Bright Green Water - with apologies to Rhodri Morgan

Last cooking day this week, off on our trip tomorrow and lectures on Friday.

On paper very easy, Vietnamese Salad and Curly Kale. I started with the Salad and hand shredding chicken. The recipe called for breast which is easy to shred finely, this being Ballymaloe I got mainly leg and thigh so as not to waste any chicken from yesterday. 55 minutes of hand shredding later, and some nice comments from teachers about how fine I was shredding, half of my pile was given to someone else who had complained about the lack of breast available!! Oh well, ever onwards and upwards so shallots finely sliced for deep frying for the crispy shallot topping. Then the lime juice gastric which would infuse the chicken and the Prawn Crackers accompaniment. Can you do enough for 70 for lunch please. I cooked more crackers than a take away during the Moon Festival. Mings Garden if you need a cracker chef I'm your boy!

On then to the Kale. 1lb destalked and boiled for 6 minutes, "If you remove them with a slotted spoon someone else can use the water". Into a Magimix to puree ( I passed on the Magimix and the washing up to the person who used my water), back into a pan with butter, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg to finish. Later Rachel Allen described it as delicious when she had some at lunch.

Plating up, receiving good comments, tasting cakes and scones then on to lunch.

Chicken three ways, assorted accompaniments, Spicy Chickpea soup Cake and cream and coffee.

Hence to Demo and Rachel made her first appearance on the course though we shall have her once a week in future. At high speed and with good humour she whisked us through a trio of winter soups, Kale, Watercress and Spinach (more green water Midge), Bacon Chops with an Irish Whiskey sauce, A new coleslaw like salad and a mother recipe for pastry done by the creaming method (Blackberry and Apple Tart in our case), with several variations. We also got recipes for non-seasonal soups such as Nettle and Wild Garlic - though obviously without demonstrations.

Watercress

Kale

Bacon Chop with Piperonata, Scallion Champ and Fried Banana

Scallion Champ

Piperonata

Blackberry and Apple Tart

Comedy moment of the day came when Rachel misunderstood my question about using the rind from the Bacon as using a Banana Peel and asking me to come and demonstrate how a banana peel could be turned into Pork Scratchings.

I did explain the error and then went and demonstrated uses for surplus boiled bacon rinds. the moment was captured for posterity by a phone wielding student.

Hopefully no misunderstandings on the trip tomorrow or I may end up walking back from Timoleague!!