Born in Tallaght, County Dublin, Anna Haugh is the proud owner of Myrtle restaurant, situated in Chelsea, London. The restaurant, which opened in 2019, pays tribute to the late Myrtle Allen, one of the founding figures of Ballymaloe House. In addition to being a successful restaurateur, Haugh is also a TV presenter and recently authored her first cooking book.
Growing up, Haugh found her culinary passion ignited by her mother, with whom she frequently assisted in the family’s kitchen. For Haugh, cooking is intrinsic to who she is and she finds joy in sharing this passion with others. Her newly released book contains an array of readily accessible and uncomplex recipes, intended not only to inspire amateur chefs, but also to instill confidence in them. Among the chapters are a 20-minute dinner recipe section, ideal for those with a packed schedule, and a segment dedicated to time-consuming weekend endeavours.
Published by Bloomsbury and featuring photographs by Laura Edwards, Anna’s cookbook titled “Cooking with Anna: Modern Home Cooking with Irish Heart” presents a modernized recipe for traditional Irish soda bread. During her childhood, Haugh’s Aunt Sadie made a fresh loaf every week using an old family recipe. As a child, Haugh also found joy in her grandmother’s baking, eagerly awaiting the sweet treats she’d share at the end of a Sunday mass.
Her reinvented recipe for soda bread contains additions to the standard ingredients: buttermilk, salt, flour, and bicarbonate of soda. These additions include butter, sugar, and eggs to make a softer crumb and prolong its freshness to three days, reducing waste. While chilling it allows it to be preserved longer, it is best for toast—not for sandwich making, owing to the hardening effect refrigeration has on the bread.
A wise method to utilise your remaining baked bean cans is to clean them thoroughly and incorporate them into this cooking process. In the absence of any can, a 500g loaf tin is a suitable substitute.
The recipe involves these ingredients.
– 30g of salted butter, extra for the cans or loaf tin.
– 300g of coarse wholemeal flour, extra for the cans or loaf tin.
– ½ teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda.
– 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
– 25g of demerara sugar.
– 1 teaspoon of fine sea salt.
– 1 egg, beaten lightly.
– 700g of buttermilk.
Start by preheating your oven to 200C fan-assisted. Proceed to butter and flour two of your old baked bean cans or a 500g loaf tin. Do this before starting on the recipe as it is essential to have your oven heated up and your cans or tin ready since the dough needs to be baked as soon as it’s mixed.
Allow the 30g of butter to melt and cool a bit. Combine all the dry ingredients in a large bowl and ensure they are evenly mixed. Create a small hole in the middle. Pour the cooled, melted butter, beaten egg and buttermilk in the hole, mix briskly with a spoon until the mixture is wet and can drop off the spoon.
Quickly share the dough between the prepared cans or tin. Start baking for 10 minutes, after which you should reduce the oven temperature to 160C fan and leave it for an additional 35 minutes.
Remove the bread from the cans or tin and allow it to cool down. Wrapping the cooled bread in cling film will help it stay fresher for longer. Enjoy this delicious bread with butter or smoked salmon for more taste.
[ Anna Haugh’s vegetarian pulled pork and slaw burger ]
This delightful Pea and cheddar burger was invented for a guest who was vegetarian, caught me by surprise. I scavenged my cupboards and found nothing more than a bag of frozen peas and some cheese! It didn’t seem much, but I combined them and voila! a burger was born.
These are thoroughly enjoyable: they not only boast a satisfying taste but also present a delectable combination of textures from the seeds, a hint of spice from the horseradish and the sweetness of the peas, they all complement each other perfectly.
The ingredients required are:
– 150g canned butter beans (drained)
– 200g frozen peas, defrosted
– 1 egg.
Take note of the required ingredients:
– Poppy seeds 1 tbsp
– Sunflower seeds 1 tbsp
– Two rounded spoonfuls of self-raising flour
– Grated mature Cheddar cheese, approximately 60g
– Vegetable oil
– Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
– For garnishing: bread rolls (Blaa rolls, typical in Ireland, were utilized for the picture), horseradish sauce, sliced tomato, lettuce leaves
– Begin with pouring drained butter beans into a big bowl, mashing them with the end of a rolling pin. Do the same with defrosted peas before seasoning the mixture.
– Break the egg into the combination of mashed peas and beans. Then, incorporate the poppy and sunflower seeds mixing thoroughly.
– Mix in the flour, add some more salt and pepper for taste, then add the cheese and mix one last time.
– Heat a bit of oil in a frying pan, and using a tablespoon, put a large scoop of the bean mixture into the hot pan. You should get four to six patties, depending on their size.
– While these patties are frying, prepare your burger buns. Slice the bread rolls, dollop some horseradish sauce, and add sliced tomatoes and lettuce.
– Frequently check on the patties and flip them until they are golden brown on both sides. Use a spatula to move the patties from the pan to the bun, then serve.
Next up is the Chicken fricassee with pesto and semi-dried tomatoes. Despite its fancy name, it’s indeed quite an easy recipe to prepare. This dish is full of flavours, and it’s perfect to listen to a podcast while making it. Accompany it with simple boiled baby potatoes to make a full meal.
For the pesto, you will need:
– Pine nuts 1 tbsp
– A bunch of basil
– Crushed or finely grated garlic clove
– 1 lemon
Instead of semi-dried tomatoes, you can use Kalamata olives as an alternative for a great taste change.
The following ingredients are required:
– Approximately two-and-a-half tablespoons (40g) of extra virgin olive oil
– Four teaspoons (20g) of vegetable oil
– 40g of finely grated Parmesan cheese, although you can substitute with aged Cheddar
– A pinch of sea salt
– For the chicken section, you will need:
– Two tablespoons of vegetable oil
– Half a kilogram skin-on bone-free chicken thighs
– A clove of garlic, sliced in fine rings
– A finely sliced shallot
– 100g white wine
– 100g chicken broth
– 40g of salted butter
– 50g semi-dried tomatoes, preferably the vivid red type.
For preparation, proceed as follows:
1. Combine the pine nuts, fresh basil and garlic into your blender. Add the zest of a lemon and blend in small spurts for texture as you gradually introduce the extra virgin and vegetable oils. Season with a bit of salt before folding in either the grated Parmesan or Cheddar. For flavour, squeeze in some lemon juice, taste and adjust as necessary.
2. Preparing the chicken entails heating a skillet over medium-high heat. Introduce a handful of vegetable oil and sprinkle in some sea salt. Place in the chicken, skin first till it attains a caramelised brown colour. Incorporate the garlic and shallot, stirring until they soften. Usher in the wine and simmer until it evaporates slightly. Introduce the chicken broth to the mix and allow it to come to a boil. Blend in the salted butter and semi-dried tomatoes last. Assess the taste to see if more salt might be needed.
3. Serve the prepared chicken with the earlier pesto on the side.