We’re still plodding our way through January (will it ever end?) and coming to terms with 2010 so I guess the first effort at making something this year should not be too taxing.

Home made Pesto sauce is quick, easy, and far better than any of that stuff in a jar. Tastes better and probably better for you. Once you know the basics add your own details e.g. a dash of Lemon, some different herbs and so on…

Ingredients
One (25g) pack of fresh Basil.
Half a clove of garlic, finely chopped
100g of finely grated Parmesan
A Handful of Pine Nuts
1/2 Teaspoon dried Coriander
Seasoning
Olive oil

Method
Toast the pine nuts in a pan over a gentle heat, keep moving them around so they don’t burn. Add all the ingredients into your blender with a dash of olive oil. Blend down into a paste adding adding more oil as you go along if necessary, don’t add too much oil at the start, get a feel for how much you need as you go along.

When this is done cook some pasta, drain, add a knob of butter and stir in the pesto sauce. Buon appetito.

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home made, italian, pesto

Having written about the Cliff House Hotel on a few occasions, we enjoyed a stunning dinner there last summer, I was delighted to hear (via twitter) that Executive Head Chef Martijn Kajuiter has been awarded a Michelin star.

Martijn and his team use all local produce to produce some stunning and absolutely unique food. Although I have yet to read his cookbook maybe you are brave enough to try some of the recipes yourself. Well done to Martijn and The Cliff House Hotel.

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Cliff House Hotel, Michelin Star

We are currently having a touch of a cold snap here in Ireland, as the Japanese say “Every crisis brings opportunity”.

Does anybody have a large glass?

Ivan

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G&T

From time to time I write about wine but apart from knowing what is nice and what is not nice I don’t have the wine vocabulary to get my point across very well. I leave that to the experts you can see listed over on the right-hand column down towards the bottom of the page.  However this is a special wine with a story attached.

In the early nineties a group of us who were friends in college had just been let loose on the real world and were earning money for the first time, some in Cork, myself in Athlone and most in Dublin. During the course of his duties in Dublin one of the group was given an opportunity to own a then seven year old bottle of Lynch Bages. The year was 1992. The opportunity was taken.

The wine was cared for and and moved around Dublin from rented house to rented house all the time managing to stay unopened which was no mean feat living in the some of the places it did. Over the years it travelled around Ireland and and maybe even further afield but all the time it remained protected from the elements. The owner left to work abroad whereupon it was cared for by our buddy Dan. On the occasions when we would all get together the wine would often come up in conversation, usually “Do you still have it?”.

In the ten years between 1992 and 2002 there was engagement, marraige, birth, divorce and a death within the group. Seven years on and everybody fondly remembers our friend Alan who passed away in August 2002 from an asthma attack. A common or garden asthma attack. This year it happened again. Just before Christmas 2009, a week before his 38th birthday, Dan passed away. Another member of the group gone at a stage where we should be celebrating fortieth birthday parties not going to funerals.

This New Years Eve those friends who were in Cork came for dinner where the wine made a surprise appearence. After owning it, and caring for it, for seventeen years it was shared with the small group of friends at the table. We raised a glass and drank to Dan and we drank to Alan. Two friends who left much sooner than they should. The itself wine was superb but sometimes the occassion can be worth a whole lot more. Life is short. Stop and smell the roses (or an ‘85 Lynch Bages if you have a friend good enough to share with you). Don’t let things pass you by. Thanks EB.

Happy 2010.

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lynch bages 1985, Wine

We’re currently enjoying Jamie’s Family Christmas on Channel 4. It has some nice recipes and tips on all things Christmas, and some not so Christmas. All of which I thought would be available on the official web site but it seems that only a selection from the show are posted at the moment, HOWEVER what is great is that the shows are on YouTube until mid-Janurary.

During each episode Jamie cooks with different members of his family which gives a nice informal feel. I enjoyed the segment of Jamie cooking with Gennaro in Episode 3.

While the recipes are not overly complicated they are made to look quick and easy due to the amount of pre-preparation done e.g. all the veg is washed, chopped and par-boiled when he does the roasted veg mix. Obviously nobody wants to see him wash and chop veg but but don’t be fooled that these things are as quick as they look.

Enjoyable show.

Web Site

YouTube

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Rating=4, Review

The countdown is upon us and daytime TV is full of TV programmes telling us how to have the best Christmas dinner ever and how to make your dinner table look like something Harry Potter would be proud to sit at during a Hogwarts feast. Nothing wrong with that if you have all day to do it but the preference at Messy Towers is on getting the job done and doing it well with the minimum of fuss. You may find this approach leaves time to actually enjoy yourself rather than spending your day sweeping up the tiny little stars you have scattered over the table and getting butter out of your pine garland…or the pine needles from your butter, whichever. Here are ten tips for a stress free day.

• Don’t go overboard on expensive Champagne to greet guests with, try a Cava or Prosecco. Add a Cherry and/or a tiny dash of Creme de Cassis to give it the special look.

• Instead of buying luxury Christmas crackers stick with the “fortune teller fish” variety and place a lottery scratch card on each setting. Pre-dinner card scratching is a great ice-breaker.

• May be obvious but serve a cold starter, this can be prepared hours before kick off and put aside. Prawn cocktail or smoked salmon are the classics. Don’t buy farmed smoked salmon, use the money you saved on Champagne to buy wild salmon.

• Don’t worry about matching the wine to the course or having to buy the traditional Christmas wines. Everybody is flogging Châteauneuf-du-Pape and Chablis at the moment but there is no rule to say what you have to serve or there is no rule to say that expense is a measure of quality. Some of the lesser Chateauneufs, for which you will pay €15-20, can be overly aggressive.

• Do your roast potatoes in duck fat. Par boil the spuds for a few minutes, let them cool slightly, score the outside and roast. This is one fancification that is worth doing but make sure you put aside some regular roasters for your vegetarian sister.

• If you are not a Turkey fan, or do not care about having a giant carcass on the table for show, then get a scaled down version from your butcher. You can get a breast, crown or a rolled and boned version. These will actually fit in the oven and prevent you from having to get up and 5am to turn the oven on.

• Prepare the veg beforehand. Even better prep and cook the veg beforehand. Red cabbage or ratatoullie are great candidates to cook the night, or even a few days, before. Both will actually benefit from a few days in the fridge to give the flavours time to infuse. Do the stuffing the day before. Do the ham the day before.

• If people don’t like brussel sprouts then dispense with them. No amount of 7-Up or Cider or bacon or wood shavings will disguise the fact they are still sprouts.

• Same goes for Turkey. Turkey is turkey and no amount of brining, marinading, basting or whatever will disguise the fact. Do your best to keep it moist but dispense with overly complicated techniques. If you have enough stuffing and nice veg to go with it nobody will bother about three or four slices of turkey being a little dry. Effort versus return. This one is a bit subjective and really depends on how much value you put on the turkey.

• Don’t invite Tiger Woods if your porn star auntie is attending.

To sum up in three words, “keep it simple”.

Happy Christmas.

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Christmas Dinner Tips, Turkey

During the winter when our thoughts turn to roast dinners we rarely entertain the idea of including roast vegetables preferring instead to boil the arse out of our veg in a pot and consume them through a straw. Roasting veggies seems to be somewhat of a Mediterranean concept and one that seems yet to catch on elsewhere so lets get the ball rolling with some roasted onion. In its most basic form add a few whole onions to the tray next time you are doing a roast but you can also do them on their own with the recipe below. Steak and onions go together like … ehh whatever … but usually fried steak with fried onions. Roast beef with roast onion (and all the other trimmings) is a real treat.

Ingredients for one
One onion
One clove of garlic
One knob of butter
Two rashers of streaky bacon
1/2 Teaspoon dried Thyme
Seasoning.

Method
Slice the top and bottom off the onion and peel away the outer layer. Slice a deep “X” on the top and message in the butter, cover with the herbs and a loosely crushed (or quartered) clove of garlic. Wrap the bacon around the onion. If cooking the onions on their own then add another knob of butter to the roasting tray and roast at 180F for 90minutes. Alternatively add the onions in with whatever you’re roasting. Provided the temperature is not too high the longer the better, the onion and garlic should nice and mushy and sweet.

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onion, Recipe

I have been under the impression that I disliked porridge for a long time but about a year ago, when reading about the health benefits, I realised I never really gave porridge a proper chance. I had never tried had a full bowl rather than just a dismissive taste. With that in mind and after a couple of unsuccessful outings to produce a bowl that did not have the consistency of wallpaper paste I figured out how much of an oats to water ratio to use and made a basic, but edible, mix. About a 2:1 mix and one minute in the microwave did the trick. A desert spoon of honey added after makes all the difference. Very quick and easy and great for an energy boost. That’s your base, after that add anything. Use milk or cream instead of water or even add a shot of Bailey’s on special occasions like your Birthday or on Christmas morning.

Last week Flahavans and Kevin Dundon teamed up for an All Ireland (and beyond) porridge promotion and have launched a porridge making competition.

Competitors are invited to enter two categories; one to create the perfect porridge dish and two, to develop the most innovative recipe using Flahavan’s Irish porridge oat range. More details below but first an example from Kevin on what is possible in the porridge category, this is the recipe pictured above:

Flahavan’s Creamy Porridge with Flambéed Plum, Orange Syrup & Crème Fraiche

Creamy Porridge:
4oz/110g Flahavan’s Progress Oatlets
1 pint/600ml milk
3 ½ floz/100ml cream
Grated zest of one orange
Pinch salt

Flambéed Plums:
4 plums
2oz/50g butter
2oz/50g brown sugar
1 measure Grand Manier

Orange Reduction:
½ pint/250ml orange juice
2 tablespoons sugar
½ vanilla pod

Garnish:
Sprigs of mint
Crème Fraiche

Methodology:
Put the Flahavan’s porridge oats, salt and milk into a medium sized saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer for 3-4 minutes and then add in the cream and orange zest and cook for a furthur moment or two and then keep in a warm place until you are ready to serve.

Cut the plums into quarters and take out the stones. Heat the pan with the butter and ten add in the plums and toss around for a couple of minutes until they are lazed. Scatter in the sugar and cook for 3-4 minutes. Just before serving add in a splash of Grand Marnier and allow that to flame up. Be very careful not to get burned.

Place the orange juice, sugar and vanilla pod into a small saucepan and boil continuously for 5-6 minutes until it has reduced to a thick syrup.

Serve the Flahavan’s porridge in a large bowl with the flambéed plums on top. Drizzle with the orange syrup and top with a quenelle of crème fraiche and a sprig of fresh mint.

Sounds nice huh? Maybe Kevin should travel to Scotland next year for the  Golden Spurtle? Anyway, the overall winner in each category of the competition will receive a top prize of €1,500, with the runners up winning €500 each.

At the launch Kevin said, “Oats have formed part of healthy breakfast diets for generations. What some people don’t realise is that oats also make a great ingredient in countless savory or sweet dishes, adding texture and flavour.”

Open for entries from November 9th, Flahavan’s Porridge Making Challenge is an All-Ireland competition. Recipe entries along with preparation methods and photographs can be submitted via www.flahavans.com or can be sent by post to E. Flahavan & Sons Ltd. Porridge-Making Challenge, Kilnagrange Mills, Kilmacthomas, Co Waterford.

Multiple entries can be submitted and there is no age limit. The closing date for entries is 31st January 2010. Terms and conditions are available on www.flahavans.com.

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Breakfast

A family trip to Dingle on a misty October Bank Holiday Monday brought us to Paudie’s Bar in the Dingle Bay Hotel for a spot of lunch. We wandered in on spec to find the place buzzing with life. Every table in the rather large bar was busy so the five of us were lucky to get a nice comfy corner table just as some diners were leaving. The waitress seated us, gave us menus and promised she would return to give the table a wipe. That was the last we saw of her, understandable as the place was quite busy and another waitress was along in a flash to take our order.

A couple of Dingle Bay Prawn Cocktails were excellent. Fresh, sweet, prawns served in a classic Marie-Rose with some home-made brown bread. The Goats Cheese and Caramelised Onion panini was well received and the Chicken Nuggets for the kids were made of proper chicken, lovely and white with a crispy crumb. Not soggy and dull like a lot of places. A refreshing bottle of Muscadet-Sevre et Maine sur lie brought the bill to €55 for three adults and two kids.

Great staff, excellent food and a great atmosphere.

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Dingle, fresh prawns, Rating=4, Review