified butter, oil and salt and enough water to make a soft dough. Rub oil over the dough, wrap it tightly in parchment paper and leave to rest for 1 hour.
2. Tear off a piece of dough about the size of a golf ball. Using a rolling pin, roll a small circle about 5cm in diameter on a floured surface. Spread the dough with a little clarified butter. Fold into half again and spread a little more clarified butter over. Roll into a small 5cm circle again, ensuring it’s very thin. Slice the circle into quarters to form triangular wedges.
3. Heat a large, dry, flat, non-stick pan over a medium heat. Place the flatbread triangles in the pan and cook for about 1 minute on each side, until light golden brown. Serve with the beef stir fry.
4. To prepare the stir fry, place the beef and oyster sauce into a bowl and toss together. Combine the lime zest, juice, honey and chilli sauce together in a small bowl.
5. Heat 1 tablespoon of rapeseed oil in a large wok over medium heat. Add the beef and quickly sear. Remove from the wok and set aside.
6. Add another 1 tablespoon of oil and add the yellow pepper, spring onions, shallots, garlic, and ginger and stir fry for about 2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp of the lime and honey mix and add the carrots, stir frying for about 3 minutes. Add the pak choi and a little more lime and honey mix and stir fry. Finally, add the spinach and stir fry for about 1 minute. Check the seasoning, add the Nam pla for seasoning. Serve immediately with the dillisk flatbread.