It’s not often I bother trying alcohol free beer, normally if I am in a cafe or bar and not drinking alcohol it is most likely early morning and a tea or coffee will do fine. However, last week I had the occassion to try Paulaner Alcohol Free or “Paulaner Hefeweissbier Alkoholfrei” to give it [...]
Author Archive > messy-chef
Sometimes you can’t make it on your own.
I noticed there is a lot of positivity in the world of food bloggers so maybe, just maybe, just once in a while, we need something to balance the emotion. Some Yang to go with the Ying. A unity of opposites in the food blogosphere. Yes. I have a negative experience I’d like to share. [...]
The Cliff House Hotel, Ardmore
Having a birthday on the Saturday of a holiday weekend during the summer means there is always extra impetus for celebrating and I’m glad to report this year was no different. After a glass or two of Champagne and a nice home cooked Cannelloni we headed to The Cliff House Hotel in Ardmore for drinks. [...]
Broccoli with Garlic and Lemon
The August Bank Holiday approaches and brings with it more rain and another family trip to the Sunny South East. As we travel each weekend during the summer the kitchen in Messy-Towers remains pretty much closed which is one of the reasons I have yet to get photos of the actual dishes up an running. [...]
Clonakilty Black Pudding with Caramelised Onion and Parma Ham
I regularly drive through Clonakilty in West Cork and am always reminded of three things: summers spent there as a child, summers spent there as a teenager in De Barra’s pub and the famous Clonakilty Black Pudding. Edward Twomey, who owns the recipe, says the growth in gourmet shops around Ireland helped to bring the [...]
Homemade Sun (Oven) Dried Tomatoes
You can buy Sun Dried Tomatoes everywhere now but there’s always satisfaction to be gained from making your own. Here in Ireland we don’t get the weather to dry damp tissue paper never mind an entire tray of tomatoes so I’ve cheated and used the oven method. If you have the sun (or a lot [...]
The Tannery, Dungarvan
Our initial inquiry about booking a table at The Tannery in Dungarvan was rejected but on a quick recollection they could actually fit us downstairs at 7:30, they must have decided to open up the private dining room to cater for the extra business. We showed up at the appointed time and were immediately seated [...]
Creeky!
Stocked up on some wine this weekend. Our local Super Valu, Ryans in Frankfield, are doing Jacob’s Creek Semillon Chardonnay (2007) for €8.99 a bottle which seemed like good value. For those who dislike regular Chardonnay, of which there are many, is a less oaked alternative. Slightly creamy taste with good body, a more robust [...]
Risotto Revolutition
I rediscovered risotto about a year ago and am making up for lost time now! It is so versatile, just add anything to the basic recipe. There’s as many different risottos as there are ingredients. The basic is below, instead of the white wine I keep a bottle of Dry Vermouth which I use. Saves [...]
Go Green
Adding the chilli tip below reminded me of an often used Thai Green Curry recipe. This was the first curry I did from scratch a long time ago and have never looked back. If I were cooking at home I would never use a paste for anything these days. If you have the slighest (mildest?!) [...]
