Tuesday, 19 May 2015

Shakshuka

Shakshuka this morning again! Love it with lots of Jalepeno's!

Australian Breakfast!

Meat pie!! With a gravy to die for! I have heard of reductions in gravy and sauces but this one was intense!!

Saturday, 16 May 2015

Irish National Brown Bread Competition!

What do you think? Should I enter??!!

Israeli Breakfast!

Home made falafels with a tomato salad with an Irish twist - add salad cream!!!

Chop an onion and fry til tender with a teaspoonful of chopped garlic.
Tin of chickpeas, washed and crushed in a bowl - I used the potato masher.
! teaspoon each of mixed herbs, coriander and cumin flakes. Mix.
add  in cooked onion and garlic. Mix.
Add an egg and mix.
Using your hands roll six balls of the mix, flatten them and fry them for about three minutes each side until golden - y on the outside.
Serve with salad and salad cream!!

Friday, 15 May 2015

Carluccios - Review

I was in Carluccio's last evening and had a

CHICKEN LIVER PATE Starter!

Homemade smooth chicken liver pate, toasted ciabatta bread and onion relish.
This was followed by a

LOBSTER SPAGHETTI

Lobster tossed in spaghetti with crab, fresh tomato, basil and chilli. Listed as a new menu item.

The starter was delicious and the lobster spaghetti was disappointing - little portion and short on flavour sadly.

Disappointed overall. Service excellent, Italian Beer cold and hit the spot. Expensive for what it turned out to be.

I was particularly sad because I was at a banquet in Wembley after the Three Tenors concert some years ago that was catered by Antonio Carluccio and I expected the same standard. It wasn't.

Taking the soup!

Is Ireland ready for my 23 Hour Slow Cooked French Onion soup???? I don't know yet!! Had a meeting with Lidl / RTE today and awaiting feedback!! Maybe or maybe not - worth a giggle anyway. Enjoyed the interview!!

Thursday, 7 May 2015

The Taste of Success!

Just entered my French Onion Soup for Lidl / RTE The Taste of Success 2015! Keep your fingers crossed for me! Is Ireland ready for my French Onion Soup!!??

Tuesday, 5 May 2015

The Kitch'n blog

http://www.thekitchn.com/heres-what-making-breakfast-for-my-kid-has-taught-me-about-better-breakfasts-218836?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=managed

Link to a great article on breakfast!

Sunday, 3 May 2015

India.

Creamy Egg Curry!

Glug of sunflower oil.
Couple of thinly sliced onions.
Couple of tablespoons of curry paste - of your choice!
2 Cans of chopped tomatoes.
8 eggs.
Can of drained peas.
Dash of cream.

Oil in a saucepan. Fry the onions for about ten minutes - until golden!
Add curry paste and sizzle for a couple of minutes.
Fire in the tomatoes and about 200ml of tomato juice or water.
Season, bring to the boil and then turn down to simmer for about ten minutes.

Meantime boil the eggs for about eight minutes from cold water, then peel and halve.

Stir in the peas and cream and bubble for two or three minutes or so.

Put the eggs into the mixture, cover with the sauce and bubble for another two or three minutes and serve!!

You can give it a Thai twist with Thai Red or Green curry paste!! I have used the Thai green with good results.  Freezes well, but without the eggs - they go leathery! Just reheat and do some new eggs.

Enough to feed a small army!







Saudi Arabia / Middle East generally!

Shakshuka.
One onion, peeled and chopped.
One green pepper, deseeded obviously, and chopped.
Couple of teaspoons of garlic.
Paprika - I use a liberal chunk!
Couple of slices of Jalapeno Peppers finely chopped.
Glug of olive oil.
Can of chopped tomatoes.
Generous chunk of tomato puree.

Add Onion, Pepper, Garlic, Jalapeno and Paprika in a saucepan and cook them until the Onion starts to go translucenty!
Add in chopped tomatoes and tomato puree.
Simmer very gently for about twenty five minutes or so.
Crack four eggs in on top of the mix and cover for three minutes.
Serve and enjoy!

Some recipes call for two cans of tomato but one seems to be really rich and beautiful after simmering down!

If I make you breakfast in bed, a simple thank you is all I need! Not all this "how did you get into my house"? business!!!!!
Soup. My other favourite of the day! When it cools pour into a pot and reboil every day for three minutes rolling boil. No need to refrigerate soup if you do that!  Chef advice and never fails!! Your - and my mammy - and me -  used to do this every week. I am aware that other chefs - particularly my son-in-law - would say - quite rightly also that you actually do need to refrigerate your soup: boiling it hard is bad for the flavor and texture; it does nothing for rancidity; and in a low acidity environment like soup, some foodborne pathogens don't much care if you boil them.