Category: Events & Adventures in Food

Posted in Events & Adventures in Food

Truffle Oil & Florentines

Posted on by sheila kiely

Don’t worry, I’m not losing the run of myself here and turning fancy.  These are just two of the things that came back with me from Dublin last weekend, well kind of.  The truffle oil isn’t actually pure truffle oil but a very little bottle (55ml) of what was labeled ‘White Truffle Condiment in Extra Virgin Olive Oil’ so not a hugely extravagant purchase.  I’m sure it will stay in the bottle for quite a while before I get around to using it eventually meanwhile I’m picturing risotto, white wine and mushrooms.  I bought my truffle/olive oil in Harvey Nichols Foodmarket at Dundrum shopping centre and loved the experience. There aren’t too many places where you browse, don’t buy very much and are offered a glass of wine – Chablis – while you shop.

And what was I doing in Dublin? Well along with the purchases I was also stuffing my brain with terms like epub, smashwords, inkwell, quark, stitch bound, UV Glossed, A.I. (not, after all artificial insemination), createspace, shortrun (not exercise), prosumer, typeset, high res, spot gloss, running heads, drop cap etc. Yes, I’ve been on a publishing course. It was very worthwhile and I really enjoyed the day despite having to monitor my phone for updates on the 8 year old who’d fallen and broken his arm in my absence!

I don’t know if I should admit to this or not, but I had travelled up by train on Friday and on my return journey on Saturday evening the conductor looked at my ticket and directed me to a carriage on the left. When I arrived at the carriage the inspector there asked if I was on first class and when I said no he examined my ticket and said that actually yes I was! So be careful with your mouse out there when you’re booking online and in a hurry. Although I do think now it was fate as I hardly noticed when the ‘Munster’ fans boarded the train in Limerick for a jubilant return to Cork and was able to work away quietly undisturbed. I was putting some thoughts together for the Foodcamp event that’s part of Savour Kilkenny (www.savourkilkenny.com) on Friday of this week. I’m discussing the merits of breakfast cereals and in the name of research forced myself to revisit porridge this week, which with a good helping of stewed apples is quite delicious.

The Florentines (& some giant Avoca cookies for the kids) were a gift from my hosts and chauffeurs in Dublin. (Thanks so much Grainne & Louise). I don’t think I’d ever eaten a Florentine before and have since come across a recipe. They’re delicious and with the nuts and cherries perfect for (..dare I mention it..) Christmas.

Posted in Events & Adventures in Food

Nigel, Nigella & The Gravy Man

Posted on by sheila kiely

Sitting in my other office (aka the car) sipping a takeaway coffee and sucking on squares of ‘Galaxy’ to make them last as long as possible while I wait for my daughter at her camogie training, I’ve a stack of food magazines with me for company and on top of the pile Nigel Slater’s ‘Real Cooking.’  I’ve been wanting to acquire a ‘Slater’ for a while now and I love, love, love it.  It’s hard to believe that it was first published in 1997 and I’ve waited 13 years to get my hands on a copy.  It looks so fresh, contemporary and relevant.
(Please ignore the following subliminal, hidden, subtly positioned, coded message to ‘The Gravy Man’ – For Christmas buy me a big fat Nigel Slater Cookbook.)
I bought ‘Real Cooking’ last Saturday and hid it away until all the others had left the house (yes, for a football match) and I pulled it out only after I had made a big batch of mushroom soup and shoved half a lemon into the carcass of two chickens that I’d drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pushed into the oven.  Cooking was not going to interrupt me and Nigel, or rather Nigel and I.  (Nigel makes me want to write better English.)  Listen to this:
“I cannot be alone in regarding a baked potato, its skin crisp and salty, its flesh fluffed and buttery, as being a perfectly decent supper as it is.”

Too right Nigel, but the best quote, one which I will forever park somewhere in a brain drawer marked ‘reality check’ is this:

“There is too much talk of cooking being an art or a science – we are only making ourselves something to eat.”
(…if Nigel were Irish that sentence would probably end with ffs.)

As I delved into the ‘Chicken & Other Birds’ section of the book, I was sorry that I hadn’t read it before I’d flung my chickens into the oven.  If I had, I would have first squeezed the lemons over the birds before sticking them inside and then massaged them with butter rather than drizzling them with oil.  It was too late.  I did however still have time to wander in occasionally and spoon the oils and juices over the chickens as they cooked, rendering them succulent, juicy birds with sinful, crispy skin.
Nigel is coming to bed with me tonight.  ‘The Gravy Man’ is away and no doubt I’ll eventually, drowsily close the book when another brain drawer fills up and is closed for the night.

But what of Nigella?
Well Nigella can’t come to bed with me because I do not yet own a Nigella and have to date just browsed through her on the shelves.  I don’t know of anyone who has admitted to this but I have been put off Nigella by the title of ‘How to be a Domestic Goddess’.  I don’t aspire to be one, haven’t a prayer of ever being one , don’t know anyone who is one and think we would have nothing in common.  I do know however that her books are very highly regarded and having watched her cook on TV many times I have no doubt that Nigella will soon join my collection.  Just not that particular book and I’m afraid to say that as yet I remain uninspired by her latest television offering (Nigella Kitchen).  Now perhaps I should reserve judgement until I’ve watched another couple of episodes of this programme but to sit and watch a slightly stale cake being sliced, drizzled with watered down marmalade, smothered in cream and decorated with enormous (I would love to see the bush on which these grew) blackberries, was a letdown.  Anything smothered in fresh cream and fruit will taste good and passing this off as a trifle is, in my opinion, an insult to custard loving trifle people.   Zero for effort and inspiration.
‘The Gravy Man’ watched in disgust as what little gravy/jus there was for the lamb was poured onto the meat with no extra to be soaked up by the gnocchi roasties.  Personally I didn’t have a problem with this dish at all and thought it looked delicious. 

If you make it through to the end of this dissertation without the welcome break that photographs provide then thank you for bearing with me.  I’ve been upskilling lately and attending an ‘Internet Marketing’ course as well as a ‘Social  Media’ Conference and a photography course and ironically that’s my excuse for no pictures in this post!  I also managed to hit the Publish button too early when writing this post so I hope that the subscribers will forgive me with the very drafty version that they received.

And finally I think that I have made enough reference to ‘The Gravy Man’ for you to realise that this is what I have decided to christen my husband in future postings.  He rarely makes an appearance in these pages though he patiently accommodates my sejourns to the office for their creation and he is even putting up with the ‘no salt’ on the table, however when there is no sauce or jus or gravy he lets it be known without uttering a word or a sigh that something is missing.
Enough of my ramblings and a promise of a baking recipe and some pictures on Friday.  (I’m changing my posting days for the next couple of weeks so it will be Wednesday and Friday for a while.)
Til next time,
Sheila

Posted in Events & Adventures in Food

French Food & Wine Festival and eatCORK 2010

Posted on by sheila kiely

Cork’s First French Food & Wine Festival began on 22nd of September and ran through until Saturday 25th, centred around ‘On The Pig’s Back’ at St. Patrick’s Woollen Mills in Douglas.  Congratulations to Isabelle Sheridan for bringing a big helping of French food, wine and culture to Cork.

I was there on Friday evening for ‘The Marche Nocturne’ and luckily the weather was more than kind for the entire weekend.  I observed a game of Petanque, tasted some goats cheese, fruit pate (blackcurrant), olive paste, more goats cheese and some delicious organic white wine.  There were plenty of wines to choose from and experts to quiz from ‘O’Donovan’s’,’ Bubble Brothers’ and ‘The Wine Buff’.  Suppliers had also travelled from France with cheese and wine and olive produce.

The French Ambassador to Ireland, Mrs Emmanuelle D’Achon and Lord Mayor of Cork, Cllr Michael O’Connell both spoke of shared friendships between the two countries and officially opened the market.

I left the market on Friday evening and went home to feast on some Arbutus Breads, sausages from McCarthy’s of Kanturk and various cheeses and relish all washed down with an organic blend of Viognier & Grenache Blanc from Cotes du Rhone (Tour Couverte – The Wine Buff).  Dessert was an ‘Opera’ slice and an eclair from the amazing confectionery of ‘Sugar’, Washington St. Cork.
Returning to sunshine on Saturday morning I participated in a small group discussion that Isabelle kindly organised and we chatted, asked questions and learned about gluten, fibre and the salt content of food.  I learned that while the government recommended aim is for 6g intake of salt per day we should really be aiming closer to 3g.  This means change and change is hard.  6g of salt is one teaspoon and we need to aim for half of that.

I know this is going to be difficult in my household where some (who shall rename nameless) insult the chef by reaching for the salt cellar first and tasting the dinner afterwards.  Apparently it takes just 4 weeks to readjust our taste buds so I have hidden the salt and will be putting a pepper and chilli mill on the table instead.  Kids sugary/salty cereals and white bread are also getting the bullet and I’m looking for suggestions and alternatives over on a discussion on my Facebook page so if you’ve any ideas please join in.(follow facebook link)

And so to eatCORK!  I signed up for two workshops that took place on the last day of the eatCORK festival (26th) and again congratulations to the organisers (Dianne Curtin & Rose-Anne Kidney). 
First up was ‘The Lesser Known Steaks’ with Eoin O’Mahony of ‘O’Mahony Family Butchers’ at the English Market.  This was a master at work, a true craftsman, an artist.  Deftly manoeuvering the various knives along the seams of each muscle and cautiously trimming as he went along, Eoin informed us that nothing is wasted.  I’m sure I’m not the only one who was hypnotised as the knives made their journey and the witty, informative chatter flowed.  How he spoke and cut at the same time is beyond me.  Taking a leg of lamb he used ‘seam butchery’ to go with the natural seams of the muscles and break it down into 5 distinctive muscles each of which he explained would cook and eat differently.  I don’t usually find myself salivating at the butcher’s counter but as each cut was produced my hunger increased. 

With too much information to disseminate here I will share with you just one recipe from Eoin.
‘Tira di Asado’ ribs (see pic below)
lemon juice
rosemary
salt
garlic
&  cook in an oven of 150C for 4 to 5 hours until the fat on the ribs renders down to produce delicious morsels that will have you fighting for the bones.

From master butcher to master sausage maker, I moved on to watch Declan O’Flynn of  ‘O’Flynn’s Gourmet Sausage Company’ at work.

Declan (4th generation sausage maker) ran us through a brief history of his company and proudly explained the link between his “Cork Boi Sausage’ (Great Taste Gold 2009) and ‘Murphys’ Irish Stout.’
Starting out with 2 or 3 varieties they now produce up to 40 different types of sausages.
Ingredients in  ‘The Cork Boi’ include beef and pork mince, onions, thyme, seasoning (secret), breadcrumbs and Murphy’s Irish Stout.  Usually twice minced, Declan mixed this by hand and used the sausage maker to wrap them in their casing.  He then twisted and turned to quickly produce a long link of sausages which he then very kindly divided between us all to take home.

I hope that when the organisers of both ‘The French Food & Wine Festival’ and ‘eatCORK’ have recovered from what must have been an exhausting few weeks they will take time to revel in the success of their endeavours.  Sign me up for 2011!
Til next time, Sheila.

Posted in Events & Adventures in Food

A Taste of West Cork

Posted on by sheila kiely

Last Sunday we travelled to Skibbereen for ‘A Taste of West Cork Food Frestival’ in anticipation of a food filled day with “the centre of Skibbereen taken over by a host of stalls and marquees”, lots of kids entertainment was promised including dance, arts, drama, bouncy castles and make and do.  Turns out all of this is going on NEXT Sunday!  All, however, was not lost.   Ravenous with the hunger we piled into the first restaurant we came across – ‘Le Voyage’ which turns out to be a bit of  a gem.  Great value, excellent service and quality food, more than made our trip to Skibbereen worthwhile.  www.levoyage.ie
‘A Taste of West Cork’ is indeed well underway and started with a conference entitled ‘Food for the Future-Can Ireland Feed Itself?’ on Saturday 11th.  On the Sunday that we visited there was a ‘Food Trail’ by bus to local producers and a talk on preserving tomatoes, sauces, chutneys etc at Glebe Gardens Baltimore.  There are workshops and demonstrations during the week (Martin Shanahan of Fishy Fishy Kinsale is on tonight in West Cork Hotel at 7pm).  Wednesday 15th sees a Sushi demonstration at Annie May’s Restaurant at 6pm and ‘Le Voyage’ are offering a 5 Course Seafood Menu on the same night at 7pm.
Highlights on Thursday will be a reading with John and Sally McKenna at 4pm at ‘The Time Travellers Bookshop’ and at 7pm that evening there is a sparkling wine red carpet reception at ‘The Church Restaurant’ where they are putting on a 4 course banquet with live music.
Friday and Saturday are packed full of activities and opportunities for tasting the best local produce – see www.atasteofwestcork.com for more.  Sunday 19th will be family fun day incorporating open-air market / festival / fun-day at the Fairfield in the centre of Skibbereen.  Lots of fun, music and cookery demonstrations are promised with a giant screen showing the all-Ireland Final.
Selection of cheese with ‘Gubbeen Cheese Oatcakes’ all purchased in Fields Supervalu, Skibbereen ‘A Taste of West Cork’ Food Festival Sponsor.
Til next time, Sheila
p.s. one pot recipe on Thursday.

Posted in Events & Adventures in Food

Caviston’s, Glasthule & Avoca, Rathcoole

Posted on by sheila kiely

Numbering among the 82,000 or so who filled Croke Park last Sunday to watch Cork take on Dublin in the semi-final of the Football Championship, the 8 of us enjoyed a stellar viewing point as a nail biting match unfolded. Were Dublin robbed? Did Cork not deserve to win? The style in which the match was won is irrelevant now as when the final whistle blew Cork had managed to scrape victory by a couple of inches.  This trip to Dublin afforded me the opportunity to take in a couple of foodie stops on the way home on Monday.

In jubilant mood our first detour was to Glasthule, Sandycove to pay a visit to ‘Caviston’s’. One of my eight year old boys is an avid cheese fan and as ‘Caviston’s’ is the only Irish shop listed in ‘The World Encyclopedia of Cheese’ (Juliet Harbutt) he was delighted to finally pay a visit. The selection of foods from sweet to savoury was vast and varied but we tried to keep our focus on the wall of cheese. Denny’s first choice was some Edam, followed by Gubbeen and then I chose some ‘Cratloe Hills’ as well as a tub of ‘Raw sprouted chickpea houmous with basil & black pepper’ by ‘Natasha’s Living Food.’

From there we headed homewards stopping off at ‘Avoca’, Rathcoole for an amazing lunch. With 2 adults and 6 children our bill for dining out (1 course) rarely comes in at under 100 euro but ‘Avoca’ was outstanding value.  The kid’s special of pasta Bolognese & smoothie & cookie was ordered by five with the oldest having crossed over to the adult side of the menu, we had three huge portioned meals and all coming in at an incredible 77 euro.
 

My visit to the food shop at Avoca was akin to a trip around the Food Halls at Harrod’s. All that your baking heart desires would be gratified by a visit here. The security guard informed me that they don’t like photographs being taken of the food displays, which is a pity as words don’t quite do justice. Have you ever seen chocolate spaghetti or boxes of miniature carrots for decorating a carrot cake, edible flowers of all types, gold gilded cupcake cases and candy coloured Kitchen Aids? I picked up some Nairn’s mini oatcakes for our cheese, Avoca brown bread and a deliciously moist and creamily iced carrot cake.
For the food lovers out there I would highly rate both Caviston’s & Avoca and I am delighted to have had the opportunity to pay homage at last.

Til next time,
Sheila