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:

Cathy's mixes win gold again!

Congratulations to Tinahely's Cathy from Cathy's Spelt for Health ! she was in the news in the past days, after winning yet another Gold medal, this time for her tasty tomato and herb mix at the National Food Awards in Dingle.

The win came as a surprise, since the samples sent by Cathy for the judges had been damaged during the journey and she thought they were out of the competition. Well done!!

Things to do this weekend

If you are around Gorey or Wexford tomorrow night, the twice All Ireland camogie champions (Wexford!) are launching their first ever fashion calendar to raise funds for their club.

It takes place at the Amber Springs Hotel in Gorey and it is only €5 to get in - for a bit of fun, dancing and a chance to be some of the first ones to get copies of the calendar. Hopefully a few snacks too!

The girls all look amazing (having been treated to hair, make up and stylist) and it was good fun working with them on the day, as part of the Practice PR contingent.

The shoot took place at Jillian's house (you know, of the Sell your house on You Tube fame!) and Bray award-winning Dermot Byrne was the photographer.

On Saturday, The second Creative Collection craft and food fair takes place at the Gorey Shopping Centre, from 10am to 6pm.

Then on Sunday, Rathwood is organising a 3k Santa Run/walk/jog in aid of the National Rehab Hospital and local teenager Suzanne O'Neill. It should be a good day out, for a great cause and a chance to pop in to Rathwood for a bit of pre-Christmas shopping (I personally love the Seasalt range of organic cotton clothing) and their famous chocolate cake. The good news: wearing those frumpy Santa frocks nobody will notice!

Thai-style monkfish red curry

You will need (for 2/3 people):

3 garlic cloves
1 medium sized onion
2 carrots
1 pepper
1 broccoli or courgette (or both)
Ginger root
1 tin of tomatoes (or 4 tomatoes)
1 small tin of coconut milk
Spoonful of olive oil
Salt
1 tail of monkfish (for 2/3 people)
Red curry paste (such as Thai Gold)
Soy Sauce
Basmati or Jasmine rice
*optional chilli flakes or fresh chilli

My friend Julie has asked me to give her some tips on how to cook fish. Since she hasn’t been much of a fish eater, I thought a curry with monkfish would be a good start for her. Monkfish is such a meaty and bone-free fish that is excellent for those who want to introduce some fish into their diet but are a bit apprehensive and not sure what they will like. Besides, the level of heat in the curry can be adapted to each individual taste so the kids can also enjoy it. And it is great comfort food for those rainy days in. It is a bit of a dear fish but worth it as a treat.

First, chop the garlic and onion and cook in a low heat with the olive oil until soft. Add a teaspoon (or two, depending on how strong you like your curry) of red curry paste. I usually don’t add chilli flakes as it tends to be hot enough but feel free to add chilli flakes to spice it up.

Slice the carrot and ginger (it is quite handy to use the potato peeler so the slices are very fine) and chop the pepper in long strips. Add them to the garlic and onion mix.

Chop the monkfish tail (a bit chunky is better) and add it to the mix to cook for a few minutes. Add some soy sauce to your taste (a couple of table spoons I would suggest).

If you are using courgettes, chop them and add them at the same time as the fish. If you are using broccoli, you are better off adding it towards the end so it stays a bit crunchy.

After 4-5 minutes, add the tin of tomatoes and the coconut milk (around 200-250ml should be enough). Cook for about 15 minutes. Remember to add the broccoli some 5 minutes before you are finished – or longer if you like it softer.

In a separate pot you’ll need to cook the rice with a bit of salt and some cumin seeds if you like. The ratio is one of rice, two of water and it takes approximately 15 minutes to cook.

Brasserie le Pont donating 10% on World Suicide Prevention Day

This week is Suicide Prevention Week. According to Irish charity Pieta House, 486 people died by suicide in Ireland last year, and the number of people approaching them for help has increased 40% in the first half of 2011.

So if you are looking to go out for a meal this Saturday 10th September (Suicide Prevention Awareness Day) bear in mind Dublin restaurant Brasserie le Pont will be donating 10% of your bill to Pieta House, who focuses on the prevention of suicide and self harm.

The restaurant will also give customers the option to make a donation.

General manager Fiona Kelly says: “Most people out there have been touched whether directly or indirectly by suicide therefore it is a cause close to many people’s hearts. We are hoping to get lots of bookings to help Pieta House on the great work they are doing to help people suffering in Ireland.”