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?