Vals Kitchen

The Elder Lemon catches the worm

Today I did my first market as a small producer at the Summer Market at the fab No.1 Pery Square Hotel. 

On Monday I nipped up to Dublin to get some nice bottles  

Tuesday morning was spent researching the the market at UL, the afternoon was out in fields with the kids collecting elderflowers. 

On Wednesday I bought lots of citrus fruits and sugar. Then I made the elderflower cordial and fretted over the colour. It spitted at me and annoyed me a lot, I nearly threw in the towel.

Thursday had me making rhubarb cordial, soooo pink and tasty, it brought me back from the edge. I also drew my logo and had it copied and got lots of print-outs. 

Friday I made more rhubarb cordial, bought 100 lemons and made 21 bottles of lemon cordial, really yummy. I cut out all the labels, glued them on the bottels and nipped round to Mike at The Wine Buff for boxes. I fell into bed after midnight and spent today selling all my wares at the market. I sold about 55 bottles and had so much fun. I actually made some money and lots of people want to know where they can get more. Am I a contender for a regular market stall???

Thanks to Patricia and hubby at No.1 for hosting such a cool event and looking after us all so well with sausage butties on their own fab baguettes and endless clean glasses for testers. Extra special thanks to my fab friend Dee who helped me with everything and sold lots of bottles too xxx 

Other producers there were

Jenny from Ponaire Coffee

Mike from Michael O'Loughlin's Butchers

Teresa and hubby from the Green Apron

Susan from Olio and Farina

:)

Buy Irish Tatler today...

There's a nice piece about food blogging as a phenomenon and an enterprise in this months Irish Tatler mag. I'm featured quite well in it so go n get get!!

You are cordially invited......................

No.1 and Slow Food Limerick team up to host artisan summer market. 

The most exciting new addition to Limerick’s hospitality scene, No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa, is set to host a summer market in association with the city’s Slow Food movement. The best local artisan producers will be descending on No.1 on Saturday the 27^th of June to showcase their products. Seminars on Food and Wine are also being held throughout the day at the hotel. 

No.1 Pery Square Hotel & Spa is a keen supporter of local producers, right down to the beds and furniture that have been especially created by Irish manufacturers. It is for this reason that Slow Food Limerick is holding its summer market at No.1. Among other guest speakers, No.1 Head Chef, Alan Burns will be talking about his philosophies of food and the importance sourcing quality produce.

This is going to be a fun day with lots of small producers taking part and showcasing their delicious food and drinks. So much work and dedication goes into being a small producer so it's a great  chance to hang out in the city's hippest hotel and try out some local goodies.

I will be there, selling cordials (see the post title for too funny joke!) made from seasonal and local fruit and flowers. I've had a taste of the work that goes in to producing for more than one or two people and its work, but rewarding. So come along and bring your hard earned lolly, and spend it here!!!

Free Champagne!!!

"Booze can get you through times of no money better than money can get you through times of no booze", or something to that effect, once said by Fat Freddy or his wayward puddy cat. In times of no money but lots and lots of sunshine and abundant, lush vegetation, the gifts of nature seem ever more generous. Trends seem to come from nowhere, or some celebrity chef does something and then we all follow suit. I'm following in the hippy footsteps of Hugh Fernley Whattisname and well on the road to my own elderflower champagne. Out walking in the lovely Limerick countryside I could smell the heady sweetness of elderflowers in the air. I grabbed some scissors later and headed back out the country roads and filled up bags for champers and cordial. The cordial was such a hit it's almost gone, 3 large bottles went down a treat with my kids, surprise surprise, and friends. It's light and refreshing and made only with lemons, limes, oranges, water and of course elderflowers. You can freeze it in plastic bottles too. 

The champers is a slightly different animal. It's made in a big plastic bucket or bin and takes no effort at all. The only work is in washing and sterilising bottles, but it's fun to make either way you look at it. I have read about bottles exploding so take precautions when storing this. It takes only two weeks from making it to drinking time. I have never tasted as a finished product but I do find it very sweet. I would probably make another batch with half the sugar. I hope this is ready to drink at a party for Friday night. At about 4 percent proof it's not too strong, free booze is free booze after all

Makes about 6 litres

Ingredients

• About 24-30 elderflower heads, in full bloom
• 2kg sugar
• 4 litres hot water
• Juice and zest of four lemons
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• A pinch of dried yeast (you may not need this)

Method: How to make elderflower champagne

1. Put the hot water and sugar into a large container (a spotlessly clean bucket is good) and stir until the sugar dissolves, then top up with cold water so you have 6 litres of liquid in total.

2. Add the lemon juice and zest, the vinegar and the flower heads and stir gently.

3. Cover with clean muslin and leave to ferment in a cool, airy place for a couple of days. Take a look at the brew at this point, and if it’s not becoming a little foamy and obviously beginning to ferment, add a pinch of yeast.

4. Leave the mixture to ferment, again covered with muslin, for a further four days. Strain the liquid through a sieve lined with muslin and decant into sterilised strong glass bottles with champagne stoppers (available from home-brewing suppliers) or Grolsch-style stoppers, or sterilised screw-top plastic bottles (a good deal of pressure can build up inside as the fermenting brew produces carbon dioxide, so strong bottles and seals are essential).

5. Seal and leave to ferment in the bottles for a further eight days before serving, chilled. The champagne should keep in the bottles for several months. Store in a cool, dry place.

The week in pictures

These are the flowers from Mange Tout, I took this photo in one of the poly tunnels at Seedsavers, while sneakily munching beans from the plants

The amazing weather in Ireland brings mixed reactions from "God isn't it fabulous" to "We're not cut out for this at all" to "They say it'll rain tomorrow", that was last Friday. The weather has been fantastic, it changes so many things. Moaning about every little thing has diminished, faces are smiley and everyone is padding about in flip flops and shorts. I've been on the beach lots and growing tons of stuff in my "garden" and now I've moved onto some space I have on my roof, don't worry it's flat. Turns out the roof is even better as the slugs and snails haven't yet twigged that it's there so I've made a raised bed for spinach and courgettes and have spuds, lettuce and peas all growing happily in the sunshine. Last Friday I made another trip to Seedsavers Ireland, in Scariff and got me some more seeds for growing Ichi Kuri pumpkins, my favourite, Painted Lady runner beans, the name says it all, mizuna and peas. This lot, along with my many varieties of tomatoes, strawberries, calbrese (a type of broccoli), broad and borlotti beans, rocket and lots of herbs are giving me lots to tend to. I dig this food growing (sorry!) and am waiting with a watery mouth till some goodies are ready to eat. So far I've been munching on the lettuce, I didn't plant early enough it seems but July and August should have everything in full bloom. I'm looking forward to fresh and juicy veggies at my back door. 

These are the flowers from Mange Tout, I took this photo in one of the poly tunnels at Seedsavers, while sneakily munching beans from the plants

A hungry bee at the broad beans

What is this?

Incredibly a dolphin was swimming on White Strand near Spanish Point, cool or what? This is Dusty the dolphin and she has been around these parts for about five years, giving funghi a run for his money.

This girl on her board comes all the way from Donegal to Co.Clare to swim with Dusty

And I spent an hour on Wednesday making smoothies for these puddins at my kids school for the Skipathon. Fun and games

In today's Irish Independent, scroll down for yours truly

The guilty gourmets

They may extol the virtues of fine ingredients, but even for committed foodies, sometimes only a treat will do, says Declan Cashin

• • NORMAL
  • LARGE
  • EXTRA LARGE

Image posed

• Articles
• Topics

• No time? Try these... natural born fillers
• A taste for life
• A day in the life: East Cork
• Take five: Cookery schools
• Rural areas need local food markets, says Darina Allen
• A Chinese feast that's fit for an Ox
• Why not reach for the stars?

Also in Lifestyle

• Take that, Robbie
• Is this woman a bad mother, or just honest?
• The mother of all dilemmas . . .
• Don't try this at home
• Mind and meaning: Are we just keeping in touch, or twittering our dull lives away?

Lifestyle Home

Query: Independent.ie  WebSearch

Tuesday May 26 2009

When it comes to food and snacks, we all have our guilty little pleasures. Sure, we know we're all supposed to feast on fine, fresh ingredients as part of a daily balanced diet, and graze on nuts and fruits rather than cakes and biscuits during work and in our downtime.

However, in tough times like these, we need our little treats and pleasures to help buck us up, and that goes for the gourmand experts too.

We asked some of the country's most pre-eminent foodies -- from Michelin-starred chefs to TV cooks to food writers and bloggers -- to dish on their particular guilty pleasures, be it a sneaky take-away, a greasy sausage roll, a bar (or three) of chocolate, or even raw cake mixture. Bon appetit ...

Darina Allen, Ballymaloe Cookery School, Cork

I love baked beans on toast and old fashioned Birds custard, a delicious childhood memory. I occasionally think about the Chef's salad cream that we had on salad sandwiches as children, and the Tipsy Cake by Gateaux that was made with bits of leftover cake and topped with luminous pink icing, and wonder whether I would love them now. I sometimes still hanker for a 'spring sprong' biscuit (Jacob's Coconut Creams).

Donal Skehan, thegoodmoodfoodblog.com

Nothing can satisfy my craving for junk food more thanBacon Fries: they are crunchy, salty, highly calorific and never fail to hit the spot. My other weakness is a little dish I came up with when I was a kid and it seems to have stayed with me: take one nice golden potato waffle, place three crispy fish fingers uniformly lined up on top, drench with Heinz tomato ketchup, and top with another waffle. There you have it -- the Waffle Fish Finger sandwich. A classic!

Dennis Cotter, Head chef, Café Paradiso, Cork

I don't have any guilty pleasures simply because I believe guilt itself is inherently unhealthy. To be honest, I like to eat well once a day, the rest of the time food is just fuel and I don't fuss over it. Peanut butter with vegemite is a bit gross, but it does for breakfast when the cupboard is bare.

My favourite Friday night activity is to watch Cork City win at Turners Cross, then have chips from the chip van on the way to the pub. Ketchup and too much salt for me, never liked vinegar on potatoes. Three pints of Beamish on top of that is the best dinner in the world.

Oliver Dunne, Head chef, Bon Appetit, Malahide

I have many guilty pleasures but the two I eat the most are, Cadbury Starbars for a sweet fix, and if I need a bit of fat, I love southern fried chicken and chips from the local chipper washed down with a can of Coke.

Ross Lewis, Head Chef, Chapter One, Parnell Square

My guilty pleasure is still Double Verona Chocolate Muffins from the California Bakery.

Kevin Dundon, food writer and celebrity chef

I don't have a very sweet tooth, but on a long car journey I love to indulge in a bag of Liquorice Allsorts. Even now they bring back great memories of my childhood when our treat on a Sunday afternoon (assuming, of course, we ate all our lunch) was to have a bag of Allsorts and hot chocolate. Sheer culinary euphoria -- even then!

Valerie O'Connor, www.valskitchen.com

I have considered selling my soul for a sausage roll, or a peanut butter Chunky Kit Kat. My guiltiest pleasure has to be having a doner kebab any time, day or night.

I have been known to drive to a certain kebab place in Limerick, dressed up to the nines and wait in line for my take away. The more chilli sauce and the messier it is, the better.

Derry Clarke, L'Ecrivain, Baggot St, Dublin

I love eating the crispy skin off pork, which is so bad for me! Another guilty pleasure is fatty bacon, which is terrible for the old heart, I know, but I still do it anyway.

There's also salt and vinegar Taytos -- one bag is never enough -- and, of course, a pint or two of Guinness.

Richard Corrigan, Head chef, Bentley's Restaurant, St Stephen's Green

I have been known to enjoy soft ice cream just out of the machine with choc sauce, hot of course. Very boyish.

Aoileann Garavaglia, author, Cheat's Cuisine

My guilty pleasures are many, but I do crave Tayto cheese and onion. I do indulge every now and then, but I wait until the kids go to bed, mainly so I don't have to share. I also have a big grá for white sliced pan toasted with butter. I was deprived this as a child, so now at weekends, I buy a white sliced pan for us, toast it, use a biscuit cutter to cut out a shape, and butter and sprinkle with a mixture of sugar and cinnamon (organic, of course).

Kevin Thornton, Head chef, Thorntons Restaurant, St Stephen's Green

When I'm driving to Menu in Belfast I might stop for petrol and would often grab a Snickersand a packet of Tayto. It's a throwback to my childhood and I love the combination of crisps and chocolate.

Trish Deseine, food writer and presenter of Trish's Paris Kitchen

There's not a great deal I feel guilty about. I embrace many items such as Flakes, Mint Munchies, butterscotch Angel Delight which are deemed "bad" as part of my varied diet. I subsequently eat lots of salad to cancel them out. When I'm baking, I cannot stay away from raw plain cake mixture and, a little later, its freshly whipped buttercream icing straight from the mixing bowl.

Freddy's Bistro hosts food heritage night with Slow Food Limerick phone 061 418749

Talented restaurateur Liz Phelan of Freddy's Bistro has put together a fascinating menu for an exciting night of food and history at the much loved Freddy's Bistro on Theatre Lane, Limerick

Slow Food & Freddy’s Bistro present  Food Heritage Menu

Tuesday 26^th May 7.30pm

 

FIRST COURSE

Irish Farmhouse Cheese in a Crisp Buttery Pastry with a Rhubarb and Apple Jam

 

SECOND COURSE

Summer Fish Broth served with Homemade Breads

 

Or

Freddy’s Home Smoked Organic Chicken and Pear Salad with an Apple Farm Cider Dressing

 

(served with a glass of Apple Farm Cider)

 

THIRD COURSE

Fresh Mint Sorbet

(Adare Farm)

 

FOURTH COURSE

 

Tipperary Lamb with a Fresh Herb Crust and Onion Gravy

 

Rigney’s Rare Breed Pork Belly Braised in Mead and Orange, on sautéed Cabbage

 

Wild Smoked Haddock on Buttered Leeks with a Grain Mustard Sauce

 

Organic Chicken with Traditional Bread Stuffing, with a Nettle and Spinach Sauce

 

Accompanied by Traditional Champ and Baby Roast Potato

 

Selection of Irish Organic Vegetables

 

(Springfield Farm)

PUDDINGS

 

  Chocolate Orange And Guinness Cake with a Burnt Orange Compote

 

Freddy’s Tea Brack with Brown Bread Ice Cream

 

Apple Crumble with a Warm Homemade Custard

 

 Tea or Coffee

 

(Coffee by Ponaire Coffee)

The cost for the evening,which will start at 7:30, is e70 for non-members,e65 for Slow Food members.Wine is included in the price.Early booking is advised,as these events tend to book out early.

 

Contact Freddies Bistro for bookings on: 061 418749

For more info from Slow Food Limerick and region:

It's a strongly held belief of Slow Food that it's impossible to go forward without first looking back and there's great enjoyment to be had in the process.

 

 

The theme for the evening,Tuesday 26th of May, is heritage food and as such we will be treated to recipes inspired by traditional methods but using the best of contemporary,artisan products.

 

Gubbeen cheese,being produced since 1979 and famous worldwide,is crafted by Giana Ferguson,a Slow Food Ireland stalwart. Cooleeney cheese is described by the Bridgestone guide as the kind of cheese 'you could walk a country mile in the rain to taste again'.Luckily,you won't have to,as both Gubbeen and Cooleeney cheese are being served as part of the first course to start the evening.Both cheeses will be served in a crisp buttery pastry,with a rhubarb & apple compote.All served with a glass of Prosecco,kindly sponsored by Olio e Farina,Little Catherine Street,a one-stop shop for a selection of all things Italian.

 

For the second course,you can either choose a summer fish broth made with pearl barley,haddock and other seasonal fish,served with a selection of breads made in-house.

 

Or there's Freddies home-smoked organic chicken,with pear salad and Apple Farm cider dressing.You'll also be served a taste of Apple Farms cider on the side.Those of you who regularly frequent the market will be familiar with the delicious apple juice from Apple Farm,Moorstown.

 

The third course is supplied by the ever-popular Adare Farm icecream,creating a seasonal mint sorbet for the evenings menu.

 

After this,you have a choice of Burren lamb,provided by Martin Crowe in Ruan.This will be served coated in a herb crust with onion gravy.

 

Or,a regular at Slow Food events, Rigneys Rarebreed Pork Belly braised in Mead,served on sauteed cabbage.Joe and Caroline Rigneys farm and guesthouse in Curraghchase is not only only one of the best places to source all things porcine,it's also a wonderful place to visit on a Sunday afternoon.

 

For fish lovers,there's wild smoked haddock, served on buttered leeks with a grain mustard sauce.

 

Needless to mention,there's a chicken option,organic chicken that is,served with traditional bread stuffing and a nettle and spinach sauce.

 

All of the above will be served with traditional champ and baby roast potatoes,along with a selection of organic vegetables provided by Springfield Organic,in Co Limerick.With the original Springfield castle dating back to 1280,an organic farm on site and deers roaming around the grounds,what better place to source the vegetables for a heritage menu?

 

Those with a sweet tooth may want to sit up and take notice round about now.You can choose from a chocolate orange & Guinness cake with burnt orange compote.While oranges and chocolate would have been prohibitively expensive for the average Irish diner many years ago,today they make a suitably luscious option for a heritage menu.

 

Or you could try the toasted tea brack,made at Freddies and served with brown bread ice cream,also made in-house.

 

Or for a seasonal approach,there's rhubarb and strawberry crumble,served with warm home-made custard.

 

The coffee is provided by Ponaire Coffee.Ponaire are the only hand-crafted coffee roasters in the Mid-West and we are lucky enough to have them on our doorstep,in Annacotty.The perfect way to round off a meal.

 

 

 

Cornstore, Limerick for Sunday Lunch

The May Bank holiday weekend is the best weekend of the year to step out and make the most of Limerick City. The Riverfest had it’s wings clipped a little but there was no stortage of locals and visitors thronging the streets for the attractions.

Having lived in other cities I always loved the idea of going out somewhere for a lazy Sunday brunch or lunch. I’ve never been charmed by the whole pack-em-in pub style carvery. Too many people, not enough cooks and all the food is made from flour based sauces and pre-cooked veggies. I fancied some nice, summery food, fresh and light with flavour.

I’d heard that Cornstore were doing “proper food for kids”; organic pork sausages with mash and gravy, oven roast salmon with mash and brocolli, things like that. I’ve never come across a good, honest, menu like that and even my own kids take umbrage at the fact that its assumed they want to eat chicken nuggets and chips all the time.  Generally I avoid taking the kids out for lunch as I end up paying for adult-sized main courses that are enough for a rugby player. There was no happy medium.

To say Cornstore is gorgeous is an understatement. It’s dark and shiny, plush and luxurious. We were shown upstairs where diners can see all the kitchen activity, really exciting for me and the boys too. Staff are smiley and attentive and we were given a sunny table by the window . There was a healthy mix of families and other diners with a nice hum of chatting. The menus arrived and all the talk about the proper food for kids was true.  Sure there was a burger, but with “proper chips”, chicken goujons were home-made.  The prices range from €8.95 to €11.95 for the Sirloin Steak with homemade chips, roasted veggies and gravy. All the prices include a drink: juice, milk or a fizzy. If you have a toddler who’s on the gooey food, you can get a bowl of mash, veggies and gravy or pasta with parmesan for free!!!  We ordered the chicken wings with chips to share as a starter and Saoirse went for the steak. The wings came in a nice-looking metal dish with a little bucket of chips, we had two each and they were licked clean, the chips were real, with skins on. Saoirse devoured his steak, the gravy was full of flavour and the mash was closely coveted. This was a really decent plate of food, one that, as a Mum, I was really happy to see him eat.

The whole main menu is on offer at lunch time; a little from all corners of the world. I went for the special of whole roasted sea bream with olives, roasted cherry tomatoes and rocket, it sounded like just what I was looking for. This dish was so good, a really generous fish, doused with punchy green and black olives and peppery olive oil. It was prefectly cooked, juicy and fresh. Tomatoes were sweet and full of flavour. I loved that there were no chips or spuds with it. This kind of food is so hard to find, and so welcome, we all had some of the fish and everybody loved it. Leon went for the Pork Belly on creamy mash, roast root vegetables, apple puree and cider jus. The pork is slow cooked for 12  hours and is something we cook at home so we were harsh critics. It was tender and moist and we fought over it, the veggies and jus full of deep flavours. All plates were well cleaned. I had a non-alcoholic cocktail, I love cocktails but generally don’t drink them in the afternoon with the kids! My fruit punch was like a real cocktail, frothy, fruity and refreshing, and only €4.

Though we were all full, the deserts just looked too good to pass up. At €3.95 for deserts on the kids menu why would we? The boys both had the chocolate cake with ice cream (instead of cream). This was more brownie like and so fudgey and gooey, served with Adare farms vanilla ice cream it was eaten in silence, slowly and lovingly. I had the Eton mess, a huge glass full of crushed meringue, fresh berries, ice ceam, cream and topped with crushed nuts. Swoon. I ate it all up like a happy baby tasting sweets for the first time.  I had one perfect coffee to bring me back to the land of the living. I could have easily spent the whole afternoon here, as it was we were almost three hours over our lunch. A colouring competition had the lads busy while I had a sneak peek at the kitchen  and the talented chef Maura Baxter at work. Cornstore is good at what it does,  a real gem. Now to go back and try out the cocktail menu, yum. 

Cornstore

19 Thomas Street

Limerick

Phone (061) 609000 Fax (061) 409334

www.cornstorelimerick.com

Burren Slow Food Festival - and I'm cooking at it!

The lovely Kim from Slow Food Clare got in touch with me after hearing me on Ryan Tubridy's radio show many weeks ago. Very kindly (and taking her life in her hands) she asked me to do a cooking demo at the festival which takes place in Lisdoonvarna from may 15th to 17th. The line up is an all star cast; Darina Allen, Clodagh McKenna, Donagh Grigson, Mary Sheehan and Moi, to name a few. 

I sent in a photo of myself for the brochure and realised after that it's time I had a cheffy picture taken, and not to keep using that one of me in a night club. Of course I'm not a chef, and just as likely to be snapped on the dancefloor as in the kitchen so its a fair cop. The festival has a fab line up, is in a beautiful place and will be great fun. Here's the low down

Tavola Calda, Mallow Street, Limerick

I think twice about writing things like this. And I've thought twice so here goes..........

I had heard some good things about this little Italian Cafe on Mallow Street in my home town of Limerick, their coffee was always good and the service friendly. So I thought I'd give it a shot for a bit of lunch today, being the start of a long weekend it felt indulgent to be sitting outside in the sun while the traffic built up on the streets, the joy of living in town. 

We ordered a plate of antispasti which was meant to be a starter. This was plonked on the table at the same time as the rest of the food, no big deal as it was cold anyway. I did wonder when I heard the ping of the microwave, what was cooking. The antipasti plate was a pretty manky looking collection of two slices of parma(ish) ham, dried beef (yes I know, Bresola), some pepper salami, a few depressed so-called sun dried tomatoes, three mean slivers of dry mozarella and some ikky mushrooms, from a jar I figure. No bread and not a lettuce leaf in sight to fool the brain into believing this may be good food. 

Son No.1 hoovered up his lasagne, fair enough, it's hard to screw that up (though I have seen it done). My "pizza", on the other hand, was a car crash on a plate. A monstrous sized flying saucer landed in front of me, laded down with pretty much the entire contents of the starter. It was clearly an already cooked pizza, with a few things thrown at it, Betty Blue stylie. I mentioned it to the once-friendly waiter who shrugged when I suggested it was not fresh, he gave me a look as if I had told him his mother did unsavoury things with the Greeks. He didn't offer to change it for something else, there was no way I was eating this. I went to the counter where I saw cooked pizza in the fridge, and no sign of a pizza oven. I ordered something else and they muttered under their breaths. I didn't feel too safe eating my replacement pasta, if you know what I mean, but it tasted ok, eek. Son No.2 ordered a chicken sandwich, the chicken was a breaded thingy a la Lidl or somewhere and stuck between two slabs of dry bread. 

On top of that my glass was dirty and they were rude as hell once I made any kind of fuss. Given that the place was empty and the two guys were under no pressure, this was a rip off of the highest order. Luckily I was reviewing the place for a higher power than myself so I get my money back, or I wouldn't have paid, no way. It's a real pity places continue to take the p*** like this, and an even bigger pity that people continue to accept this sub-standard rubbish. It may be cheap, but it's cheerless, and life is too short.