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3 MEALS WITH OUR PEPPERONATA

This week’s column focusses on our own tubs of ‘Pepperonata’ and could better be described as inspiration information rather than an exacting and specific recipe. 

 

 

If you’ve recently been to our shop, you may already be familiar with this product. We originally developed the tubs as a short cut for putting together your own brunch version of the classic Turkish breakfast ‘Shakshuka’, and we also include a method for this below. However, ‘Shakshuka’ refers to the complete and finished dishes with eggs, so it was a bit lazy giving the same title to basic pepper stew that we sell. Although we follow a classic pepperonata method, we also, somewhat controversially, add some background spicing in the form of cumin seeds and smoked paprika. We like it and we hope you do too.

If you want to make a version of the classic Italian recipe, we include a recipe below.

All meal recipes are plenty for 2 main course dishes, but would also do as four side dishes or starters.

Breakfast – ‘Shakshuka’

For this, you’ll need…

  • Rua Peperonata, eggs, yoghurt, and some coriander.

Method

  1. Add Shakshuka to pan and heat gently
  2. Make a ‘well’ and add your eggs to poach in the sauce. You should comfortably get 4 in a large 28cm wide pan
  3. Cook/poach eggs in the sauce until the whites set and the yolks are still runny( or however you like your eggs cooked) – this should take about 8-10 minutes. If you’d like them done a bit more, flash the pan under the grill or put in a hot oven for a minute, being careful to use a dry tea towel when removing the hot handle.
  4. Delicious with some yoghurt drizzled over, some fresh herbs and served with warm flatbreads. Extra chilli, crumbled feta or creme fraiche are also great additions.

 

Lunch – Peperonata with chorizo, butter beans and feta on toast

For this you’ll need…

  • Rua Peperonata, a tin of butter beans (or chickpeas, haricots etc),
  • Some good quality cooking chorizo, a block of feta cheese, sourdough or suitable bread for toasting.

Method

  1. Heat the butter beans and Pepperonata together.
  2. Fry the chorizo separately and add to the warm Pepperonata/beans mix.
  3. Toast your slices of sourdough, drizzle with oil and spoon over the pepperonata.
  4. Finish with some crumbled feta, chopped herbs and another drizzle of your olive oil.

 

Supper – Penne with Pepperonata and Kylemore cheese

For this you’ll need…

  • 200-250g Penne or suitable pasta
  • A good, nutty hard cheese like Kylemore or Parmesan
  • Rua Pepperonata
  • Some basil leaves

Method

  1. Warm your pepperonata and set aside
  2. Boil a pot of water and add a teaspoon of salt,
  3. Add your pasta and cook until al dente
  4. Drain the pasta, reserving a small bit of the pasta water.
  5. Add the pasta to the warmed pepperonata, add the basil and loosen with your pasta water,
  6. Serve in warmed bowls, and generously grate your chosen cheese on top.

If you fancy making it yourself, Here’s a basic and classic recipe for the Italian style, that does not include the cumin and smoked paprika of our version

 

Pepperonata
Serves 8

  • 1 Kg  red peppers and yellow peppers
  • 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, peeled and finely sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and pressed
  • Salt, to taste
  • 
1 400g tin of good quality chopped tomatoes (or fresh when in season)
  • Red wine vinegar, to taste (optional)
  • A handful of chopped basil

Method

  1. Cut the peppers into strips, about 1cm wide and 6cm long, discarding the seeds, stalks and any pithy white bits.
  2. In a heavy-based pan with a lid, warm the olive oil over medium-low heat, then cook the onion and garlic until soft, translucent and fragrant (they should not brown), which usually takes about 10 minutes. Add the peppers and a pinch of salt, stir, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring every now and then
  3. Add the tomatoes, stir and then leave, uncovered, at a lively simmer for about 20-25 minutes minutes. Stir occasionally, gently pressing the tomatoes against the side of the pan, so they break up.
  4. The pepperonata is ready when the peppers are soft and everything has come together into a thick stew. Add the basil, taste, season generously, and add a dash of vinegar to sharpen things up, should you want to.
 

Dilisk Bread Recipe

This week’s recipe is for a version of our Dilisk Bread.

Almost exactly a year ago to the day, Derek and Aran attended the Irish Breakfast Awards in Dublin, where the bread received the ‘ Irish Bread Award ‘ for 2020 from Georgina Campbell’s Ireland Guide.

This bread is originally a Gerry Galvin Recipe. As a chef, restaurateur and poet, Gerry was always an inspiration to us at Rua.

After his untimely passing in 2013, we decided to make a version of his delicious Dilisk bread which we had remembered enjoying at a family meal in Drimcong many years before. We still make the bread every week and sell it at our shop on Spencer Street every Friday where it is much loved by our customers.

Our delicatessen on Spencer Street sells the Dilisk, Achill Sea salt and other ingredients featured in the recipe.

Rua’s Dillisk Soda Bread
Makes one 2lb / 900g loaf.

  • 15g dried dillisk
  • 4 eggs
  • 50g sugar
  • 60g melted butter
  • 50 ml buttermilk
  • 250g self-raising flour
  • 150g grated carrot
  • ½ teaspoon of bread soda, sieved
  • Pinch of Achill Island Sea Salt (smoked)
  1. Pre-heat a moderate oven, 160° C.
  2. Soak the dillisk in water for 5 minutes, drain and squeeze dry. Check for any shells before finely chopping.
  3. Whisk the eggs and sugar by hand in a mixing bowl. Next, add the melted butter and buttermilk and whisk again until combined.
  4. Add all of the remaining ingredients and fold in lightly but thoroughly.
  5. Put the mixture in a lined 2lb/900g loaf tin and bake in the preheated oven at 160º C for 45 minutes. Remove from the tin return to the oven for 5 minutes.
  6. Allow to cool before slicing.

We also make a richer version of the dillisk loaf, with more butter but no bread soda or buttermilk: omit the bread soda and buttermilk, and increase the butter to 110g and the self-raising flour to 250g. All other amounts remain the same.

 

Hamper & Gift Shop

From Tuesday, December 1st, our café space upstairs at Spencer St will operate as a Hamper & Gift shop for the period leading up to Christmas and just after.

In place of the café, we’ve been working on temporarily filling the space with lots of lovely Irish gifts and ready-to-go hampers.  This has allowed us to keep the majority of our team on board in working towards this new and exciting shop space. As well as our hampers, we have lots of fantastic gifts from local and Irish producer including Tinnock Candles from Tipperary, Killahora Orchards, Beleaf Wood design, Clean Slate and more.

As well as a Gift Shop, we’ll be primarily using the space for our ‘Click & Collect’ (https://rua-delicatessen-and-shop.clickandcollection.com/service. Please visit us at caferua.com to order a hamper which can be prepaid for collection upstairs on Spencer St.

Pre-ordered food (https://rua-delicatessen-and-shop.clickandcollection.com/menus/collections) for Christmas can also be picked up from upstairs on the busier days of December 23rd and 24th.

Check out caferua.com for more details.

We hope to re-open Spencer St. café after Christmas. Café Rua on New Antrim St. will be reopening as a sit-in café on Friday, December 4th at 9am ..

Thanks to everyone for your continued support.
We look forward to welcoming you!


HOW TO ORDER HAMPERS FOR COLLECTION

Visit us online at caferua.com

• Follow the link for ‘Click and Collect’ Hampers
• Choose your hampers, pay and get your pick up time

Alternatively, you can call us at Rua on 094 9286072, tell us what you’d like to spend on your Hamper and we can have your order ready for collection at our shop on Spencer St. with 24 hours notice.

 

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