Taste of the Week: Kimchi

Kimchi

Kimchi

Kimchi is a traditional fermented Korean side dish made of vegetables with a variety of seasonings. In traditional preparation kimchi is often allowed to ferment underground in jars for months at a time.

It is Korea's national dish, with hundreds of varieties made from napa cabbage, radish, scallion, or cucumber as a main ingredient. Kimchi also has many different kinds depends on the main ingredients.

You don't have to go to Korea to taste it Irene’s Kitchen in Schull has produced two versions as detailed below:

‘Kimchi Vegan’

Ingredients Chinese Cabbage, Shallots, Spring Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Chilli Powder, Cayenne pepper, kelp, chillies, sea salt. (in order of volume).

‘Kimchi’

Ingredients Chinese Cabbage, Shallots, Spring Onion, Garlic, Ginger, Shrimp Paste, Fish sauce,  Chilli Powder, Cayenne pepper, kelp, chillies, sea salt. (in order of volume).

Both are stocked by the Fresh from West Cork Stall in the English Market. By the way, when you do taste it, do take just a little as it is hot!

If, like me, you don't know how to use Kimchi, then here are a few random tips from the internet.

...great on tuna sandwiches!!  …..put a little dish of it out with every meal.  

You could put kimchi on a hot dog, .. or maybe even grilled cheese!

-Spicy pork and kimchi: Sliced pork belly with kimchi stir fried together with some sliced green onions on top. You can add Gochujang for more spicy flavor but Kimchi already has so much flavor. Let pork and kimchi marinate overnight for more intense flavor!

-Ssahm: You can cook any ground meat (pork or beef would be better) or cubed tofu with shredded kimchi. All you need is some rice and boston lettuce and wrap them all together! yummy!

... kimchi and scrambled eggs.

...also add it to stir fries / fried rice.

maybe with mashed potatoes Click here for recipe

After doing that wee bit of research, I was in touch with Caroline Hennessy (Bibliocook on Twitter). She tells me that it is allied with Sauerkraut and she ”loved to eat it (drained) in sandwiches or with rice dishes, especially if the rice is topped with a fried egg. Fermented cabbage, some grain like rice, barley or wheat berries, some fried chorizo and a fried egg = that's a good dinner!”

Electric Fish Bar Celebrates

Electric Fish Bar Celebrates

Congratulations to Electric on the South Mall who celebrated the first birthday of their upstairs Fish Bar with quite a party last Wednesday night. Great too to meet and have a chat with Denis O’Mullane and Ernest Cantillon, the men behind the Electric enterprise. Neither seems to know where the past 12 months vanished to, but then they've been working hard!

Cork’s foodies were out in force to help celebrate the event and restaurant manager Triona Hennessy was on hand to ensure it all went well. She needn't have worried, as the happy guests were treated to some of the most popular dishes from the past year including Scallop & Cod Burgers, Thai Monkfish and Fresh Oysters.

Must say that the Burger, with its fabulous flavours plus the gorgeous texture of that Brioche bun (made on the premises), is a winner for sure and I enjoyed every tasty bit of that one. CL meanwhile was tucking into the Pan Fried Hake with Chickpea, Tomato and Spinach Ragout and Crispy Chorizo, another cracking dish.

We enjoyed the sunny view over the Lee as we started with a medley of Oysters, Seared Tuna and Salmon Gravadlax. Delicious and so too was Fiona Turner’s Tinpot Hut Pinot Gris that accompanied us for the evening. Nice touch too at the end with a dessert plate that surprised and included a Fruit Sushi, Pineapple Melty Bits and meltingly gorgeous truffles. Yes, indeed, Electric know how to celebrate!

Speaking about the success of the Fish Bar's first year, Ernest said: "The FishBar at Electric is extremely popular. We pride ourselves on being innovative and providing the highest quality fish dishes to our customers. We are lucky in Cork that we have access to such a plentiful supply of locally sourced fresh seafood, so we like to make the most of it. To celebrate our first birthday we wanted to treat our guests to some of our favourite and most popular dishes over the past year and judging by the empty plates it went down well.”

In the last 12 months, this Mediterranean inspired FishBar has gone from strength to strength, creating a fresh buzz in Cork City, and open each week from Wednesday to Saturday (5.00pm till late). No need to book - reservations are not taken - just walk in and enjoy.

Amuse Bouche

“If wine were to disappear from human production, I believe it would cause an absence, a breakdown in health and intellect, a void much more dreadful than all the excesses and deviations for which wine is thought to be responsible.” 

– Charles Baudelaire, from the Michelin Green Guide: Wine Regions of France.

Blossom Walks - Open Day at Irish Apple Farms Nationwide

Blossom Walks - Open Day at Irish Apple Farms Nationwide

~ Bord Bia and Irish Apple Grower Association to host series of Blossom Walks ~

Twitter: @Bordbia

Con Traas of The Apple Farm, Cahir.

 Bord Bia, in conjunction with the Irish Apple Growers Association, is delighted to announce details of the inaugural ‘Blossom Walk’ which will take place on Saturday, 3^rd May. As part of the event, seven apple farms and orchards nationwide will open their doors and gates to the public. From Cahir to Cappoquin, members of the public will be invited to enjoy guided walks, engage with the growers, learn about the history of the individual farms and discover apple growing techniques. There will also be an opportunity to purchase some of the grower’s produce.

The value of Irish apple production is almost €4 million according to Bord Bia and trade estimates. Culinary and dessert apple production accounts for 80% of the production value (€3.15 million), while cider apple production accounts for 20% (€0.78 million).  Approximately 15,000 tonnes of Irish apples are sold each year with culinary apples representing 47% of total sales. There are currently 83 commercial apple growers in Ireland.

Speaking ahead of ‘Blossom Walk’, Olan McNeece from the Irish Apple Growers Association said “We look forward to offering visitors a unique opportunity to see how the Irish apple growing industry works first-hand. While no entrance fee will be charged, any donations made on the day will be given to “Blossom Ireland”, a very worthwhile charity who provide dedicated, therapy-led camps and after school activities for children with intellectual disabilities.”

For more information, event listings and recipes visit www.bordbia.ie

Participating Apple Farms:

Farm	Name	Address	Contact
The Apple Farm	Con Traas	Moorstown, Cahir, Co. Tipperary	www.theapplefarm.com
Melalgulla Orchard	James Scannell	Lnockane, Ovens, Co. Cork	jnscannell@gmail.com
Gilbert’s Orchard & Farm Shop	Alan Gilbert	Quinagh, Co.Carlow	www.theapplebarrel.ie
Askinamoe Orchard	Sean Gahan	Ferns, Enniscorthy, Co.Wexford	sgferns@gmail.com
David Quinn	David Quinn	Cappoquin Estate, Cappoquin,Co.Waterford	davidkeane@cappoqiunestate.com
Boyne Grove Fruit Farm	Olan McNeece	Stameen, Drogheda, Co.Meath	www.boynegrove.ie
Highbank Orchard	Rod Calderpot	Farmley, Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny,	www.highbankorchards.com

Blossom Ireland:

Blossom Ireland was founded by two mothers passionate in the belief that their boys with special needs deserve the same opportunities as all children. Their goal is to go some way towards filling the gap between the available public services and the actual needs of the child and their family, particularly during out of school hours. Currently we provide dedicated, therapy led camps and after school activities for children with intellectual disabilities aged between 8 and 15 years.

Blossom Ireland is a very young charity financed 100% by donations and fundraising.

West End Winner

West End Winner In Killarney Town

Amuse Bouche

Enjoyed a terrific meal at Killarney’s West End House Restaurant at the weekend. It was superb from start to finish, well cooked and well presented food and top notch service from the moment we walked in to this comfortable place.

Buns in a sack!

A tasty Amuse Bouche, featuring Duck Confit, was followed by two tremendous, somewhat unusual starters. Mine was a delicious delight, packed with flavours and textures: Quail - spiced breast, confit sweet potato, quail eggs, merguez, salted grapes and avocado (12.95). And much the same could be said about CL’s which was Rabbit - Ballotine, black pudding, pickled carrot and broad bean  (11.95).

Rabbit (top) and quail starters

They had quite a list of mains but we each picked from the specials and they were special, each every enjoyable indeed. One was Brill with Asparagus, artichoke, baby peppers  Beetroot purée (28.50) while the other was Seared duck breast, chermoula, pak choi, spiced lentil,  jus (29.50). Yum on the double here.

Brill

And there was still room for desserts. One was a Crème Brulée with a difference: Kahlua (a coffee-flavored rum-based liqueur) and Espresso Crème Brulée served with a Coffee Macaron while CL’s was also quite prefect: Apple - Tart Tatin, Vanilla Bean ice cream, salt butter fudge, whiskey caramel sauce. Each came in at  €7.50.

Duck

The West End re-opened last year after large scale renovations and the team have got their act together pretty quickly. Not alone is the cooking and presentation top class but the portion sizes are really well judged and you can enjoy your three courses without feeling bloated at the end. Must say also that their potatoes and vegetables, that come in the side  dishes, are also cooked to perfection. Besides, it is a lovely place with some five dining rooms in all, and a very friendly front of house team. Didn't meet anyone at the back but they too obviously know their stuff. Very Highly Recommended.

Apple

• West End House Restaurant
  58 New Street,
• Killarney

Phone	(064) 663 2271
Email	info@westendhouse.com
Website	http://westendhouse.com Tue - Sat: 6.00 pm - 9:30 pm

Yum!

Eight Degrees Scores Bronze at World Beer Cup!

Irish brewery wins at World Beer Cup

Bronze medal in the Olympics of beer for Cork's Eight Degrees Brewing

Big congrats to Mitchelstown's small Irish brewing company, Eight Degrees Brewing, who scored a massive success at the 2014 World Beer Cup. The World Beer Cup is an international brewing competition in Colorado acknowledged world-wide as the ‘Olympics of Brewing’. It attracted over 4,700 entries, from 1,403 breweries in 58 countries.

Eight Degrees Brewing was awarded a bronze medal in one of the most hotly contested categories - the American-Style Amber/Red Ale category. It won the medal for its Amber-Ella beer, an ale made with American and Australian hops balanced with malt tones. The achievement is particularly noteworthy, given that they entered an American style beer, into one of the two most sought after American-style categories within an American awards process.

“The award is massive for us and will immediately open up export opportunities, including the United States. We never dreamed that a small three-year-old independent Irish craft brewery could achieve an accolade like this," said Scott Baigent, co-owner of Eight Degrees Brewing. The company’s head brewer, Mike Magee, was in Denver to receive the award.

Amber-Ella was initially brewed only last September, as a ‘one night stand’ for the Irish Craft Beer and Cider Festival. Earlier this year it was named as one of Beoir’s 2013 Beers of the Year and, by popular demand, it was brewed again in February 2014. Amber-Ella will now become part of Eight Degrees’ core range along with other award winning beers like Howling Gale, an Irish pale ale.

Eight Degrees is an independent Irish craft brewery based in Mitchelstown, Co Cork, focused on creating exciting and naturally adventurous beers for craft beer consumers.

Visit eightdegrees.ie and WorldBeerCup.org for additional World Beer Cup information. A list of winners is here: http://www.worldbeercup.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/WBC14-Winners-List.pdf

Contact:
Cam Wallace cam@eightdegrees.ie 087 1654770
Scott Baigent scott@eightdegrees.ie 086 1594855

The World Beer Cup is a global beer competition presented by the Brewers Association (BA) that evaluates beers from around the world and recognizes the most outstanding brewers and their beers. Gold, silver and bronze awards in the competition’s 94 beer-style categories were presented at the World Beer Cup Gala Awards Dinner at the Hyatt Regency in Denver, Colorado on April 11, 2014.

Muc Turns Up for Book Launch in Ballymaloe

Muc Turns Up for Book Launch in Ballymaloe

Jamón Ibérico

Muc*, the pig from Buenvino, was in Ballymaloe Cookery School at the weekend. Or at least one of his back legs was. You see, four years back Muc was killed and the long air-drying period began. Before that, he had happily wandered the woods around the big house in the south west of Spain, snouting out the best of nuts, especially those gorgeous acorns, qualifying him for the coveted Ibérico status.

Muc, now a tasty hunk of Jamón Ibérico**, was in Ballymaloe as Buenvino owners, Sam and Jeannie Chesterton, came to have their cookbook, simply named the Buenvino Cookbook, launched by Darina Allen. All the recipes have a Spanish flavour but you can get most if not all the ingredients here.

Quail's eggs

Rory O’Connell certainly did and he and his team cooked up many of the recipes from the book and we were able to enjoy: quails eggs with a pinch of cumin, fresh pickled anchovies, toasted almonds, Almond soup with PX soaked raisins, manchego, spinach with chickpeas, tortillas,  and more, before finishing off with a plate of Paella! All accompanied by Lustau sherry (manzanilla for me) and Vina Herminia wines (a Rueda verdejo and a Rioja red).

Finca Buenvino, a pink washed farm and guesthouse, is in the middle of the Sierra de Aracena nature reserve in Andalusia and the book tells how Jeannie and Sam ended up there and are now regarded as true locals.

Paella

Darina, who has visited the Finca, says Jeannie is a wonderful cook (and she does cookery courses there). Jeannie herself emphasizes that while her cooking is influenced by Spanish methods and ingredients, that this is not a “thoroughbred” Spanish cookbook, rather her take on their way of life and the food they share with their guests.

It was Irish "hatched" Sam who persuaded Jeannie to join him in Buenvino about thirty years ago. It is something of a cook's paradise. “We kill and cure our own Jamón Ibérico and bake wholemeal loaves and Moroccan flatbreads from organic flour...Honey comes from the hives above the orchards, organic vegetables and herbs from the garden. In autumn, wild mushrooms spring up in the woods…”

Darina introduces Sam and Jeannie

The book, published by BFP , runs to over two hundred pages and there are all kinds of tantalising recipes from Tapas to full meals, from  Baked Octopus and potatoes to a Lamb with aubergine tagine, from various treatments of anchovies to a Citrus and Honey Cake, from a Stew of Mixed Fish to the Pear and Almond Tart, from Tortillas to Iberian Pork Fillets with red peppers. There are even some pronunciation tips, for Chorizo for example.

Such variety! And all beautifully illustrated. “Have a great time cooking these recipes” wrote Sam as he and his wife signed the book for us. A great time, maybe even a long time. But it is looking very good indeed.

Jeannie gives her seal of approval to Rory O'Connell's paella

Just two recommendations to end with, there are many.

1 I can't wait to buy this book and be transported back to their little corner of paradise. (Thomasina Miers, founder of Wahaca restaurants).

2 A creative and dedicated cook who understands food with plenty of taste, colour and flair. (Maria Jose Sevilla, Foods and Wines from Spain, Spanish Trade Commission, London).

* Name has been changed!

** Jamón Ibérico puro de bellota is a rare and exclusive air-cured ham. The Ibérico pig is a pure bred, free-ranging animal that feeds mainly on acorns from Holm Oak trees. It is these acorns that give Jamón Ibérico it’s unique smell, taste and feel. The meat is delicate, with a sweet flavour and less salty than Jamón Serrano.

Talk of the Tongue. International Wine and Food Society Event

Talk of the Tongue

International Wine and Food Society Event

The Tongue (left) and more from last Thursday's Celebrating Local Tastes.

“Celebrating Local Tastes” was the title of the first outing for 2014 of the Munster Branch of the International Wine and Food Society.  Held at L'Atitude 51 (1 Union Quay), it turned into an absorbing evening with suppliers Frank Hederman, Jack McCarthy, On the Pig’s Back and Eve’s Chocolates taking the opportunity to showcase their impressive wares while the whole event was enhanced by some well chosen words, not to mention well chosen wines*, by our hostess Beverly Mathews.

First up was smoker Frank Hederman: “Our smokehouse food is made very simply using salt and smoke as natural preservatives to enhance very beautiful Irish raw materials. We are in the condiment business, simply adding flavour, creating new taste experiences and memories using age-old, natural techniques.”

Most of us are familiar with his famous smoked salmon and mackerel, maybe even with the smoked mussels. Lately he has produced smoked butter and on Thursday last introduced us to the new smoked Creme Fraiche. If you see it, buy it!

Then it was the turn of On the Pig's Back and Maria Perez concentrated on their cheeses and demonstrated a terrific variety of flavours using Ardsallagh, Ardrahan and Crozier Blue, among others, to make the point that local cheeses are absolutely first class, capable of holding their own in any company.

One man who can certainly do that is Kanturk butcher Jack McCarthy. He came laden with generous plates of his fabulous charcuterie, Irish charcuterie he emphasized, maybe even Duhallow charcuterie!

On Thursday last, he had quite a selection, including his Italian style copa. Then he introduced his Sliabh Luachra, an air dried beef for which they have been named Nationality Speciality Champions. We thought that was good but what really set us talking was his Tongue. It brought memories back for many (of a certain age!) but everyone was talking about it in a most complimentary way!

Had to finish off this excellent evening with something sweet and that was supplied by Jill from Eve’s Chocolates. “Eve’s”, she said, “is one of Cork's best kept secrets”. But that is not how they want it. So do go and visit them at Eve's Chocolate Shop, 8 College Commercial Park, Magazine Road, Cork. If you go this week, watch out as you could be falling over eggs and bunnies or they may be falling over you. Death by chocolate!

The Wine and Food Society are planning their next outing and if you would like to become a member then contact Aoife (treasurer) mccanaoife@gmail.com. Other officers are  Richie Scott (assistant treasurer), Beverley Matthews (secretary) and Greg Canty (chairman)

*The wines were:

Valdespino, Manzanilla Deliciosa  "En Rama" (unfiltered)

Pipoli Greco Fiano from Basilicata (Southern Italy) 2011

Chateau Ste. Eulalie "La Cantilene" from Minervois La Laviniere 2009  

No holding Bekaa with this Convent Reserve!

No holding Bekaa with this Convent Reserve!

Ksara estate

Chateau Ksara, Reserve du Couvent 2011, Vallee de la Bekaa (Lebanon), 13.5%, €19.15 Karwig Wines

Hard for me to believe that there is just 30 per cent Cabernet Franc in this gorgeous wine. The red grape of the Loire dominates here and I wouldn't have been surprised to see its contribution at about 70%. But no. The blend is 40% Syrah, 30% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Cabernet Franc.

The winery was founded by Jesuits in 1857. Must have been some nuns there too - there usually were - as Couvent is the French for convent. The estate is no longer in Jesuit hands.

The wine has a beautiful mix of fruity aromas and the colour is a deep ruby. On the palate it is rich and delicious, the refreshing input of Cab Franc obvious methinks, there are hints of the wood (and of the French influence!); it is fine and full flavoured with a lasting finish. Can't help thinking though that I got into this 2011 a bit too soon as it seems there is more to come from it. Still, it is even now an excellent wine and Very Highly Recommended.