Kids Lunches

Now that school is back, the familiar routine has returned. 
If you are cooking a Sunday Roast, be it Chicken, Ham or Beef 
Just buy a slightly larger piece than you need. The leftovers make ideal sandwich ingredients for school lunches.

Cook a ham at the weekend and the leftovers will provide you with tasty fillings for the lunch roll instead of over processed and over priced packet ham.

Check out our recipe for Marmalade Ham....


MARMALADE & MAPLE GLAZED HAM
Serves 4-6
Ingredients: 1½ Kg (3lbs) Cullens Quality Butchers’ Centre Cut Ham

Marmalade Roast Ham

1 carrot
2 celery sticks
1 teaspoon peppercorns
Glaze:
Orange Marmalade
Maple Syrup
1 tbsp Butter
Toasted Pecan Nuts
COOKING YOUR HAM:
· Soak the ham overnight.
· Wash under cold running water.
· Return the ham to the pot with fresh water and the veg and bring to the boil.
· Reduce the heat and simmer for 20 min per pound (450g) – you could change the
water at this point if you wish. (Try adding some cola or cider for an extra kick!)
· Remove from the saucepan and cut away the outer skin leaving a thin layer of fat.
· Score the fat into diamonds and press some cloves into it.
· Cover the ham with the glaze mixture of marmalade and maple syrup (see below)
· Place in roasting tray and bake at 200 deg C / 400 F / gas mark 6 for 20-30 mins
until glaze is golden.
To Make the Glaze: In a small saucepan combine orange marmalade and maple syrup.
Heat over medium heat stirring until bubbly. Whisk in butter until smooth. Add the toasted
pecans. Add to the roast for the 20 mins baking time. And baste.
This roast is great served with red cabbage, roasted veg and roast potatoes.

www.cullensbutchers.com/recipes

Cooking on a Skewer

MEAT, FISH & VEG  

MAKE FANTASTIC SKEWERS

- ALWAYS APPETIZING & QUICK TO COOK.

Use good quality meat cuts such as sirloin or chicken breast 

and meaty fish like salmon or prawns. 

The range of meat you can cook on a skewer is extensive.  

Try different combinations..... 

Sausages with pinapple chunks

Beef with onions and mushrooms

Pork and apricots

Chicken with red & yellow peppers

When making skewers -  

Always cut the meat or fish into equal size cubes.

Cut any veg the same size too - you want everything to cook evenly & at the same time.

It is also important to soak wooden skewers before use.

or

Invest in some metal or wood handle skewers for real theatre! 

Once the meat is cooked, 

serve the skewer along with a flat bread or pita bread 

and fill with lettuce, tomato, cucumber and a greek style dip.

Skewers make catering for large numbers easy and all the preparation can be done in advance.


Cullens Quality Butchers
Main Street
Wicklow Town
www.cullensbutchers.com
0404 69719 

Steak Sandwich - for any time!

STEAK SANDWICH
Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients:
4 Cullens Quality Butchers’ Sirloin or Striploin Steaks
2 Red Peppers, deseeded and cut into thick slices
2 Red Onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
Salt and lots of Black Pepper
1 tablespoon Balsamic or Wine Vinegar
Mixed Salad Leaves
Lemon Juice
French Stick or Ciabatta Bread
Chilli Butter
50g (2oz) Butter
1 Chilli, chopped
Juice of half a Lemon
Fresh Parsley, chopped
To Cook:
Combine the chilli butter ingredients and store in the fridge until ready to serve.
Season the steaks, red peppers and onions with salt, black pepper,
vinegar and oil.
Place the vegetables on the hot barbeque or grill, then add the steaks.
Do this in two lots if the barbeque or grill is overcrowded.
Mix the leaves with a little oil, lemon juice and seasoning.
Cut the bread lengthways, fill with leaves, grilled vegetables,
steak and top with the chilli butter.

Cullens Quality Butchers
Main Street
Wicklow Town
www.cullensbutchers.com
0404 69719

COOKING A STEAK ON THE BBQ

COOKING A STEAK ON THE BBQ

Buy best quality beef cuts

Try Cullens Quality Butchers Aged Sirloin, Striploin or Ribeye

Aged Beef ensures tenderness.

Marinating and seasoning adds great flavour.

STEAK:  THE CUTS

Ribeye

The ribeye is without doubt one of the best-tasting steaks.  

With its marbling, it tends to cook up very tender, juicy, rich and full of flavour.  

T-Bone

This is a steak with a bone shaped like a "T".  It has meat on each side. 

Fillet

This is a boneless section that has melt-in-your-mouth quality and buttery texture.  

Striploin Steak

A succulent steak, with a thin layer of fat that preserves juiciness. 

Sirloin Steak

Well aged for maximum tenderness.

BBQ TIPS: 

Clean the grill grate with an onion cut in half - it also adds great flavour to the BBQ.    

Turn on or light the BBQ and wait until it reaches cooking temperature. Cut a large onion in half, and using a fork, rub the onion up and down the rack. It removes all the grease from your previous outing and adds a nice flavour when cooking meat.  Allow time for the barbecue to heat to maximum.  The charcoal must be grey.  It is very important to allow the proper time for the food to cook.

    

Keep the grill grate 3-6 inches from the coals.

Have all the right tools before you begin, use a tongs.   

Don't use a fork as this puts holes in the meat allowing juices to escape and dries up the meat.

Turn meat only once when cooking as it will lose juices each time you turn. 

Make sure the meat is cooked thoroughly and evenly.

Let your steak rest allowing the juices to settle for a tender result.

Sit back, tuck in and enjoy!

Spice up Dinner

Add a Rub or Marinade

Using a Rub or Spice can change the flavour of meat you cook week in week out.

Rubs work great with 

Pork, Chicken, Beef, Lamb or Fish. 

Scoring the meat creates a bigger surface area for you to work the flavour in.

Adding Herbs & Spices to a dish makes the difference in food tasting ok & tasting excellent!! 

Spices used in rubs: make food exciting! 

Also help create the ‘bark’ / ‘crust’.

check out 

Cullens Butchers Website for Recipes, Newsletters and other Hints & Tips. 

Cook in Batches

Lasagne 

CATERING FOR A CROWD
Lasagne is a great dish to prepare for a crowd or family gathering.

Or MAKE AHEAD & FREEZE
just make bigger quantities then freeze for other meal times

Or use as lunch portions

Then you’ve got dinner in a flash another day!

Think about BATCH COOKING things like

Lasagne, Ragu, Shepards Pie, Stew or Meatballs.

Cullens Quality Butchers
Main Street, Wicklow Town

Roast Chicken turns into Pasta Bake....

Using up leftovers... 

When roasting meat consider buying a bigger piece,
have a Roast Dinner one day
and create a 2nd dinner from the leftovers, ready  to use the next evening.
Cooking a roast brings out lots of flavour and means that half the work is already done for the following meal.

For example

A Roast Chicken is very versatile- 

Chicken Pasta Bake

any leftovers you can have cold next day, use for lunches, add to curry, a broth, make a pie or a pasta bake.

Whole Chicken 
-From a Roast Chicken Dinner the leftovers can become:
to name but a few...

Chicken Pasta Bake
Chicken & Mushroom Puff Pastry Pie
Chicken Curry
Chicken Pitta Pocket with Salad
Chicken Noddle Soup
Chicken Tortillas with grated cheese, tomato and lettuce
Chicken Quesadilla with spring onion and cheese

Here's a delicious recipe
for Fraser's 
CHICKEN PASTA BAKE:


Keep Any leftovers from your Roast Chicken Dinner,
...the Meat, the veg & stuffing.
Cook the Penne Pasta until slightly underdone,
remember you are going to finish it off in the oven as a bake.
Make a white sauce, starting by making a roux with equal amounts of flour and butter.
Heat the milk in another pan.
Next add the heated milk to the roux, stirring to prevent lumps.
Simmer the sauce.
In a bowl add the leftover chicken that has been shredded.
Add any leftover veg.
Season with Salt & pepper.
Throw in the almost cooked pasta (that has been allowed to cool).
Grate some cheese over such as parmesan & edam.
Put the mixture into an oven proof dish.
Pour over the white sauce.
Let it sit and soak up the sauce, topping it up.
Put a layer of breadcrumbs over the top.
You can add herbs and garlic if using plain Breadcrumbs or use any left over stuffing instead.
Grate more cheese over the top.
Put in the oven at 180 deg for 20 mins.
Serve.

Also Remember to use the carcass or bones from your Roast to make FLAVOURSOME STOCKS. It will enrich anything to which it is added.

CHICKEN STOCK

Chicken carcass

2 Onions in chunks

2 Carrots cut in chunks

2 Celery sticks cut in chunks

10 peppercorns

3 Bay leaves

2 Sprigs Thyme

2 Sprigs Rosemary

3-4 litres Water

Place all the ingredients into a large stock pot.

Cover with the water and bring to a boil.

Then simmer for 2 hours.

Strain the stock into a clean pan leave to cool

then remove the fat from the top and discard.

The stock is now ready to use or freeze.

Use in Gravy, Paella, Casseroles or Soups.