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| My meatballs - beef and lamb. |
These were good. Ovened, on a rack, beef and lamb, rosemary and parsley, tomato sauce prepped separately, red wine to finish the sauce.
28 November 2012
Meatball night
Meatballs were on the menu tonight - a complete nightmare to photograph, particularly on the winters night. But they were good! Here's a snapshot.
I am slowly but surely trialling different meats, mixes of meats, herbs, frying vs oven vs combination, breadcrumbs vs no breadcrumbs, small vs medium vs massive, .....the methods are endless.
These were good. Ovened, on a rack, beef and lamb, rosemary and parsley, tomato sauce prepped separately, red wine to finish the sauce.
These were good. Ovened, on a rack, beef and lamb, rosemary and parsley, tomato sauce prepped separately, red wine to finish the sauce.
19 November 2012
Just a little cheese!
Crottin.... (french goat's cheese). I just like the picture. And love the cheese.
13 November 2012
Beery Brownbread with smoked salmon
I have a been a bit lax (d'ya get it?) with my posts. So I made some brownbread last night, continuing my experiments with different beer based recipes. Thus far I am happiest with the Smithwicks Pale Ale version. The Budweiser and Carlsberg attempts were fine but unexceptional. The Guinness recipe I did as scones rather than as a loaf - they were good but not exactly Guinness-y. The Pale Ale version actually smells and tastes.....beery.
The idea stemmed from a lack of buttermilk in both the fridge and the local shops one evening. A quick google noted that beer was a sufficient replacement. I have used my Mum's brownbread recipe as the base for the experiments.
Ingredients:
- 2 Mugs of Wholemeal Stoneground Flour
- 1 Mug Plain Flour
- 1 Heaped tsp. salt
- 1 Heaped tsp. baking soda
- 2 Heaped tblsp. sugar
(Nice additions - pinhead oatmeal or pumpkin seeds. The pinhead requires more liquid).
- 1 Bottle Smithwicks Pale Ale
Mix all the dry goods together. It's recommended to sieve the baking soda so there are no lumps in the mix. I am not so.....attention focussed and just rub it in. Add in the ale in decent glugs but not all in one go. Give it a good stir until you have a good sticky wet mixture but not loose and flowing. You may not need to use the whole bottle.
Grease a loaf baking tin with butter. Pour in the mixture. Throw it in the oven at around 190/200 degrees C. An hour normally works. The wetter the mix, the longer the loaf will need.
Allow to cool (or not) and serve with smoked salmon (Nolan's from Ballina in this case) - or with honey or.... blackcurrant jam or..... some robiola tre latte or .... tomatoes or.... cucumber.... or ..... you get the point!
Tip: If you cut the mix into scone sizes, these will cook in 25/30 minutes. The buttermilk version was a stalwart on our Sunday breakfast table when we were kids.
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| Nolan's Smoked Salmon on Smithwicks Pale Ale Brownbread |
The idea stemmed from a lack of buttermilk in both the fridge and the local shops one evening. A quick google noted that beer was a sufficient replacement. I have used my Mum's brownbread recipe as the base for the experiments.
 |
| My Brownbread |
Ingredients:
- 2 Mugs of Wholemeal Stoneground Flour
- 1 Mug Plain Flour
- 1 Heaped tsp. salt
- 1 Heaped tsp. baking soda
- 2 Heaped tblsp. sugar
(Nice additions - pinhead oatmeal or pumpkin seeds. The pinhead requires more liquid).
- 1 Bottle Smithwicks Pale Ale
Mix all the dry goods together. It's recommended to sieve the baking soda so there are no lumps in the mix. I am not so.....attention focussed and just rub it in. Add in the ale in decent glugs but not all in one go. Give it a good stir until you have a good sticky wet mixture but not loose and flowing. You may not need to use the whole bottle.
Grease a loaf baking tin with butter. Pour in the mixture. Throw it in the oven at around 190/200 degrees C. An hour normally works. The wetter the mix, the longer the loaf will need.
Allow to cool (or not) and serve with smoked salmon (Nolan's from Ballina in this case) - or with honey or.... blackcurrant jam or..... some robiola tre latte or .... tomatoes or.... cucumber.... or ..... you get the point!
Tip: If you cut the mix into scone sizes, these will cook in 25/30 minutes. The buttermilk version was a stalwart on our Sunday breakfast table when we were kids.
 |
| Pale Ale and Brownbread |
08 July 2012
Calories on Menus
This is not an issue of health standards or industry downfall. This is about the customer and their right to make indulgent decisions.
There are potential reasons for putting calorie listing on menus. For example, it might reduce obesity. It might get some people thinking about what they order. It might help reduce Dept. of Health bill in about 50 years. According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), 96% of consumer respondents to a recent survey believe that calories should be displayed in "all or some food outlets". The report also emphasises that nearly 75% of food service businesses are also in support of this idea in, yet again, "all or some food outlets". The statement is so fantastically vague and undefined, it is hard not to agree.
The other side of the argument suggests that calorie listing will be the downfall of the industry; a costly and indulgent project with little benefit for the consumer or the producer. Indeed, this extends to a conspiracy theory that this act of Governance (big G) by the Dept. of Health (DOH) is simply another money making racket for friends of the FSAI. There is also a more worrying concern that calorie listing on menus will limit the Irish chef community to boring repetitive menus, with no room for flare, imagination, eccentricities and skill.
I am non-plussed with any of these positions. The FSAI Press Release, and the recommendations included, are based on a flawed and spun analysis of what people actually think. The report stands only to support the DOH in their policy direction. However, if the Minister insists on pushing the agenda, it will not result in the downfall of the industry. We are country of capable foodies and business people with a growing recognition of the quality of Irish food produce and recognition of new ethnic food influences. The industry will survive, perhaps at some cost in the short run, but it will survive.
My concern is for the customer experience. More accurately, my concern is for me 'the purveyor' but also me 'the customer, the eater, the consumer', the person who pays to experience the offering of a venue, whether restaurant, bar, cafe, or pub. When I pay a bill - consciously or not - I analyse the value of what I have been charged for. Did I enjoy the food? Was I impressed by the service, welcome and goodbye? Did I feel comfortable in the chair I was sitting in and did it fit with the rest of the decor? Did the atmosphere live up to my expectations? This is 'industry-me', an unavoidable by-product of my career choice but one which I love.
More than anything else however, me 'the customer' simply wants to walk out the door with a smile on my face, feeling better from my indulgent experience. This is the key....it is an indulgence. The act of dining-out, no matter how small, is one of escapism, a treat, a method of spoiling myself to distract from the humdrum of normal surrounds. Whether buying a coffee in the morning, meeting colleagues for lunch or gathering friends for dinner, these are all things can be done more cheaply in the office or at home.
The active decision to move these opportunities to a coffee house or restaurant is one of individual choice. It is an act of pure indulgence. It does not matter if the order is a decaf americano (x calories) or a cappuccino with full-fat milk and a scone with full fat butter and jam (x+y+z calories). As soon as the customer enters a food outlet, everything they purchase is an indulgence of their own choice. The calorie content of their purchase should be of no concern to the food seller. 'Food outlets' should be left to focus on their warmth, their welcome, their service, their hygiene and their quality of produce. They should not be used as a mouth-piece for the DOH. Such efforts will detract from the customer experience, which we value so highly.
Insistence by the DOH on the addition of calorie counts to menus is a puritanical act. It smacks of nanny statism. The DOH should be asking bigger questions of obesity problems in this country. Why are the cereal companies allowed sell their wares in big bright coloured boxes with big bright coloured advertisements that catch the eye of my young nephew? Why, in a country in which it rains so much, are we not energising the development of local amenities to encourage fitness and activity throughout the year and not just in summer? Why is there no real infrastructure in support of the Bike-To-Work scheme, like bike lanes and secure bike-parks? Why are leading chefs not brought into schools, colleges and universities to teach healthy cooking and eating to students?
Health at its basic level is about fitness, self-awareness and self-management - individual choices.
Create a bike path from my door to my place of work and I will ride a bike not the bus. Leave my indulgences alone.
There are potential reasons for putting calorie listing on menus. For example, it might reduce obesity. It might get some people thinking about what they order. It might help reduce Dept. of Health bill in about 50 years. According to the Food Safety Authority of Ireland (FSAI), 96% of consumer respondents to a recent survey believe that calories should be displayed in "all or some food outlets". The report also emphasises that nearly 75% of food service businesses are also in support of this idea in, yet again, "all or some food outlets". The statement is so fantastically vague and undefined, it is hard not to agree.
The other side of the argument suggests that calorie listing will be the downfall of the industry; a costly and indulgent project with little benefit for the consumer or the producer. Indeed, this extends to a conspiracy theory that this act of Governance (big G) by the Dept. of Health (DOH) is simply another money making racket for friends of the FSAI. There is also a more worrying concern that calorie listing on menus will limit the Irish chef community to boring repetitive menus, with no room for flare, imagination, eccentricities and skill.
I am non-plussed with any of these positions. The FSAI Press Release, and the recommendations included, are based on a flawed and spun analysis of what people actually think. The report stands only to support the DOH in their policy direction. However, if the Minister insists on pushing the agenda, it will not result in the downfall of the industry. We are country of capable foodies and business people with a growing recognition of the quality of Irish food produce and recognition of new ethnic food influences. The industry will survive, perhaps at some cost in the short run, but it will survive.
My concern is for the customer experience. More accurately, my concern is for me 'the purveyor' but also me 'the customer, the eater, the consumer', the person who pays to experience the offering of a venue, whether restaurant, bar, cafe, or pub. When I pay a bill - consciously or not - I analyse the value of what I have been charged for. Did I enjoy the food? Was I impressed by the service, welcome and goodbye? Did I feel comfortable in the chair I was sitting in and did it fit with the rest of the decor? Did the atmosphere live up to my expectations? This is 'industry-me', an unavoidable by-product of my career choice but one which I love.
More than anything else however, me 'the customer' simply wants to walk out the door with a smile on my face, feeling better from my indulgent experience. This is the key....it is an indulgence. The act of dining-out, no matter how small, is one of escapism, a treat, a method of spoiling myself to distract from the humdrum of normal surrounds. Whether buying a coffee in the morning, meeting colleagues for lunch or gathering friends for dinner, these are all things can be done more cheaply in the office or at home.
The active decision to move these opportunities to a coffee house or restaurant is one of individual choice. It is an act of pure indulgence. It does not matter if the order is a decaf americano (x calories) or a cappuccino with full-fat milk and a scone with full fat butter and jam (x+y+z calories). As soon as the customer enters a food outlet, everything they purchase is an indulgence of their own choice. The calorie content of their purchase should be of no concern to the food seller. 'Food outlets' should be left to focus on their warmth, their welcome, their service, their hygiene and their quality of produce. They should not be used as a mouth-piece for the DOH. Such efforts will detract from the customer experience, which we value so highly.
Insistence by the DOH on the addition of calorie counts to menus is a puritanical act. It smacks of nanny statism. The DOH should be asking bigger questions of obesity problems in this country. Why are the cereal companies allowed sell their wares in big bright coloured boxes with big bright coloured advertisements that catch the eye of my young nephew? Why, in a country in which it rains so much, are we not energising the development of local amenities to encourage fitness and activity throughout the year and not just in summer? Why is there no real infrastructure in support of the Bike-To-Work scheme, like bike lanes and secure bike-parks? Why are leading chefs not brought into schools, colleges and universities to teach healthy cooking and eating to students?
Health at its basic level is about fitness, self-awareness and self-management - individual choices.
Create a bike path from my door to my place of work and I will ride a bike not the bus. Leave my indulgences alone.
12 June 2012
Sri Lanka - food
Here is a much belated selection of shots from Sri Lanka......the other Green Isle & haven of food. We ate everything from egg hoppers with coconut sambal to fresh platters of amazing local fruits. It also gave me the chance to understand the origin of spices and curries that generally arrive dried and packeted to Ireland.
It is amazing to drive through a countryside where the markets, streets, fields, everywhere is just lined with the freshest of fruit....literally everywhere. Coconut groves, banana trees, stalls of avocado & papaya fresh from the local market..........
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| An Egg Hopper - basically a crepe cooked in a small hot wok-like dish. Often served with an egg cooked in it. |
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| Nutmeg fruit with the nutmeg seed centre and the mace covering it. |
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| Papaya |
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| Bananas! Absolute (-ly amazing) bananas |
.........and then of course there are the tea plantations.....and the tea that tastes like.........tea! It's tastes flavourful, rounded and so drinkable. I am not a tea drinker on any normal day of the week but having seen the production of the real deal tea, smelt the oils being released when the leaves are rolled and then tasted it freshly poured from the pot, I am a convert.
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| Tea Plantations outside Kandy |
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| Rolling the tea ......not cigars :) |
20 April 2012
01 March 2012
Picking Olives in Emilia Romagna
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| A spilt but very much alive and very old olive tree |
When it comes to training and education there is little that beats hands-on experience. Possibly (massive pinch of food obsessed salt) this statement is most true in understanding the food chain and how it can result in perfection, or in contrast be fouled. Therefore the invite before Christmas to join the UK Carluccio's team on a trip to meet one of our expert olive producers in Emilia-Romagna was an opportunity not to be missed. Not a herd of wild horses, as they say was going to stop me joining them....and what a fantastic experience it was!
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| A big bowl of olives |
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| An olive picking rake lying on the olive net |
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| The Lo Conte olive groves |
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