Taste of the Week. Kerala Buffalo Curry

Taste of the Week

Kerala Buffalo Curry

When staying in a French town, I found there were two essentials that had to be located immediately. One was the Tourist Office and the other was the local traiteur.

The latter was a source of top notch prepared or semi-prepared dishes. And so I was delighted to see a notice in O’Mahony’s Butchers in the English Market quietly proclaiming that they had Kerala Buffalo Curry on offer.

And not alone that. Eoin O’Mahony himself was on hand to offer all the info needed on how to handle the dish at home. Add onions, a can of tomatoes and coconut milk (available a few yards away at Mr Bells). The buffalo meat, from Macroom, looked good and, with the additions and some slow cooking, proved to be a real treat and our Taste of the Week.

Well worth a try. And lets hope that Eoin comes up with a few more.

O’Mahony Butchers

Unit 37 Grand Parade side

English Market

Cork

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/omahonysbutchers/?fref=ts

Twitter: @guilderdbutcher

Tel: 021 4270254

Smokehouse Sauce Bringing the Market together.

Smokehouse Sauce

Bringing the Market together.

In 24 Days in 24 Ways, Smokehouse Sauce is bringing the English Market together. Together on a plate, that is.

Smokehouse Sauce, fast emerging as a favourite across Munster, is the guest trader for six weeks at the start-up stall in Cork’s English Market. Emma Kelly of Smokehouse: “The English Market is iconic, a quality place to shop for quality. Traders here know their growers and suppliers. There is an honesty here, now so important as people become more aware of the importance of sourcing.”

So the mission for Smokehouse is 24 Ways in 24 Days. That means changing the dish daily and Chef Stephen of Elbow Lane is the man putting it all together on the plate. The sauce was the brainchild of owner Conrad Howard and his daughter and has been perfected in the Elbow Lane kitchen. It is  available across Munster Stores of Supervalu, in the Food Academy section, and also from independent butchers.

“It’s amazing to be here in the old heart of the city, to be collaborating with the English Market, promoting it and the traders,” enthuses Emma. A recent dish, the Ploughman’s Sandwich, with sauce of course, involved no less than four traders. Brown spelt bread from Hassett’s, Cheddar cheese from the Roughty Foodie, ham from the Chicken Inn, and salad from Superfruit, lunch for just four euro!

Before that, they featured Smoked Pork Empanadas, the pork supplied by Ken and Helen of the Meat Centre who have been trading here for 37 years. The package also included an apple and courgette salad and smokehouse sauce (of course!).

Tom Durcan's Spiced Beef, Hassett's Rye Bread,
Sauerkraut and Coolea Cheese from
On The Pig's Back

And the versatility of the sauce was again underlined with On The Pig's Back goats cheese bon bons, with pearl barley, pea sprout and beetroot leaf salad and Smokehouse Sauce dressing. Day Three was an interesting one:  Ham hock and scallion terrine (using meat from Bresnan's Butchers), with Smokehouse Sauce and homemade red cabbage slaw. And it’s not just meat. Cod from Kay O’Connell’s was used in delicious frittatas and enhanced with the sauce.

“There is a hard-to-match quality here in the market. We want to highlight that and support local at the same time, by combining traditional meats with modern flavours. The sauce itself is tomato based and may be used as a dip, a relish and as a marinade. It is extremely versatile. Use it with grilled, roast or cold meats, fish, cheese and vegetables.”

Aoife and Chris at the Smokehouse stall

So what is today’s dish? Check it out on their Facebook page by all means but do call in and try it out! And you must see their lively video celebrating the sauce and its arrival in the Market. Here's the link

For more on the Smokehouse Sauce, including recipes and stockists, check the website here.

Nash 19. The Real Thing.

Nash 19. The Real Thing.
Local on a Plate

It’s lunchtime Saturday and I'm sitting at a table in the Sternview Gallery at the back of Nash 19 (most of the tables in the front end were full) in Princes Street Cork and looking, admiringly, at a big tempting slice of bacon loin. And my mind goes back about a week when I got a shiny plastic-y slice of ham in a small cafe in Trim. Hard to believe that both came from the same planet, not to mind the same type of animal.

The one in Nash 19 comes from Crowe’s in Tipperary , is big and thick, moist and packed full of flavour, an itegral part of my Eggs Benedict (12.00). It is parked on a mega slice of sourdough that stretches right the diameter of the plate. On top are two perfectly poached eggs and all around there is Hollandaise sauce. A classic combination, top notch produce so well handled, as is consistently the case here, and beautifully presented as well.

Across the table, CL has quite a dish in front of her, again very well presented. It is the Chicken Korma Curry, Basmati rice, Mango chutney and Papadum (13.00). Nothing overly complicated here but the big chunks of locally supplied chicken chicken are key, full of flavour and so tender, great stuff. Had one or two myself from this oh so enjoyable moderately spiced curry.

And speaking of moderate spice, we had each started with a cup, quite a generous size, of one of the soups, the Squash and Ginger (3.50). There was also a bowl option for €5.50. Seafood chowder and a goat's cheese salad were also available as starters and, if you were in the mood, a dozen of Jamie Dwyer’s market fresh Pacific Oysters.

Speaking of markets, the mains list featured a Taste of the English Market (just across the street). For sixteen euro, you could treat yourself to a plateful of meat, fish and cheese, served tapas style. Recommended! Their own recommendations on the day were the Kerry Crab Sandwich and the Nash 19 Cod Fish and Chips. Indeed there is a great selection on a menu that sees some change daily!

And if you feel like more, then you can treat yourself to some of the great local produce at the little shop on the way out. And if you are too busy to dine here, if you need to have lunch in the office, then check out Nash to Go.

As we dined, owner Claire Nash herself was busy handing out samples to and then chatting with a group of visitors led by Alice Coyle of Fab Food Trails but not too busy to check around the restaurant and see how the various customers are doing. And if Claire doesn't get to you at least one member of her superb staff, friendly and efficient, will.

What’s the difference between bacon and ham? I sometimes ask myself. Here are two good guides, the first from James Whelan Butchers, the second from the UK’s Delicious magazine.

Nash 19

19 Princes Street

Cork

+353 21 427 0880

Web: http://www.nash19.com

Twitter: @Nash19Cork

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Nash19Cork/home

Hours

Mon-Fri: 7.30-4.00

Sat: 8.30-4.00

The Farmgate. Ireland on a Plate

The Farmgate

Ireland on a Plate

Tripe & onions, and Drisheen

Right in the heart of Cork City is the Farmgate Café. Here, the world meets Cork food, fresh from the nearby seas, local fields and from the English Market downstairs.

As we mingled with customers coming and going last week, we could hear the out of town accents but the loyal locals too were there in force. The Farmgate has managed for more than twenty years to cater for the tastes of both the jet-setter and the native. And managed it all so well that it would be hard to pick a better interface for the diners from near and far.

 Of course, you often hear this advice when heading off on holidays: Eat where the locals eat. Presumably our visitors have heard that too and know that they won't get much more local than the Farmgate.

With that in mind, I started with a very local dish: tripe and onions, and drisheen (€5.50). You may also have it as a main course. I’m not sure I’ve ever eaten it here before though I’ve had tripe in various forms, usually abroad, over the years. Indeed, when I leaned my head towards the plate, I thought I got a whiff like that of the French Andouillette (chitterlings) and I’ve read since that they sometimes use tripe in the preparation.

The whole plaice to herself!

But the taste and flavours, of both the tripe and drisheen, are quite delicate and rather delicious. You do need the onions for both texture and flavour and the trick is not to overuse them. The balance was perfect here.

CL meantime, a veteran of tripe and drisheen and responsible for bringing lots of it to relatives in the UK, keeping it fresh overnight in the sink of their cabin on the old Innisfallen, was enjoying her Toonsbridge ricotta and tomato compôte on toasted sourdough (7.00).

Cured fish, with that delicious herring in the bowl in the foreground

 Her mains, fish of the day, was brilliant. A whole plaice, with a stack of gratin potato and a side of peas and cabbage, looked well and tasted even better. I was a little jealous when I saw it appear.

But my own mains was another gem: A Cured Fish plate with organic green leaves (14.00). Highlight here was the little bowl of Mustard Marinated Herring, one of the series of lovely herring products by Silver Darlings and widely available.

Quite a tempting list of desserts and I was tending towards the organic yogurt with Ceapach Choinn honey and nuts but opted for a coffee in the end. Not just any old coffee. The Bicerin coffee was a bit special, and is native to Turin. Mirco, a native of North East Italy, was serving us at the time. It wasn’t quite the layered Turin version in a glass but I enjoyed my cuppa made up of a double espresso and a shot of chocolate and cream.

While I sipped, I took in the women around the place. No, not the diners, but the huge hanging posters advertising a series of events taking place in the Farmgate this year, in collaboration with UCC scholars, poets and writers, commemorating the unsung women of 1916 under the general title of “Women of the South: Radicals and Revolutionaries ”.

With that, and the Farmgate’s long-standing Poetry Wall , and the food of course, you’ll know where you are. And all, from near and far, are welcome to come and enjoy the taste of this place called Ireland.

The Farmgate

English Market

Princes Street

Cork

Tel: 00 353 21 427 8134

Email: info@farmgatecork.ie (general enquiries)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FarmgateCafeCork/ 

Twitter: @farmgatecafe

Taste of the Week. Treat from The Chocolate Shop

Taste of the Week

Treat from The Chocolate Shop

The Chocolate Shop in Cork’s English Market is a treasure trove, packed with good things. And good people there too in Rose and Niall who’ll help you get exactly what you’re looking for.

I was on the lookout for a Taste of the Week. In truth, I could have had closed my eyes, put out a hand and anything I touched would have fitted the bill. But I asked them to fill a little box with some delicious pieces, some by Wilkies Chocolate from Midleton and the others by Skelligs Chocolate from County Kerry. I had my Taste of the Week, on the double!

They opened in 2000. They know their stuff - were very impressive at a recent Chocolate/Whiskey matching event in the River Lee Hotel.  They are independent of any single manufacturer or franchise and therefore free to source only the best quality chocolate from the best artisan chocolatiers throughout the world.

You’ll also find related items, such as Nougat. And they also sell Hadji Bey’s Turkish Delight, a long standing favourite in these parts. Check them out and find your your own taste of the week!

The Chocolate Shop

English Market

Cork

021-4254448

Email : info@chocolate.ie

Italian Night at Farmgate. Umbria & Valtellina Combine

Italian Night at Farmgate

Umbria & Valtellina Combine

Mirco and the wines of his home region

The Munster branch of the Irish Wine and Food Society were joined by quite a few others at last week’s Italian night in the Farmgate at the English Market. The menu was cooked in the style of Umbria (the green centre of Italy) by well known chef Adelaide Michelini, while the wines, chosen by the Farmgate's Mirco Fondrini from his home area of Valtellina (Lombardy), were making their debut in this part of the world.

Mirco was delighted to be able to bring his hometown gems to Cork. He had quite a display ready as the fifty plus guests arrived. Valtellina is in the foothills of the Alps that Italy shares with Switzerland. The valleys are deep and the sun reaches just one side, the side you'll see the houses and the vines on. Wine-making here is hard work but the Pietro Nera Vineyard in Chiuro thrives on it.

Our opening wines as we arrived included the Terrazze Retiche di Sondrio Bianco IGT. The 2014 “La Novella” was made from a blend of Nebbiolo (vinified to white), Rossola, Chardonnay and Incrocio Manzoni grapes. Quite a mix in the blend but this white, with its flavours of tropical fruits and balancing acidity, was a delight.

You won't see tractors in these vineyards!

Some of us picked the 2010 Valtellina Superiore DOCG “Sassella Alisio” as our opening drink. This bright ruby coloured red, a blend of Nebbiolo, Pignola and Rossola, all grown in the village of Sassella, was a hint of the serious wines to come, once we had finished our opening canapes. One was Chicken Liver pralines with hazelnuts and cocoa beans, the other a Savoury choux with mortadella and pistachio.

We continued with the reds as the meal was served, enjoying more of the Sassella before moving on to its older sister the 2008 Sassella Riserva, made from 100% Nebbiolo (called Chiavennasca in these parts!). The bouquet and hints of oak and the wine itself was strong, smooth and velvety.

Our final wine was also 100% Chiavennasca, but with a difference. This 2009 Valtellina was a ”passito” wine, made from partially dried grapes, not unlike the Veneto’s Amarone della Valpolicella. This was quite concentrated, 15% abv also, rich in flavour and aromas. It had been aged for 18 months in oak, rested in stainless steel and refined in bottle for at least eight months. Quite a selection overall by Mirco. Maybe someone will start importing from his region!

Adelaide

The position of Principal Chef Instructor for the Gambero Rosso's International Cooking Schools abroad - Bangkok, Miami, Seoul Hong Kong - has given Adelaide Michelini “the great privilege to bring the true Italian haute cuisine in the world”.

“In 2013 I was included within the Catering & Delivery section of the Gambero Rosso - Rome Guide. In 2014, I became a TV host, presenting my very own TV show called La buona cucina di Adelaide (Gambero Rosso Channel, 412 Sky Italia).”

Adelaide, now living in Cork, used local produce in her dishes at the Farmgate and the Antipasto was a Soft Truffle Egg with Potato Mousse. Then followed the Primo Piatto, a Toonsbridge Ricotta & Hazelnut Gnocchi in West Cork Swiss Chard Soup.

Soft Truffle Egg

And then we were on to the star dish, the Secondo Piatto: O'Mahony's Porchettina with fennel semifreddo and Autumn vegetables. The perfectly cooked round of pork, with embedded herbs, was a delight in itself but the combination with the icy fennel took it all to another level. Perfect!

The Dolce was described as Tiramisu...almost! Let’s says there was no shortage of cream, no shortage of coffee as the night with a difference came to a sweet end. Thanks to Mirco and Adelaide, and to Rebecca and the crew at the Farmgate.

The next IWFS event:

Sunday November 8th. Harvest Lunch in Longueville House. We will join William and Aisling O'Callaghan for a tour to see the orchards, presses and stills where they make their fantastic cider and brandy. After the tour and tasting, we will head to the house for a special harvest lunch. William and Aisling are great hosts, so this will be a really special day out. A bus will be laid on from Cork City so people can enjoy the cider and brandy. Buses leave Cork City Hall at 11am. Price for bus and tour, tasting and lunch €65 (€73 non-members).

A lot of people have already signed up. Indeed it is very close to the limit but if you'd like to attend, please send an email to iwfsmunster@gmail.com

Porchettina (Google translates this as naughty girl!)

Irish Fish - Two Ways. Hederman and Goatsbridge

Irish Fish - Two Ways

Hederman and Goatsbridge

Enjoyed an Irish fish dinner at the weekend, starting with smoked mackerel from Hederman’s and then a main course of fresh trout from Goatsbridge in Kilkenny.

If you want to buy Irish, you have to keep your eyes open and read the labels. That, surprisingly enough, applies to fish as well, not that too many of them will have labels!

Take Sea-bass as an example, a species that is protected here.  According to the fishmonger.ie website, we import wild Sea-bass from France and farmed version from Greece and Turkey. In all, in 2012, we imported (according to BIM figures) some €203 million worth of fish, a staggering 75,000 tonnes (mainly from Norway).

No problem buying Irish fish at your local market stalls but be careful in the supermarket, especially at the fresh fish counter. The Goatsbridge trout is not always sold under that name but the tag on the counter does say Irish farmed trout.

Cobh’s Frank Hederman is renowned for smoking fish. Not just mackerel but also salmon and do watch out as well for his mussels. If using mackerel in your main course, go for the whole fish but as a starter, the fillets (which come plain or coated with chives or chili) are fine. We used the chive one and bought it at the English Market. By the way, the salad and the baby beets both came from Derek’s Green Field Farm stall at the Mahon Point Farmers Market.

Over then to the local Dunne’s Stores for the trout and that was eventually served with seasonal vegetables and new potatoes. The potatoes and carrots were also bought at Mahon, from the Burns farm stall. And if you do call to Sandra and Joe, be sure and get some of their fabulous Vegetable Crisps.

The vegetables, for the trout, were done using Edward Hayden's Prepare-Ahead Vegetable method, detailed in his book Food to Love (pub. 2011). Basically, the veg are cooked separately, then cooled off, and kept in the fridge; take them out close to dinner-time and cook them all together, not forgetting to blanch and refresh! Got that book in the library the other day and it is proving very handy indeed.

Speaking of local, the raspberries for the delicious soufflé came from the back wall. Thankfully, the considerate blackbirds left just enough for us! Very satisfactory meal overall, especially suited to this time of year. Both the trout and mackerel are top notch products and I'd urge you to try them. Each is highly recommended.

Find out all about Frank Hederman and his smokehouse here.

All the details on Kilkenny's Goatsbridge Trout available here.

Both have online shopping.

O’Mahony Butchers Can Do It. Have Been Doing It Since 1898.

O’Mahony Butchers Can Do It.

Have Been Doing It Since 1898.

“I can't do that” are not words you’ll hear from Cork butcher Eoin O’Mahony, who has just opened a grand new stall (above), right next door to the older family unit Edward O’Mahony. Over the last few years, Eoin has had requests for different cuts, new to the market. He didn't just shrug his shoulders and tell a potential customer “we don't do that” or “we can’t do that”. No. He has a chat, finds out all about it and then comes up with the goods.

And that can-do attitude led directly to the new stall. That, along with the retiral of the O'Mahony’s neighbour. “The existing stall was busy, very busy. We didn't have enough space, the range had gotten so big, our own sausages and burgers were flying.” So he took the opportunity. And on the displays of the new stall you'll see veal, venison, buffalo, and, this week, they’ll be joined by poultry.

The story all started back in the 90s, the 1890s that is, when Eoin’s great grand-father Michael Bresnan left County Limerick to be apprenticed to a Cork butcher in the market. By 1898, he had his own stall. It is still there today (with Eoin’s uncle, also Michael, at the helm), making the Bresnan family the longest continuously trading in the English Market.

Not every one wants a full leg of lamb nowadays;
just ask them to cut it into fillets (top left).
Bottom: Bavettes (left)and Buffalo steaks.

The Bresnan's bought a farm in Ballinlough, where Lovett’s restaurant eventually set up. As the city had grown around them, they moved to a new farm and abattoir in Carrigaline in 1978 and this is where the Ballea Lamb and beef comes from. Meanwhile, a small stall at the Grand Parade end became vacant and was bought by Eoin’s mother (still working there today) and that's the one with Edward O’Mahony on the sign, right next door to the new one.

Eoin says they have lots of French cuts on the new stall. “We pride ourselves on being able to produce any cut. An enquiry from an Argentinian led to the Tira di asado ribs. And I picked up a  few good ideas on a recent trip to Montreal, so watch out for new stuff in the near future!”

Spiced Buffalo came in before Christmas and was a big hit and there were also great reports back on their recent marinated hanger steak. New cuts or not, it will still all be based on the best of local produce, the lamb and beef from Ballea, veal from Macroom, buffalo (they have the full range) from Toonsbridge.

Aged steak and, insert, Tira di asado ribs

We asked Eoin if the success of any particular product had surprised him. “Well, yes, the hanger steak and the bavette and the buffalo of course. Our customers, and we do have a broad range of customers, have taken to them in a big way.” His own favourite is aged sirloin steak. The bavette, by the way, “when shredded, makes a great stir-fry”.

This weather, the most popular are the Short Ribs, Beef Cheek, Feather-Blade, and the Osso Bucco and, in the summer, customers choose from a huge range of sausages and burgers. And it is not just customers at the market that O'Mahony's are popular with. They supply many of the restaurants, big and small, around the city. For instance you’ll see the Feather Blade on the menu at Fenn’s Quay and that too helps make the cuts better known.

Eoin is looking forward to 2015 with renewed confidence. Like many market traders, that confidence has been boosted by a very busy Christmas, “one of the busiest in a few years” according to Eoin. So keep an eye on that new stall, especially from this week on, when the O’Mahony’s will be selling poultry, including “proper” chicken and duck. And not just any duck. These will be the old fashioned, “more meaty” Aylesbury bird. Happy New Year!

To see the latest from Eoin and family, follow his Twitter posts here.

The original stall, still going strong.