TV foodie Donal Skehan shares his tasty ‘superfood’ treats

A DECADE ago, young Donal Skehan was plying his trade as a pop star with his Streetwize bandmates.

“I can hold a note, but I look at Take That and think: ‘I was probably the Howard Donald or Jason Orange of the band.’

“I was good to fill numbers,” says the writer and presenter, who went on to enjoy two Irish No 1 hits with another group, Industry.

But while Donal’s pop career might have been short-lived, music’s loss was the food world’s gain.

He had already started writing his Good Mood Food blog, chronicling the dishes he prepared when he first moved out of home, and by the age of 23, had landed a book deal and TV presenting gig.

Since then, the Dublin-born foodie’s landed a regular guest presenting gig on BBC1’s Saturday Kitchen, taken up hosting and judging duties on Junior MasterChef, published six cookbooks, and seen his cookery career take off in the US, as a host of Star Kids on Food Network USA.

Now 30, Donal has relocated to Los Angeles with his Swedish wife Sofie, and is lapping up the local cuisine with his customary enthusiasm and zest.

“We were at the cinema recently and you can put your own butter on your popcorn,” he says.

“Sofie was like: ‘Stop it!’, but I kept ladling it on just because it was free.

“This is the land of everything being larger, so if there’s free butter, of course you’re going to start ladling it on!

“I had to step back and stop myself, though, because it was ridiculous.”

Popcorn also makes an appearance in Donal’s latest cookbook, called Eat. Live. Go. — Fresh Food Fast.

But in keeping with the book’s nutritious ethos, his is a “superfood” version, with turmeric, spirulina powder, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika sprinkled over it — and not a butter ladle in sight.

Donal says the book is all about “prioritising eating well, living a balanced lifestyle and taking time to travel and find inspiration from the world”.

And balance is clearly important to Donal who, despite indulging in some of the less healthy “tourist food” the US has to offer — and enjoying a sizeable slice of lemon tart when we meet — is slim, tanned and the picture of good health.

“I make green juice and I eat lemon tarts and, for a while, I always felt there was a struggle between the two, but it’s like: ‘Let’s not struggle, let’s just enjoy it when you need it,’” he explains.

“You do have to keep an eye on it and be clever.

“Invariably, though, if you’re cooking well and using good ingredients, and there’s an injection of vitamins and some sustenance and nourishment, you’re on the right track.”

Sofie, who married Donal in 2015 after nine years together, has recently been trying her hand at presenting with him — despite being “slightly terrified” of being on camera at first.

Donal’s happy about it, however.

“It’s something we’d love to do more of, because we get to travel together,” he says.

“I did 12 European countries last year with Food Network UK and I was all by myself, so to do it with Sofie is really great.”

Things are clearly going brilliantly for the affable chap, but if the writing and presenting jobs dry up, there’s always that pop career to fall back on.

“If you told me I could go back on stage tomorrow, I would take your hand off,” he confesses.

“It is without a doubt the most incredible experience you will ever have.”

Want to try some of Donal’s applause-worthy recipes? Here are three from the book to make at home . . .

 

Chicken Katsu Curry

Serves 4

You’ll need

4 chicken breasts

150ml sunflower oil

1 large free-range egg, beaten

1 tbspn soy sauce

100g panko breadcrumbs

25g flour, seasoned

300g sticky rice, cooked

6 spring onions, thinly sliced

 

For the curry sauce 

1 tbspn sunflower oil

1 onion, finely chopped

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, very finely chopped

1 tbspn curry powder

1 tspn ground turmeric

¼ tspn chilli powder

1 tbspn tomato puree

500ml chicken stock

1 tspn cornflour

2 tspn rice wine vinegar

1 tbspn honey

1 tbspn soy sauce

 

First, make the sauce. Heat the oil in a pan over a medium heat, add the onion and fry for six minutes before stirring in the garlic and ginger, then fry for one to two minutes.

Sprinkle in the curry powder, turmeric, chilli powder and tomato puree and stir.

Pour in the chicken stock and bring to a steady simmer, then cook for eight minutes.

Mix two tablespoons of the hot liquid with the cornflour in a bowl until it is smooth.

Pour this back into the pan along with the rice wine vinegar, honey and soy sauce.

Cook for a further three minutes until the sauce has thickened and then blitz until smooth with a stick blender.

Put the chicken breasts on a chopping board, place a piece of parchment paper on top and, using a rolling pin, bash the breasts to flatten them to a thickness of about 2-3cm.

Next, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat.

Whisk the egg and soy sauce in a deep, flat bowl, and put the breadcrumbs and seasoned flour in separate bowls.

Remove the parchment paper and dip each breast in the flour, then the egg and finally the panko breadcrumbs.

Fry the crumbed chicken in the oil for five to six minutes until golden brown and cooked all the way through.

Remove with a slotted spoon and transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper.

Slice the chicken and serve with the cooked sticky rice, spring onions and a generous amount of curry sauce.

Orange, Feta, Coriander and Barley Salad

Serves 4

You’ll need

250g pearl barley

1 pomegranate

3-4 large oranges

1 large red onion, thinly sliced

200g feta cheese, crumbled into chunks

Large handful of fresh mint, roughly chopped

Large handful of fresh coriander, roughly chopped

For the dressing

6 tbspns extra-virgin olive oil

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

2 garlic cloves, grated

2 tbspns pomegranate molasses

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Place the pearl barley in a pan and cover with water, then place over a medium-high heat and bring to the boil.

Reduce the heat and simmer for 50 minutes, or until the grains are tender and all the cooking liquid has been absorbed. Set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, mix all the ingredients for the dressing together in a jam jar with a tight-fitting lid and give it a good shake to combine.

Cut the pomegranate in half and, holding one half cut-side down over a bowl, bash with the back of a wooden spoon to release the seeds. Repeat with the other half.

Next, use a sharp knife to cut away the peel and white pith from the oranges. Cut the oranges into segments, and add them to the bowl.

Add the red onion, crumbled feta, pomegranate seeds, barley and herbs.

Pour over the dressing and toss gently to combine.

Serve at room temperature.

Quinoa Chocolate Cake With Avocado Frosting

Serves 8
You’ll need

150g cooked quinoa

4 large free-range eggs

50ml milk

150g butter, cubed

1 tspn vanilla extract

200g coconut sugar (available in good supermarkets)

100g cocoa powder

1 tspn baking powder

½ tspn bicarbonate of soda

 

For the avocado frosting

2 ripe avocados, stoned and flesh scooped out

75g cocoa powder

1 tspn espresso powder

75g maple syrup

1 tspn vanilla extract

½ tspn sea salt

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C/160°C Fan and grease and line a 20cm spring-form cake tin with parchment paper.

Place the quinoa, eggs, milk, butter and vanilla extract in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Add the coconut sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and blitz again to combine.

Transfer the mixture to the prepared tin and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer comes out clean.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly before removing from the tin and setting on a wire rack to cool down completely.

For the frosting, place the avocados, cocoa powder, espresso powder, maple syrup, vanilla extract and sea salt in a food processor and blitz until smooth.

Use a spatula to spread over the top of the cooled cake and dig in.

 

Eat. Live. Go. — Fresh Food Fast by Donal Skehan is published by Hodder & Stoughton, priced £25, and is available now.