Podcaster Nicola Tallant joins Kevin Dundon and Caoimhe Young in the Under the Grill kitchen to chat about her dad’s roast chicken dinner, breaking bread with criminals and why we are fascinated by crime.

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“I mean there was no coddle or any of this sort of stuff even though you think he's such a traditional dub, don't you?

“I'd say he's better taste than you and I. He's floating around the Mediterranean and he's probably eaten very nicely. So, he ordered a haloumi burger, and I had embarrassingly had chicken wings. What an amateur I am."

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The Crime World host reveals that eating habits can tell a lot about how dangerous a murderer is, remembering killer Joe O’Reilly who, she says, didn’t lose his appetite before appealing for information on the death of his wife on The Late Late Show.

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In Under the Grill, Ireland’s best loved personalities choose a dish from their childhood and Kevin Dundon cooks it up in his kitchen, alongside Maître d’, Caoimhe Young.

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Roast Chicken with Traditional Stuffing

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Serves 4 -6

• 1 large chicken
• 100g butter
• 3 onions (1 chopped + 2 quartered)
• 6 garlic cloves (2 chopped + 4 crushed)
• 1 lemon, zest
• 2 tbsp parsley, chopped
• 2 tbsp sage, chopped
• 1 tsp thyme, chopped
• 200g breadcrumbs
• 50g porridge oats
• 3 carrots, halved
• Salt and black pepper
• Mashed potato, to serve
• Vegetables of your choice, to serve

For the gravy:

• 1 tbsp flour
• 100ml red wine
• 250ml chicken stock
• 50g butter, diced
• Salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan, and add the chopped onion and chopped garlic. Cook over a low heat for about 2 minutes until softened. Transfer into a bowl.
2. Add in the lemon zest, chopped herbs, porridge oats, and breadcrumbs, and mix well to create the stuffing. Season lightly and set aside until needed.
3. Preheat the oven to 200C.
4. Stuff the cavity of the chicken with the stuffing using a parchment packet (you can buy these or make your own by placing the stuffing in the centre of a sheet of baking paper and folding it up securely). Truss the chicken with kitchen twine.
5. Next, scatter the carrots, and remaining onion and garlic, on a roasting tray. Place the chicken onto the vegetables, and season generously with salt and cracked black pepper.
6. Place the chicken in the oven and roast for about an hour and a half, or until the juice runs clear from the thigh when pierced. Remove from the oven, transfer the chicken onto a chopping board and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the juices to settle.
7. Meanwhile, prepare the gravy. Place the tray with the vegetables on a cooker over low heat, and sprinkle in the flour. Cook for 30 seconds, then pour in the wine and stock.
8. Simmer while stirring until the gravy almost coats the back of a spoon. Remove from the heat and sieve into a small saucepan, to remove any large pieces of vegetable. Check the seasoning and keep warm.
9. Remove the stuffing from the cavity and transfer into a serving dish, and carve the chicken. Serve immediately drizzled with gravy, with mashed potato and your favourite sides.

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The author and sex educator joins Kevin Dundon and Caoimhe Young in the Under the Grill kitchen to chat about Traffic Light Brownies, her favourite childhood dessert, completed with drizzled chocolate and M&Ms.

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Grace Alice talks about the relationship between sex and food and how the conversation around sex in Ireland has lost the ‘shame factor’.

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But she says children today literally grow up seeing pornography from a young age because of the widespread availability of phones and tablets.

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Grace says: ‘There is ways of bypassing safeguards on phones and even if kids don't have phones, their friends have phones.’

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“There's a lot of explicit stuff, even on the most widely used social media platforms we all use every day.”

In Under the Grill, Ireland’s best loved personalities choose a dish from their childhood and Kevin Dundon cooks it up in his kitchen, alongside Maître d’, Caoimhe Young.

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Fudgy Traffic Light Brownies

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Serves 6

• 100g plain flour

• 60g unsweetened cocoa powder

• ¼ tsp baking powder

• ¼ tsp salt

• 180ml vegetable oil or melted butter

• 150g caster sugar

• 160g brown sugar

• 1 tsp vanilla extract

• 3 eggs

To decorate:

• M&Ms or other

• 2 tbsp icing sugar

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180C. Grease and line a '9x9x2in' baking tray with baking paper, leaving enough over the edges for easy removal later on.

2. In a bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt. Stir and set aside.

3. In a separate bowl, add the brown sugar and caster sugar. Add the oil (or melted butter if preferred) and eggs and mix until smooth and fully combined.

4. Next, sieve over the flour and cocoa powder mix and stir until fully combined, but don’t overmix.

5. Pour the batter into the prepared baking tray and spread evenly.

6. Place in the oven for 25-30 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out a little wet for a softer brownie, or with a few crumbs for a more cakey brownie.

7. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely for 30-40 minutes. Then, carefully transfer onto a serving platter.

8. Cut the brownie into portions. To decorate, combine the icing sugar with enough water to create a thick paste. Using a dot of paste, stick some M&Ms, or other chocolate of your choice, to the top of the brownies.

9. Store in an airtight container at room temperature and enjoy within five days.

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The healthy eating expert joins Kevin Dundon and Caoimhe Young in the Under the Grill kitchen to chat about Karelian Pies, a savoury Finnish dish she adores, made from rye dough, rice, and butter.

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Dr Eva chats about why she has no regrets about dieting at the age of 11 and being fiercely ambitious, even as a little girl.

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Chef Kevin Dundon admits cooking for the no-nonsense dietician, famous for her straight-talking on the TV show Operation Transformation, had him quaking in his boots. Will Eva approve of his efforts?

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Eva likes to think she has picked up some good Irish mannerisms and says the Irish public treat her with genuine warmth.

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In Under the Grill, Irelands best loved personalities choose a dish from their childhood and Kevin Dundon cooks it up in his kitchen, alongside Maître d, Caoimhe Young.

Dr Eva’s Karelian Pies

Makes: 10-12 pies

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For the rice porridge:

• 100g short grain rice (Puuroriisi or Arborio)

• 100ml water

• 500ml whole milk

• 1 tsp salt

• 50g butter + extra melted butter to glaze

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For the rye dough:

• 200g rye flour

• 50g plain flour

• 25g soft butter, diced

• 1 tsp salt

• 100ml water

For the Finnish egg butter:

• 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled

• 50g soft butter

• ½ tsp sea salt

1. First, prepare the rice porridge (in Ireland, we would call this ‘salted rice pudding’). In a wide saucepan, over medium-high heat, bring to the boil the water, milk, butter and salt.

2. Stir in the rice and simmer for 40-50 minutes over low heat, until the rice is plump and cooked through. The rice should be loose in texture, so add a little extra milk if needed.

3. Check the seasoning and add salt if needed. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.

4. Next, prepare the rye dough. Preheat the oven to 275C.

5. In a large bowl, combine the rye and plain flour with the salt and butter. Add the water and stir to combine to form a smooth and pliable dough ball.

6. Roll the dough out thinly (about 2-3mm) and use a 6cm pastry cutter to cut out circles. Then, pinching the dough upwards with your fingers, ‘rypyttää’ (or ‘crinkle’) the edge of each circle to form a pie base.

7. Place the pies on a tray lined with baking paper. Carefully fill each with the cooled rice porridge. Bake for 10-15, until the porridge is golden brown.

8. Meanwhile, in a bowl, lightly mash the hard-boiled egg using a potato masher. Add the soft butter and combine to create a spreadable dip. Check the seasoning. Keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

9. Remove the pies from the oven and glaze with the melted butter. Cover with baking paper and a clean tea towel. This will help the pies retain their moisture.

10. Serve warm or at room temperature with the boiled egg butter. Enjoy within two days, reheating in the oven as needed.

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