Say Hello to Ruby Kraut

Say Hello to Hayley’s Ruby Kraut

The ancient art of food fermentation was highlighted at last year’s Ballymaloe Literary Festival when Sandor Katz was one of the stars of the event. Known as a “fermenation fethisihist” and also as “Sandorkraut” (for his love of Sauerkraut), he wrote the Wild Fermentation: The Flavor, Nutrition, and Craft of Live-Culture Foods (Chelsea Green, 2003) which Newsweek called "the fermenting bible".

Sandor talks the talk and walks the walk and in Skibbereen you’ll find another who is making a name for herself in the field. This is Hayley Milthorpe of The Cultured Food Company and I am loving her Ruby Red Raw Sauerkraut at the moment. Her aim is to make “Hand crafted raw fermented foods - reviving the ancient tradition of natural food preservation through fermentation. Real foods with real culture!!”. She makes the Ruby Red, available at the Fresh from West Cork stall in the English Market and other outlets in West Cork itself, with red cabbage, cumin seeds and sea salt.

I know, from experience, that Sauerkraut is not everyone’s cup of tea. Once, on a trip in Austria, I tried it in the restaurant in the monastery at Melk. It had enough vinegar to discourage. But a couple of days later, in a wine-tavern in the Vienna Woods, I tried it again and hit the jackpot. Indeed, the people with me thought I was mad but, in the end, they were looking for tasters! The lesson is to keep trying.

If you haven't tried it before, I recommended that you ease yourself into it. I did this today. Get a roll or better still some sourdough. I added a sausage and a rasher and just a little of the sauerkraut for a start. It was there, a background player.

Then I repeated (the rolls were small), adding a little more of the sauerkraut this time. Very nice and this time the sauerkraut played more of a role (forgive the pun), adding some lovely spice to the rasher and sausage.

You’ll find lots of articles on the internet, including on Hayley’s site here  about the benefits of fermented foods and saurkraut in particular. Indeed, I haven't found any article against. A few excerpts follow.

Red cabbage is rich in compounds called anthocyanins that give the vegetable its distinctive dark color. They are also powerful antioxidants which are believed to have anti inflammatory properties. Lacto fermentation naturally boosts the antioxidant content. So red sauerkraut has some serious antioxidant power!

Do you suffer from wind & bloating? Did you know that these are signs of inadequate digestion? Eating raw fermented foods such as sauerkraut with meals can help support your digestion to help you overcome these embarrassing symptoms! Tip: to stimulate digest eat a spoonful of sauerkraut 20 mins before meal.

On its own, the Skibbereen Ruby is a crunchy bite, full of tart flavours. Add to sandwiches and salads, use with grilled sausages or even a burger.  Kraut is served with roast turkey, fresh pork roast. Some like it on hot dogs; others with any pork product and mashed potatoes; also on spare ribs and with apple sauce. Perhaps Hayley will get a few pointers up on her Facebook page soon!

Mountains, Football, Nutella and Good Wine!

Stars of Northern Italy

One well known, the other not so.

“The haunting Nebbiolo has no rival as the first red grape of Northern Italy,” says the current World Atlas of Wine. But, you do have to wait for it, according to the authors of Vino Italiano:  “Nebbiolo is more about complexities revealed over time”. Difficult to grow too and often late.

Both wines below come from Piedmont, famous not just for its wines but for its mountains, its football (Juventus), its Nutella! Red wines are mainly produced but the Roero area is the home of the little known Arneis, a fragrant pear scented old local white.

Bosio’s Boschi dei Signora, Nebbiolo D’Alba 2009, 14%, €16.99 Curious Wines

The fruit of 40 year vines is used for this wine. Vineyard practice encourages a low yield and a final thinning means that only the best grapes make it through. The wine-making uses a mix of modern and traditional methods and the product is refined in Slovenian and French oak barrels before a wine that befits the noblest Piedmontese vine is released.

Colour is ruby and there are aromas of red fruits, even blackberries and indeed some floral elements. It is full bodied, velvety with some spice but generally mellow with a very pleasant mouthfeel, and is further enhanced by a long dry finish. This one would be a good sub for a more expensive Barolo and is Very Highly Recommended.

Fontanafredda Pradalupo, Roero Arneis 2010 (Piedmont, Italy), 12.5%, €18.36 Karwig Wines

I don’t come across the Arneis variety very often but, going by this bottle, it is well worth looking out for.

Colour is that of a light honey, invitingly clean and bright. It has beautiful aromas, both floral and fruity. On the palate it is vibrant and full of flavour with an almost creamy mouthfeel, yet it possesses a lively acidity that gives a beautiful balance and a very pleasant clean finish. Very Highly Recommended.

Amuse Bouche

Obviously, I couldn’t avoid Farrow anymore once shooting started... He started right in on me. At night, after filming, Farrow would show up at our home with gourmet dinners from the Brown Derby. He even brought the waiters with him. Mammy would be there alone when he arrived. The director and crew always leave the set before the actors do, as we have our makeup removed and hair set for the next day, so he always beat me home. When I saw that he was at my house, I refused to go in, and instead had to drive around the neighborhood for hours, waiting for him to leave..... I never ate a single meal with him.

From ‘Tis Herself, a memoir by Maureen O’Hara.

Bean & Gone. Coffee on the Move

Bean & Gone. Coffee on the Move

At this month's Pride of Ireland Awards: John (l), John Paul and

Gretta Clifford of Bean & Gone.

Met up with the Clifford family behind Bean & Gone at the recent Pride of Ireland Awards in Ballina (Co. Tipperary) where the Cork based mobile coffee company won an award for  “outstanding quality, price and customer service”.

Surprised that I hadn't met this father (John) and son (John Paul) team before as they turn up everywhere that there’s a need for a cuppa. Mostly you'll find them at farmers markets, mainly in Cork.

Not alone are they valued by the customers but the stall holders just love to see them coming. Once, just once, they didn't make it to the Fermoy market and this is what one stall holder wrote: “There was a week, not so long ago, that he couldn't make it. We were bereft.”

Good morning Columbia. ¿Cómo está?

It is not just any old coffee that they do. They do excellent coffee. John Paul: “Primarily we provide a range of Italian coffee to suit all tastes, including espresso, cappuccino, mocha and latte amongst others. The sourcing of our coffee is very important, and where possible our products are ethically sourced, supporting the coffee farmers who supply us with such a high quality product.”

That rich classic Italian Nero now has a flavoursome companion, a full bodied delicious Colombian Supremo Roast that I’ve been happily sampling the past week or so. If you can't make it to the markets or indeed to any of the other events they attend, you’ll find their coffees on sale in the English Market at the Roughty Fruit King.

Watch out too for Signature Roast: “Our signature Roast is a wonderful coffee made up of beans from 5 different regions giving it a very distinctive taste. It’s a truly brilliant coffee, medium bodied with a fruity, acidity and clean finish.”

And it isn't just coffee either. They also do hot chocolates, soft drinks and teas. And some rather special teas at that. You can get a spiced Chai Latte, an aromatic blend of tea, milk and spices. Maybe you'd prefer the Vanilla Chai Latte, a fragrant blend of sweetened tea, milk and creamy vanilla. They are both 99% caffeine free. Well worth a try if you like your teas sweet.

The Chai range of teas is proving popular and available at Cafe Ninni's in Carrigaline and at their regular markets and events, events that include the likes of agricultural shows and the annual Ballydehob Jazz festival. They also do weddings and corporate events. And John Paul tells me they also supply their coffee and other drinks products, chai lattes etc, to businesses, “so we're available for that also”.

Bean & Gone contact details:

Phone: 087-2744070

E-mail: Beanandgonecork@gmail.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Bean-and-Gone

Twitter: https://twitter.com/beanandgonecork

Website: http://www.beanandgone.ie/

Reds from the Edges

Reds from the Edges

Thanks to the independents

Some unfamiliar grapes figure in these two excellent reds from the edges of old Europe, one from Austria, the other from Portugal. Not many of us, even if regular customers, will have heard of either the Blaufränkisch or the Alfrocheiro. The names of these grapes, excellent in their original areas, are not an advertiser’s dream (much easier to dream up a slogan for Merlot or Chardonnay).

But they survive, thanks primarily to the local winemakers and thanks to the independent wine merchants, of which we have a fair share in Ireland. They know, and more of their customers are coming to realise, that the bigger picture is made up of little gems whose names may not lend themselves to a catch-all slogan. Best of goods come in small parcels! (Not a bad slogan, come to think of it.)

Wohlmuth Aristos 2009 Burgenland (Austria), 13.5%, €20.59 Karwig Wines

You won’t find Wohlmuth in Hugh Johnson’s current handbook but, thankfully, you’ll find their wines in Karwig’s of Carrigaline. The Aristos, a blend of the local Blaufränkisch and Cabernet Sauvignon, is a product of the Neckenmarkt vineyard, one of a few owned by the Wohlmuth family, winemakers since 1803. The “most rigorous quality criteria” are applied while the terroir is regarded as ideal for the two varieties.

Austria is predominantly white wine country but it is a different story in the Mittelburgenland (close to the border with Hungary). Here the continental climate is ideal, especially for the juicy Blaufränkisch which also brings relatively high acidity to a blend.

Two thousand and nine was a good year in the area and it shows in this Very Highly Recommended wine. It is clean and bright with a medium red colour and aromas of dark berries. On the palate, you find the berries again, spice too, soft tannins and, yes, that balancing acidity, all the way to a long dry finish. Went well with steak the other night and the producers also recommended trying it with Lamb cutlets, also duck breast on lentils.

Flor de Viseu, Tinto Selection 2009, Dao (Portugal), 13%, €12.99-13.99, Wine Alliance stockists

Most people with a passing acquaintance of Portuguese wine will have heard of Touriga Nacional but Alfrocheiro, the main grape here, will no doubt raise a few eyebrows. Both are local grapes and popular in the Dao region.

The region, named after the local river, is the home of juicy friendly wines and this is one of them. You find red fruit aromas and a healthy looking ruby colour. The wine itself is warm, fruity and spicy. It is rather smooth with mild tannins, very engaging at all points of the palate and has a persistent dry finish. Very Highly Recommended.

WSET Level 2: Intermediate Certificate in Wines & Spirits

WSET Level 2: Intermediate Certificate in Wines & Spirits (9 weeks)

Tuesdays 7.00pm-9.00pm from 18^th February – 15^th April

Price: €395

This course will run for 9 weeks and is Ideal for those with a grá for the grape, those with an interest and passion for the

world of wine and fine spirits and also for those in the hospitality industry looking for professional advancement.

The course is €395 and there is a payment plan in place if you wish to avail of it.

To register please contact Deirdre - deirdre@odonovansofflicence.com , info@odonovansofflicence.com or 021 4296060

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

It has been a good week at the table but pride of place goes to this magnificent Beef and Potato Pie from West Cork Pies in Schull. A hungry three man jury gave this flavour packed pastry a unanimous thumbs up! They also produce Pork Pies, Steak and Kidney Pies and Scotch Eggs. They say: What you’ll get from me are good quality, very tasty, products full of substantial ingredients not just cheap gravy and the odd lump of something indistinguishable. Glad to agree. The pies are available at various outlets in West Cork, in various pubs around the city (check the link above) and also at the Fresh from West Cork stall in the English Market.

The verdict may have been unanimous but it was very close. Other top class contenders this week included the award winning Steak Rub from the Cornstore, the fantastic Amodeo salad dressing from Tuscany Bistro and also the gorgeous Wild Smoked Salmon Butter by Woodcock Smokery (Sally Barnes).

Wine and Cork 2013

David Bryson, Morambro Creek, a photo by CorkBilly on Flickr.

David Bryson, Morambro Creek, just one of many wine visitors to Cork last year. Click image for similar pics

A Couple of Old World Whites

A Couple of Old World Whites

Burg Ravensburg, Kraichgau Baden, Riesling Trocken 2012, 11.5%, €16.40 Karwig Wines 

Riesling, often mis-pronounced (the Ries rhymes with the dies in diesel), is the best known grape of Germany. Whatever you call it, this superb bottle from Karwig’s is a gem and Very Highly Recommended.

Kraichgau (in the Baden region) is a small district south-east of Heidelberg and the Ravensburg family, winemakers since 1251, is rated as one of the top producers. Quality is the motto here. The grapes on 28 hectares are “hand-picked and the wines are full of character” and the terroir is allowed shine through.

This Riesling is a very good illustration. It is a pale gold colour and bright with micro-bubbles galore clinging to the glass. It is strongly scented, peaches and citrus prominent in the attractive mix. On the palate, it is fruity for sure, a little tingly with lovely fresh flavours and then quite a dry finish.  

Paul Mas, Terrasse du Moulinas 2012 Blanc Elegance, Pays D’Oc IGP, 12.5%, €10.61 Karwig Wines

For quite some time now, the Languedoc has been leading France in innovation and coming up with some exciting wines. White wine accounts for about one fifth of the region’s production and sophisticated blends are on the rise. This one, by Paul Mas, one of the best local producers, is quite successful and Highly Recommended. His aim is to make “elegant wines full of Languedoc character”.

This cuvée is a blend of Grenache Blanc, Chenin, Mauzac, Chasan, Vermentino and Sauvignon Blanc.  Love my Vermentino but with five other grapes in the bottle? No worries. This is a delight on the palate, fresh and fruity (notes of white and citrus fruits) and well balanced. Ideal as an aperitif or with fish and white meats.

Fresh from West Cork. In the heart of the city!

Fresh from West Cork

In the heart of the city!

A big welcome from Walter.

Have you visited the Fresh from West Cork stall in the English Market? With over thirty producers from the area participating (more joining all the time), it's like have a mini-farmers market every day in the heart of the city.

Walter Ryan-Purcell is the friendly face of the project and he'll guide you through the many tempting products on offer. You’ll be familiar with many of the names: Ummera Smoked Products, Milleens cheese, Durrus cheese, Irish Atlantic Sea Salt, Glenilen Butter, Milk and Clotted Cream!, Rosscarbery Recipes, Gubbeen...

You’ll almost certainly have heard of Sally Barnes and her Woodcock Smokery products but do you know of her gorgeous Salmon Butter? Or have you heard of the gluten free cakes  by Caroline Weese from the Oasis Bakery in Durrus?

Walter is very proud (but you have to drag it out of him!) of the products coming from Loughbeg Farm, run by himself and his wife. Watch out in particular for their Yellow Zucchini Relish and the Courgette and Ginger Jam. There are other breads, brown (with oats) and currant, and a marvellous Tea Brack, there as well.

No shortage of vegetables either with fresh stuff coming in regularly from Peter Ross in Drimoleague and Kathleen Hilliard in Goleen. And meat? Try Madeleine McKeever’s organic beef and the gluten free sausages by Rosscarbery. And fabulous pies (you must try the beef and potato) from West Cork Pies in Schull.

Don't stop now. Keep filling that bag. Try the marvellous organic apple juice by Lisheen Organics, the red cabbage Sauerkraut from Hayley Milthrope of the Cultured Food Company, Mr Pettersen’s Raspberry Extra (a perfect present for the gourmet in your life), the hand made cakes (love the brownies) by Yummy Tummy from Schull, and the Mung Bean Burgers by April Danann of Skibbereen.

And still you have more to choose from like Goat’s cheese, milk and yogurt from Orchard Cottage, McCarthy’s yogurts and more, Union Hall kippers, Mella’s Fudge, various dressings from Glebe Gardens, Clonakilty Chocolate, jams from Hillcrest, marmalade by Casey’s of Baltimore……….

It is a small stall but there is a something of a revolution going on here, a surging tide of top class foods, available six days a week. Fresh from West Cork is new to the market and the stall should soon be improved with better shelving and layout.

Delicious Tea Brack

The enthusiastic Walter also told me about some other new developments. They expect to have a website up and running soon and one of the items you'll be able to order online will be their BoscAbhaile. You may fill this box from the market products; packaging and delivery to any part of the 32 counties will cost ten euro. 

And the good news doesn't stop there. A new base is being prepared in Ballydehob, in the heart of the west, and here producers will be able to share facilities, advice and experiences, and you can be sure even more products will be flowing from the west to the stall in the market. Watch that space!


List of suppliers (more to come!)

1.Loughbeg Farm Foods Limited, Schull, Co. Cork, Josephine Ryan-Purcell (Goats milk, goats milk soft cheese, soft cream cheese with herbs, goats milk yogurt, strawberry, raspberry, chocolate, vanilla and banana goats milk ice cream, fresh herbs, chillies, dried herbs, tomato chutney, apple chutney, cucumber pickle, courgette & ginger jam, and vegetable soups).

2. Rossbrin Foods, Ballydehob (vegetables including melons, butternut squash, peppers, broad beans, french beans, runner beans, rainbow and Swiss chard, peas, carrots, nero di tuscana kale, red Russian kale, curly kale, asparagus kale, potatoes, beetroot, turnips, celery, asparagus, watercress, fresh salads, herbs, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, Romanesque, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, courgettes, and fruit)

3. John Pettersen, Goleen (Raspberry Vinaigrette, Raspberry Extra, and mustards);

4. West Cork Cheeses. Gubbeen, Milleens, Durrus, Ardagh Castle goats cheese. Also Gubbeen cheese biscuits.

5. Smoked salmon, duck, game and chicken, and salmon butter and pates from Sally Barnes, Woodcock Smokery, Castletownshend, Ummera Salmon, Timoleague, Union Hall Smoked Fish Company, and more fish products from Clonakilty Cuisine, and John Kearney, Fastnet Catch, Skibbereen.

6. Salamis, pepperoni, bacon, and Chorizo, from Gubbeen Smokehouse, Schull;

7. Strawberries from Busby’s, Rosscarbery.

8. Mella's Fudge, Lissavaird;

9. Oat Bread and Fruit loaf from June Kingston, Skibbereen.

10. Home produced biscuits and some bakery products (including tea brack, apple tarts, quiches, and almond cake): Caroline Weese ‘Oasis Baking’, Durrus, Patricia Love, Knockeen, Skibbereen, Eithne McCarthy, Skibbereen.

11. Crepe Francais, crepes and buckwheat gallettes;

12. Jams, chutneys, and apple jelly, Jean Perry, Glebe Gardens, Baltimore.

13. Apple Cider Vinegar and spelt bread, Gary and Eleanor Murphy, Ballydehob;

14. Irish Atlantic Sea Salt, Cahermore, Beara Peninsula;

15. Hayley Milthorpe, The Cultured Food Company, Skibbereen, Fermented food products;

16. Hillcrest Jams, Drimoleague;

17. Breads: The Baking Emporium, Dunmanway, and another small baker in Ballineen.

18. Waterbuffalo and free range meat products: Beara Pigs: Leo and Erin O’Shea.

19. Tim York, Lisheen Organics – asparagus and tomatoes (in season) and a good range of organic vegetables. Apple Juice;

20. Honey: Knockeen Honey, Noel Love, Knockeen, Skibbereen.

21. Pork Pies, Steak and Kidney Pies, Scotch Eggs, West Cork Pies, Schull.

22. Thornhills Organics, Skibbereen, organic vegetables – mainly bags of fresh salads.

23. Yogurt, cheesecake, farmhouse butter, lemonade, Glen Ilen Food Products, Drimoleague.

24. Frozen organic beef, Madeline McKeever, Church Cross (very limited supply).

25. Free Range Chicken, David Louks, Shehymore Poultry, Dunmanway (very limited supply).

26. Rosscarbery Recipes. Rashers, sausages, black and white puddings.

27. ‘Gnosh’, Richard Gostyn, Goleen, hummus, salads, coleslaw, potato salad, tomato salsa, beet salsa.

28. West Cork Garlic Company;

29. Roaringwater Bay Seaweed products – sausages, puddings;

30 Yummy Tummy Cakes, Róisín McCarthy, Schull;

31. Barry and Joseph Desmond – goats milk, yogurt and cheese;

32. Rebel Foods, April Danann, Leap, Co. Cork. Apple butter, elderberry juice, nettle juice (in season), herbal teas, and sugar free baking;

33. Casey’s Hotel, Baltimore – jams and marmalade;
34 Vegetables from Peter Ross in Drimoleague and Kathleen Hilliard in Goleen

Amuse Bouche

Evening came, and we dined al fresco with the Bedouin to do something different. Oats, groats, goats, tawwa, tea, and tuna. Canned fruit for dessert. The Bedouin liked the syrupy canned fruit and ate up most of our stock.

Kate was allowed to join us if she wore her balto and hijab and sat by herself off to the side.

From The Panter by Nelson Demille

Tuscany Bistro. Superbo. Splendido. Eccellente

Tuscany Bistro. Superbo. Splendido. Eccellente

Rossa

 Tuscany Bistro. So good, they opened a second one. The first is found in Castletroy (Limerick), the second in nearby Ballina (Tipperary) and you’ll find Sabrina Amodeo in both (not at the same time!) keeping an eye on things and helping her wonderful staff deliver an authentic Italian dining experience. And they do, night after night.

We were in Ballina, a lovely spot on the Shannon, opposite Killaloe on the Clare bank, at the weekend and ate twice in Tuscany. Before we attended the Pride of Ireland Awards there on Sunday night, we just about managed to get an early reservation on the Saturday. Got soaked on the short walk back to the hotel after the meal but it was worth it.

There Is a high level of comfort and space here and it is very well decorated, the splendid hanging lamp shades a highlight for me. Service, including the welcome, was excellent with menus, including a page of specials, and water on the table as we sat down.

Verde

The specials included an Asparagus bundle with Serrano and Roasted Breast of Barbary Duck and were very tempting but we did choose from the regular menu.

I picked the Bruschetta Verde  (V) Toasted Italian bread topped with grilled courgettes, aubergines and roast peppers, drizzled with Amodeo Salad Dressing while CL had the Bruschetta Rossa (V) Toasted Italian bread topped with freshly and finely chopped tomatoes and red onion with garlic and olive oil.

We were able to swap full pieces here and agreed that both were top notch. And you'd have to say that the accompanying salad too was  an integral part of the dish, their balsamic reduction divine.

Pollo Alla Cacciatora

On then to the mains. I have a fondness for Cannelloni and was very happy as my Cannelloni Spinach and ricotta filling in a rich tomato sauce arrived on the table. This was superb and the superlative includes the lovely sauce. In no time at all, I had polished off the three tubes.

CL has a liking for the hunter’s dish of chicken and mushrooms but was in for a surprise here as the Tuscany version was different from what other local Italian restaurants do. Tuscany’s Pollo Alla Cacciatora (N) Penne is served with a mouth watering tomato based sauce with onions, diced chicken breast, mushrooms, garlic, herbs, white wine and a splash of brandy finished with fresh pesto. Better than all the rest!

A very happy meal here but no room for dessert, though we would make up for that on the following night. So top marks to the Tuscany for the food, the service and the ambience. And I'm told that the Castletroy bistro, which has been going strong for over ten years, is every bit as good and also well supported. Keep them in mind if you're up that way but do book in advance, especially at weekends!

Related posts: Lovely stay at Lakeside Hotel on the Shannon River
Pride of Ireland Awards 2013-2014

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Just enjoyed a terrific start to the day - a glass of a beautiful organic apple juice from Lisheen Organics from the Skibbereen area. The juice is made from Bramley and Jonagold apples and is one of the most beautfully flavoured and well balanced I've ever come across.

Lisheen Organics  has a thriving market garden business and produces an abundance of certified organic vegetables, fruits and herbs both inside the 5 large commercial polytunnels and outside in permanent raised beds. These are sold at local farmers markets and also to various healthfood shops and restaurants in the area. And you can now get this fabulous apple juice in the West Cork Food stall in the English Market