I dont know about you, but as the weather is turning colder I am reaching for warm comfort foods such as soup and stews. It is therefore very exciting that Jo has shared two recipes created by Mairin and Kevin in her book, The first is for mushroom and oyster pie as created by Mairin. The second is for oyster and Guiness beef pie as made by Kevin. I have never tried oysters but will be attempting to make these recipes in the near future. My mouth is watering just at the thought!
I have also included some details about The Oyster Catcher which is highly recommended as a warm and lovely read.
Enjoy and I would love to hear if you try the recipes for the soup or pie.
Kindle Bestseller and RNA Joan Hessayon Award Winner The Oyster Catcher is Jo Thomas's irresistibly feel-good Irish novel of facing the past, finding your feet and falling in love.
Dooleybridge, County Galway. Population: 482 (or thereabouts). The last place Fiona Clutterbuck expects to end up, alone, on her wedding night.
But after the words 'I do' have barely left her mouth, that's exactly where she is - with only her sequined shoes and a crashed camper van for company.
One thing is certain: Fi can't go back. So when the opportunity arises to work for Sean Thornton, the local oyster farmer, she jumps at the chance. Now Fi must navigate suspicious locals, jealous rivals and a wild, unpredictable boss if she's to find a new life, and love, on the Irish coast. And nothing - not even a chronic fear of water - is going to hold her back.
Join Fi on her romantic, unpredictable adventure as she learns the rules of the ocean - and picks up a few pearls of Irish wisdom along the way...
You can purchase The Oyster Catcher from Amazon here
Mairin and Kevin's recipes for mushroom and oyster soup
In The Oyster Catcher my heroine Fi makes a mushroom and oyster soup. This is Mairin’s recipe;
Ingredients
12-18 oysters , shells removed, juices strained and reserved.
25g/1oz butter
225g/8oz onions, grated
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small pieces
225g/8oz button mushrooms, chopped
225 ml/8fl oz milk
225 ml/8 fl oz cream
Dash of Tabasco
Salt, freshly ground black pepper
Paprika to garnish and fingers of hot buttered toast.
Instructions
Melt the butter in the saucepan. Saute the onions over a moderate heat. Add potatoes and mushrooms until tender. Pour in the milk and mix well. Add the cream and carefully bring to the boil, mixing gently.
Reduce the heat. Add the oysters, juices, Tabasco, and seasoning and heat for 4-5 minutes.
Serve in warm bowls, sprinkle with paprika and serve with toast.
(Mairin says you can add a little white wine if the soup is too thick).
Or how about trying Kevin’s oyster pie (oyster and Guinness beef pie)
Ingredients
12 oysters, shells removed, juices strained and reserved.
2 tablespoons plain flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
700g/1 ½ lb rib beef, cubed
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
1-2 onions, finely chopped
225g/8oz mushrooms, chopped
423 ml/15 fl oz Guinness
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
200g/7oz ready-made puff pastry
Serve with green salad or baked potatoes
Instructions:
Season the flour and toss the beef in it. Heat the oil and when hot, add the beef to seal it. Remove the beef and fry the onions and mushrooms and then return the beef to the pan. Add the Guinness, Worcestershire sauce and oyster juices and season. Cover and simmer for about 1 ½ hours and then remove and allow to cool. Add the oysters.
Preheat the oven to 200 C/400 F/gas mark 6. Grease a deep pie dish. Pour in the mixture and cover with pastry. Crimp the edges and cut an air vent in the centre.
Bake for 15 minutes in centre of oven and then reduce heat to 180 C/350 F/gas mark 4 and bake for a further 30 minutes until the meat is heated through.
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