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Chef Gilligan kicks off football season with chicken and mushroom pie

A great traditional pie recipe

CHEF MICHAEL GILLIGAN

Published Monday, August 17, 2009, 9:42 AM

Updated Monday, August 17, 2009, 10:04 AM

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Read more: Main Dish Recipes, Chelsea FC, Old Trafford, Everton FC, Culture and Lifestyle, Food and Cooking, Recipes, Liverpool FC, Manchester United FC, European Football

Chef Gilligan's chicken and mushroom pie

After what seems like only 20 minutes, the football season is upon us again.

As a kid growing up the summer seemed to drag on forever with no football, and as I grew up in England I had to endure boring cricket and tennis on the telly. These days with the advent of the web and satellite television it seems like it never goes away (well, that’s what my wife says anyway).

My boys Birmingham City are back in the big time again, well for a season at least!

We seem to be a yo-yo team these days but our recent performance against the champions Manchester United has given me some heart. I was expecting a real tanking but to lose 1-0 at Old Trafford is practically a victory for us. The last time we beat United at Old Trafford I was 10-years-old so I wasn’t really entertaining any thoughts of a different result.

The other team in the city of Manchester has spent big, but we know that money doesn’t buy greatness, although it really, really helps. I think they will need time to grow, just as Chelsea did when the Russian geezer came in with his dough.

Arsenal started the season in style by thrashing Everton and of course Chelsea score in the last minute to give them a winning start.

This year it is going to be tight at the top; but I don’t think we will see anyone break up the dominance of the top 4.

I think Manure will miss Ronaldo too much. It is impossible to replace that kind of talent and Nani has some large Nike’s to fill, but you can never write off Sir Alex.

Can Liverpool finally get their elusive Premier League crown? This could be the year.

So here’s where I make my predictions for the final table of the season:

1 Liverpool

2 Man Utd

3 Chelsea

4 Arsenal

5 Man City

6 Spurs

7 Everton

8 West Ham

9 Fulham

10 Vile

11 Sunderland

12 Blackburn

13 Bolton

14 Stoke

15 Wigan

16 Portsmouth

17 Blues

18 Wolves

19 Burnley

20 Hull

The last game I went to was a couple of seasons ago at White Heart lane to see Spurs thrash my Blues. That wasn’t the worst part. The draught beer was pre-poured and covered in cling film, but I can live with warm flat beer as it is better than no beer.

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Soda bread is one of the most popular types of Irish food. In soda bread, baking soda is used for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is traditionally made up of flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other possible ingredients are raisins, egg or various forms of nuts. Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted. Irish food features other traditional bread as well such as blaa, which is a doughy, white bread bun. Blaa is a versatile Irish food, since it may be eaten at breakfast with butter (the usual form) or at other times of the day with a wide range of fillings, such as ham. Another traditional Irish food is boxty, a potato pancake. There are many versions of boxty, but all contain raw potatoes that have been finely grated. The most popular version uses flour, baking soda and buttermilk, and sometimes an egg. Almost all versions of boxty are served fried. Historically, the potato has been very important to Irish food, since it came to be the main crop of the poor, which meant that if there was a bad harvest, the poor would not have enough to eat. Potato blight caused the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s. Some Irish food is meant to be eaten for dessert. Goody is made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. Goody is eaten on St. John’s Eve, which occurs around the time of the summer solstice. In recent years, shellfish dishes have become a bigger part of Irish food. An oyster festival is held in Galway every year. One example of an Irish shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer, which is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. In recent years, Irish food has also come to include fresh vegetables and handmade cheeses. These days, Irish beer no longer necessarily means Guinness, since 63% of the beer now sold in Ireland is lager. Stout, including Guinness stout, accounts for 32%, while ale makes up the remaining 5% of Irish beer. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Irish beer was made at over 200 breweries in Ireland. Today, there are about twelve breweries. Irish beer historically did not have hops, since hops are not native to Ireland. The famous Irish beer Guinness stout is made from water, malt, barley, hops and brewer’s yeast. Guinness gets its dark color and taste by flaking some of the barley, Flaking means steaming and rolling. The color of Guinness is a dark shade of ruby. This Irish beer claims to have fewer calories than skim milk or orange juice. Guiness was stronger in the nineteenth century. Another Irish beer is Harp Lager. Harp was first produced in 1960. One of Harp’s advertising slogans was “Harp stays sharp.” Smithwick’s is Irish beer in the red ale style. The original brewery for Smithwick’s was on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century. One variation of this Irish beer is Smithwick’s Draught, which has a ruby red tone with a stable, slightly thin head. Smithwick’s Draught is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Another variation of this Irish beer is Kilkenny Cream Ale, which is similar to Smithwick’s Draught, but with a stronger, more bitter taste and a cream head reminiscent of Guinness.

Chef Gilligan kicks off football season with chicken and mushroom pie

A great traditional pie recipe

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