Posted on Jul 30, 2006 in Cookery Books, Read | 2 comments

Soul by Judith Tabron & Friends

Soul by Judith Tabron & Friends
There’s no nonsense about Judith Tabron. Starting in the restaurant industry as a 16-year-old apprentice, she worked her way up to become the co-owner of Soul, an acclaimed, successful bar and bistro situated at the Viaduct Harbour in Auckland. On stage at last year’s Savour New Zealand –...
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Posted on Jul 26, 2006 in Food for Friends | 4 comments

Cooking when there’s no time to cook: Potato and Chorizo Tortilla

On Friday night two friends were arriving in from Cambridge in time for a late supper. They didn’t arrive until after 9pm, fortunately, as the previous night at Mackerel and an after-work engagement party ensured that I didn’t get home until around half seven. Walking home from town I nipped into...
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Posted on Jul 24, 2006 in Eating Out, Return to Ireland | 0 comments

Restaurant Review: Mackerel, Dublin

Restaurant Review: Mackerel, Dublin
Thursday was a searingly hot day in Dublin and, even come evening time, there was little respite from the heat in the city center. Sun-warmed crowds pooled outside bars and restaurants, Mediterranean-style. It was not an evening to be indoors so, when the Boyfriend and I arrived for a 7.30pm booking at...
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Posted on Jul 21, 2006 in Cookery Books, Read | 4 comments

Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros

Apples for Jam by Tessa Kiros
It’s the colour that catches your eye first. The bold pink and red cover of Tessa Kiros’ Apples for Jam is immediately distinctive, particularly with its eye-catching photo of a pair of red, well-worn children’s shoes. And colour is hugely important in this book as Tessa and her...
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Posted on Jul 18, 2006 in Do, Return to Ireland | 2 comments

Summertime in Dublin

Summertime in Dublin
Ireland has recently been going through a spell of glorious weather with near-constant sunshine and temperatures in the mid to late 20s and so I’ve not stepped near the kitchen for the last while. Cooking is mostly out of the question and baking has been abandoned for the moment – very little...
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Posted on Jul 15, 2006 in Cook, Lovely Lunches | 0 comments

Ingredient experiments: Spicy Carrot Dip

Spicy Carrot Dip This is especially good with a Bulgur and Cauliflower Salad, some crisply toasted pita breads and a bowl of natural yoghurt. Carrots – 500g, chopped into 3-inch lengths Extra virgin olive oil – 4 tablespoons Sherry vinegar – 3 tablespoons Garlic cloves – 2,...
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Posted on Jul 15, 2006 in Cook, Kitchen | 4 comments

Ingredient experiments – Pomegranate molasses: Bulgur and Cauliflower Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing

Ingredient experiments – Pomegranate molasses: Bulgur and Cauliflower Salad with Pomegranate Molasses Dressing
When out shopping – especially in ethnic food shops – I’m a demon for picking up new and unusual ingredients that I’ve no idea how to use. I just see something in Dublin’s Asian Market, say, or – very especially – Middle Eastern shop Spiceland that looks interesting...
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Posted on Jul 11, 2006 in Bake | 1 comment

A simple last-minute birthday cake: Lemon and Pistachio Yogurt Cake

A simple last-minute birthday cake: Lemon and Pistachio Yogurt Cake
My friend the Film Critic had a birthday last week and so I took it into my head, late last Tuesday night, to make him a birthday cake. Wanting something simple – and that I already had the ingredients for in the house – I decided on a straightforward Gâteau au Yaourt, which seems to be a...
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Posted on Jul 9, 2006 in Do, Eating Out, Return to Ireland | 0 comments

Food at festivals – or lack thereof!

I’m at two-day Irish music festival Oxegen this weekend, although fortunately – considering the rain and muddy conditions in Punchestown racecourse yesterday – not camping. The less said about food there the better! Normal service will resume next...
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Posted on Jul 6, 2006 in Do, Return to Ireland | 0 comments

Lashings and lashings of ginger beer

Lashings and lashings of ginger beer
None of the much loved Enid Blyton‘s Famous Five books that I read as a child were complete without a picnic – ham rolls, hard boiled eggs, slabs of fruit cake, tinned pears and, of course, lashings and lashings of ginger beer. The only kind of ginger drink that I came across in Ireland was...
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Posted on Jul 4, 2006 in Do, Return to Ireland | 2 comments

Thoughts elsewhere on Taste of Dublin

I have to agree with Ice Cream Ireland‘s comment on the incongruous presence of Starbucks at last weekend’s Taste of Dublin. It’s difficult to see what they have to do with food at all and in Dublin in particular. RTÉ 2FM DJ Rick O’Shea also writes of his experiences at A Taste Of...
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Posted on Jul 1, 2006 in Cookery Books, Read | 1 comment

Real Flavours: The Handbook of Gourmet and Deli Ingredients by Glynn Christian ****

Real Flavours: The Handbook of Gourmet and Deli Ingredients by Glynn Christian ****
This is the perfect book for any foodie who’s ever spent hours puzzling over unfamiliar ingredients in their local delicatessen or ethnic food shop. Glynn Christian, originally from New Zealand, has been a food writer and broadcaster in England for many years, and as a result, has a rare international...
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