Tannery chef Flynn to represent Ireland!

Paul Flynn to Represent Ireland in 2012 Celtic Cook Off in West Cork

The Celtic Cook Off in West Cork continues to build on the success of the inaugural event in September 2011 by attracting top chefs from the Celtic regions to take part in what is becoming one of the landmark culinary events of the year.

The 2011 Celtic Cook Off was held as part of the A Taste of West Cork Festival that proved very popular with the paying public, the local food producers, Fáilte Ireland, the media and all the Chefs involved. The basis of the Celtic Cook Off was to create a fun and informative Cooking Show that showcases the best of West Cork produce cooked simply with each Chef’s own interpretation and ideas.

The Tannery Restaurant in Dungarvan, Co. Waterford, has long been regarded as one of Ireland's leading restaurants. Paul and Maire Flynn opened the Tannery in 1997 in a disused leather warehouse and since then Paul and his team have been cooking in his own eclectic style. Over the years, this has evolved into rustic and earthy cooking with a few whimsical twists. Paul's cooking is always seasonal and can be inspired by what’s growing in their garden, travel and even what he is reading.

The opening of The Tannery was followed in 2005 by the opening of the boutique style Tannery Townhouse. Over a decade later, the Tannery Cookery School is now open featuring a state of the art demonstration kitchen with further adjacent guest accommodation.

Paul Flynn is regarded as one of the foremost Irish chefs, cooking exciting and modern Irish food and so the Tannery Cookery School with reflect his cooking ethos with cookery courses for everyone from the amateur home cook to the more adventurous cook and even those who might want to cook for a living.

Paul has been awarded many accolades throughout his career which include the coveted title of Georgina Campbell, Ireland Chef of the Year 2008, The Bridgestone Guide has awarded the Icon Award to The Tannery every year since 1997, Food & Wine Magazine for the Best Restaurant in Munster, Food and Wine Magazine Munster Chef of the Year, Hospitality Ireland Magazine, Best Restaurant in Ireland. Restaurant Association of Ireland Best Chef Munster, Restaurant Association of Ireland Best Restaurant Munster and most recently Restaurant Association Ireland Cookery School of the Year for 2010 and 2011.
Other chefs taking part in the Celtic Cook Off 2012and its related activities during the Taste of West Cork Food Festival include Shaun Hill (Wales), Jack Stein (Cornwall) and Tim Anderson, 2011 MasterChef winner.
Date of Celtic Cook Off: Wednesday 12 September 2012, 7.30 PM
Location/Venue: The West Cork Hotel, Skibbereen, Co. Cork, Ireland.
For more on Paul and The Tannery, please see: http://www.tannery.ie 
Press release from West Cork Food

Les Gourmandises. 1er classe!

Risotto

Les Gourmandises - 1er classe

It wasn’t a full house but the chef played a blinder at Les Gourmandises on Friday night. In terms of execution, presentation, taste, creativity and innovation, this was a masterclass, a feast for the eye as much as for the mouth. Exquisite.




CL is not really a Risotto person but her starter (Tomato and Basil Risotto, goat cheese beignet, olive oil and parmesan) captured and captivated her: “one of the best starters ever”. Tomato and Basil are a terrific combination and that came through here. Looked well and tasted really well.




I picked one of the specials: Prawns (shelled) in Filo Pastry with Mango Crème Fraiche and Mango jus. I’ve often had prawns in pastry before but this was in a class of its own. Five or six juicy prawns, all perfectly cooked, stood in the “pond” of gorgeous mango, one of my favourite exotic fruits. Used my hands all through the delicious demolition.

Monkfish Beignets with aubergine puree, tomato chutney and parsnip crisp was the main course that we both ordered. Served on a slate, it looked great. And rather substantial too as you can see from the picture, with three small bowls of beignets and puree and a dish of sautéed potatoes (each not much bigger than a marble) on the side.

Substantial or not, the slate was cleaned. Again, the fish was cooked to perfection and matched so well by the aubergine. By the way, those parsnip crisps weren't just for decoration! A lovely dish.

Now on to the dessert, where we took the sharing plate (sharing slate, really): Coconut panna cotta, Mango posset, chocolate gateau and chocolate crème brûlée. Perhaps a little too much chocolate for us at the end of a gorgeous meal but all perfectly done and very enjoyable indeed.

We picked from the €45.00 menu: three courses and also tea or coffee. We could have had two courses (without tea or coffee) for €38.50. There is an excellent wine list here, dominated by French producers. Just had one glass (7.00) of an un-oaked Beaujolais Chardonnay, Domaine des Nugues. Don’t think I’ve come across it before and it went very well indeed with my monkish.

Though I wouldn’t particularly like to be seated in the middle row, Les Gourmandises is generally quite a comfortable restaurant, with decent seating and well set tables. Service is pleasant, with a smile, and also with information freely volunteered to help you make a decision with your order.

Local suppliers include: Meat - John O'Flynn's & Sons, Marlboro Street
Fish - O’Connell’s, English Market
Shellfish de la Mer - Castletownbere, West Cork
Love Fish - Ballycotton, Co Cork
Springfield Organic Vegetables - Tipperary
Cheesemongers - Iago, English Market

Friday Food & Drink Spotting

Friday Food & Drink Spotting 

Caffé Italiano Italee

If you find yourself needing a coffee at the Parnell Place end of Cork’s Oliver Plunkett Street, then you could do worse than pop into Caffé Italiano Italee, Cork’s newest Italian Caffé. I had a lovely Americano and a strawberry pastry there the other day. Both were good and the prices were reasonable, as seemed the case with their wine selection.

The website isn’t up and running yet but, aside from the pastries, they also do decent looking sandwiches and I also spotted this tempting Antipasti on Foodspotting.

ely Pastry Magician

The many Cork people that dine at ely will be delighted to know that owners Erik and Michelle Robson have managed to lure the renowned pastry chef Montacer Mansour, aka as Monto, to join the team.

Monto has already won the hearts of ely diners with his beautiful handmade truffles which are just a taster of his delights. His lightness of touch when it comes to dessert will have ely regulars salivating when combined with seasonal local produce which take his desserts into another sphere.

Blind Tasting in Fenn's Quay

Want to find out more about the Blind Tasting Event in Fenn’s Quay next month. Then click here on the Bia Sasta newsletter. 

Bradley’s

Bradley’s in North Main Street is something of a Mecca for beer drinkers and I picked up nice presentation pack there at weekend, consisting of three bottles of Chimay Trappist beer (the Red, the Blue and the Tripel) and a proper glass (the chalice, what else). Just be aware that these are relatively strong (going from 7 to 9 per cent) and also that different serving temperatures are suggested by the good fathers of the Belgian monastery.

Bradley’s already well known for its fabulous collection of drinks is rapidly making a name for itself in the good food area. Recently, Green Saffron dropped me a bombshell when I found out they were no longer making my favourite breakfast granola, a slighty spiced one. But on a recent stop at Bradley’s I found a terrific replacement: Staple Diet’s Toasted Breakfast Cereal with fruits (pictured).

* Has anyone tried the Steak and Pint Special for €16.50 at The Lounge Bar in Silversprings Moran Hotel  . Sirloin steak, pan-fried onions, sauté mushrooms, with a pepper sauce and a complimentary ¼ bottle of wine or a pint

* Spotted what looks like a good value deal at Electric, two platefuls of food and a bottle of wine for €30.00. Check out the details here.

Tasty Array of Food Festivals

Tasty Array of Food Festivals from DiscoverIreland.ie

Beautiful Baltimore

George Bernard Shaw once said there “there is no sincerer love than the love of food, " and there is no better place thanIreland this spring to indulge in a range of culinary delights. Waiting to be discovered in towns and cities across the country are a host of festivals and events to tantalise the tasetbuds. From prawns in Dublin to mussels in Connemara to slow food in Clare, there is something to suit all tastes and budgets. To whet your appetite, browse the menu at www.discoverireland.ie/food.   

It’s a Chowder Cook Off in Co. Cork

Kinsale in Co. Cork will host the second National Chowder Cook Off on the 13th May. Chefs all over the country are perfecting their unique or traditional chowder recipes as they eagerly await the contest. Festival goers will benefit from the fruits of their labour by getting to taste the entrant’s chowder and vote for their favourite one.

Or why not journey to the very southern tip of Ireland and take in the breath taking views at the Baltimore Seafood Festivalfrom the 25^th – 27^th May. The festival is held in conjunction with the Baltimore Wooden Boat Festival, so as well as sampling the very best fish and shellfish from the Atlantic, you’ll experience a celebration of the traditional timber sailing boats of Ireland.

What’s cooking in Dublin?

Visitors and food lovers alike will have the chance to be wined and dined in a selection of the city’s finest restaurants at a fraction of the cost during Dine in Dublin Restaurant Week taking place from 26^th March – 1^st April.  Each evening, participating restaurants will offer patrons a mouth watering selection of starters, mains and desserts, coupled with in-house events like Q&A sessions with their head chefs, at a great value fixed rate.

The picturesque seaside village of Howth, considered the home of

Bavette Steak and Graffiti Aubergines

AT THE MARKET

Must say I enjoy my trips around the EnglishMarket . So much to see. Just a selection from a weekend visit in the collage above. Some strange ones, such as the Graffiti Aubergines (top left) and familiar ones such as the Swedes (bottom left).

And while it is fun to look, it is much more satisfying to bring your bags and buy. One man I called to was Eoin at O’MahonyButchers. Have taken a shine to his Italian sausages but also like his bavette steak, now “the most popular cut in the shop, though it was a hard sell at the start”. Tasty, and economical!

The Real Olive Company is a regular stop and there was no exception this time. A wee bag of olives was the number one call but also stocked up with semi-dried tomatoes, a couple of packs of Iberico ham (the pigs feed on acorns) and I also chanced a tin of Portuguese Sardines. Next time, I’ll be going for those Feta Stuffed Sweet Peppers (Bottom right). 

The ABC bread stall is a must visit and quite often, the pick is the Country Baguette by Tom’s Bakery in Kinsale. Quite a healthy choice as it is Sugar Free and Dairy Free. Obviously, I like the texture and taste of it; it keeps longer than most sourdoughs and like most sourdoughs, it toasts up very well (useful to know if it starts to stale!).

Speaking of sourdough, I think Arbutus make the very best around, though some come close, and that and so much more is available at On the Pig’s Back. 

Another foodie treasure trove is the nearby Good Food Shop. They stock the excellent Ummera smoked products and I treated myself to a pack of Smoked Back Rashers. Looking forward to working my way through those!

So, lots to see in the English Market. But don’t forget to bring a couple of sturdy bags! I never do.

RAI: Connaught award winners announced

The county winners of the Connaught area were announced at the Restaurants Association of Ireland function in the House Hotel last night. The winners qualify for another big date on May 14^th in Dublin when the regional and national awards will be announced. 


Details here

Ballymaloe: May date for Riesling Masters

Click on image above to enlarge

Ballyvaughan resident John McDonnell (Wine Australia) with Tim Adams (left)

Food Fest in Blackrock

Food Fest in Blackrock

Quite a big turnout for the Scally SuperValu led Food Fest that took place on Wednesday night in the Blackrock GAA club premises. I arrived quite early but already the place was buzzing; many were sampling the food available at a string of stalls and others keen on getting the best seats for the cooking demonstrations.

Tom and Mary Scally were naturally delighted with the interest and the big turnout and the chance to meet their customers in a more relaxed situation. We were greeted, like everyone else, with a glass of wine and few nibbles on the way in and then headed for the stalls, well spread out around the hall and in another room nearby.

Quite a lot of interest in the handmade cookie dough by Gookie and also in the tasty products – enjoyed their salmon pate – by Kinsale’s Blue Haven.

Headed over then for a chat with Avril from Rosscarbery Recipes but just time to say hello as she was busy with the queues for her sausages and blackpudding and also for her “secret recipe” bread!

West Cork Meats had some tasty ham there and then there I stopped at the Old Creamery Cheese stall. Must say I like their stuff, especially that marble looking porter cheese and I notice they have now added a lovely blueberry cheddar.

Dunmanway based Insanely Good were there with their range of delicious sauces, including a Classic Pasta Sauce and a Fresh and Fruity Curry Sauce. Carrigtwohill based Fresh Farm Salads  make our favourite Coleslaw and also other 100% Irish salads.

Came across two cheese stalls next. Carrigaline  has always been a favourite here and, by the way, they do cheese biscuits as well. Have tasted the Horgan’s cheese previously also. Sampled the Brie this time and liked it.

"Fresh is best" aptly sums up the situation with food and it seems to me that Supervalu do better than many. I’ve been in a few of their stores over the past few months and was very impressed with the amount of local food available in outlets in Skibbereen, Riverstown (Glanmire) and Ticknock (Cobh).

The Scallys too underlined that trend with a very impressive selection of breads displayed in the hall. And they were also serving up some tempting samples of their cooked dishes, really loved the fish cakes in the photo. These are cooked every morning and ready for the customers (in bigger sizes than the samples photographed!).

I may have missed out on a few, certainly missed the sample chowder from the Good Fish company . Overall though it turned out to be a very enjoyable evening. Well done to the Scallys and to all the producers who put their best foot forward on the night.

Excellent Seafood at The Rising Tide

THE RISING TIDE

Drove down to Glounthaune and had a very pleasant midweek meal in The Rising Tide recently. It is right alongside my old schoolhouse where we used bring our own kindling to light the fires where our billycans, usually containing cocoa, were warmed up for the breaks.

In those days, in the middle of the previous century, the Rising Tide was a popular pub cum grocery shop and belonged to the Donnelly family. It is a different story nowadays; the shop no longer exists and a very comfortable restaurant, run by the Murphy family, now dominates the business.

TV3 The Apprentice star Sandra Murphy is the leading face for the estuary side restaurant – many of the village premises flooded in the bad old days. She was off duty – a girl has to have her time off – but we were well taken care by the staff that we met. Plenty of info on the menu and no shortage of chat and courtesy either.

We felt welcome and comfortable as we sat down by our reserved window-side seat and started to check the menu. The restaurant is the home of the Murphy’s Oyster Festival so seafood is always prominent here. I started with six oven baked garlic and herb oysters (€9.00) while CL went for the Mussels steamed in white wine and cream (8.50).

Both of us were quite happy with the starter and were absolutely delighted with the mains. Here we each choose the Pan Seared Hake, served with Crosshaven brown crab, fresh salsa and Cashel blue cheese.

Neither of us likes blue cheese, or indeed goats’ cheese, with fish so we requested they leave that out. No problem. The dish, quite a substantial one (with a choice of fries and salad or potatoes and veg), was top notch. The brown crab was a natural accompaniment while the hake itself was cooked to perfection. Very nice. Very filling. No room for dessert!

Most of the food is sourced locally and you can see a list of the producers on the menu. Most of the wine too comes from small producers and we enjoyed two whites, each at 5.50 a glass: San Elias Sauvignon Blanc from Chile and Cave de Gallician Chardonnay from France.

Actually bought some wine in that Camargue town last June. Happy days. But, let me add, it was two happy customers that left the Rising Tide into the March darkness.

Lunchtime at L’Atitude

Lunchtime at L’Atitude

Enjoyed a light lunch with a difference at L’Atitude 51, the newish Wine Cafe opposite the City Hall (1, Union Quay). The choice, see photo of board, is not huge but the quality is excellent.

There is an even bigger board, much bigger, where you can see the huge wine list; must be over fifty choices. In many cases, you can buy by the small taster glass (75ml), a full glass (150ml) and also by the pichet (250ml).

While waiting, I decided to try one of the taster glasses and picked the 2008 Cat Amongst the Pigeons, Cabernet Sauvignon, from Australia’s McLaren Vale. Later, with the meal, I enjoyed the 2008 Massaya Classic (Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) from the Lebanon. Both come under the Fruity with Attitude heading on the list and each was excellent.

They also have a range of beers here, including some local craft brews. Indeed, you may try 8 Degrees Brewing HowlingGale here straight from the tap and it was great to meet up with Scott from the new Mitchelstown company who was making a call.

Coffee too comes from a local Cork company, Badger and Dodo. They know their stuff and so do the servers so you’ll enjoy the best here; I did, but before I got to that stage there was some eating to be done!

Emma Lagrande, who runs the wine cafe along with Beverly Matthews, recommended I try the Haddock Chowder. Very good and excellent value at €4.50. I had seen some of the sandwiches being served and they looked tempting but I opted for the Spiced Vegetable Pie, a tasty dish at a bargain price of €6.50 and served with a well dressed salad.

Service was friendly, low key and top notch, just the way I like it. My only regret was that I was I couldn't make it back for dinner that evening. Would have liked to have tried the Frogs’ Legs on the menu! Vive la différence.

Grow your own Greens this St Patrick’s Day

Grow your own Greens this St Patrick’s Day

To love them more and waste them less!

50% of Lettuce we buy ends up in the bin!

Don't sow the whole pack at the one time! Just a little bit every few weeks

T

The EPA’s Stop Food Waste programme has joined forces with Grow it Yourself inviting you to Grow your own Greens this St. Patrick’s Day to love them more and waste them less. As the weather warms up, and thoughts turn to the idea of healthy salads, Stop Food Waste reminds you that 50% of the lettuce we buy ends up in the bin. Stop Food Waste and GIY are encouraging you to grow your own lettuce and other green vegetables so that you just use what you need when you need it and avoid waste.

“Bags of salad leaves are expensive to buy in supermarkets and because they're washed and ready to eat, they have a short lifespan in the fridge,” says Odile Le Bolloch, spokesperson for Stop Food Waste at the EPA. “By growing your own, you can pick as much of it as you need for each meal. Most varieties of lettuce are easy to grow and can be sown anytime between spring and summer. Apart from traditional lettuces, such as 'Cos', 'Iceberg' and 'Butterhead', there are many others to try, including loose-leaf types and oak leaf lettuce, radicchio, rocket and endive. That way you can enjoy salads with a mix of colours and textures.”

“If you go to the trouble of growing your own greens, watch them grow and carefully tend to them you will naturally appreciate them much more when it comes to eating them” says Michael Kelly founder of GIY. “There is nothing like being able to enjoy the distinct flavour of fresh lettuce from your garden and knowing you'll always have an easy and healthy side dish at the ready!”

GIY advises you don’t need that much space to grow a few heads of lettuce, rocket or herbs, even a window box would do where space is limited. You can start the window box indoors and once the first few shoots start coming up you can put it outside on a sunny sill, making sure you keep them watered.

What kinds of salad you grow depends on how much space you have and whether you like sharp, peppery leaves like rocket, or mild ones like Romaine or butterhead. Most seed companies offer mixed selections, so you can have a go at growing a little of several varieties. GIY suggests: “If you sow a few seeds every few weeks between now and August, you'll have a continuous supply right through until autumn”.

To avoid wasting lettuce, Stop Food Waste adds: “Don’t harvest the lettuce until you are ready to use it and don’t pull the whole lettuce out in one go – just cut the leaves you want to eat and more will grow back”.

Here are some types of salad greens you might consider growing:

Butterhead - This is the classic lettuce seen in kitchen gardens. It is a round lettuce with soft, loosely packed, green leaves and may not always have a heart. It is rather bland in flavour.

Iceberg - The dense heads of pale green leaves are used in mixed salads and side salads. It has less flavour than other types of lettuce but it requires little preparation and will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It is commonly used in kitchens and has excellent texture qualities.

Lollo Rosso - leaves are frilled with a dark red edge, which makes it very attractive in salads.

Oakleaf - falls into the general category of salad bowl types. As the name suggests it has a leaf which is shaped like the leaf of an oak tree. It produces a large loose head of lettuce which does not have a great shelf life but is perfect for cutting what you need and leaving the rest to grow.

Cos/Romaine - It is a tall lettuce with crunchy leaves and a distinctive flavour, the star of Caesar salad.

Rocket - has a wonderful peppery flavour that is excellent in a mixed green salad. It has small, bright green, dandelion shaped leaves.

Stop Food Waste also suggests once

Amuse Bouche

“The Cathars were a twelfth century French sect who....reviled procreation with an unusually righteous passion. Forget about having sex; they couldn't even bring themselves to eat anything created by it, directly or indirectly. No meat, no eggs, no milk. Oddly enough, they didn't last long.”  From Spanish Steps, One Man and his Ass on the Pilgrim Way to Santiago, by Tim Moore.

The Week in Wine

THE WEEK IN WINE

Straccali Chianti Classico DOCG 2007, 13.5%, €13.95, Karwig

 

Colour: Ruby Red

Nose: Intense, of red fruit.

On the palate, it is fresh and fruity, slight spice, tannins relatively prominent. It is well balanced, medium bodied, lively and with a persistent finish. Unfortunately, I started this off on the cool side, can happen on the colder days here, and it took a while to win me over but it certainly grew on me as it warmed up! Recommended.

It turned out to be a good week on the wine front. On a visit to the L’Atitude Wine Cafe on Union Quay, I came across two outstanding reds on their extensive list. Both come under the Fruity with Attitude heading.

First up was the 2008 Cat Amongst the Pigeons, Cabernet Sauvignon, from Australia’s McLaren Vale and then I enjoyed the 2008 Massaya Classic (Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah) from the Lebanon.

Not too bad on the home front either where I continued to work my way through the reds of Provence. The first, La Citadelle’s Les Artemes 2007 from the Luberon, is available in this country from the Wine Store.

I don’t think the second is; I bought it in the small town of Vauvert on the edge of the Camargue. It is Noble Gress 2005, Costieres de Nimes. I think there is value for Irish importers in the region.

It was a good week too for Enniskeane born Brother Kevin Crowley, founder of the Capuchin Day Centre in Bow Street in Dublin, who has been named the Santa Rita 120 Local Hero 2012  for his phenomenal work in helping homeless people.

The Santa Rita 120 Local Hero Award competition is run by the premium Chilean winemakers to find local heroes who make a real difference in their local community, such as hard working volunteers, individuals who work tirelessly to make their community a safer place and inspirational heroes who always seem to put others before themselves. 

As the Santa Rita 120 Local Hero 2012, Brother Kevin wins €10,000 for The Capuchin Day Centre as well as the trip of a lifetime for two to Chile, the home of Santa Rita wine.


And John McDonnell, the face of Australian wine in Ireland, also enjoyed a great week at Pro-Wein where Penfolds chief winemaker Peter Gago was given the Winemakers’ Winemaker Award by the Institute of Masters of Wine and the drinks business.