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September 2012

PeachesThis one may get me in trouble. Before you go off the deep end and start to palpitate, I am not making a general case for food miles in what we eat. Though, I recently heard a very cogent argument for food to be produced where it is cheapest to do so. The actual costs involved in planting, growing, picking, cleaning, trimming, sorting, cooling, shipping or flying and driving a tray of green beans from Peru or Nigeria to your local supermarket are, apparently, negligible.

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“Bllllpppppp.” (The sound of me blowing my nose). Not the best way for you to start reading this post. Not the most pleasant way for me to be writing it. The Wife and the Mother both need feeding this evening and I am completely under the weather. It could even be the dreaded Man Flu. “Bllllpppppp. Uggghhhh.” I need to get plenty of garlic, lemon and rosemary into me to beat off the devastation that this Man Flu is wreaking on my system.

Garlic Chicken

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The Wicklow Hunter has nearly forgiven me for my previous transgressions. You remember, the Don Draper conundrum. The only thing is, since my faux pas, he refuses to come into the office and insists on leaving free range egg gifts behind my car in our underground car park. This was different. The Hunter rang me and suggested a clandestine meeting beside the car.Free range eggs and salad

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PearsYes, I am having a rant and you may be in my line of fire. You may be the cause of my ire and anger. But, as we say here in Ireland: If the cap fits, wear it. If you take offence, suck it up. Because I am beyond caring. I have reached the end of my rope. I am saying what I need to say and you better just take it on the chin.

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There really is very little to it. Just make the dough, prepare the tomato sauce, get the toppings together, get the oven up to temperature, assemble the pizza, cook and serve, right?

Wrong. Oh so very, very, very, very wrong. If you want a quick pizza ring Domino’s. If you want the best pizza you have ever tasted, read on my friends, read on. The down-side is that preparing pizza for two is a lot of work for one. Particularly when I am the one doing the working.

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The Irish Food Bloggers Association asked for recipes to appear in their ‘Something for the weekend’ series. I did a short version of this post for the purpose. Here’s the full story. 

The Wicklow Hunter is a passionate man. This year, he has taken to growing vegetables and herbs in his expansive spread in the Garden of Ireland. He does not do things by half. So his first crop of vegetables has started to come into season over the past few weeks. Like so many enthusiasts before him, he is discovering that growing the vegetables can be easier than giving them away. In truth, so many urbanites prefer their salad to come in a bag and their vegetables to come out of the freezer. Research confirms that is what we prefer.

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Last weekend, eldest daughter roped me into walking the dog with her. As we made our way, throwing the ball and trying to get the mutt to retrieve, the conversation fell, as it so often does, to food. Eldest put it to me that, despite my best efforts, she had an ongoing hankering for fish fingers and beans. I accused her of idiocy or some such but the thought stuck with me.

Later in the morning we found ourselves in the queue in George’s Fish Shop. (Recently voted an Irish Times top 50 retailer. This accolade does not impress me as I had been enjoying it as a reasonably well-kept secret without the queues.) Fine chunky haddock was on special and a plan began to form.

Fish Fingers and Beans Everything you will need for a traditional supper.

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Lamb piecesDuring the week, I got a call in the office from the Wicklow Hunter. He enjoys winding people up and one never knows the real truth behind many of his activities. I forgive him a lot as he does his thing with good humour and a twinkle in his eye.

WH: Are you in?

Me: I am, sure did you not just ring?

WH: I did. I have some lamb for you. 

Me: Lamb? You don’t keep sheep, do you?

WH: No, this is the best tasting lamb there is. Trespass Lamb.

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Barbecue litThere are plenty of topics on which I flip and I flop.
The cork v screwcap
On the one hand, the screwcap keeps the wine in perfect condition and allows you re-seal the bottle. On the other hand, you would have difficulty making a cool notice board from 500 screwcaps and I rarely find the need to re-seal a bottle.

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