Philip Mc Cormack April 24, 2023

Spring is in full swing, and what better way to celebrate the season than with some fresh and delicious recipes from Created in Cavan.

Let’s explore some recipes from our amazing Created In Cavan network and showcase the amazing culinary talent and local ingredients that this beautiful county has to offer.

Get ready to tantalize your taste buds with these mouth-watering dishes.

 

Barry John Sausages “Sausie-Crossie” Sausage Roll

 

Prep: 12 mins     Cook: 30/45 mins             Serves 6

 

We all love sausage rolls, the taste of savoury sausage meat wrapped up in a flaky pastry, but have you tried a savoury sausage croissant? Instead of wrapping the puff pastry around the sausage meat, like the traditional sausage roll way, we’ve spread the sausage meat as a paste over the whole roll of the pastry and cut them into triangles.

 

Then we rolled these triangles up as a Croissant shape and cooked them in a preheated oven until golden and cooked through. We’ve nicknamed our sausage meat croissant “Saus-ie-cross-ie”.

 

These are fabulous lunch box fillers.

 

Ingredients

 

  • Packet of Barry John Flavoured Sausages
  • 1 packet of Ready made puff pastry
  • Egg for glazing
  • Parchment/greaseproof paper

 

Method

 

  1. Remove sausage casing from the sausages. To do this, simply score the sausage with a sharp knife and peel off the casing.
  2. Roll out the Ready Made Puff Pastry sheet. Spread the sausage meat out on the sheet like a paste, leave it 1cm thick.
  3. Cut the sheet of pastry into triangles. Then roll them up from the large end to the small end.
  4. Brush with egg. Place on a baking tray.
  5. Cook in a preheated oven for about 20/30 mins or until golden brown and cooked through.

 

Coole Gin Spritz

 

 

Developed for Coole Swan by the wonderful Rewfus Broad, our Gin Spritz is a beautifully balanced drink with equal notes of Coole Swan, lavender and gin; edgy and eccentric. This drink is super light and refreshing, perfect for a summer’s day.

 

Ingredients

  • 25ml Coole Swan
  • 15ml Gin (we recommend Silent Pool)
  • 15ml Monin Lavender Syrup
  • 100ml Soda Water
  • Dash of Dandelion & Burdock Bitters (optional)
  • Dehydrated orange moon to garnish

Method

  1. Fill a wine glass half-way with cubed ice. Pour in all the ingredients.
  2. Stir for around 10 seconds making sure you blend all the ingredients together.
  3. Top with more cubed ice. Garnish and serve.

 

 

Ice Cream Treats – Peanut Butter Banana Breakfast Smoothie

 

 

Ice Cream Treats is a multi-award winning ice cream and frozen yogurt manufactured based in Killeshandra Co. Cavan that use all local milk in creating the creamiest, tastiest ice cream that they make by hand in all small batches.

Ingredients

Metric Servings:

  • 1banana (peeled)
  • 1tablespoon peanut butter
  • 1/2cup milk
  • 1 Scoop of Yomega3 Vanilla Frozen Yogurt
  • 1/2cup ice cubes

Method

  1. Place the milk and the yogurt in the blender.
  2. Then top with the banana & peanut butter.
  3. Blend until smooth.
  4. Add ice if you need it to make it thicker or colder. Blend again.
  5. Blend as many times as required to get achieve the consistency you fancy.

 

 

 

Moran’s Mega Jam – Burger Recipe

Moran’s Mega Jam Ltd specialises in quality homemade jams, chutneys & relishes.  Originally set up as Moran’s Homestore in 2010 and changed to Moran’s Mega Jam Ltd in 2012.  Both Kieron and Claire trained in Catering at DIT Cathal Brugha Street and over the last two decades worked across Ireland in some of the country’s best hotels and catering establishments.

 

Optional Extra

  • 450g ( 1lb ) minced beef
  • 110g ( 4oz ) chopped onions
  • 1/4 tsp salt & some pepper
  • 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 egg ( preferably free range)

Optional Extra

Sauté onions in butter until soft. Mix all the ingredients together well. Shape into cakes. Dip in seasoned flour and fry in oil turning as required until fully cooked. Top with tomatoes and grated cheese, then flash under the grill until the cheese begins to melt. Serve with Moran’s Country Relish.

 

 

MacNean House and Restaurant – Stuffed Roast Goose with Braised Red Cabbage

A warm welcome awaits you at MacNean House & Restaurant. The restaurant is managed by Chef / Proprietor Neven Maguire and his wife Amelda.

The business has been developed and expanded further through the years to include 19 guest bedrooms and a cookery school.

 

“This is what we’d always have as a family Christmas, served with all of the trimmings. Free-range geese are now in plentiful supply during the festive period. Make sure you save the drained off fat and use to make crispy roast potatoes.

 

Serves 8

 

Ingredients:

  • 6kg (12lb) oven-ready goose, at room temperature
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp redcurrant jelly
  • 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp ruby red port or red wine
  • finely grated rind of 1 orange
  • For the stuffing
  • 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 2 eating apples, peeled, cored and cut into thin slices
  • 1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 350g (12oz) sausage meat (good quality)
  • 75g (3oz) fresh white breadcrumbs
  • 100g (4oz) dried cranberries
  • 100g (4oz) walnut halves, chopped
  • For The Red Cabbage
  • 1 head red cabbage, finely sliced
  • 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
  • 50g (2oz) smoked bacon, diced
  • 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tbsp light brown sugar
  • 300ml (1/2 pint) red wine
  • 300ml (1/2 pint) apple juice
  • 2 cooking apples, peeled, cored and chopped
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tsp mixed spice
  • 1 tsp ground cloves
  • salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • Madeira jus or red wine sauce, to serve

 

Method:

  1. To make the stuffing, heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the apples and sauté for 3-4 minutes until softened and golden. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. Once cool, add the thyme, sausage meat, breadcrumbs, cranberries and walnuts, stirring gently until evenly mixed. Season to taste.
  2. Preheat oven to 200C (400F), Gas mark 6. Place the goose on a rack set over a roasting tin. Pour over a full kettle of boiling water, then drain off the water from the roasting tin. To stuff the goose, start at the neck end where you’ll find a flap of loose skin: gently loosen this away from the breast and you’ll be able to make a triangular pocket. Pack in two-thirds of the stuffing inside as far as you can go and make a neat round shape on the outside, then tuck the neck flap under the goose and secure it with a small skewer. Rub all over with salt.
  3. Press the remaining stuffing into the base of a 225g (8oz) loaf tin and set aside. Weigh the goose and calculate the cooking time, allowing 15 minutes per 450g (1lb) plus 15 minutes – this goose should take about 3 1/2 hours. Place in the oven to roast, draining off excess fat every 30 minutes or so and after 1 hour reduce the oven temperature to 180C (350F), Gas mark 4. Continue to cook, still draining the fat off every half an hour.
  4. Meanwhile, make the red cabbage, heat the oil in a heavy-based pan over a high heat. Add the bacon and sauté for 30 seconds, then add the cabbage, stirring to combine. Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes until the cabbage is well cooked down, adding a tablespoon or two of water if the cabbage starts to catch on the bottom. Add the vinegar, sugar, wine and apple juice. Give a good stir, then cover with a lid and simmer for 1 hour over a low heat, stirring occasionally. Stir in the apples and spices and cook gently for another 30 minutes, again stirring occasionally. Season to taste and keep warm over a low heat.
  5. Remove the goose from the oven 30 minutes before the end of the cooking time. Warm the redcurrant jelly, balsamic vinegar, port or wine and orange rind in a small pan. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the jelly dissolves and then cook for 4-5 minutes until syrupy. Brush all over the goose. Return the goose to the oven with the reserved tin of extra stuffing and cook for the final 30 minutes until completely tender. Transfer the goose to a serving platter and cover with foil, then leave to rest for 10 minutes. Spoon the cranberry and apple mixture into a warmed bowl and keep warm.
  6. To serve, garnish with roast goose with the thyme and bring to the table. Turn the tin of extra stuffing on to a warmed plate. Carve into slices and arrange on warmed plates, discarding any excess fat. Add some of the stuffing to each plate with the roasted apples and braised red cabbage.

 

Virginia Cookery – Lemon Meringue Pie (A ‘Retro’ pie for any occasion)

Virginia-Cookery’s ambition is to get people cooking wholesome foods using ordinary ingredients.

They use Irish and local produce as available including vegetables from their own garden.
Their cookery classes are a hands-on fun activity for groups, tourists, family, friends, or colleagues.

Link to full instructional video HERE

 

  • Make pastry cases
  • Add to bun baking sheets
  • Bake Blind
  • Bake at 180C for 10-12 minutes – until golden

 

Pie filling ingredients:

 

  • 125g caster sugar
  • 2 eggs (A third egg will be needed later)
  • 30g butter
  • 2-3 lemons, depending on size to yield 130mls lemon juice
  • 300ml water
  • 50g cornflour

 

Method:

  1. Peel the Rind of 2 lemons
  2. Squeeze 130mls of lemon juice and strain

 

  1. Add Sugar, cornflower and water to your cooking pot. Stir.
  2. Add lemon rind
  3. Slowly bring to boil until mixture turns glossy and opaque
  4. Add 30g of butter
  5. Add Lemon juice in two lots. Stir after adding each.
  6. Remove lemon rind
  7. Add 2 egg yolks
  8. Add mix to baked buns

 

  1. Mix 3 egg whites, a pinch of salt, 125g of caster sugar beaten to make meringue
  2. Take mix and add to buns as topping

 

  1. Bake 25 minutes at 150C

 

Spring is a time of renewal and growth, and these recipes capture that spirit perfectly.

Whether you’re looking for fresh, seasonal ingredients or simply want to try something new, these recipes are sure to satisfy.

With dishes ranging from light and refreshing to hearty mains, there’s something for everyone to enjoy this spring. So get cooking, and embrace the flavours of the season.