Irish Pizza

This is a nice variation from the usual doughy pizza base. It’s a bit fiddly to prepare and you end up with a lot of washing up, but it’s worth it.

You will need:

 

Irish pizza base:

800g waxy potatoes

2tbsp olive oil

1 onion, sliced

1 tbsp chives, chopped

1 egg, beaten

50g gouda, grated

Topping:

50g black pudding, diced (preferably Irish)

50g feta cheese, diced (unlikely to be Irish)

50g gouda, grated

Prosciutto, couple of slices, chopped

12 baby tomatoes, halved

1 red chilli, chopped (optional)

A couple of mushrooms, chopped (optional)

First make the pizza base. Boil the potatoes for 10 minutes and drain and cool. Meanwhile, fry the onions in 1 tbsp of oil for about twelve minutes.

 

Grate the potatoes coarsely. Add the chopped chives and, when they’re golden, the onions. Add the beaten egg. Mix thoroughly.

 

Add 1 tbsp of oil to a frying pan, about ten inches in diameter. Add half the potato mixture and press down. Add the gouda, then the remainder of the potato. Press down again and cook on a low heat for ten minutes.

Place a plate on top of the pan and tip it to remove the pizza base. Slide it back into the pan with the cooked side on top and cook for a further ten minutes.

 

Meanwhile, prepare the toppings as above. Pre-heat the grill to medium-hot.

 

When the pizza base is ready, spread the gouda over it and add the other toppings. Place under the grill for six minutes or so until the toppings are done.

 

Serve,

 

Did this work? Yes, this is a nice dish. The pan I used was probably slightly too small, which meant the pizza base ended up being a touch too thick. It would have been better being thinner and, as a result, crisper. Nonetheless, it worked. Basically, you can use whatever toppings you want and I used what I did because they were in the fridge. However, I heartily recommend the black pudding, which goes crispy and has an intense flavour. The blandish feta works well with that, and the tomatoes give a good blast of tartness.

 

Taste rating 7/10 – very nice

Meddlesome rating 8/10 – the pizza base is pretty faithful to the recipe but the topping is pretty much my own.

Mrs M rating 8/10 – “Tonight, I’ve prepared for you Irish pizza,” I said proudly. She took one look at it. “Rosti,” she said…

Chorizo and black pudding barley pilaf

Chorizo and black pudding barley pilaf

I’m guessing this may be a trifle high on the calorie count, so if you’re in the post-Christmas fitness regime you may wish to look away now. If you don’t care about such fripperies, read on, because this is a seriously yummy dish.

Ingredients

You will need:

1 tbsp oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 chilli pepper
200g mushrooms, chopped
150g chorizo, chopped into small pieces
200g pearl barley
600ml vegetable stock
4 slices black pudding
1 tbsp mascarpone

Add the veg and chorizo

Chop the onion finely. Heat the oil and butter in a large pan and add the onion and let it fry for five minutes or so. Meanwhile chop the red pepper, chilli, mushrooms and chorizo. Add them to the pan and give them another three or four minutes.

Add the barley and give it a good stir and cook for a minute. Add about two-thirds of the stock and stir again. Bring to the boil and simmer on a low heat for about an hour. Check regularly and top up the stock. You will probably end up using it all.

In a small frying pan, fry the black pudding for a couple of minutes each side.

Add the barley

When the barley mixture is cooked, stir in a tablespoon of mascarpone and heat it through.

Plate it up and crumble the black pudding on top. Serve.

Did this work? Yes, this is seriously tasty. The chorizo gives a wonderful zing to the flavours and the black pudding provides variety in both texture and taste. Barley is much more interesting than rice and offers a rich, nutty undertaste. The chilli gives a little bit of bite without being too hot. The mascarpone gives a little extra lusciousness. Don’t be fooled into adding too much, though, as this is quite a rich dish in any case.

Leave to simmer for 1 hour

In terms of meddling, this is pretty much completely meddled with. The original dish was vegetarian but, seriously, who wants veggie meals when you can have chorizo? The mascarpone is also an addition, and I think it works. You can omit it with no loss to the overall dish, though. Similarly, the black pudding, which was my addition, can be left out if you prefer, though why you would prefer I couldn’t begin to imagine.

Taste rating – 8/10
Meddlesome rating – 8/10
Mrs M rating – 9/10 – “bloody lovely”

Peanut, corn and cheese chowder with black pudding crumble

Peanut, corn and cheese chowder with black pudding crumble

This is a moreish and easy-to-make light supper dish. It may not be the healthiest meal in the world, but it’s just right for a dull winter evening.

Ingredients

To join me you will need:

25g butter
1bunch spring onions, finely chopped
3 tbsp peanut butter (I prefer chunky, but smooth if you wish)
300ml milk
400ml vegetable stock
200g can sweetcorn, drained
70g rice
200g Edam, grated
Cayenne pepper
2 slices black pudding

First cook the rice according to packet instructions.

Fry the spring onions

Melt the butter in a saucepan and fry the spring onions for about four minutes.

Blend together the peanut butter and the milk and add to the pan. Heat gently, stirring all the time until it is smooth and the lumps of peanut butter have dissolved.

Blend in the stock. Add the sweetcorn. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.

Drain the rice and add it to the mixture. Add the cheese and stir till it melts. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper.

Fry the black pudding

Meanwhile, fry the black pudding in a little oil.

Ladle the chowder into bowls. Break up the black pudding and scatter over the top. Serve.

Did this work? Yes, this is a really tasty dish. I might be inclined to use a stronger cheese, but it works well with the sweetness of the peanuts.

I didn’t meddle much with the recipe. I reduced the stock volume from the original, but probably reduced it too much. Don’t worry if it looks quite liquid as it does firm up considerably once the rice and cheese are added. The black pudding, however, was my addition, and I think it works a treat.

Taste rating – 7/10
Meddlesome rating 3/10
Mrs M rating – 7/10 – “quite rich, couldn’t eat a lot of it”

Black chow mein

Black chow mein

A bit of fusion, and if you think it sounds weird/disgusting/wrong don’t knock it till you’ve tried it. This is a fascinating plateful of texture and taste, combining sweet and sour Chinese chow mein with the very British delights of black pudding. Join me in this. You will need:

Ingredients

8 spring onions
3 tbsp oil
2 chicken breasts, sliced
6 rashers smoked bacon, all fat trimmed and cut into small oblongs
2 sticks celery, cut into matchsticks
100g button mushrooms, sliced
100g bamboo shoots, cut into matchsticks
3 tbsp soy sauce
150ml chicken stock
2 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp sherry
200g noodles
4-6 slices black pudding

Fry the main ingredients

Trim the spring onions and cut into one inch lengths. Heat the oil and add the spring onions and begin to saute. Add the bacon and chicken. Fry for 3 minutes or so, until the chicken has lost its pinkness. Add the celery and mushrooms and fry for another couple of minutes.

Add the bamboo shoots, soy sauce and chicken stock. Bring to the boil and simmer for five minutes.

Boil the noodles according to the packet instructions. Heat a little oil in a fresh frying pan.

Blend the cornflour with the sherry and add to the chicken and bacon mixture. Simmer for another couple of minutes until the sauce has thickened.

Meanwhile, fry the black pudding in the oil for a couple of minutes on each side.

let the sauce thicken

Drain the noodles and pile onto plates. Add the chicken and bacon chow mein. Finally, crumble the black pudding and scatter it over the top. Serve.

Did this work? Yes, I think the black pudding works brilliantly. It has a different texture and different taste from the chow mein, but they complement each other in a quite surprising way. I didn’t quite get my chow mein sauce thick enough, if I’m honest, a by-product of trying to use the cornflour sparingly to satisfy Mrs M’s dislike of it, and I’d put some chilli flakes in if I made it again. But overall I thought this was a really good dish.

Frying tonight

Taste rating 7.5/10
Meddlesome rating – 7/10 – both the chicken and the black pudding were additions, which really makes it a completely different dish.
Mrs M rating – 7.5/10 – 0.5 extra for the black pudding

Whisky chicken, pearl barley and black pudding casserole

Whisky chicken, pearl barley and black pudding casserole

Although I’m Scottish I don’t drink whisky at all. I once had an unfortunate experience which combined Hogmanay, whisky and a caravan and I’ve never touched the stuff since. But it’s very good to cook with. It gives a lovely nuttiness to the taste of whatever you’re cooking. this is a rich and creamy dish which benefits from the whisky, so don’t stint on it.

Ingredients

To join me in making this you will need:

2 tbsp olive oil
8-10 chicken thighs, all the little fatty bits cut off (but not as fastidiously as Mrs M, the Meticulous chef, would do it)
3 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp paprika
600g potatoes, chunked
2 onions, sliced
750 ml hot chicken stock
90g pearl barley
6 slices of black pudding
150g soft cheese
3 tbsp whisky of your preference (obviously I would recommend Glenturret)

Hobgoblin Gold

To serve: either some crusty bread or, like me, make some chilli cornbread (recipe here)

Tonight’s cheffy’s treat is Hobgoblin Gold, a seriously rich and full golden ale. A definite treat.

Heat the oil in the largest pan you possess. This dish requires a lot of space. Mix the flour and paprika and dredge the chicken thighs in it. Add them to the pan and brown them in the oil for 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and onions and cook for a further 3 minutes, stirring to avoid them sticking.

Add stock and barley

Pour in the hot stock and add the pearl barley. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Now add the whisky and cook for a further ten minutes.

Quickly fry the black pudding on both sides. Carefully slide them on top of the potato and chicken mix and cook for a further five minutes. You should have cooked everything in the stock for a total of 45 minutes by now. The sauce should now be nice and thick and the pearl barley and potatoes will be tender.

Add the black pudding…

Stir in the soft cheese and allow to melt. You may need to remove the black pudding to do this, to stop it from disappearing into the mixture. They should sit on top of the finished dish. Serve with the bread of your choice.

Did this work? Yes, this is a tasty dish. I didn’t use paprika and I’ve added it to this write-up because I think the sauce would benefit from something with a little spice. The pearl barley gives the sauce a lovely, velvety texture and makes it rich and creamy and satisfying.

The black pudding was an addition because we happened to have some in the fridge, but I think it is a masterstroke. It cuts across the relative blandness of the chicken and potato mixture and gives some real, rich flavour. I would definitely always use black pudding for this dish in future.

In terms of meddlesomeness, as I said the black pudding was my addition. I used more whisky than the original recipe called for and added it later so as not to lose its taste. I used less soft cheese because, to be honest, it doesn’t need that much.

Taste rating – 7/10, mostly for the black pudding
Meddlesome rating – 6/10, a fair bit of innovation
Mrs M rating – 7.5/10, for the black pudding

And this is the chilli cornbread:

Simon Howie black pudding arrabbiata

Black pudding arrabbiata

In terms of meddlesomeness, this one is off the scale. We had a general election here last Thursday (I don’t wish to talk about the outcome) and, in order to stay up all night watching the drama unfold, I bought some foodstuffs for a hot and cold running buffet, as is our wont. As I was shopping I was tempted by some Simon Howie black pudding, from back home in Perthshire. That’d be just right for a late breakfast on Friday morning, I thought, when I finally surfaced on the morning after the night before. Except I gorged myself so much on the buffet it was tea time on Friday before I could even contemplate food. That left some black pudding in the fridge…

My intention this week was to do a chicken arrabbiata dish. Well, I thought, why not black pudding arrabbiata instead? And so I gave it a try. Reader, this is wonderful…

Simon Howie Black Pudding

You will need:

Oil
One onion, sliced or chopped
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
2 garlic cloves or to taste
1 heaped tsp dried chilli flakes (or to taste)
1 and a half cans of chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp honey (optional)
100ml red wine
250g dried penne
200g black pudding (Simon Howie recommended)
100g baby spinach
75g cheddar cheese, grated

Start off with the vegetables. Add some oil to a pan and cook the onions for three minutes or so. Then add the peppers and cook for another seven minutes. Add the garlic and chilli and cook for a further minute. Stir continuously to prevent it sticking.

Cook your sauce until nicely thick

Add the tomatoes and wine and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 18 minutes. After about quarter of an hour give it a taste. If it seems too acidic (tomatoes can be), then add a dash of honey to taste.

Meanwhile, cook the pasta according to the packet instructions.

Meanwhile, cut the black pudding into thick chunks and fry for a couple of minutes either side.

After you have given the sauce its 18 minutes, carefully slide the black pudding discs into it and continue to cook for a further 7 minutes.

Preheat the grill to its hottest setting.

Let the black pudding break down a bit

Drain the pasta. Using a flat edged wooden spoon carefully break the black pudding slices in two down the middle. Try not to let them break up too much, but they will crumble. Chop the spinach leaves and carefully stir them into the sauce. Add the pasta and mix everything well. The black pudding should now be breaking up but still have recognisable chunks.

Spoon the mixture into a heat-resistant dish and sprinkle over grated cheese. Place under the grill and cook for five minutes until the cheese is melted and turning golden.

Serve.

Black pudding arrabbiata

Did this work? It certainly did. Even though I say so myself, this was seriously delicious. The black pudding is beautifully peppery and the heat of the chilli complements it and brings out the flavours. The sweetness of the vegetables acts as a counterpoint to the black pudding. The cheesy topping gives an extra dimension of luxury. This is an absolutely lovely dish. It is quite rich, so you will probably want a slightly smaller serving size than you would normally have, but you’ll gobble down every mouthful.

Meddlesome rating – 10/10, I basically scrapped the recipe and made it up
Taste rating – 8/10
Mrs M rating – 8/10 plus 0.5 for creativity.