I know the international readers of this blog must roll their eyes every time I mention the weather, but here in Ireland we have good reason to talk about it a lot/constantly. Because it continues to smote us. The weather pretends to be our friend and then quite literally rains on our parade when we […]
Dukkah has been found at the beginning of quite a few food gatherings at my house so far this year. It’s an Egyptian-inspired spice mix which I first got a whiff of at the wonderful Ard Bia in Galway. It works brilliantly as a pre-dinner all-hands-on-deck nibbley treat because you can make it way in advance […]
That’s right. You heard me. Deep-fried mutha-fuppin’ cauliflower. This is an outrageously bold use of our floreted friend, and uses the gram flour mix I’ve been using for onion bhajis to its tastiest effect yet. It takes only a few minutes to prepare and works really well as a shared starter for friends as it […]
Have you ever noticed that it is it virtually impossible to find Irish grown asparagus in the shops? Every once in a while you might see British asparagus in M&S and it’ll cost you a pretty penny. It’s more common to see Spanish, French or Thai asparagus (asparagi?) alongside the ubiquitous and much maligned Peruvian […]
Isn’t it brilliant when you find out that something that looks impossible to make is actually incredibly simple? My most recent nomrevelation has been gyoza. With the help of some handy ready-to-roll gyoza pasty discs that I found in Asia Market on Drury Street – amazingly named Happy Belly Gyoza Skins – it turns out […]
My tummy did very well out of this Easter weekend, though my waistline may have taken a hit from all of our indulgences. Myself and Niall had some good friends over for lunch on Saturday and served up a slow-roasted shoulder of Pat Whelan’s lamb which we picked up at Avoca Monkstown on Friday. I […]
Yes! I know I’m in danger of seeming evangelical about roasted cauliflower at this stage but this little risotto recipe is not the work of a caulifundamentalist, I promise you. Our weather in Dublin has been (surprise!) rather changeable of late and I always think a good risotto is a great dish for transitional seasons. […]
As you may or may not know, I co-write a column called Naughty or Nice with the wonderful Aoife Barry in The Irish Independent’s Weekend magazine on Saturdays. Each week, we try to think of delicious and quick recipes that can cater for those naughty and not-so-naughty eaters out there. If you’re a regular reader […]
Yeah…sorry about that Thumper. A Sunday ago (before all of that engagement excitement) I had some blogger buddies (namely Lucy, Sharon and Bill, Catherine and Oran) over after the Dublin Flea Market for a spot of Sunday lunch. On the menu was Rabbit Pie. But how, I can hear you ask, did I come to find […]
The Romanesco broccoli. A Veg Oddity. I remember the first time I ever saw a Romanesco Broccoli. It was in Denis Healy’s stall in the Temple Bar Food Market a few years back. I had no idea what it was but was certain I had never seen such a curiously dazzling vegetable. Perhaps it was […]