Vals Kitchen

Love Bites Limerick, Feb 16th for a foodie night for singles only

Valentine's isn't just about going out as a couple, it's about having fun and meeting new people too. 

The folks at Val's Kitchen, i.e me, have come up with this idea to bring some fun to fine dining with a series of nights out, but for single people only. 

The Love Bites nights will be held in different restaurants every time, so diners can sample some of Limerick's best food, at great prices and as we will have the whole restaurant for ourselves, you know you have your table. 

After every course men will be asked to move along to the next table, so you get to meet as many new faces as possible. Then it's all on to a late bar for more mingling. 

You can buy one ticket, or come as a group of friends. Tickets can be bought from the restaurant or from myself, we have to keep a tab on names to make sure we have equal numbers of guys and girls. 

So come along, have a laugh, support my micro business and the many restaurants of our fine city, eat well, and be merry, and who knows what else......

 

 

The Fairways Fabulous Melody in Fine Cuisine Saturday 4th Feb

Sponsored Post

 

Melody & Fine Cuisine celebration night to be held at Fairways Bar & Orchard Restaurant to celebrate new Award

A special evening is being held at the Fairways Bar and Orchard Restaurant, Nenagh, Co. Tipperary to celebrate yet another award, this time from leading food critic Paulo Tullio.  The Fairways, as the name suggests, is a short drive from Nenagh Golf Club on the Cloughjordan Road from Nenagh.  One of Ireland's most renowned food critics Paulo Tullio, has put his coveted seal of approval to this cozy country destination which attracts diners from far and wide. As a famous seafood restaurant, a gastronomic night is promised on Saturday, 4th February 2012 and people are urged to book early as places are limited.

Proprietors Geoff Jones and Joan McGowan are hosting this special evening, which showcases superb food and entertainment entitled “Melody & Fine Cuisine” which will combine the creative cooking of the culinary team at The Fairways, with the beautiful singing of classical songstress Pauline Hartigan who has performed in front of huge audiences worldwide during her career as lead singer with Lord of Dance.

The restaurant is to promote its classy country image by introducing a new chauffeur collection service for customers on request. A stunning Daimler Limo is available to collect guests from nearby localities as part of its posh new service. According to the proprietors “It means that those who are celebrating a romantic anniversary or those wanting a special night out can relax and dine in the comfort of knowing they will be whisked away home without a care in the world after enjoying their meal”.

Geoff has created a new menu with dishes like Medallions of Pork, black olive, apricot and sultana duxelle, with a vanilla and wild cranberry reduction or Grilled Whole Dover Sole, Garden Spinach, Bacon Lardons, caper, chervil and cherry tomato butter.

The restaurant specialises in fine dining cuisine and has received many awards and recommendations from the Seafood Circle, Lucinda O'Sullivan, Georgina Campbell and now, Paulo.

Winner of numerous accolades, the Fairways Bar & Orchard Restaurant , nicknamed "Tipperary's best kept secret" is situated in a pretty yellow building just outside the town of Nenagh in the hamlet of Kilruane. According to Geoff  “Irish customers still love fine dining. It’s all about great food, and warm service. Our food is superb but it is important that restaurants in Ireland today provide good value as well. And it will be the service that will bring them back. I believe that you also have to go one step further all the time".

This special event will be held on Saturday, February 4th and booking is a must. To secure your reservation contact the Fairways on 067 41444.

www.thefairwaysbar.ie

Photography by Valerie O'Connor

 

Having Cake and eating it

Sponsored Post

Love in the Afternoon? Try Valentine’s Afternoon Tea at The Shelbourne!

 Love in the Afternoon may be a famous American romantic comedy, but this Valentine’s Day it’s also all about one of Ireland’s iconic afternoon traditions – Afternoon Tea at The Shelbourne.

 For this Valentine’s at The Shelbourne, all the pastry chef’s skill and imagination has gone into creating a specially romantic, delicate and appealing selection of the delicacies which make Afternoon Tea at The Shelbourne so popular.

 Alongside the essential elements of a traditional afternoon tea – the selection of impeccably dainty sandwiches, homemade scones with clotted cream and jams, and a wide tea and coffee menu – the Valentine’s Afternoon Tea at The Shelbourne menu showcases the art of the French pâtissier by including rich passion fruit and mango chocolate cup, divine white chocolate and strawberry fool, chocolate hearts (which might be a symbol of your undying love, except they melt!), ravishing raspberry shortcake and splendid strawberry macaroon. So which do you fancy? Apart from your beloved, of course!

 So this Valentine’s Day, as well as whispering sweet nothings in your beloved’s ear, you can also ply them with frou-frou pretties and sweet fancies, that taste as if they might be made by the hand of an angel – Cupid himself, perhaps!

 

Valentine’s Afternoon Tea is available in the Lord Mayor’s Lounge at The Shelbourne from €24.95, or from €34.95 with a glass of Champagne.

 

The Shelbourne Dublin,

27 St Stephen's Green,

Dublin 2

Tel: 01 6634500

www.TheShelbourne.ie

 

The chicken after the night before

Lazing with a full belly on my couch after a nice night in earlier this week, just contemplating getting into my PJs, my phone rang. It was my good friend who often calls me after many a good night out to tell me how fun it was. This time he was calling to tell me I was coming out dancing with him. Due to babysitting duties he'd missed the official new-years eve and was having his now, on Monday, and I was to go with him.

"No way," I protested, having just done the whole taking off my grimy face routine with five bottles of goo, "I'm just about to go to bed, it's p***ing rain and the kitchen is full of dirty dishes."

"Right," says he "I'll get us a taxi there to the door, pay you in, buy you drinks and get you a cab home."

"And the dishes? " I figured I'd push it while I was in the drivers seat

"I'll do the dishes while you"re getting ready." 

Shamone

I was off the couch and in the kitchen filling up the sink and had some getting-ready-to-go-out-music on in seconds. I grabbed one of those go anywhere, especially to a nightclub dresses, my boots that I can actually dance in and waitied for the doorbell to ring before I started to get changed. Sometimes it does only take five minutes, all you need is a pile of extra eye liner and three day old dirty hair can look conveniently bed-head when required. 

Off we went, dishes done, into the rainy night and straight to one of Limericks "hottest" (please get the irony here) nightspots. I thought at first that I'd accidentally walked into my friends' daughters birthday party, the crowd was young yes, but I knew that. I know I'm getting on when I wonder how these people can all afford to be hammered on a Monday night straight after new years when everybody is claiming to be smashed broke. We have a drink and make our way to the club, that's why we're here after all, for my friends need for road. 

It's all Rhianna and the Ting Tings and the floor is full. You can stand around and watch it, there's a good mix of people. I see a couple who are older, much older, they're not looking for their granddaughter either. He's there to dance and he's loving it. Who says that just because you're grey haired and a bit bent over that you just give up loving music and dancing and he's shuffling around in his spot, his wife or friend is sitting down and it's good that they came in. Brave in a world of hooker shoes and unsteady, drunk yoofs. Too much do people moan about being too old for this or that, too old to dance, too shy to dance, too self conscious. As my Ma would always say, the great leveller: "Sure who'll be looking at you?" 

A girl in a wheelchair was giving it loads with her friends, most people dance with their hands anyway. Dancing is one thing that, in Ireland, requires no skill, no money and no need for high heels. You can be silly, you can act the gowl, boys and girls alike. It's ancient, it's tribal, it gets things out of you that are deep inside, it makes you let go. You can gyrate wildly or simply shuffle by the sidelines. Inevitably a dance-off of takes place between inebriated young males. Knees may get buckled and the odd glass broken, but it's fun to watch. 

Two hours later and back in the cab. My tights are torn, I've had a laugh and a workout like a night out in Havana, without the pressure to dance properly. It always takes a couple of hours to decompress and eventually I get off to sleep.

Yesterday's groggy focus was getting to the shops for food. I always want Chinesey after a night out and I arrived home with some cheap n cheerless chicken portions to Chinesify. I've recently noticed Chinese food meeting Italian food so I saw no problem in firing a few garlic breads in the oven too, but not until the chicken is nearly cooked. Make some rice if you can be bothered. 

Sticky Chicken

Good for wings, legs, thighs, not breasts

You will need:

Chicken, see above

Ginger - a thumb size piece, grated 

A large blob of honey

Soy sauce, about 4 tblsp

Thai sweet chilli sauce - about 3 tblsp

Mix all the sauce stuff together, put the chicken in a roasting tin and cover with the sauce, mix around with your hands and put in the oven at about 180 degrees C. Turn everything after half an hour and cook for another 20-30 mins. Devour with anything you can find, alone or with a beer. A squeeze of lime juice over it is good, but don't over-fancify things for yourself

Happy new year's resolution money saving dinners

Happy new year to everyone and especially those of you who continue to read my little blog after all its years snuffling around on the interweb. 

A food filled Christmas has passed, full of good times, big dinners at home and in some of Limerick's best take aways. Happily I've only cooked dinner once in my own home, despite being the ripe old age of , my Mum and Dad still do the best turkey and ham and I won't complain, it's great to be fed and watered and sent home with a real Christmas pudding for the months to come. 

Every now and again I'll meet someone who amazes me by telling me they read my blog, the last time was in Costello's, my still favourite grungy, sticky carpeted haunt. "We love your website in our house", shouted a handsome young guy I've spoken to many times whose name I don't know. Apparently they do loads of cooking which is always good to hear. For you guys, here's a classic French recipe as told to be by a classic Frenchman.

Patés Au Beurre

This is a typical student dish, as described ironically on the tin Patés Obeur, a bad spelling of pasta with butter. No money food.

I used to cook this a lot as a late night snack in my teens, little did I know how "continental" I was being. 

You will need

Pasta - enough for yourself, what student can afford to think of others?

Butter - the real stuff, no room for scrimping here

1. Cook the pasta according to the pack instructions, your college education should afford you some reading ability

2. douse in a knob of butter and stir it in

This is surprisingly yummier than it sounds, do not ruin with ketchup, the French would not be impressed with you messing up a classic

For those on a carb-free new years diet, simply omit the pasta

Enjoy and for God's sake wash up after yourself

Potato Croquettes for Christmas

Turkey is great, ham is delicious, as are all the veggies, bits n bobs and everything that goes with Christmas dinner. For me the best part of the meal are the potato croquettes that I've been making since I was ten years old. They don't compare to nasty, orange coated, shop-bought ones as they come out super crispy on the outside and fluffy in the middle. They are an effort to make though, that's why, like Santa, you only see them once a year. You can make them beforehand and freeze them but I inevitably end up doing them on Christmas eve, covered in flour, egg and breadcrumbs,In that order. It's so worth it though. I'm guessing the quantities here, it depends on how many you want

Potato croquettes

You will need:

Mashed potatoes - about 1kg

Just make the mash with some butter (unless you don't like butter) and season with salt and pepper, don't add milk or anything else. You can put in chives, cheese or anything else you like but I prefer mine simple

Flour, for coating

Egg, for dipping

Breadcrumbs, for coating

Oil, for deep frying

1. Once the mash is cold, begin making the croquette shapes, it's fiddly so you will find your own groove, put these on a plate. 

2. Get three bowls for the flour, egg and breadcrumbs and coat each croquette in each of these in sequence. The flour is important as it gives the egg something to hold onto, and the egg is for the breadcrumbs to hold onto, it's messy business but who cares?

3. When the croquettes are done it's a good idea to chill them for a few hours before frying, or they can fall apart. Heat your oil, ideally a chip basket or deep fryer and fry the croquettes until golden brown. Drain on paper and keep warm. 

4. Serve them with your roast dinner, leaving them till last on the plate is great as they soak up the gravy and all the flavours of the meal, yummy. 

Happy Christmas

The Greek Week - day three

Despite our images of Greece as a place of endless sun, whitewashed, coastal churches and the bluest sea, there is also the other side of Greece. We are In the town of Pyrgos, it's rainy, its nippy and i havent seen a grain of sand. The upside of that is that we can sit in restaurants and eat and eat. I have offerred my services in fodo writing to Thanassus, the owner of the aforementioned En Lefko, who painstakingly and patiently translates his menus night after night, day after day, to his English speaking customers. Tonight we will sit down and translate the whole thing, and I'll do the projcet of handing him back a bi-lingual menu tomorrow, happy days, I ahve a job in Greece, a rare thing even for a Greek.

Every time I sit down fora meal I promise myself Ill just have a greek salad, but why resist all those delicious dishes, laden with cheese and more cheese, meat, tomatoes and olive oil??? The best part of being away from home is no cooking, no cleaning, no nothing but brainless inactivity, lots and lots of great films, lovely people, oh and did i mention the food.

We found a great little cafe yesterday where they served tiny plates of meatballs with chips, butterbeans in tomato sauce and salads. Lunch for three of us was Euro12.50, not too shabby.

Dinner and lunch in En Lefko since last night have been

Beautiful mixed green salad with tomatoes, croutons, topped with yogurt and orange zest

Calamari

Saoirse's pork chop, again

Creete style Kofta with red onions and Zatziki

Beef in red wine with giant couscous

Lunch today

Zuchini balls, light little courgette puffs

Eggplant bakes in tomato sauce and two cheeses

Roast chicken

Greek salad, who am I kidding?

 

The Greek Week

I'm here in the small Greek city of Pyrgos with my two boys because of their film-making. For the fouth time we are attending the Camera Zizanio festival and the boysare up to their necks in animation workshops and new Serbian best friends.

Despite various mixed images of Greece, I amd my boysd have been mostly stuffing our faces. Foe example, yesterday in our favourite local restaurant we tried the following dishes, food nerd, moi?

Lunch

Greek Slada, thereal thing of course, just tomatoes, red onion, peppers and a slab of feta with olive oil and bread, nom

Beef in Red sauce - wine i think

Chicken in white wine sauce with rice

Roasted peppers stuffed with rice, yummy

Dinner

Pork in white wine

Amazing griddled oyster mushrooms, served with just a  squeeze of lemon juice

Fried haloumi cheese -mmm

Calamari -drool

Beef sausage - meaty and spicy with mustard

A massive pork chop on the bone- where have the bones gone in Irish pork chops?

Rocket and walnut salad- the obligatory greens

I need my eating pants!!!!

With five hours of films every night and three meal times in a day, i should have brought my roller skates

 

 

The Prawn Cocktail of Christmas past

I think it's been about thirty years now that I've had the self-assigned task of making prawn cocktail for the family starter on Christmas day. We tried to move away from it, but nothing comes close, and as we only have it once a year, it's hard to break with tradition. This is easy, it's fresh and lively although it can be quite rich. As the sauce is so yummy I'm always asked to make an extra bowl that just seems to get eaten with a spoon, mysteriously! My teenage son loves this just as much now so I can't see any reason to ever stop making it. Did I mention, it's almost cooking free. Assemble this close to the time you are going to eat it.

Prawn Cocktail

Serves four

For the prawns you can use any good quality frozen cooked prawns, feel free to add a couple of grilled Dublin bay prawns to drape over the glasses, 

Cooked prawns - about 50- 100g per person

Iceberg lettuce, finely shredded - 1/2 head

For the sauce

4 tblsp mayonaise

2 tblsp tomato ketchup

2 heaped tblsp Avonmore whipped cream

1 tsp brandy

1 tsp Worchestershire (sp?) sauce

Drizzle Tabasco sauce

A few lemon slices 

1. Get four pretty glasses and divide the shredded lettuce between them, pile in the prawns, making sure to hold a few back for decoration

2. Make the sauce by mixing the ingredients in a bowl with a spoon, it will be locely and thick, spoon this carefully over the prawns

3. Decorate the glasses with an extra prawn and a slice of lemon, keep the extra sauce close by for ytop-ups

The best and easiest spelt bread ever - no kneading!!!

If I say so myself.. I switched to spelt earlier this year when a friend gave me some bread that he made, a three day supply. He said to try it and just see how I felt. I'd been eating white bread, and decent looking brown bread forever. I'd often feel like I was going to explode afterwards and saw dubious looking pictures of myself where I looked as if I was six months knocked up. I tried the bread, I was, and have stayed converted. I adapted this recipe from one by the legendary Darina. The quantities are different and I've added a few bits so it's my recipe now!!! And now it's yours, enjoy, please make it and give me feedback. I always make two loaves as the effort is the same and I cut them in half and freeze the three halves, ah old age is creeping in when I get so overjoyously anal in my housewifely activities. Nice spelt bread is expensive to buy and rarely tastes as good as this.

For two loaves you will need: (for one loaf you can do the math)

1kg brown spelt flour, use Doves Farm or Macroom

2 tblsp fast action yeast, fresh yeast is better you can get it from Peter Ward at Country Choice in the Milk Market, and you need to double the amount

2 tsp salt

1 litre tepid water

1 tblsp honey or treacle (seen here in a manky tin)

2 hands-full rolled oats, or pinhead oatmeal, Flahavans of course

1 handfull mixed seeds plus extra for the top

2 non-stick loaf tins, lightly oiled with olive oil

1. Boil the kettle, in a measuring jug pour in about 200ml of hot water and dissolve the honey or treacle in this. Top it up to 1 litre with cold water and add the yeast, leave this for about ten minutes to foam up and get smelly. If you use fresh yeast it will jump around and spit at you, very entertaining. 

2. In a huge bowl empty the bag of flour and mix in the salt. Pour in the watery, yeasty mix and stir to combine everything. Throw in the oats and seeds and stir until combined and that's that for the hard work. The mix will be a bit sloppy, that's how it's meant to be

3. Divide the mix between two loaf tins, smooth it a little and sprinkle over some more mixed seeds. You can leave out the seeds if you don't like them of course. Cover the tins with a clean tea towel and leave them somewhere warm-ish for about an hour to rise. Meanwhile have the oven heating up to 200degreesC

4. Put the tins in the oven and after ten minutes, turn the heat down to 180 degrees and bake them for about forty minutes. You will know they are ready when you tap on them and they sound hollow. 

5. Take the tins out of the oven and leave to cool for about ten minutes. You could leave them cool fully like this but you will get a soggy crust and nobody likes a soggy crust. I usually turn them out, do it over a tea towel so you don't get seeds everywhere, and I put them back in the oven for a further ten minutes. This will give you a nice crust, turn off the oven and leave them cool in there or take them out and cool on a wire rack or somewhere they won't get sweaty. 

Spelt is actually good for you, so feel free to gorge on this, as I do, with it slathered in butter, doused in hummus or laden with cheese. It's great toasted as it gets really crispy on the edges, enjoy!