One of the Step-Monsters home for a while, so compulsory visit to Kajjal for an early bird, as they all like it and handy for their dad. Always packed and always good. Starters: San had prawns, Cor Tandoori Chicken, Aoife Aloo Tikka (which I usually have) and I had lamb patties, with a lovely vibrant and piquant green sauce, patties maybe a tiny bit salty.
Mains: Aoife had prawn, San Chicken, Cor and I Afghan lamb meatballs, nothing too spicy, plenty of good rice and bread, all enjoyed it. Girls had a glass of red each, had water, as was driving, as always in Malahide, so never tried their wine list.
Ice cream and rice pudding, 2 of each for dessert, then home for a beer
Majorca on Sunday for a week, can't wait! Hopefully avoid Brits, Irish etc and get a bit Old Town, Moorish, Roman and Tapas, looking forward to good seafood and have booked a Michelin Lunch for later in the week
Thursday 27 August 2015
Sunday 23 August 2015
Weekend of stews
Weather shite, got onions, carrots and potatoes from allotment yesterday morning, made a Moroccan lamb meatball stew yesterday.
Sauce of onions, peepers, ras el hanout, garlic, once all softened added courgettes and aubergine, tinned tomatoes and chickpeas, pressure cooker for about a hour. Lamb mince, harisa paster, shallots and breadcrumbs for meatballs, about 40 minutes baked in over, then added into the stew, served with couscous.
Parents-in-Law here today, made a beef curry and beef stroganoff (Angela doesn't like curry).
Curry, usual lamb curry, but with beef, beef marinaded overnight in yoghurt with garam masala, chilli, garlic and ginger. Fried up in pressure cooker with lots of onions and peppers, chicken stock and tinned tomatoes and pasata added, under pressure for an hour, into an oven proof dish to put next course in pressure cooker - beef stroganoff:
Fried off beef and onions, reserved, fried quartered mushrooms, reserved, deglazed pan with chicken stock, added beef, onions, mushrooms back in 45 minutes under pressure then rested.
For starters, had 1/2 a dozen shop bought samosas and bhajis, made mint rathi, tomato and red onion with chilli and mango chutney from jar with shop bought papadums.
Made a simple bombay potato to go with main and some boiled potatoes, taters from allotment. Plain boiled rice as well.
Finished with standard carrot cakes, they love them and they helped relieve some of the stress on fridge and freezer by taking home the rice, boiled potatoes and stroganoff left overs. I will have curry tomorrow, San going to the America for the night.
Sauce of onions, peepers, ras el hanout, garlic, once all softened added courgettes and aubergine, tinned tomatoes and chickpeas, pressure cooker for about a hour. Lamb mince, harisa paster, shallots and breadcrumbs for meatballs, about 40 minutes baked in over, then added into the stew, served with couscous.
Parents-in-Law here today, made a beef curry and beef stroganoff (Angela doesn't like curry).
Curry, usual lamb curry, but with beef, beef marinaded overnight in yoghurt with garam masala, chilli, garlic and ginger. Fried up in pressure cooker with lots of onions and peppers, chicken stock and tinned tomatoes and pasata added, under pressure for an hour, into an oven proof dish to put next course in pressure cooker - beef stroganoff:
Fried off beef and onions, reserved, fried quartered mushrooms, reserved, deglazed pan with chicken stock, added beef, onions, mushrooms back in 45 minutes under pressure then rested.
For starters, had 1/2 a dozen shop bought samosas and bhajis, made mint rathi, tomato and red onion with chilli and mango chutney from jar with shop bought papadums.
Made a simple bombay potato to go with main and some boiled potatoes, taters from allotment. Plain boiled rice as well.
Finished with standard carrot cakes, they love them and they helped relieve some of the stress on fridge and freezer by taking home the rice, boiled potatoes and stroganoff left overs. I will have curry tomorrow, San going to the America for the night.
Friday 21 August 2015
L'Ecrivan
Tasting menu in L'Ecrivan last night, couple of pints in Doheny & Nesbitt, classic Dublin pub, fantastic pint, then round to Matt the Thresher. good pint and the seafood smelt fantastic, will defo go there at some point, not been in before and was very impressed, very Southside / upmarket tourist in a good way. On to L'Ecrivan - if I remember correctly:
3 breads, crusty white and brown soda both fantastic, focaccia a bit sweet, lovely soft butter, extra when we ran out.
3 breads, crusty white and brown soda both fantastic, focaccia a bit sweet, lovely soft butter, extra when we ran out.
Amuse Bouche – Baked Mackerel
Salmon 2 ways, potatoes, horseradish under a smoky dome
Lime Sorbet palate cleanser
Fois gras with brioche
Chicken
Peach crumble
Raspberry preparations
Petit Fours
Espresso
Bottle of Ramon Bilbao Limited Edition Rioja
Service was brilliant, waiting staff knew what they were serving, bottles of (tap) water kept topped up, maybe a bit quick to fill the wine, as we definitely wouldn't have a second, but hardly a complaint. Very leisurely, plenty of time to watch the theater and people at other tables
Fourth or fifth time I've been and not the last
Friday 14 August 2015
Sunny day and making stock
Had a rare sunny day, so jumped on bus out to Skerries, couple of pints in Joe May's, then into Raffs to share chicken wings, fish cakes and baby ribs, 3 good starters, steak on a stone smelt good, so may go back, bus is pretty long, but lovely place on a sunny evening.
Had really lovely grilled salmon darnes with red cabbage coleslaw and a green salad, last night. May buy a whole salmon tomorrow for a bit of a play.
Doing risotto with chicken on the bone tonight, had no chicken stock in fridge, popped over to JCs, legendary supermarket, they sell chicken carcasses for stock at €1, basically 4 or 5 chick bottoms, obviously they take breasts, wings and legs off, the stock looks excellent, chilled overnight, good thick fat on top, for potatoes, and will use a couple of pints of stock for risotto tonight, have some broad beans from allotment to go with it and have some good soft chorizo I bought in Madrid a couple of weeks ago.
Had really lovely grilled salmon darnes with red cabbage coleslaw and a green salad, last night. May buy a whole salmon tomorrow for a bit of a play.
Doing risotto with chicken on the bone tonight, had no chicken stock in fridge, popped over to JCs, legendary supermarket, they sell chicken carcasses for stock at €1, basically 4 or 5 chick bottoms, obviously they take breasts, wings and legs off, the stock looks excellent, chilled overnight, good thick fat on top, for potatoes, and will use a couple of pints of stock for risotto tonight, have some broad beans from allotment to go with it and have some good soft chorizo I bought in Madrid a couple of weeks ago.
Monday 10 August 2015
Curry, Naan, beans
So wanted to use the trotter stock, had dried white beans in cupboard, did a bit of Googling and found out how to soften them much quicker than overnight and a few articles said was better as far as taste and farting goes...
Wash and pick over the beans, into a pan with plenty of water, bring to boil, boil for 1-2 minutes, switch off heat and leave in covered pan for an hour - seemed to work, will let you know if I die.
Diced chorizo offcuts, sweated in pressure cooker, added whole small shallots, garlic cloves, added jellified pork stock, chopped in a couple of tomatoes then cooked under pressure for about 40 minutes.
Lamb curry was good, plenty of veg and a side off Bombay potatoes, I made naan following this recipe but only 3 rather than 8, worked out well, will do that again
Left overs tonight, San is out, probably going out Friday, nothing planned for the week, as of yet.
Wash and pick over the beans, into a pan with plenty of water, bring to boil, boil for 1-2 minutes, switch off heat and leave in covered pan for an hour - seemed to work, will let you know if I die.
Diced chorizo offcuts, sweated in pressure cooker, added whole small shallots, garlic cloves, added jellified pork stock, chopped in a couple of tomatoes then cooked under pressure for about 40 minutes.
Lamb curry was good, plenty of veg and a side off Bombay potatoes, I made naan following this recipe but only 3 rather than 8, worked out well, will do that again
Left overs tonight, San is out, probably going out Friday, nothing planned for the week, as of yet.
Sunday 9 August 2015
More on trotters, a bit of ragu, then curry
So reserved the liquid from cooking pig's feet, got a tiny amount of meat, as the article said, front trotter have nearly no meat, got a tablespoon full from 3 trotters, so made a tiny terrine, with mustard, will try later. Once the liquid has chilled, got a good couple of tablespoons of pork fat and about a litre of jellified pork stock, frozen half, will use the rest with beans and probably chorizo.
Making 3 or 4 portions of ragu in pressure cooker at the moment and have lamb pieces marinading overnight in yoghurt and garam massala for a curry tonight. Usually make chappati, but fancy a go at naan, been a bit hit and miss in the past, but will try again.
Making 3 or 4 portions of ragu in pressure cooker at the moment and have lamb pieces marinading overnight in yoghurt and garam massala for a curry tonight. Usually make chappati, but fancy a go at naan, been a bit hit and miss in the past, but will try again.
Saturday 8 August 2015
pizza, pig's feet and roast pork
Pizzas last night, 3/4 "00" flour 1/4 semolina flour, salt in bowl first to keep it away from yeast, then flour, warm water (20-24 degrees, 21 1/2 about perfect, if I remember my time working in a distillery) yeast, sugar stirred in a in glass, on top, dough hook on slow gradually add more liquid, bit by bit and keep kneading until a smooth glossy dough. Add more flour if too wet. Cover bowl, leave for a hour.
I made a Tex-Mex beef chilli for pizza, a batch for three servings, use one and freeze other two, so got one out of freezer, with a simple tomato sauce I also had in there.
Oven on full blast, shelves at the top 2 slots, split dough into 2, roll out, then onto over paper disks and leave to rest. Take mozzarella out of fridge and dry. Blacken red pepper on the gas ring, put in plastic bag to cool, then peel off skin, core and slice.
Take top stone out of over, put paper and base on it, drizzle on olive oil, table spoon of tomato sauce, chilli mix, some red peppers and sliced mozzarella, into over, take out other stone. Base the same, one half sliced red onions, good tuna, I bought in Madrid last week and the red peppers and mozzarella, other side jamon (again Madrid), mixed cheese and into oven.
When top one was nearly there, under a hot grill to brown, move other one to top shelf, slice and serve. Repeat grilling with other, then add washed rocket, from garden onto jamon side. Slice and server. All in all very good.
Saw someone using pig's feet and they sell 3 for €2 in JCs, over the road so I got them, currently following this. Just took them out to cool, will let you know later.
Roast pork tonight, with roast potatoes, I was at the allotment this morning, so home grown peas and carrots.
Just to show what I nerd I am I keep a spreadsheet of the 4 draws in my freezer
I made a Tex-Mex beef chilli for pizza, a batch for three servings, use one and freeze other two, so got one out of freezer, with a simple tomato sauce I also had in there.
Oven on full blast, shelves at the top 2 slots, split dough into 2, roll out, then onto over paper disks and leave to rest. Take mozzarella out of fridge and dry. Blacken red pepper on the gas ring, put in plastic bag to cool, then peel off skin, core and slice.
Take top stone out of over, put paper and base on it, drizzle on olive oil, table spoon of tomato sauce, chilli mix, some red peppers and sliced mozzarella, into over, take out other stone. Base the same, one half sliced red onions, good tuna, I bought in Madrid last week and the red peppers and mozzarella, other side jamon (again Madrid), mixed cheese and into oven.
When top one was nearly there, under a hot grill to brown, move other one to top shelf, slice and serve. Repeat grilling with other, then add washed rocket, from garden onto jamon side. Slice and server. All in all very good.
Saw someone using pig's feet and they sell 3 for €2 in JCs, over the road so I got them, currently following this. Just took them out to cool, will let you know later.
Roast pork tonight, with roast potatoes, I was at the allotment this morning, so home grown peas and carrots.
Just to show what I nerd I am I keep a spreadsheet of the 4 draws in my freezer
Wednesday 5 August 2015
Madrid
Bank Holiday weekend, took Friday off, so 3 nights in Madrid. Very early flight and San didn't get back in from Copenhagen until 1am, so 3 hours sleep for her, nap on plane etc.
Obviously Madrid is one of our favourite places, so decided to stay in a new area, near Tribunal, rather than our usual Atocha. Brand new hotel, all good except wifi was very in and out and it was too hot to sit on balcony, but not hotel's fault. Staff were lovely.
Only had one meal out in Public, I had pear and duck salad and a lovely blue cheese tagliatelli, San had sopa de maricos and cannelloni, she wasn't impressed with hers, bit of a pity, as usually we both have good meals in that chain. Wine was, as always cheap and good. The chain that Public is part of are training restaurants always cheap, good wine and reasonable sized meals.
The rest of weekend we had free tapas, loads of beer and wine, best new bar was Bar Avelan on Calle de Sagasta, but found a few other good one, pictures below of bars and food
Secret Garden at top of Salvador Bachiller shop, is always a must
Obviously Madrid is one of our favourite places, so decided to stay in a new area, near Tribunal, rather than our usual Atocha. Brand new hotel, all good except wifi was very in and out and it was too hot to sit on balcony, but not hotel's fault. Staff were lovely.
Only had one meal out in Public, I had pear and duck salad and a lovely blue cheese tagliatelli, San had sopa de maricos and cannelloni, she wasn't impressed with hers, bit of a pity, as usually we both have good meals in that chain. Wine was, as always cheap and good. The chain that Public is part of are training restaurants always cheap, good wine and reasonable sized meals.
The rest of weekend we had free tapas, loads of beer and wine, best new bar was Bar Avelan on Calle de Sagasta, but found a few other good one, pictures below of bars and food
Secret Garden at top of Salvador Bachiller shop, is always a must
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