Florida Agenda

By JEAN DOHERTY   Are you looking to impress—and even undress—your better half? Want to make this Sunday Brunch romantic and delicious? Try this simple and easy recipe that is sure to please you both, in more ways than one. • ¾ cup bacon, cut into lardons • 1 potato, chopped into ½-inch cubes • [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY   ThIt is sometimes claimed that the ancient Romans, as well as medieval cooks, stuffed animals with other animals. An anonymous Andalusian cookbook from the 13th century includes a recipe for a ram stuffed with small birds; and a similar recipe for a camel stuffed with sheep stuffed with bustards stuffed with [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY This time of the year in South Florida is Mango time. I have them in abundance in my back yard and will have them well into June. So it’s chutney makin’ time. There is no limit to the number of chutneys you can make, as one can be made from virtually any [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY   A bisque is a smooth, creamy, highlyseasoned soup of French origin. It’s rich and decadent. It’s classically based on a strained broth or “coulis” of crustaceans. It can be made from lobster, crab, shrimp or crayfish. In authentic bisque, the shells are ground to a fine paste and added to thicken [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Hummus is one of the most popular Middle Eastern dips. I tasted it for the first time on a visit to Lebanon and fell in love. It’s usually served with fresh or toasted pita bread, but you can use Baguette, chips or crackers if you like. Hummus is essentially mashed chickpeas and [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Irish woman shoutin’…If your “soda bread” has raisins, it’s not “soda bread! It’s called “Railway Cake”! (a currant at every station!) If it contains eggs, baking powder, sugar or shortening, it’s called “cake”, not “bread.” All are tasty, but not traditional Irish Soda Bread! In Ireland, the flour is made from soft [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Tapenade is the easy peasy recipe you can whip up in 2 minutes. It is very versatile and can be used a number of ways rather than just as a spread or a dip. Spread a thin layer of it on a chicken between the skin and the breast, maybe with some [...]

By JEAN DOHERTY Growing up in Ireland, my mother would inevitably overcook the lamb chops- -burn ‘em right to a cinder! It was while living in France that I learned to eat lamb rare, enjoy it, and finally get to really taste it. Lamb tastes so good on its own, so the seasoning should compliment, [...]

  By JEAN DOHERTY The hot toddy was traditionally drunk before bedtime, or in wet or cold weather. Toddies were believed to help cure the cold and flu. In Ireland it was, and still is, the “cheap” cure for the common cold. When I was sick in bed as a child, I vividly remember crying [...]

By Jean Doherty A Scotch egg is a hard-boiled egg wrapped in sausage meat, coated in breadcrumbs and deep-fried. The Scotch egg’s origins are obscure. The exclusive London “Fortnum & Mason” claims it invented the portable snack in 1738 for rich coach travelers. “The eggs would have been smaller in those days,’’ says the company’s [...]