5 food habits that mean you are nearly Irish

Since Paddy's Day is just around the corner, what better time than now to reflect on those little food habits, small nuggets of infectious Irishness that make us, foreigners, become a little bit more Irish as time goes by.

12 years since I first landed in Dublin, straight out of college, many things have changed in the country. Looking at the following list, I realise I have also done a fair bit of changing myself!...  

-Lasagne and chips
Coming from 'The Continent', the first impression when encountering lasagne with chips on a menu is of horror. Surely pasta doesn't need any additional carbs...or does it? 12 years on, I wouldn't have it any other way...

-Cheese and onion crisps
Cheese and onion Taytos are probably the biggest export from Irish mammies to their offsprings in
Australia but to the non-Irish crisp lover the first impression when coming across cheese and onion
crisps can be condensed in one word: gross! Where are the plain old-fashion ready salted crisps? With time and practice, we’ve learnt to love them too, of course. Salt and vinegar are still far
superior though… which takes me to the next thing…

-Vinegar on chips
To a foreigner, it is weird enough this obsession of eating chips on their own, but surely, we've all been quickly converted to the humble bag of chips too, but with salt and vinegar? That might have disgusted you 10 years ago. Not anymore.

-A good cuppan tae agus baine
As a rule of thumb, Galicians don’t put milk in their tea. Not that they drink much tea to start with.
But if tea must be drunk, it will be a light watery concoction with lemon and sugar in it. Outrageous,
isn’t it? I agree… nothing beats a good cuppa agus baine. And there is nothing that couldn't be solved (or nearly) with a cup of tea. A few years back I would have added 5 teaspoons of sugar to it though.

-Dinner for breakfast or breakfast for dinner?
To be honest, breakfast is one thorny issue the Irish and southern continentals are never going to
agree on. Some rather have a rashers sambo at 7 in the morning, the others would prefer to stick to
a coffee or Cola Cao and a piece of lemon drizzle cake. Two different philosophies. Both acceptable.
Likely to cause trouble? Yes. If you are coming to Ireland just stick a few Cola Cao sachets in your
case. If you are heading to Galicia, you might need to bring a few sausages on the sly.

The one thing I still haven't manage to embrace? the yuk crème eggs... some things are just a step too far.

And to finish off, since it is virtually impossible to end a phone conversation in Ireland with just one single 'goodbye'... It is a 'Bye, bye, bye, bye, bye...' for now...

Happy St Patrick's Day! wherever you are, and whatever you are munching!

Carnival Recipe: Monk's Ears (Orellas)

A recipe tried and tested for the CaminoWays.com office, to celebrate Entroido (Carnival)

Carnival or Entroido is a special time on the Camino de Santiago. In Galicia, food plays a very important role in the celebrations, as usual, with traditional pork dishes and sweets being prepared for the occasion, and the days leading to the big day, Carnival Tuesday (pancake Tuesday). One of those classic Entroido sweets in Galicia is called ‘orellas’ which means ‘ears’, sometimes they are also called ‘orellas de frade’ or monk’s ears! they deliciously crispy and sugary batter strips. Here’s a recipe, tried and tested at the CaminoWays.com office:

What you will need:
2 eggs
1 spoonful of aniseed liquor or cinnamon (optional)
500gr flour
75gr sugar
50ml of sunflower or 50gr melted butter
150ml of milk (or half warm water/half milk)
Grated peel of a lemon or orange – your choice!
a pinch of salt
a teaspoon of baking powder
Icing sugar to dust
Sunflower oil (for frying)

Method:
In bowl, mix the flour, one whole egg and one egg yoke, the sunflower oil (or butter) cinnamon (or aniseed), sugar and the milk and grated peel. Mix well and knead until you get an even and workable dough (not sticky). Take the egg white and whisk until fluffy, then add gradually to the dough mix.
On a dusted surface roll out the dough to a thin layer, then cut into triangular or rectangular shapes and fry on a high heat until they bubble up and get crispy. Take them out of the oil and place them on a plate with kitchen paper (to soak some of the oil). Once dry/cooler, dust with icing sugar.

Enjoy our Entroido recipe with a cup of coffee, chocolate or a tea!

The Camino de Santiago in 10 foods

Here's a foodie blog I have just written (and sampled!) at CaminoWays.com after a recent trip to the Camino de Santiago along the French Way, I hope you like it:

The many routes of the Camino de Santiago cross different regions (in some cases countries), each with its own traditions, culture and food. If you are walking the Camino de Santiago along the French Way, from the French border, here are some classic dishes and traditional produce you will be able to taste.

This is our Camino de Santiago in 10 dishes (feel free to suggest your favourites!):

1-White Asparagus
Navarra’s white asparagus are the most famous in Spain. They are delicious with just a dollop of mayonnaise sauce. Another Navarrese speciality is ‘pochas’, a regional type of bean, stewed with Serrano ham cubes. Here’s a picture of Helena from Casa Sabina in Roncesvalles, serving her delicious ‘pochas’.

2-Chilindrón sauce
Chilindrón is a traditional sauce from Navarra, Basque Country and Aragón regions, made with red vegetables, mainly tomatoes and red peppers.
You will likely find meats such as lamb or chicken cooked ‘al chilindrón’, in ‘chilindrón’ sauce.

3-Potatoes Rioja style
From La Rioja region of course, famous for its red wine, you will find a variety of dishes cooked ‘a la Riojana’, ‘Rioja-style’, including potatoes. This is more than just a potato dish, the potatoes are stewed in a clear broth with chorizo sausage.

4-Ice cream in Logroño
Marzipan, goats cheese with blueberries, cherry and orange sorbets, Ferrero Rocher… any ice cream flavour you might imagine you will find it in Logroño, capital of La Rioja and famous for its wine but also a city with a deep ice-making tradition.

5-Tapas in Burgos
Burgos has been selected the country’s gastronomic capital for 2013, an important accolade, reflecting the quality of the food you will find in the city of El Cid. Go for tapas in the many bars, offering a wide variety of flavours and combinations so you can taste as many different dishes as possible.

6-Cured meats in León
As you get into Castilla-León, cured meats become even more prominent in restaurant menus. Cecina, smoked beef, is a local specialty and cured meats (embutidos) from this region are of exceptional quality.
7-Cakes and Chocolate from Astorga
Astorga had at one stage up to 64 chocolate factories – we where assured by Camino, the shop assistant, at the Alonso Mantecados shop in the Plaza de España. As good an excuse as any to stop and taste some of the artisan chocolate made locally. Don’t forget to try the famous ‘mantecados’ (little buttery cakes) and ‘hojaldres’ (super sweet sticky puffy pastries). There is also a chocolate museum in town.

8-Botillo in El Bierzo
You will cross El Bierzo on sections 6 and 7 of the French Way, its capital being Ponferrada. The most famous dish of this region is ‘botillo’. It is a dish where various parts of the pig chopped, seasoned, spiced and stuffed together to be cured and smoked for a few days. It gets cooked and sliced before serving and can also be eaten in stews. El Bierzo is also famous for its cherries so make sure to try them if you are travelling in Summer, you will see them in orchards along the walk and in every supermarket.

9-Octopus ‘market fair style’ in Melide
Galicia’s most traditional dish is octopus, eaten traditionally on market days, hence its name in Galego (pulpo á feira – octopus market day style). Stop for a ‘ración’ (portion) at a real ‘pulpería’, a bar or restaurant specialised in cooking octopus, where the octopus is simply boiled and served with a sprinkle of sea salt and smoked paprika. A Garnacha in Melide is a popular stop on the last section of the French Way.

10-Arzúa cheese
Further along the way, before you get to Santiago, you will pass the market town of Arzúa, where you can get a picture taken with the statue of the humble woman selling cheese in the main square. Explore the small shops in town to get a taste of the local cheese, for example at the old school butcher shop of father and son Luís and Luís, also known as ‘Carnicería Tarazona’. They will milk the cow for fresh milk on the spot and they sell the traditional Arzúa cheese, as well as their meats. The family has been running the establishment for over 100 years.

Buen Camino and Buen Provecho! We have previously shared our list of the best Galician dishes not to miss if you are walking the Camino de Santiago.

This blog was originally posted at:
http://www.caminoways.com/blog/2013/08/15/the-camino-in-10-dishes/

Ah the good weather!

Ah, the good weather! A whole week of uninterrupted sunshine and balmy temperatures tuned Ireland and residents to holiday mode. Out came the sandals and the flowery dresses,the BBQs, the coconut lotions and, of course, the fake tans. The whole nation poured outdoors and rightly so! it has been a while since the last time we had seen Mister Sunshine in such glorious conditions.

Having moved to Dublin recently, I sure missed the long strands of County Wexford this week! We finally hit the beach on Sunday and chose to head out to Portmarnock mainly beacuse it was handy and accessible by public transport (driving to the beach on a sunny Sunday in Ireland is mission impossible). So far so good. The train was packed with teenagers high on hormones and sunshine. It was amusing enough but we chose to head to the middle of the beach to leave the crowds at either end. It was just pure heaven. That's what a Summer Sunday afternoon should be all about!

The far end of the beach, closer to the village, looked chockablock. But the most shocking part was seeing the amount of rubbish being scattered about the place, totally without a care or concern for people around, let alone the environment. A woman with her toddler and baby unwrapped her kid's icecream and proceed to bury the wrapper under the sand, not a worry in the world. Groups drinking cans on the grass were too busy having a good time to worry about binning their empty cans. Piles of empty glass and plastic bottles accummulated in the dunes, on the sand and the grass. Wrapping paper, leftover food and all sorts of litter dotted the place. Dogs were having a fun day at the beach too, but many owners chose to ignore their pets' poo, waiting for a bare foot to land on it. By 7 o'clock, once the tide was out and the main crowds had left, the vision was truly appalling.

It strikes me as strange that people are so keen to get out and make the most of the sunshine and the coast, while having no respect whatsoever for the space and the nature they've come to enjoy. Surely they'll expect to find the beach still there, clean and tidy next time they come... maybe we can put it to the side effects of sunshine, or call it mass national sunstroke... maybe we should just blame a lack of manners and of civil duty. And hope next time Mr Sunshine comes, we've all cooled down a bit and are more prepared to deal with our natural spaces responsibly.

Weather is due a change this week, rain will be back in Ireland. A bit of normality. I hope Summer does visit again this year.

Cracking sloe gin trifle

I had a go at making a trifle this weekend. My first trifle ever. It didn't look pretty but it was delicious. Since we are going to Galicia for Christmas, I thought it would be a good idea to have an Irish or British dish as well. Looking at recipes online I found plenty of ideas, all of them different so I decided to go free style and use whatever I fancied.

We made plenty of sloe gin last year so that seemed like a good choice.
Also for the base, I bought Boudoir biscuits and assembled them with plenty of blackcurrant jam from the Gorey Farmers Market (I pasted them together as a boudoir jam sandwich). I bought a tin of peaches in grape juice and poured all the peaches (but 3 I left for decoration) over the biscuit and jam base. Then drizzled a good bit of slow gin.

I had homemade apple jelly in the cupboard so that was next in. At this stage it looked like a bit of a mess, not a sight of the tidy and even layers of shop-bought trifles. Then I made custard (one pint of milk) from powder and once it cooled off a bit, I poured over the messy base. Once the custard was cold I whipped cream (with a touch of sugar) and covered the top. I used the remaining peaches for decoration and sprinkled a bit of cocoa powder on top.

Because sloe gin has a very sweet taste and not particularly alcoholic, it went very well with the berries and the fruit.

I should have taken a shot but I just got too carried away... next time!

Autummy chestnut flan

Sweet chestnuts used to be the most important part of the Galician diet back in the day, being the starchy basis of daily meals before the mighty potato was introduced from South America.

The chestnut still remains a big Autumm favourite and the star of the 'Magosto', which is mainly a party celebrating the chestnut harvest, its main purpose being to gather together and roast and eat chestnuts (and sort of celebrate the beginning of winter too).

As a kid, we celebrated a 'magosto' party at school and I loved going to my grandparents around this time of the year, to gather chestnuts and roast them in the fire. Roasted or boiled and eaten with milk... as children we loved the sweet floury taste of chestnuts and the fun involved in picking them, and cooking them. Never to be eaten raw though, as granny said warms will grow in your belly. It might be a myth but just in case...

This year I found some French chestnuts at the Gorey Farmers Market and decided I'd try to make a chestnut flan (creme caramel). It was my first ever flan, and my first ever chestnut flan... and it didn't turn out too shabby! I followed a Galician recipe book that has the shortest recipes ever (they are all about 4 lines long in average!) in true Galician cooking free-style.

Here's what I needed:

500gr (approx) of sweet chestnuts
200gr of sugar
milk (2 bowls - around a pint and 1/2)
4 eggs (separate yolk and whites)
a drop of vanilla essence


First I boiled the chestnuts in water so they can be peeled properly.
Once peeled, I boiled the chestnuts in the milk with the vanilla essence and 150gr of sugar.
The chestnuts will disintegrate in the milk eventually. To help them along, you can blend the mix for a bit.

Prepare a big bowl (the one you'll cook the flan in, it needs to go in bain Marie so it must be resilient) lining it with caramel (in a saucepan melt sugar with a bit of water, then pour in the bowl - my caramel wasn't great but it did the job).

 Once you think the chestnuts have blended into the milk, sieve the mixture (so there are no lumpy bits of chestnut in your flan). Add the other 50gr of sugar and the egg yolk. Then add the whites (first, whisk them to get a bit of fluffyness). Mix well and pour in your caramel lined bowl.

Put the bowl in a big pot with water so you can boil it (bain marie) for roughly 45min to an hour. Let it cool down and turn upside down on a plate or dish. Voila! eat cool with sugary whipped cream. Enjoy your magosto!







'Little stairs to the doors of the sea'

'Little stairs to the doors of the sea', in Lisbon

Four recipes for chorizoholics

my chorizo stash

Forget for a moment about the tasteless u-shaped industrial chorizo you'll find in your average supermaket. If you haven't tried the smaller, wrinklier and more natural version of cured chorizo with its delicious spicy smokeyness you don't know what you are missing.

Fried, boiled, grilled, with pasta, with boiled potatoes, in your pizza, in a sambo... or just as it is, chorizo is the one food I can never resist. Some people can never say no to chocolate, I go mad for a bit of nice chorizo. When our friends visit from Galicia there is usually one present they bring in their case: vacuumed packed chorizos to keep us going until the next Galician arrives in the house with more supplies.

For other chorizoholics out there, I share 4 very simple recipes here where the star ingredient is, of course, chorizo (chourizo for us Galicians):

-Chickpea stew
What you'll need:
one onion
one clove of garlic
1 or 2 carrots
4-5 ripe tomatoes (or a tin of chopped tomatoes if you prefer)
chorizo to your taste (the more the merrier!) chopped in slices or cubes
300gr dried chickpeas (if you use dried ones, you'll need to soak them for a good few hours, I suggest you soak them the night before you are cooking them) or two tins of chickpeas.
seasoning

First you are going to prepare a base of tomato sauce cooking the onion, garlic and chopped carrots for a few minutes, then adding the chopped tomatoes and letting it all simmer for a few minutes until it is nice and soft. Then you can add the chorizo, the chickpeas and a pint of water (roughly). It is so simple! now you only need to let the mix bubble away until the chickpeas are cooked and add seasoning to taste. Depending on how liquid you like your stew, you can add more or less water.

If you like peppers, you can also add fresh red or green peppers to the vegetable mix. Some people might find it too overpowering but I find it works well with the chickpeas.


-Brown or Green Lentil stew
The cooking method for the lentil stew is exactly the same as the chickpea stew. The only difference is that you might like to add some cured ham cubes if you have them. I also like to boil a couple of eggs and add them to the lentil stew. Use brown/green or puy lentils for this. They have lots of iron so they are very good for you!

-Chorizo in cider (or white wine)

Cudillero, in Asturias

This is a deliciously simple recipe. You simple cut the chorizo in slices or cubes and boil it in cider or white wine until soft. You can eat it with nice fresh bread or boiled potatoes. Chorizo in cider is a very traditional recipe from Asturias, the region neighbouring Galicia, and famous for its natural cider. I was recently in Cudillero, a pretty little fishing village in Asturias, where we had some tasty chorizo cooked in local cider, as well as some fishy delicacies...

-Runner beans with chorizo
Runner beans are now in season so this is a good late Summer-early Autumn dish. They grow fantastically well in Ireland. It is the one crop that never fails to deliver in our neglected vegetable patch...

For this dish, you need potatoes, eggs, runner beans and chorizo.
It is also a very simple, quick and tasty recipe: basically you just have to boil the potatoes, eggs and runner beans until tender. With the chorizo you can either boil it too or chop it and fry it very slightly in a pan with a drop of olive oil and drizzle over the boiled potatoes, eggs and runner beans.

You can also add chorizo to your potato tortilla (Spanish omelette) or have some fried chorizo (better if it's not too cured) with fried eggs for a Friday treat! - don't forget to make some salad or veg to go with it, for a bit of a healthy balance. There is a million ways of cooking with chorizo, all of them delicious...

5 random Amsterdam food experiences

Earlier this year, Mr M, two friends and I went to Amsterdam for a few days. I hadn't really researched much about the city and the only rough plan of action I had in mind was visiting the Van Gogh Museum and chilling out. And chilling out, in my book, means a few decent food treats must be included.

With the help of some local friends, here you have 5 random food experiences we really enjoyed - all for different reasons:

-Spicy Ethiopian 
In the Jordaan district we found a cool Ethiopian restaurant called Semhar and recommended by one of the guides the group had. The place was a fantastic discovery, offering authentic Ethiopian food in a simple and homely family-run restaurant. The whole group really enjoyed the spicy Ethiopian delights -both vegetarians and meat eaters- presented in huge platters, perfect for sharing.

-Say Poffertjes 
The Spaniards have churros, the French have pancakes and the Dutch batter-delicious cross between the two is poffertjes. They might look like Yorkshire puddings to go with your roast dinner but are infinitely more delicious and sweet. We found them at the Albert Cuypmarkt, after being recommended by our local friend, Isis. Nice and warm, sprinkled with sugar and a lump of tasty unsalted Dutch butter, this was street food heaven. We couldn't get enough.

After trying once, there was no way we were going to let this discovery go so easily: it was poffertjes every time we had the chance. We were even tempted to buy a poffertjes pan to take home. Because it sounds like 'cheese' we thought it would be the ideal word for picture taking...

-Street Haring

Being a big fan of Swedish and Polish herring I had to try the Dutch version. There were plenty of street vendors so we went for a herring roll to see if it lived up to expectations. Stuffed in a soft bun with onions and pickles, I thought it would be pretty much the same as the Scandinavian herring but I was wrong! It was slimy and felt and tasted a bit too raw for my taste buds. I finished the bun but after crossing it off my list, it will not be an experience I will be looking to repeat any time soon. We also tried the smoked eel, and while it didn't sound as pleasant, it was incredibly tasty. That is one definitely for your to-eat list, if you get a chance.

-Food with a view
Our Galician friend Lucia had studied a couple of tourist guides and had found plenty of interesting tips, including a lunch suggestion involving the city library, a few minutes walk from the Central Station. A library for lunch? Bizarre, we thought but we soon found out it had a decent choice of international food made on the spot at pretty decent prices. Its biggest attraction , however, was its great view of the city since it is on the top floor- if it wasn't for the fog!. Ok, so we didn't get to see much of the view but we could just about make it out.

-Cheese Tasting

 Reypenaer cheese makers have been selling cheese in Amsterdam for over one hundred years. Their shop organises tastings for keen cheese loving visitors, with your own 'expert in cheese tasting' certificate to take home at the end of it.

The tasting is a bit of a marketing gimmick but good fun all the same! you get to try some of the house's cheeses, from the chevre affine to the mature Reypener reserve, along with some wine; and mark each of them. And it will guarantee you will make a stop at the shop to take home some of their cheeses.

Sunday in Clonegal

It is funny how you can have amazing places close to home and not even realise... it wasn't until I went to one of the #SMEcommunity meetings in Clonegal earlier this year that I discovered Huntington Castle. I had heard of the 'new age' witch living there but I hadn't realised you could go in to the castle or that there were tours to see the place. 

So taking the opportunity that the in-laws were visiting this weekend we went up to Clonegal (it is only about 25 min drive from Gorey) to spend our Sunday. Apart from the castle, Clonegal has another great 'attraction', restaurant Sha-Roe Bistro which is a lovely low key place with stunning top quality nosh!

The plan was to have a treat Sunday lunch at Sha-Roe and then head next door to the castle to check out the gardens (the last time I was there it was so wet I didn't get to see them) and have a tour of the place. The plan didn't disappoint, we hadn't been to Sha-Roe in a good while (why?? I don't know!) but it was as good or even better than I remembered. I had a smoked salmon terrine with haddock fishcake for starters and an absolutely superb courgette and cucumber risotto with scallops. I'm generally not a fan of risotto but this was no ordinary risotto, it was just amazingly tangy and tasty and everything you would need for a tasty Sunday treat! for dessert I had the classic lemon tart with raspberry sorbet which was sweet, refreshing and amazing. We must go more often! 

It was fun to have another tour of Huntington Castle because I got a different guide this time (I presume they are brothers) and we got different anecdotes from the castle's inhabitants and eccentric family residents. The castle was built in 1625 on the site of a 14th century abbey. It was built over a water well which still can be seen down in the basement, where the cult to the Goddess Isis has its 'Vatican' - as the guide said.

It is refreshing to go to a site that has been in the hands of the same family for centuries and see how the place has evolved, without artificial 'additives' solely for tourist consumption. It is a family house that happens to be a castle and have a very very colourful history! now they have opened tea rooms and they also have a resident artist studio, as well as a few crafts on sale.

For such a small place, Clonegal, gives you a good mix of things to do on a Sunday. Oh, and if you fancy walking, the Wicklow Way has its finishing spot here too!

Irish heritage and history in your pocket

My friend and archaeologist Neil Jackman has just launched this amazing project called Abarta Audio Guides. Neil and a group of friends with many different talents from music to acting have produced and launched these fantastic audio guides to 8 of Ireland's most high profile sites and events (Glendalough, 1916 Rising in Dublin, Rock of Cashel, Kilkenny Castle...).

The guides last up to 50 minutes in duration and they offer an interpretation of the sites and events with anecdotes and stories about these heritage sites. The greatest part? you can download it at home and take it with you, no need for queues or renting equipment at the sites. The Abarta team idea is to roll out to more sites in the coming months and develop apps with videos and other exciting things...

Since archaeology jobs are very scarce in Ireland these days, it is great to see the archaeologists still in Ireland come up with ideas to reinvent their talents. He has been working hard on this project for the past few years and I hope they do really really well. It is a fantastic idea and a handy way of taking Ireland's heritage and history in your pocket!

Go on! Check out the Abarta audio guides! you know you want to!

Bronze Age cooking - no Tin Foil in sight

It was my first time at the Wexford Food Festival this year. Despite being so close, I hadn't managed to do it last year. I was particularly curious to see the Bronze Age cooking demonstration: after spending three years digging fulacht fiadh around the country in the many commercial archaeological digs of the Celtic Tiger times I was definitely keen to see - and taste! - how it all worked!


So this year, we managed to head down to the Irish National Heritage Park with a couple of friends and have a bite of Bronze Age cooking! The weather was gorgeous so that was a bonus! and while we managed to miss the first demonstration and had to wait for the second round we were happy to go around and have a look (yet again) at the park. It is a great spot to take visitors, it gives them a chance to get a quick history of Ireland in the space of just over an hour! some parts of the park need a bit of work, and some other parts that we managed to see last year were closed this time around. It makes the visits slightly annoying because you never get to see the whole thing, but I suppose it is worth the wait and once all repair work is done it will be a fantastic attraction.

Anyway, back to the fulacht fiadh or burnt mound, it consists of a trough dug into the ground where hot stones (heated over a fire) were thrown and meat was cooked for what archaeologists suppose were special or big occasions for Bronze Age people (1500-500 BC). Why they didn't save themselves the hassle and cook directly on the fire, we'll never know! The fulacht fiadhs would have been reused though, leaving plenty of burnt stones scattered around the area for archaeologists to dig.

There are tons of fulacht fiadh around Ireland (Wikipedia says 4,500!), they are a pain to dig because of the huge extension of burnt material and stones that can cover a pretty significant surface and depth. But after digging them, it was great to taste a bit of meat cooked in one!

One of the ladies in front of me wasn't too impressed with the bacon being wrapped in hay and chucked into the murky water so asked the fulacht fiadh 'chef' if they (as in Bronze Age people) would have used tin foil! someone must go back to history classes!

Bacon wasn't enough to fill us up so we headed into town to check out the food stalls for some tasty treats!

Here's some info on fulatch fiadhs http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulacht_fiadh

and a video from the Irish National Heritage Park
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Au52FD-sZYk

What's in the fridge Friday dinners

We tend to do most of our food shopping at the Gorey Farmers Market on Saturday mornings which means by Friday night the fridge is looking pretty bare. Friday dinner tends to be a frugal one, we call it 'what's in the fridge dinner', using up whatever is left from the weekly supplies. It can be a bit dull or boring and sometimes experimental - with very inconsistent results! but sometimes it can really work! 

Last Friday, for example, I decided to cook cannelloni, as I had some pasta left in the cupboard, stuffed with some leftover vegetables. To avoid a bland veggie mix I decided to give it a bit of a kick, the result was spicy cannelloni with a lentil and spicy veg filling and yoghurt on top (no good pics I'm afraid), here's what I used:

It is a very easy option, because it requires no bechamel sauce.

For the filling: 4 tomatoes, 2 carrots, 1 courgette, 1 onion, garlic, ginger, coriander in seeds and fresh, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, cumin seeds, chilli seeds, salt, pepper, brown lentils. 

Peel and chop the vegetables, finely, and add to a pan with a bit of olive oil. Add a cup of brown lentils and the spices. Cook until the lentils are soft. Add a bit of stock or water if the mix gets too dry, the lentils need water to soak when they cook.

Let the mix cool down.

Fill the cannelloni pasta (those ones already in a rolled shape), lay on a deep tray and cover with enough yoghurt so the pasta is not exposed. Cook at 180-200C for about 30 min. Easy peasy!!

Galician basics: Empanada of anything

Mussel empanada!

Empanada is, along with octopus, one of the classic and most traditional Galician foods. Made to share, to take out, to eat in... empanada (similar to patties - or let's call it pies) can be bought in any bakery and filled with almost anything. More often than not the filling will be seafood or fish (salted cod, tuna, cockles, mussles, octopus, conger eel, razor clams, clams...you name it) but also meat, traditionally pork (for example zorza, a kind of minced chorizo meat) but ham and cheese is a popular modern addition to the repertoire.

Normally, empanada is eaten cold but my hometown has a special version, called Market Day Pie, that is made with chunky fish, eaten warm with a paprika oily mix. It is delicious.

When I first moved to Ireland, this was one of the foods I missed the most, and friends visiting will travel with a fresh (or day old) portion of empanada in their cases, just to kill the craving.

I've tried making empanada before but never tasted quite right but recently I got a new pastry recipe from a friend's mum in Viveiro and this time it was a real success, tasted like the real deal.

The pastry can be frozen, hence the huge quantity of flour (unless you are making a huge pie)

Pastry:
-1kg flour
-cup of white wine
-cup of milk
-cup of sunflower oil
-egg
-pinch of salt
-25gr yeast
Mix and let sit and rise for 30min-1hr.

For the filling, I had mussels from the market. I steamed them and then I made a veggie sauce with: 1 onion, 1 red pepper, 5 fresh tomatoes, salt, saffron, spoonful of olive oil.

I rolled the pastry in to parts (one for the bottom and one for the top), put the veggie paste and mussels and then covered. I even made a little M for the top, like the Galician bakers do to indicate the main ingredient of the filling: Mussels!

I baked it for about 30 minutes, until golden brown. Didn't it look pretty?

Ensaladilla Time!

16th of May and looks like the Summer is being a bit shy this year. After a half decent day today - literally half: sunny morning and overcast afternoon! - we can only hope good weather is on its way! and one of my favourite and easiest summery meals is ensaladilla.

You might have seen it in your travels to Spain, covered in a thick layer of mayonnaise as tapas or pintxos in bars. Ensaladilla means 'little salad' but it doesn't really  have to be that small.

My mum and dad used to make huge ones (with homemade mayonnaise, yum!) when we had big celebrations at home and had the family over. Usually as a starter, along with Galician empanada. In Spain, they tend to call it ensaladilla rusa (little Russian salad) so I presume its origin is not Spanish at all. The beauty of it is that you can mix and match the ingredients depending on the season.

The basic ingredients are (in my book!):
-potato, egg and carrot (boiled)
-tomato (fresh)
-tuna, if you can get hold of good fresh tuna steak from your fishmonger and boil it, much better than your average tasting tinned tuna. Although there is pretty good quality bluefin tuna in olive oil available in certain specialist stores around Ireland (I recently bought some in The Store Cupboard at Rathwood but Dunnes Stores seems to stock pretty decent tuna jars too).

Other additional ingredients (depending on the season):
-asparagus (perfect for this time of the year, early Summer) - boiled (cut in half, as tips take less time to cook)
-peas (our crop is usually out around July) - no need to boil, if they are fresh they will be delicious!
-runner beans (our crop generally starts in late summer, around August) - topped and tailed; boiled until soft
-a few nice olives to decorate, if you like them

It can't get any easier than ensaladilla: just cook the ingredients that need to be cooked, let cool and then chop in smallish cubes the potato and carrot (not too small otherwise it will go a bit mushy). Cut the tomatoes in wedges and the runner beans in chunks of about 3cm. Slice the egg and jut cut the asparagus in half (they are very delicate). Then assemble in a deep dish.The result will be a combination of layers of different vegetables with sliced boiled egg and most delicate vegetables (like the asparagus tips and a few olives) on top to decorate.

It is a great picnic and packed lunch meal! and don't forget the mayonnaise to taste!

Third-time lucky Falafels

People get hooked on falafel after travelling to the most exotic places: Egypt, Lebanon, Turkey... I can't really point out the exact moment I got addicted to falafels. I have never been to the Middle East so it is quite possible it was in the middle of a bog in County Roscommon circa 2006.

third-time lucky falafels

What is this random Galician from Co. Wexford doing in the middle of a bog eating falafels? you might ask. Well, that is a question I have asked myself many times too. It was one of the first years of the Mantua music (and arts?) festival in Ballagahderreen. Yes, it was in a bog: soggy, wet and miserable (even though it was the middle of the summer). There was no toilets for half the duration of the festival and one of the few food options at the festival was, of course, falafel wraps.

I came home swearing I would never ever go to another festival again (if it's located in prime bog-location and it's raining) and never touch another chickpea. But I was wrong, at least in the second instance anyway. My temporary falafel overdose in boggy Roscommon seemed to have triggered a need for mushy chickpeas every now and then.

Then I was lucky enough to live close to the Gorey Farmers Market with Mohammed's best ever Lebanese style falafel wraps. Mohammed is now gone (to bigger markets) but the Gorey market has recently got a new 'falafel man', this time from Syria. And while I do miss Mohammed's falafels, the new ones are amazingly good as well.

In between Mohammed's departure and the new arrival, we had a few sad falafel-free months, so I tried to feed my addiction by DIYing it: The first time I used tinned chickpeas: too mushy. The second time I used dry chickpeas but without cooking them (I was following a recipe!): way too crunchy. And this week I have tried with dry chickpeas but boiling them for while.

They are the best I have done so far, hence the 'third-time lucky' name. I had tried to make them with a packet mix once but that doesn't count (and they were too mushy too, for your information). So here's the recipe:

Ideally, you would need a food processor to get a paste of the right consistency but I have combined some patient fork-squashing moves and a blender. Time consuming but hey, it is worth it.

With 500 gr of dry chickpeas you will make approximately 40 falafels (too much even for falafel freaks but I was only experimenting, remember). You will need to soak the chickpeas overnight. Note to myself: try doing about half of that amount next time.

I boiled the chickpeas for about 15/20 minutes, although some recipes suggest you can just use the food processor to get a coarse paste without boiling them.

I chopped a big onion, three garlic cloves, a bunch of fresh parsley, a bunch of fresh coriander and mixed with the chickpeas. Then I tried to blend it but I didn't want a very mushy consistency (it is up to you!) so I combined it with the 'highly advanced' fork-smashing technique ;-). Really, I need to buy a food processor for this type of thing.

I added about 3/4 teaspoons of ground cumin, one of chilli flakes (ground would work too), salt and two tablespoons of flour.

I mixed the paste well and rolled it into little falafel balls and put them in the oven with a drizzle of olive oil for about 30 minutes (shaking every so often so they go crispy all around).

We ate them with toasted pitta bread, lettuce, tomato, hummus and some yogurt (I grated some garlic into it). And it was a great success!

Next time I must try using a processor, just to get an even consistency.

I'll still keep going to get the 'pro' market falafels but this will do the job when I need to kill that falafel craving...

Easy Recipe: Home made sausage rolls

Two reasons I wouldn't be able to become a vegetarian: chorizo and sausage rolls.

They are two of my soft spots, food wise. I admit your average sausage roll from deli counters around the country might not be the best for you but many cafes make their own. Why not make your own to know what exactly goes into them?

I made some last night with sausages from Wexford's Pat O'Neill who sells his quality pork products at the Gorey Farmers Market and has a few awards under his belt.

It is easy peasy, you can either make the pastry or buy the puff rolls from the shop, to make a shortcrust pastry you only need a bit of butter, flour, salt and a bit of water.

Here's the quantity I had for 16 small rolls:
100gr butter
200gr flour
salt
water
olive oil (for the oven tray)
8 good quality sausages

To make the pastry, mix the flour and butter until it is crumbly. Add salt. Add water gradually to the flour and butter mix and knead until is soft and smooth, and not to sloppy. Roll into a ball and leave the pastry in the fridge for about an hour or so.

In the meantime, power boil the sausages, for 5-10 minutes (to make sure they are properly cooked).

Roll the pastry, cut the sausages in half (unless you want to do big sausage rolls, then just keep the whole sausage) and then roll the sausages in pastry squares, big enough to be able to wrap them nicely and close both ends. Preheat the oven to 190C roughly and once it is hot enough, place the rolls on a baking tray sprinkled with a bit of oil so they don't stick to the bottom. Cook for about 30-40 minutes, until you see the pastry is cooked and they have a nice healthy colour!
Voila! serve with a bit of salad to keep up with your 5 a day.
They are great for packed lunch, even when cold!

and those Christmas pictures...

Christmas and the Swiss/French cheese fest sounds like a life time ago (how many times a week can you actually eat and enjoy raclette??), but I thought it would be a good idea to share some of the best shots of our trip to visit Mr M's family to the Swiss/French border. 

The winter light can be so beautiful, I just love that picture of the Swiss flag taken in Geneva's old town.

I was very amused by the Playmobil characters used by the Swiss Rail company at Gare Cornavin in Geneva while the station is under renovation... Playmobil fans out there will love it.

A couple of shots from Les Gets, in the French Alps

No cold turkey this Christmas

Christmas is almost here, again! And it looks like turkey is still the favourite dish when it comes to celebrating the big family thing in Ireland. Is it out of habit? Is it that Ireland just loves turkey once a year? Just for tradition’s sake?

But turkey haters should not despair. There are many exciting and alternative Christmas dishes you could be testing this year. Looking at other European Christmas traditions could give you some inspiration!

spider crabs

In Galicia, an old-time Christmas Eve favourite is salted cod with cauliflower or cabbage. It might not be everyone’s cup of tea but it came up top in my Facebook straw poll. Other friend suggested octopus as a dish eaten by many families traditionally on Christmas Eve. Seafood and fish in general is a very popular option for Christmas in Galicia.

Salted cod is the most common way of eating cod in general in Galicia, Portugal and the rest of Spain. The cod is cut in darns and they will need de-salting in water for day or two. Cod, potatoes and cauliflower are boiled. In a separate pan, olive oil and 4 garlic cloves are cooked with smoked paprika (not the hot one). The sauce is then poured over the fish and vegetables and ready to serve.

Personally, my all-time favourite is my mum’s recipe for Galician clams and you can find an accurate approximation here (Clams in Green Sauce).

gingerbread made by Dani

The Poles, my friend Dani tells me, also celebrate their big family dinner on Christmas Eve. They have 12 different dishes, all without meat. Each region in Poland might have their own traditional dishes but these are her examples of Polish dishes that make it to the Christmas table:

Carp (a must!)
Vegetable salad
Pierogi (dumplings) with potatoes and cheese or cabbage and mushrooms
Bigos (sliced cabbage with sour cabbage plus plums or raisings or cranberries and mushrooms)
Kutia - special square noodles with poppy seeds, raisings, orange skins and honey
Beetroot soup (barszcz)
Mushroom soup (zupa grzybowa)
Gingerbread (piernik) and poppy cake (makowiec)

The Poles always set an extra plate for any unexpected guest, she says, “and we always look for the first star on the sky and then start to eat.”


My brother, who lives in Berlin, tells me mulled wine (of course) is a must at Christmas in Germany.

The Germans also celebrate Christmas Eve and goose is their most traditional dish.
Here’s a recipe for Goose Breast with Potato Dumplings, Red Cabbage, and Chestnuts


In Sweden, boiled ham is a popular Christmassy dish (see here ).

My friend Axel who has a fear of herring once told me his favourite Christmas dish is rice porridge (similar to rice pudding). Easy and tasty and you can get a good recipe here . The Swedes put a nut in the rice pudding when it is almost ready. The lucky one who gets the nut will be lucky in the New Year, according to the Swedish Christmas tradition.

Wild and Slow

I'm quite excited about heading to Wild and Slow.

The first Wild and Slow food festival takes place this weekend, 19th and 20th November, in idyllic Macreddin village, just outside Aughrim in County Wicklow, known for being home to the Brooklodge hotel and organic restaurant The Strawberry Tree.

The main focus is seasonality, sustainability and foods available in the wild; and there is an amazing range of workshops planned for the two-day food festival, from foraging to pheasant plucking, photographic walks and smoking meat. The whole list is available here http://wildandslow.com/the-event/

The Wild and Slow blog also has very handy food templates for recipes using wild ingredients, here's where I got the recipe for my first elderberry and apple jellies. They are very useful as each guide is dedicated to one ingredient. You can also find recipes for Christmas favourite sloe gin http://wildandslow.com/food-templates/

Some pictures of Wild and Slow: