Wine course results...

Well, the moment I had been dreading... would I have passed the wine course exam? I got the results recently, and nobody was more flabbergasted to see that I had got a Distinction in both the written and the tasting exam! What a result - definitely down to the help I had got from both Colm (my brother and business partner) and from the course tutor Mary Gaynor. And maybe a little bit down to the many years of wine drinking coming into their own at last!

BBQ recipes

Wow, what a great day - all of a sudden, summer has arrived, and the bbq beckons! Well, that is unless, like me, it needs a major cleanout as it hasnt been used all winter and it has been so wet this spring that only the truly deranged would have attempted to cook outdoors! Here are a few tips and tricks to make your BBQ successful - exerpts from my Tips and Tricks Guide that accompanies our BBQ Workshop...

How to create the perfect marinade for BBQing food

Different tastes that must be balanced to achieve a really good marinade:

sweet, - this can be achieved using honey or fruit juice – sugar is not a great option unless you don’t have an alternative – it is too non-subtle!

sour, - from acid – so lemon, lime, vinegar etc

bitter, closely associated with sour for many people, coffee, plain chocolate, beer etc

salty – obviously from salt or its derivatives…

umami has been added in recent decades – this is about a savoury flavour such as soya, ketchup etc – very important for this to be blended into BBQ flavours!...

For most dishes, you also need to add in some ‘piquancy’ in the form of pepper (either chilli pepper or black peppercorns), paprika (either smoked or unsmoked) and/or herbs and spices to add that unique set of flavours. You need to be careful not to over-complicate matters when it comes to this lot of tastes – a little can go a long way!

Think about your bbq as a total taste experience, but adding in some simple flavours to give your taste buds a break! The breaks can be provided by potatoes, breads, even simple salads such as couscous or green salads will give a contrast to the stronger more pungent flavours

Recipes and guidelines for BBQ food… just a few options to add zing to plain old chicken breasts - I would recommend that you try and get the best chicken you can afford - cheap efforts often have water added, so you end up with an unpleasant texture to the finished dish.

Mediterranean Citrus Marinade – this will work for chicken or fish…

For 4 breasts of chicken…

o 3 tablespoons of olive oil (one that doesn’t have too strong a taste – doesn’t have to be extra virgin)
o rind and juice of one large lemon or two small ones
o 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
o 1 teaspoon of runny honey
o 3 large sprigs of thyme – you could also use oregano or a smaller quantity of rosemary
o Sea salt and black pepper to season)

Combine thoroughly. Cut each chicken breast into three-four strips and then coat the whole lot with the marinade for about 15 minutes.

Thai-style chicken marinade

o Juice and rind of one lime
o 1 inch knob of ginger, finely chopped
o 1 stick of lemongrass, outer leaves removed and inner core finely chopped
o 2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
o 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
o 1 teaspoon of runny honey
o fresh coriander – about a tablespoon finely chopped
o 1 teaspoon of sesame seeds (optional)

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and then mix with strips of chicken; leave to marinade for 15 minutes minimum.

Sticky tomato and fennel marinade

o Five tablespoons of good tomato sauce
o 1 teaspoon of Worcestershire or other tangy sauce
o some drops of Tabasco or fresh chillies (this depends on how hot you like your food!)
o Fennel seeds – about a teaspoon, crushed with a mortar/pestle
o Tablespoon of olive oil
o 2 garlic cloves
o salt and pepper
o Some fresh thyme leaves, finely chopped

Mix all the marinade ingredients together and then mix with strips of chicken; leave to marinade for 15 minutes minimum

Enjoy - get in touch if you would like more ideas for that BBQ, and which wines to match with the different tastes!

Life and death matters

A very good friend recently died very suddenly, which was a great shock to us all. It kind of knocked the stuffing out of us for quite a while, so we are only getting back to normal now. It is amazing to think that we blithely ignore the fact that there is a very thin line between life and death, and we spend most of our time on things that in the greater scheme of things are fairly meaningless. Lets face it, if you really thought that this weekend might be your last, would you be doing what you are planning to do?? If so, that is absolutely fantastic! However, if not, then change your plans now... For myself, I'm re-iterating my motto of live life to the full, only do things that you truly believe in and enjoy whatever you are doing to the fullest extent possible. And that means that I am finishing work now, I am going to sit outside in the late evening sun, and in a little while I will have a great dinner and a few (hopefully not too many!) glasses of wine and raise a glass to Selwyn - may you be doing likewise where-ever you are...

In case you were wondering where I have gone to...

This is a link to another blog that I am active on at the moment - it is about our plans to create our new business called Honest2Goodness.

http://honest2goodnessfarmersmarket.blogspot.com/

While I still plan on being active on this blog in the coming months, there is lots going on at my other one, so please check it out!

Habits...

You know the saying about old habits being hard to break - well, when does a new habit become an old one? How often do you have to repeat something for it to become a habit? Well, certainly longer than I would like for a 'good habit' and shorter for a 'bad habit' has been my experience. You'll know what I mean when I give a couple of examples, if that last sentence is a bit ambiguous. The good habit could be the daily exercise one. So, I had built up to an hour a day, and had got to the stage when I said to myself that this was now a lifelong habit, and one that I couldnt do without - that was probably my first mistake, which was to get smug about it! So then, a few things happened together - I did a bit of overseas travel, there was snow on the ground at home, etc, etc, and lo and behold, my good habit is no longer. I'm now back to square one, and even more discipline is required to get back into it. Why, I dont know. I really enjoyed the walking, knew it was doing me good, and yet, as we say in Ireland, there she was - gone! However, when giving up (or cutting down) on a bad habit e.g. drinking coffee, the reverse happens. I had it down to one a day and even skipped that one a few times, and yet, as soon as I took my eye off the ball, I was back up to 4-5 a day! Could someone who is better at psychology than me explain this to me...please!!

Wine course in Kilkenny

A couple of weeks ago, I braved the unusually snowy weather in Ireland to travel to Thomastown Kilkenny for a week-long course with The Wine Academy. This was the Advanced Certificate course, one of the WSET accredited courses, and it was delivered by Mary Gaynor, who runs the Wine Academy.

Well, I have to say that my bravery was amply rewarded, despite the freezing cold weather, which had me running into the Kilkenny Design Centre on the second morning to purchase some wooly socks!

We had a great week of it, learned a massive amount (although I am not sure if I remembered enough of it to pass the exam on the Friday afternoon - time will tell!), and were highly entertained into the bargain. Mary's hospitality was wonderful, her teaching talents and wide knowledge of the wine industry were only to be admired and each day flew by! Thomastown is one of those Kilkenny towns which will be transformed when it is bypassed, and even now it has a lot of charm despite all the large vehicles rumbling through on their way from Kilkenny City to Waterford City or Wexford. Mary can be contacted at www.thewineacademy.ie

Exciting moves and market days ahead...

After much thought and deliberation for the last few months, we are on the move to new premises and are planning to include a weekly indoor food market in our new location on Saturdays. The building is in Glasnevin in Dublin, and has about 6000 sq ft of available warehousing, as well as ample office and storage space, a stainless steel kitchen and space for our wine tastings and much more. It'll be full steam ahead in the coming weeks to prepare the space, meet all the Environmental Health requirements and be up and running by mid-summer. This is all part of our decision to join forces with Champagnes Unlimited, and grow our business jointly, with emphasis on good value wines in this time of economic recession, cookery demonstrations on how to use the produce from the market, and to have our own stall at the market. We will be able to have wine tastings and courses on the premises, although we will still be available for incompany tasting evenings.

Current plans are for a mainly fresh food produce market, lots of veggies, meat, fish etc with an emphasis on quality and good value as well. Of course we'll also have some produce for people to be able to treat themselves, but always with a healthy emphasis! So, I'm off to Borough Market in London this weekend to look at it with fresh eyes - not as a consumer of the food there, but to see how they have it set up from an operational perspective. Not much point in not aiming for the best we can be, and they are a good example in this part of the world... Barcelona would be even better, but maybe too ambitious... for now... So, if you would like to explore having a stall at our market, and your food produce is good quality and affordable, then get in touch with us at info@thetastingroom.ie or if you would just like to hear more about our plans...

Horticultural matters

A few months ago, a low-key statement issued announcing the closure of Warrenstown College, which is one of only 4 horticultural colleges in Ireland, and is the only third-level college in the county of Meath.

I can understand some of the economics behind the decision - and we are in such a state in the Irish economy at the moment! - however, it does appear to be a very short-sighted decision. We are at a time when all things horticultural are at a cross-roads in Ireland. We have two possible future directions. One is to follow the road of importing the bulk of our fruits and vegetables, with our own farmers getting fewer and fewer, and those who are still there having to do battle with the big multinational supermarket chains. Hmmm, doesnt sound good for the longterm to me!

The other is to differentiate ourselves into the higher-quality produce, with the bulk of it organic (or at least grown to organic principles), with the food being provided to local outlets, cutting out the multinationals from our food chain. Small retailers, farmers' markets and direct provision to local supermarkets could be the way to go. That way, our collective carbon footprint improves, we eat better quality, in-season vegetables (thus getting more minerals and vitamins from them) and therefore our health is better all round.

If we dont have sufficient places for people to be trained to produce food this way, then the likelihood of this second options being chosen diminishes... and the alternatives being offered by Teagasc are - The Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin and Kinsealy!! Not exactly in areas offering cheap accommodation, or indeed locations likely to seem attractive to people who have been born and reared in the countryside, and who just want to be able to farm better!

Is it too late to reconsider the options? What cost to our economy and to the future generations in this country? Does anybody care??

Ode to a Quail (or two!)

Never having cooked quail before, as they are rarely available round my area, I was delighted to spot them in Cavistons in Glasthule, where I visited this morning. In case you dont know them, Cavistons is a family run business, with some of the best fresh produce that you can get in all of Dublin - great fish and meat, wonderful cheeses and fresh vegetables, and a fine array of artisan foods. However, back to the quail! While not cheap food, you could do them as a starter, thus only serving one per person - that way it would work out at €3.50 each, which isnt an outrageous price by any means. Two for a main course is about a nice generous amount!

I love the way that Ho Sen (Vietnamese restaurant in Temple Bar) do them, so we set out to recreate them along the same lines. Our marinade was created from garlic, ginger, lemongrass, lime leaves, lime juice, chillies, schezuan peppers, sesame oil and peanut oil and a little honey. We left that to sit for a while mixed through the partly boned quails (we allowed two per person as a main course). With part-boned quail, it is much easier to cook them, as you have a fairly even surface to cook, rather than trying to roast the whole bird.

I checked with a few online recipes as to how long they need to be cooked properly (I dont know if they fall into the chicken category of 'must be fully cooked' or the duck category of ' anyway you want to cook from rare to well-done'). I still dont know, but concluded that when in doubt, make sure the food is safe to eat, so I erred on the side of caution and went with the option of 5 minutes on each side, rather than one of the options which was a total of 5 minutes!

After leaving the marinade on the quail for about 20 minutes, I cooked them by browning them on each side for about 2 minutes each side, then putting them into a preheated oven for about 5 minutes, then for the last minute, doing them on dual grill and oven setting. They turned out brilliantly! Succulent, yet crispy-skinned, and the flavours from the marinade came through beautifully without overpowering the quail taste. We served them with wok-fried veggies and some brown rice and had them with some really nice Australian Chardonnay - the Stonier Reserve 2004, which is a far cry from the still-lingering image of over-oaked Aussie Chard!

If anyone would like the recipe in full, get in touch with us and I'll send on the details to you! You can send the mail to info@thetastingroom.ie

The Clatter of Forks and Spoons...

I asked for and got a copy of Richard Corrigan's latest cookbook 'The Clatter of Forks and Spoons' for Christmas. I had bought it for someone else as a pressie, and then realised that I wanted my own copy! Apart from the great recipes that I want to try out, I've been reading the autobiographical bits that intersperse each of the chapters. In a weird way, his upbringing and mine have many things in common. His mother was brought up in Conamara in West Galway, and she moved to Co Meath as part of the experiment with transplanting families from the West to parts of Meath which took place in the 1950s and 1960s, resulting in some strange juxtapositions of cultures.

My grandparents on my mother's side of the family also moved during the early days and settled probably only about 5 or 6 miles away from Richard's family. My parents (and we children of course!) moved to the nearby town of Trim via a 9 month stay with the grandparents in 1970. We used to visit The Kirwan Arms in Athboy for a Sunday lunch treat for a number of years - it isnt clear from Richard's book if he was in the kitchens there during the early to mid 70s, but my father could never resist the brown windsor soup (I couldnt see the attraction of a consomme myself - still cant for that matter!).

His book is full of stories of how life was in his part of Meath in those days, and many of the stories resonate with my visits to my grandparents for holidays, as they were also smallholders. I think that Richard fared better on the food front though - I cant remember any spectacularly interesting meals being served up to me in those days. I do remember the quality of the water fetched from the local well, which was used for drinking and cooking (the house well water not being the most potable!); it was fantastic water! And I remember the lambing season when we would end up minding the occasional orphan lamb indoors at the range for a few weeks - great excitement all round for that.

Of course, we also visited the relations in Conamara - mainly on my father's side of the family - again during the 60s and 70s, during the long summer holidays (my parents being teachers fared well on the holiday front!). I still remember learning to milk a cow, feed chickens and watch with horror when my aunt killed a chicken in honour of our visit! Richard mentions the rosary being said each night in his home - I remember the same ritual in my aunt's house - I can still feel the hard surface of the ground where we knelt, while my aunt would lead the rosary for everyone in the house - adults and children and any visitor who was in the house come 10 o'clock! And all in Irish of course - no English spoken there unless some of the overseas cousins from the UK were over for their summer visits!

In those days, there was a weekly van which was the main grocery shop for the village, and a butchers called once a week, and fish could be bought straight from the boot of the fisherman's car. Everyone grew their own veg and had their own eggs from the 'sicini' (chickens), so the carrots were pulled from the garden and an hour later we were eating them for our dinner - no al dente cooking in those days!

Fuerteventura holiday & rabbit recipes...

Sunsets were pretty spectacular, as can be seen...

Just back from the Canaries - was lucky enough to get 10 days there with family, but unlucky enough that the weather was very variable - we only had a couple of really sunny days and it remained windy until the last day there, which of course was the nicest day weather-wise! As per last year, we stayed in El Caleton, outside El Cotillo on the north-west coast of Fuerteventura - right on the edge of the sea.

There are 11 apartments, which are basic enough in terms of facilities, but make up for any lack by way of the views, and the proximity to the beach. This is the view from the garden.

Food-wise, the general fare is typically Canarian - generally fine, but nothing to write home about - but we found one real gem during our stay. It is a relatively new restaurant called La Higuera in the tiny village of El Roque, and the food is really excellent, alongside a quite interesting wine list. The style of cooking is quite eclectic - definitely in the fusion zone - a great starter we had was cuttlefish (similar to squid or octopus), stir fried with Asian spices, lemongrass, chilli and garlic - served with some mixed leaves and finely sliced stir-fried vegetables. I will definitely be trying that one out in the near future. Main courses were also very varied, and included a great recipe for Rabbit - browned with a little flour in olive oil, then cooked with leeks, garlic, olives, lots of white wine and some thyme and rosemary. The chef told me that he cooked it for about an hour, but if the rabbit was wild, he would double that time. It was quite delicious, and another one to add to the list for experimentation, as I probably left out a few key ingredients due to having imbibed too much wine during the evening! We were made most welcome by the restaurant, and we made a return visit just to confirm our initial impressions!
Photos taken by my husband!

More market trouble...

I arrived into Temple Bar Market on Saturday and immediately sensed an air of negativity around the place. I wasnt very awake as it was early, so was a bit slow on the uptake. I chatted to Brendan at the Olive stall and then went to Jenny's stall for my usual range of salads and veggies. I overheard her conversation with another regular customer, and picked up that the other mainstay vegetable supplier - Dennis Healy - had been suspended from the market. I had spotted the gap in the stalls, but had assumed that they were just late in getting things set up. While stall-holders have been suspended before, there seemed to be more going on that just that. There was. As it turned out, all the stallholders had been informed over the New Year break period that their rents were going up - in many cases, they were being doubled!! I was astonished, to put it mildly. Given that we are in the midst of the biggest economic downturn in many years in this country, it seems totally unfair to put up rents to that extent. The various local authorities around the country were told in no uncertain terms by business and national politicians to limit their rates increases to marginal increases of below 5%, and here we have a public agency increasing the equivalent of rates by over 100% in most cases! Talk about not having a level playing field. Once more, there is inequity being fostered between big business who can command air-time and influence, and small business, who are too scattered to be able to hope to position themselves in equivalent positions of power.

Back to the problem that led to Denis Healy's stall being conspicuous by its absence... I spotted Denis himself before I left the market, and asked him what the story was. Apparently, his staff had left some empty boxes behind on the last day before Christmas, as one of their vans had broken down and they couldnt pack everything. As a punishment for this, he was being fined almost €1000, and was being suspended until the fine was paid! What an attitude this displays. You need to sell some amount of veggies and fruit to make a profit of €1000. Denis was visibly upset by the whole thing and had come into the market to attempt to meet with the market supervisor directly, as nobody had returned his phone calls earlier in the week.

Maybe the stall-holders should take matters into their own hands and find another location to set up their stalls - if I am anything by way of being a typical regular shopper there - I dont go to savour the early morning smells of Temple Bar en route to the market itself (stale alcohol and worse), but to buy the excellent produce that is available from the stall-holders...

January mid-week supper inspiration...

Yesterday was a very busy day - the first day back syndrome (yes we do take a long break in Ireland around Christmas/New Year!). I knew I would be at a meeting that could stretch right into the evening, so dinner had to be flexible and quick. So, stir fry beckoned as the right way to go. This recipe can be made with almost any meat, but I did it with turkey breast, as I hadnt had turkey at any time over the festive season! It took a total of 20 minutes from start to finish - and the longest time was for the brown rice to cook.

For each large portion of turkey breast (or chicken, pork, lamb or beef) you need approximately
1/4 teaspoon of chilli flakes (less or more according to how hot you want the dish!)
1/2 teaspoon of black beans (dont overdo the black beans as it can overpower the other flavours)
1 clove of garlic and
equal quantities of root ginger, both finely chopped
sesame oil
soya sauce (I use Tamari, rather than traditional makes as it is gluten free)
juice of half lemon
teaspoon of cornflour or other thickening agent (Kuzu is great) dissolved in water

Slice the turkey or other meat into bite-sized portions while the wok is heating
Add some oil (approx a tablespoon) - preferably groundnut or sunflower oil - to the wok
When smoking, add the turkey to the oil and stir fry for approximately 1 minute until the turkey pieces are almost cooked through.
Add the black bean and chilli flakes, then almost immediately add the garlic and ginger.
Cook for about 10 seconds, then add a dash of sesame and soya.
Add the lemon juice and then the cornflour mix. Cook for a minute and its done!

Serve with lots of stir-fried vegetables - keep them crunchy! and brown basmati rice.

Enjoy and remember that pretty much all of the ingredients are health-giving. Ginger, garlic, chillies, black beans, brown rice, - lots of goodness - and even some tryptophan in the turkey to help you sleep after a long day!

I also had a glass of wine with this - for once I went away from white-wines-with-Asian theme and plumped for a Southern Rhone Gigondas, packing a fairly powerful punch, but somehow it all worked together.