TV SERIES

Neven’s Food From the Sun

“Neven Maguire’s Food From The Sun” is Neven’s new primetime series for RTE.  Shot on location in Mallorca, and in Neven’s own kitchen in Cavan, it’s a sparkling, sunny series which will put a little much-needed sunshine into people’s lives.

When you’re on holiday, the authentic tastes and new flavours make eating a real joy and the aim of this series is simple  - to show people how they can recreate at home the tastes and flavours they have enjoyed on holiday.

Each programme is based around a particular ingredient or type of ingredient, eg fish, lamb, fruit, olive oil or vegetables, and recipes from different countries are included in each programme. 

Each programme and each recipe is introduced from a location which is relevant to the food being cooked.

The series is produced by Inproduction Ltd  (which is also responsible for Rachel Allen’s and Clodagh McKenna’s series) and is sponsored by Galtee.

Episode content

1) Shellfish

Oven roasted Dublin Bay prawns
Scallops with date jam and curried cauliflower puree
Hake with clams, fennel and cherry tomatoes

Neven introduces the programme from the Port of Soller on Mallorca’s north west coast

2) Appetizers, mezze and tapas

Crispy fried squid with harissa and crème fraiche
Cracked patatas bravas
Vietnamese spring rolls with plum sauce
Roasted red pepper and chilli hummus with homemade tortilla chips
Aubergine and mozzarella parcels with pesto and sun-dried tomatoes

Neven visits three very different tapas bars in Palma to get some ideas for making tapas at home.

3) Pork

Parma wrapped pork fillet stuffed with pesto
Caramelised pork belly with honey and soy sauce
Chicken and chorizo rice bake

Neven visits a farmer who raises Mallorcan Black pigs, a special breed used for making the local delicacy ‘sobrasada’, and a restaurant special

4) Sweet things / deserts

Spanish churros with hot chocolate
Buttermilk pannacotta with poached rhubarb
Coconut pearls in coconut milk with roasted bananas

The glorious sweet shops and bakeries in Palma are Neven’s destinations this week as he learns how to make the local speciality ‘ensaimada’, a sort of Mallocan croissant.

5) Vegetables and Salads

Gorgonzola, pear and rocket salad
Beetroot carpaccio with creamed goats’ cheese
Swiss chard and ricotta ravioli

Palma’s largest indoor market, Mercat de OLivar, is where Neven discovers purple carrots (their original colour before the Dutch bred them to be orange) and local ramallet tomatoes which can keep for 5 months, hung on bits of string.

6) Lamb

Rack of lamb with tapenade toasts
Moroccan lamb tagine
Butterflied lamb with spiced mint and yoghurt rub

The olive and almond groves around Deia provide the locations for this programme.  “You are what you eat” suggests Neven, guessing that the meat from the sheep grazing freely among the olive and almond trees will pick up some of the flavour.

7) Fruit

Pomegranate, orange and mint salad 
Lemon & mango cheesecake
Almond & apricot tart with amaretto cream
Orange polenta cake with rosemary syrup

Louis XIV commanded that only oranges from the town of Soller be served at Versailles.  In this programme, Neven prepares a salad among Soller’s orange groves.

8) Pasta and Noodles

Crab & salmon lasagne with prawn foam
Singapore noodles
Roasted butternut squash, crispy pancetta and pine nut pasta

Neven meets a chef who makes paella with noodles, on a hotel roof overlooking the Bay of Palma.

9) Fish

Pan-fried sardines with aubergine chutney
Grilled salmon with avocado and sun-dried tomato dressing
Mackerel with sherry vinaigrette and puy lentils

In the shadow of the 12th century Palma Cathedral lies a little fishing port, where Neven goes to see what’s been caught.  Later, in the huge indoor market, he visits the amazing fish and shellfish stalls and finds both the familiar and the totally unfamiliar.

10) Poultry

Turkey enchiladas with chilli sauce
Spicy chicken & mango noodle
Tea-smoked Barbary duck

The weekly market in Sineu is known for its sales of livestock and fowl and provides the backdrop for thos week’s episode.

11) Cheese

Pancetta frittata with Parmesan cheese
Mozzarella and roasted red pepper fritters with stewed tomato sauce
Chunky Greek salad with feta cheese

Palma’s Mercat de Olivar is the largest market in the Balearics and Neven finds plenty of stalls selling local and other cheeses.

12) Grains and pulses

Tabbouleh salad
Crispy wild mushroom risotto balls with leek and smoked bacon
Lemon & herb couscous with roasted spicy root vegetables

Rice was introduced to Europe by the Moors and is now an integral part of the Mediterranean diet.  Neven visits the Arab Gardens at Alfabia, once home to the rulers of Mallorca when it was part of the Moorish empire.

13) Olives and olive oil

Marinated olives and spiced glazed almonds
Seared swordfish with salsa verde
Italian Bean salad

The olive groves overlooking the Port of Soller provide the stunning locations for this episode. The finca Neven visits once had its own olive oil press, one of many hundreds on the island.