Ballymaloe chicken coops and succotash

Dave, Connor and I spent an hour or so walking around a very small part of the Ballymaloe House grounds.

We searched out and found the chickens.

Hundreds of chickens who were so happy and content with the big bins of fresh kitchen scraps.

Plus oyster, clam, and mussel shells from last night’s dinner.

Chickens need calcium and the grit from oyster shells. If you want to learn more about the reason, go HERE.

As we were walking toward them, we noticed a couple of old trailers on the other side of the fence from the “chicken yard.”

Guess what the trailers are used for?

Chicken Coops!

How brilliant is that?

There was a gentleman in a little red golf cart who was collecting the eggs. All he had to do was open the trailer door, step in and gather the eggs for The Yeats Room and the school.

There are no eggs in this healthy and scrumptious salad recipe from the Ballymaloe Cookery School. It’s a twist on the traditional American Succotash. I love the addition of quinoa and the change from lima beans to chickpeas.

Summer Succotash Salad

Quinoa
1 cup quinoa; red, white, or black, or a mix of all three colors
2 cups cold water
Squeeze of lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Salad
2 fresh corn on the cob
14-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
8 cherry tomatoes, diced
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 red bell pepper; roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
1 serrano chile, seeded and very finely minced
1 heaping tablespoon minced cilantro
2 ripe avocados, diced

Dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lime
1 garlic clove, peeled  and finely minced
1 teaspoon freshly ground cumin
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Quinoa: Rinse the quinoa in a sieve under cold running water for a minute to remove the natural bitter coating.

Place it in a saucepan and add the cold water along with a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to very low and cover with a tight-fitting lid and cook for about 12 minutes until the grains are tender. Turn off the heat, and leave the lid on for another 10 minutes, so the water is absorbed. Transfer to a large salad bowl or platter and season with a squeeze of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper. Set aside.

Salad: Cook the corn in boiling salted water for 3 minutes, pat with a paper towel and then brush with a little olive oil.

Place corn cobs directly on a flame or on a hot grill pan and roast the corn, turning with tongs until the corn is lightly charred.

Cut the kernels from the cobs and place them in the bowl with the quinoa.

Add the chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, roasted pepper, chile, cilantro, and avocado to the bowl with the quinoa and corn.

Dressing: Place the juices of the lemon and lime in a jar. Add the garlic, cumin, and olive oil and shake vigorously. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When ready to serve, add the dressing to the bowl and toss to coat.

Serves 6