A Seasonal Recipe from Chef Glenn Murphy

As the colder months draw in, there’s nothing quite like a comforting, flavour-packed dish to warm you up. We’re delighted to share a special recipe from one of our longtime clients and friend, Chef Glenn Murphy — a dish that’s perfect for cosy evenings and autumn gatherings alike.

Glenn has been a cornerstone of Dublin’s culinary scene since 1997, honing his craft in some of Ireland’s most acclaimed hotels, including The Westbury and The Dylan. With over two decades of experience, he has built a reputation for excellence, creativity, and a deep respect for ingredients.

For the past eight years, Glenn has led the culinary team at LinkedIn’s EMEA headquarters in Dublin, where he brings restaurant-quality dining to staff every day. His approach is rooted in scratch cooking, sourcing produce from Ireland’s finest organic farms, and championing practices such as fermentation and sustainability. Dedicated to elevating workplace dining, Glenn combines innovation with integrity, ensuring every dish reflects both his passion for flavour and his commitment to ethical food sourcing.

This month, Glenn has shared with us his recipe for:

Pulled Ham Hock, Spinach & Roasted Garlic Barley, Wild Mushrooms, Mustard Cream, and Kale Crisps.

It’s a hearty, comforting dish full of depth and flavour — the perfect way to celebrate seasonal produce while enjoying something that feels indulgent yet nourishing.

Ingredients

1 ham hock

2 white onion (one for cooking the ham hock and the other for dicing)

2 bay leaf

5g fennel seeds

5g black peppercorns

200g spinach

250ml cream (50ml for the spinach puree and 200ml for the sauce)

1 clove of garlic

150g barley

200g wild mushrooms

30g butter

30g plain flour

100g wholegrain mustard

50g kale

1lt vegetable oil – for deep frying

Salt

Black pepper

Method

Duration – Prep:30min › Cook time:4hrs › Ready in:4hrs 30min

For the ham hocks

• Heat a pan on full heat, add the fennel seeds and black peppercorns to the dry pan & toast for 20-30 seconds. Remove and add to the pan for the ham hock.

• Put the ham hock, one onion roughly chopped, bay leaf, fennel seeds & black peppercorns in a pot of cold water and bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and leave on a gentle simmer for 3 – 5 hours.

• When the meat is tender transfer to a tray and leave to cool to a manageable temperature to pick the meat off the bone with your hands wearing a pair of latex gloves.

• Strain the stock through a sieve and keep aside for the sauce.

• When the meat is all picked, cover and keep hot.

• Fine dice the second onion and add to a pan on medium heat with 60ml of vegetable oil. Sweat the onions until translucent and tender.

• Add the sweated diced onions and 50g of wholegrain mustard to the picked ham hock and keep warm.

For the kale

• Wash and dry the kale and pick it off the stems.

• Deep fry the picked leaves at 150°C for about 1 minute until crispy and transfer to a tray with paper towel and leave aside.

For the barley

• Put the barley in a pot of cold water and remaining ham hock stock, bring to the boil and simmer for about 30 – 40 minutes.

• Strain into a colander and return to the pot.

For the spinach & roasted garlic puree

• Top and tail a bulb of garlic, drizzle with oil, wrap in a parcel of tinfoil and bake in the oven at 200°C for around 45 minutes.

• Blanch the spinach in a large pot of boiling salted water for 1 minute.

• Drain; transfer to a bowl of ice water and let cool. Drain and squeeze well to remove excess water.

• Coarsely chop spinach.

• Use your fingers to pull or squeeze the roasted garlic cloves out of their skins.

• In a blender purée the spinach and roasted garlic with a drizzle oil and a splash of water in a blender, adding more water as needed, until smooth.

• Mix the spinach puree through the barley and keep warm.

For the mushrooms

• Slice the mushrooms into even strips.

• Heat a large frying pan on full heat.

• Add 50ml of vegetable oil and the mushrooms. Do not overfill the pan with mushrooms. We want to fry the mushrooms, so they are crispy, not stew them so they are wet & soggy.

• Season with salt & black pepper at the end of cooking.

For the sauce

• Melt butter in a pot, turn heat to low and add the flour. Cook out for about 5 minutes without allowing the roux to colour.

• Add 250ml of the ham stock (it may be salty so adjust quantity accordingly) using a whisk keep mixing. Then add 200ml of cream and continue to whisk. Leave to simmer for 20 minutes.

• Turn off the heat and stir in the wholegrain mustard.

To finish

• In a warm serving dish start to build the dish. First add the spinach & garlic barley evenly in the dish. Then spread the ham hock evenly over the barley. Next drizzle the mustard cream sauce over the top, then arrange the mushrooms on top, and finish with the kale crisps.

• Now you can pop the dish in the middle of the table and let everyone dig in.