How I Do It:
Kevin Murphy of idás, Dingle, County Kerry
Here's the sort of note that people send us after they've paid a visit to visit to idás, in Dingle:
“So worth a visit, had super food there this summer. Truly well judged. Best meal in a while.”
Kevin Murphy's food has won almost unanimous acclaim, and his culinary confidence is growing all the time, witness, for instance, the fact that one of his Sunday lunch dishes is “Cumin-roasted cauliflower steak, cauliflower and dal purées, roast beets and squash, herb shoots”
Caroline Byrne visited idás on her last trip to Dingle, and was particularly taken with two dishes which Mr Murphy serves “to share as a starter, or enjoy as a main:
Sautéed scallops, braised pork cheek, baby kale, Pommes anna discs, spiced pork jus, roast garlic cream
28-days dry-aged ‘Butcher's Secret’ fillet, slow-braised beef cheek, Pommes Anna, mushroom velouté, tempura shallots, beef jus
“A delicious and perfectly rendered variation on a classic seafood/pork paring- scallop and pig cheek for starters - is a perfect example of the French-Irish fusion being so aptly executed in friendly, unassuming Idás. Beef sirloin and braised cheek for mains was Irish in its generosity, quality and flavour, but French in its equal parts beautiful simplicity and decadence- a fusion most happily devoured by a reviewer ever so slightly over-brined by modern culinary fusions. Kevin Murphy's hard work is attested by his lean figure and the fact that you'll struggle to see the same menu twice in his restaurant - which, for those who like such little nuggets of local trivia, is so-called after his great grandfather's nickname (as I was informed by a local sign painter, over a pint in Dick Macks!) Salut”
We asked Mr Murphy to walk us through how he created his pork and scallop, and fillet steak dishes:
“Scallops: pork cheeks are browned and braised in a whole load of ground spices and flavours (the exact opposite of the rest of our sauces, which we try to keep the flavours clean). Ginger, cinnamon, coriander, star anise, a lot of garlic, lots of thyme - almost Asian, but traditional slow cooking process. Reduce the braising liq to a rich sauce and add a few dots of roast garlic cream around the plate.Topped with Pommes Anna discs which we fry off in tempura for some crunch (as if Pommes Anna wasn't bad enough for ya in first place!) and then some chilli and garlic dressed baby kale which we get from an organic grower in neighbouring village.
Finally, pan seared scallops top it off. We try and pair up super fast cooking with slow cooked elements a lot! The whole thing was based on a quail dish I had in Oz years ago, basically those Asian flavours with thyme and wine!
“Steak: My take on trad Irish steak eating habits - shpuds, onions and mushroom. And meat!
Braise the cheeks for 6+ hours in our own stock and red wine, shred with a fork and roll into long puddings - portioned and wrapped in caul fat. Mushroom duxelle puddings are basically a port-heavy mush duxelle, mixed with pearl barley and wrapped in pancetta in another pudding roll, and sliced to look like black pudding. The juices we strain off the duxelle are then used to make mushy ketchup. Served with Pommes Anna, topped w charred leeks and tempura shallots. And the beef sauce from the cheeks, which takes about 12 hours in total to get to sauce (love it when I get asked for more gravy!!!). Lastly, the steak - 28 day dry aged 8oz ribeye from Maurice Kettyle (as are the cheeks). Nicely seasoned and crisped with butter in the pan to order.
https://www.facebook.com/idasrestaurant
John Street, Dingle Tel: (066) 915 0885
