Recipes from My Mother

2. Melt the butter in a saucepan over a medium-low heat, then add the onions and cook for 6–8 minutes until they are completely soft and a pale gold colour. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely.

3. Meanwhile, mix the mince with the herbs and egg and season with salt and pepper. Add the cooled onions and mix together thoroughly. Break off a small piece of the mixture and fry it in a little oil, then taste it and adjust the seasoning if needed.

4. Next, use your hands to shape the mixture into 6 large or 8 medium-sized burgers, 1–2cm (½–¾in) thick.

5. Place a frying pan over a medium heat and heat the olive oil. Fry the burgers for 4–7 minutes on each side depending on the thickness and how well done you like your burger. You may need to do this in two batches, adding more olive oil when frying the second batch.

6. Serve on burger buns with lettuce and gherkins and a blob of horseradish and tarragon mayonnaise.

Creamy pork and tomato pasta

SERVES 4–6

My mum used to make lots of great comforting pasta dishes like this when we were little, but no two ever seemed to be the same. In fact, when I asked her for one of her recipes, she just said that she used to make it up as she went along! So here is my version of one of Mum’s delicious concoctions – I hope you like it as much as I do.

500g (1lb 2oz) pasta, such as pappardelle or tagliatelle

25g (1oz) butter

250g (9oz) onions, chopped

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

400g (14oz) minced pork

1 tbsp chopped sage

a little grated nutmeg

2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

400g (14oz) tomatoes, peeled and chopped (see tip, here), or 1 × 400g tin of chopped tomatoes

pinch of sugar

2 tbsp chopped parsley

150ml (5fl oz) regular or double cream

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 1 teaspoon salt, add the pasta and cook for the length of time specified in the packet instructions or until al dente.

2. While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the onions and garlic, cover the pan with a lid and sweat the vegetables until soft but not coloured. Season with salt and pepper.

3. While the onions and garlic are sweating, mix the pork with the chopped sage, then season with grated nutmeg, salt and pepper.

4. When the onions and garlic are soft, remove them from the pan and set aside.

5. Add the olive oil to the pan and return to a medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pork in little pieces pinched off with your fingers, or with a teaspoon. Fry the pork on all sides until golden, then return the onions and garlic to the pan and add the tomatoes, season again with a pinch of salt and pepper and a pinch of sugar. When the tomatoes have cooked down to half their original volume, add the parsley and cream and cook for a further 2–3 minutes to thicken slightly.

6. Drain the pasta, strain the pasta but reserve about 100ml (3½fl oz) of the cooking water – this is very useful for adding into the pasta sauce if it’s too thick, or stirring into the pasta itself if you’re waiting for the sauce to cook and the pasta starts sticking. Add the sauce to the pasta, mix well to combine, adding a little pasta cooking water if it needs loosening, then serve immediately.

Lamb’s liver on toast with whiskey, garlic, thyme and cream

SERVES 4 AS A STARTER

A quick supper dish that makes the most of the great pairing that is liver and whiskey.

300g (11oz) lamb’s liver, cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks

200ml (7fl oz) milk

4 slices of bread

25g (1oz) butter, plus extra for the toast

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

2 tsp thyme leaves, roughly chopped

60ml (2½fl oz) whiskey

100ml (3½fl oz) regular or double cream

1. Soak the lamb’s liver in the milk in a deep bowl for 30 minutes.

2. Toast the bread, butter the slices, then place them on plates and keep warm in the oven.

3. Melt the butter in a large pan over a high heat. Pat the liver dry on kitchen paper. When the butter is foaming, add the liver and fry until deep golden and crisp. Add the garlic and thyme and fry for just 1 minute more until the garlic is light golden.

4. Next, add the whiskey. If you are using gas, tilt the pan carefully towards the flame, otherwise hold a match near the edge of the pan. Either method should cause the alcohol to flare up, so be careful not to burn yourself. When the flame dies down, add the cream and allow it to bubble until the contents of the pan reduce to a quite thick creamy sauce.

5. Spoon the liver and sauce over the buttered toast and enjoy!

Liver, bacon and onions

SERVES 4

This recipe is inspired by hearing my friend Patricia talk about her mum’s cooking as she was growing up. As in many Irish and British houses, offal made a regular appearance in home cooking. Patricia’s mum, Maura O’Brien, cooked liver once a week and always, says Patricia, on the day that it came from the butcher, so it was nice and fresh.

600g (1lb 5oz) lamb’s liver, cut into 8 slices, 1.5cm (⅝in) thick

300ml (½ pint) milk

50g (2oz) butter

150g (5oz) onions, sliced

100g (3½oz) streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (½in) strips (lardons)

2 garlic cloves, sliced very thinly

25g (1oz) plain flour

2 tbsp chopped parsley

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve

buttered toast (optional)

1. Soak the liver in the milk for at least 30 minutes.

2. Heat half the butter in a frying pan, add the onions, bacon and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Fry gently, so that the garlic doesn’t burn, until the bacon becomes crispy and the onions and garlic are golden. Remove from the pan and set aside.

3. Mix the flour with a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Pat the liver dry on kitchen paper, then toss in the seasoned flour to coat.

4. Melt the remaining butter in the frying pan, then add the slices of liver and fry on both sides to a nice crispy finish. Return the onions, bacon and garlic to the frying pan and heat through with the liver.

5. Divide among four warm plates, sprinkle each plate with a little chopped parsley and serve with lots of buttery toast, if you like.

Pasta with smoked salmon, bacon and cream

SERVES 4–6

A supper that features regularly at our house, this pasta dish makes a little smoked salmon go a long way. The salty, rich, smoked fish loves a fresh green vegetable as a companion: peas, broad beans, broccoli and asparagus all work a treat.

500g (1lb 2oz) pasta, such as pappardelle or tagliatelle

a knob of butter

100g (3½oz) streaky bacon, cut into 1cm (½in) strips (lardons)

100g (3½oz) frozen peas

150g (5oz) smoked salmon, cut into 1cm (½in) cubes

150ml (5fl oz) regular or double cream

good squeeze of lemon juice

1 tbsp chopped parsley or a mixture of parsley, chives and dill

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil with 1 teaspoon salt, add the pasta and cook for the length of time specified in the packet instructions or until al dente.

2. When cooked, strain the pasta but reserve about 100ml (3½fl oz) of the cooking water – this is very useful for adding into the pasta sauce if it’s too thick, or stirring into the pasta itself if you’re waiting for the sauce to cook and the pasta starts sticking. You don’t need to add oil or butter to the pasta once it’s drained.

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