Berry Lodge & Cookery School www.berrylodge.com

On the west coast of Ireland, along the Wild Atlantic Way, between Loop Head and the Cliffs of Moher, you will find Berry Lodge & Cookery School, and Rita Meade. A bit of a culinary celebrity, Rita prepares exquisite breakfasts and afternoon snacks for her guests, and conducts cookery courses tailored for your group and interests. Popular themes include; A Taste of Irish Cookery, One Pot Wonders, Sunday Roasts, Thai flavours Irish Style, Harvest Vegetarian, and more. You will want to contact Rita to make arrangements for courses in advance. During our most recent trip to Ireland, we spent the day with Rita on Spanish Point in County Clare, and chose A Taste of Irish Cookery for our course. The menu included:

Walnut Treacle Bread (recipe already shared at www.outoftheweeds.com)

Black Pudding & Apple Scones, along with our Walnut Treacle Bread

Black Pudding and Apple Scones (sharing here)

Summer Greens Soup (sharing here)

Beef and Guinness Casserole 

Colcannon Mash

Carrageen, Chocolate and Lime Mousse

Strawberry and Raspberry in Lime Syrup

Here are the recipes for the Black Pudding and Apple Scones and Summer Greens Soup, prepared by my friend Julie and her daughter Chelsea:

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Black Pudding & Apple Scones

These sweet & savory scones are delicious! Serve for breakfast, brunch, or with afternoon tea.

Prep Time

45 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Passive Time

15 minutes

Servings

scones

Ingredients

• 1 lb plain flour
• 3 oz butter chilled
• 1 oz baking powder
• 5 oz black pudding
• 8 oz whole milk
• 1 medium apple

Prep Time 45 minutes Cook Time 20 minutes Passive Time 15 minutes Servings scones Ingredients 1 lb plain flour 3 oz butter chilled 1 oz baking powder 5 oz black pudding 8 oz whole milk 1 medium apple

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, sieve the flour and rub the butter into the flour with your finger tips until you have light breadcrumbs. Add the baking powder and mix through the flour. Break up and crumble in the black pudding.

   
3. Make a well. Add the milk and mix with your hand or a spatula until you have a light dough. Grate the apple into a bowl and gently squeeze out excess juice, mix it through quickly to avoid discoloration.

   
4. Tip the dough out onto a floured surface and knew very lightly until you have a round ball of dough. Flatten this down slightly, cover and leave to rest in the fridge for 10-15 minutes.

   
5. Roll out the dough until you have a thickness of about one inch. Cut into rounds and lay on a buttered and lightly-floured baking tray.

   
6. Brush with beaten egg and bake in the hot oven for 20 minutes, or until brown and well risen.

   
7. Serve hot with butter . . . although there's nothing here like the butter in Ireland.

   

Recipe Notes

Recipe by Rita Meade of Berry Lodge Cookery School

www.berrylodge.com

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Summer Greens Soup with Gremolata by Berry Lodge Cookery School

Cabbage, Swiss chard, spinach, lemon & pine nut come together to create a fresh summer vegetable soup (soup is pureed in Ireland) that is beautiful to look at and delectable to eat.

Prep Time

15 minutes

Cook Time

30 minutes

Servings

servings

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil extra-virgin, divided
• 1 small onion thinly sliced
• sea salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 4 cloves garlic 3 thinly sliced, 1 finely grated
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 large potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces
• 1 lb Spring cabbage white & green mixed, ribs & stems removed, chopped
• 1 bunch Swiss chard (12 ounces) ribs & stems removed, coarsely chopped
• 4 cups baby spinach
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice more, if needed
• 2 tsp lemon zest finely grated
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1 tbsp pine nuts toasted

Prep Time 15 minutes Cook Time 30 minutes Servings servings Ingredients 2 tbsp olive oil extra-virgin, divided 1 small onion thinly sliced sea salt to taste freshly ground black pepper to taste 4 cloves garlic 3 thinly sliced, 1 finely grated 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 large potatoes cut into 1/2" pieces 1 lb Spring cabbage white & green mixed, ribs & stems removed, chopped 1 bunch Swiss chard (12 ounces) ribs & stems removed, coarsely chopped 4 cups baby spinach 2 tsp fresh lemon juice more, if needed 2 tsp lemon zest finely grated 1/2 cup heavy cream 1 tbsp pine nuts toasted

Instructions

1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil to a large pot over medium heat. Add chopped onion and season with salt and pepper. Saute stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add thinly sliced garlic to pot. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Add broth, potatoes, cabbage and 2 cups water; bring to boil Reduce heat to medium. Simmer soup until potatoes are tender when pierced with a knife, about 10 minutes.

   
2. Roast raw pine nuts on a flat tray in a 350-degree oven for about 10 minutes, shaking halfway through. They may also be toasted on top of the stove in a heavy skillet, stirring often until they turn golden.
3. Add Swiss chard and toasted pine nuts to pot and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cups spinach and 2 teaspoons lemon juice until spinach is wilted. Puree soup with a food processor until smooth. Add 1/2 cup cream.

   
4. Meanwhile, to make spinach gremolata, chop the remaining 1 cup spinach; place in small bowl. Add lemon zest, finely grated garlic clove, and the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil to chopped spinach; toss to coat. Season spinach gremolata to taste with salt, pepper and more lemon juice, if desired.
5. Season soup, as needed, with salt and pepper. Divide among bowls. Mound spinach gremolata on top of soup in serving bowls. Serve immediately.

   

Recipe Notes

Recipe by Rita Meade of Berry Lodge Cookery School

www.berrylodge.com

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