Macaroni the Dubliner way
When it’s windy out and you fear you might blow away, our macaroni will keep you grounded and rubbing your belly in a most contented way. Yes, we think it’s like satisfying poetry for the taste buds. 
Dubliner Macaroni will require two cups elbow macaroni; three tbsps butter; a quarter cup of flour; one finely chopped green onion; one teaspoon of salt; half a teaspoon of mustard; a pinch of pepper; two and a half cups of milk; a head of broccoli, cooked and chopped; two cups diced cooked ham; one cup of grated Dubliner; half a cup of lightly buttered bread crumbs.
Make and bake:
Cook your macaroni, drain it and leave it to one side.
Melt the three tablespoons of butter over low heat in a medium saucepan. Add the flour, chopped onion, salt, mustard and pepper; stir until well blended. Then stir in the milk. Bring all to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mix is thickened. This should take a couple of minutes. Add in the broccoli, macaroni, ham, and Dubliner.
Carefully place the lot into a casserole dish. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top. Give it 30 minutes at 350°. Hang in there for the crispy golden finish on top and then invite the neighbours in to look. Just to look. It’d be insane to actually offer them any of it! Oh look, you decide…
Cheese-stuffed chicken and melted strawberries
We were bouncing around internetland as we like to do, in search of all things good to see and eat, and we discovered Kelli Jo’s blog. The lady knows how to cook, and she knows how to improvise too. In her cheese-stuffed chicken and melted strawberries dish (discovered via Better Homes & Gardens) she opted for Dubliner Cheese. Her explanation was simple and elegant, we thought…
I used delicious Dubliner white cheddar cuz it was delicious AND in my fridge.
Image thank you to Kelli Jo
Who can argue with that unassailable logic? And the recipe ain’t half bad either. The pic goes some small way to showing just how yum it looks, but if you want the full instructions for this masterpiece do please drop in on Kelli Jo yourself by clicking here - and be sure to tell her the gang at Dubliner Cheese said hi!
Until next time
The Big Cheese
Lemon and Fennel Risotto with Saffron and Dubliner Irish Cheese
Forget the stress of a have-to-think-about-this-seriously dinner. This one will actually help you to unwind as you prepare it, stirring to tease out the flavours and unwind your day in the heavenly aromas.
Dinner for six? You’ll need
1/2 tsp saffron strands; 2 tbsp olive oil; 2 tbsp butter; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 1 large bulb of fennel, sliced thinly; 450g risotto rice; 1/3 cup of warm red or white wine; about 2 litres of hot stock, either vegetable or chicken; grated zest and juice of 1 lemon; another 4 tbsp butter; 150g grated Dubliner Cheese; sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper
- Take some of the chopped onion with the slices of fennel and saffron strands. Sauté the mixture in the olive oil and butter, and when it has browned remove it. Leave the drippings in the pot.
- Next stir in the rice and sauté it too for about 10 minutes until it becomes translucent. Stir it constantly to keep it from sticking.
- Add the sautéed seasonings to the mixture and stir in a third of a cup of the wine. (It’s warmed so that it doesn’t keep the rice from cooking through to the centre.) Once the wine has evaporated add your stock, continually stirring, until the rice is almost al dente.
- Add the zest and lemon juice. Stir in the additional four tablespoons of butter and the grated Dubliner, cover the risotto, and turn off the flame. Let it sit, covered, for two to three minutes, and serve.
- Use the sea salt and black pepper sparingly as required.
