Celebrity chef Mark Moriarty has a new television series on the techniques and tips that you’ll need, to master basic recipes at home in your kitchen - here are a few to try.

Mark Moriarty

Despite being a multi-award-winning chef, with every ingredient at his fingertips, Mark Moriarty loves to cook simple and wholesome dishes when he’s off the clock and not in his chef whites. His new TV series O Duty Chef aims to inspire and encourage the home cook to get the foundations of cookery right. Mark will be sharing his professional kitchen experience, where he’ll be covering everything from knife skills and butchery to how to master simple but effective egg and fish dishes.

Since his first TV series in 2019, Mark has adopted a down-to-earth approach to cooking, while helping to bring dishes to the next level with his plating up suggestions and techniques on how to impress your dinner guests or your family

Lamb Kofta with potato flatbreads

SERVES 4

INGREDIENTS

◆ 600g lamb mince

◆ 1 tbsp cumin

◆ 1 tbsp coriander powder

◆ 1 tsp dried chilli flakes

◆ 3 cardamom pods

◆ Salt

◆ 200g plain flour

◆ 100g mashed potato

◆ 7g fast action dried yeast

◆ 150ml warm water

◆ 20g olive oil

◆ 30g yoghurt

◆ 10g salt

◆ 1 jar skinned red peppers

◆ 300ml red wine vinegar

◆ 50g sugar

◆ 50g feta

◆ Handful mint

◆ Handful coriander

METHOD

➊ To start, place the flour, fast action yeast, potato, olive oil, yoghurt and salt in a mixer, bind together. Add water.

➋ Knead for 2 mins until the dough cleans the bowl.

➌ Place in a greased bowl, cover and leave in a warm place to double in size.

➍ Using a dry pan, toast the spices for 1 min until smoking (grate the cardamom pods), place these in a bowl with the lamb mince and salt, mix and mould around a metal skewer. Cook on a BBQ or griddle pan for 2 mins on all sides until cooked through.

➎ Remove the juice and oil from the red pepper jar, refill with the sugar and vinegar and shake, leave in the fridge.

➏ Once the flatbread has doubled in size, knock it back on a floured surface until its 1cm thick, cut even sized breads and cook for 1min on both sides in a smoking hot non stick pan.

➐ Remove the red pepper from the jar, slice thinly, place on the flatbread, top with lamb kofta, herbs, feta and more yoghurt

Chicken, Bacon and Broccoli Crumble

SERVES 4

◆ INGREDIENTS

◆ 400g chicken breast, diced

◆ 200g bacon lardons

◆ 400g broccoli, diced

◆ 50g flour

◆ 50g butter

◆ 500ml chicken stock

◆ 1 tin condensed chicken soup

◆ 1 tbsp dijon mustard

◆ 1 tbsp curry powder

◆ Juice of 1 lemon

◆ Handful tarragon, chopped 500g left over mixed bread: sliced pan, sourdough, brioche, brown bread

◆ 100g butter

◆ 100g parmesan

METHOD

➊ Preheat the oven to 190c

➋ Warm the chicken stock. In a separate pot, melt the butter and flour and cook over a high heat for 1 minute until the mix is bubbling. Pour in all the chicken stock and whisk constantly until the mix comes to the boil and thickens.

➌ Remove from the heat, add the condensed soup, mustard, curry powder, lemon and tarragon, then season to taste.

➍ Using a blender, blend the le over bread until it is in large bread crumbs

➎ Heat a non-stick pan, then add some plain oil. Add the breadcrumbs until they begin to fry, followed by the butter, season and cook until light golden brown.

➏ Drain off any excess oil and then grate in the 100g of parmesan.

➐ To assemble, add the diced chicken breast, bacon lardons and broccoli into a casserole dish (or single dishes)

➑ Spoon over the sauce, and then top with the fried breadcrumbs

➒ Cook at 200c for 40mins and allow to rest for 15mins before serving. Perfect with a baked potato and simple salad.

Classic Tiramisu

SERVES 6 GENEROUS PORTIONS

INGREDIENTS

◆ 400g dried sponge fingers

◆ 3 eggs

◆ 450g mascarpone cheese

◆ 140g sugar

◆ 400ml espresso coffee

◆ 100ml brandy

◆ 50g dark cocoa powder

◆ 100g dark chocolate

METHOD

➊ Start by taking the mascarpone out of the fridge an hour in advance to soften.

➋ Begin separating your eggs, add the yolks to a mixer and whisk with 100g of the sugar until doubled in size and pale yellow in colour.

➌ Fold this into the mascarpone and mix lightly until smooth.

➍ Clean the mixer and add the egg whites, whisk with the remaining sugar until a meringue is formed, fold this into the mascarpone mix and set aside at room temperature. add a pinch of sea salt.

➎ Warm the coffee with the alcohol and pour into a bowl. Begin assembling the tiramisu: Dip the sponge fingers in the coffee for 20 seconds to absorb plenty of liquid, layer these in the base of the tray.

➏ Add an even layer of the cream and spread to fill the gaps. Repeat the process until the tray is full. Leave to set in the fridge for 3 hours or overnight if possible.

➐ Dust with cocoa, Melt the dark chocolate and spread on a marble worktop or glass chopping board, allowing it to cool. Push a scraper or spatula across the chocolate to create swirls, decorate the top of the tiramisu with these.

Off Duty Chef starts Wednesday April 20, 8.30pm on RTÉ One.