Food Heroes. Three Courses. Three Sources.

Local Food Heroes.

Three Courses. Three Sources.

Creamy!!!

The best Panna Cotta ever. An exquisite Pâté. And a classic Beef Bourguignon. 

Three courses, sourced from three local food heroes, composed a very satisfactory evening meal last weekend. Chapeau to Farmgate Café, On the Pig’s Back and Annie’s Roast (and to Neighbourfood who have all three on their list). 

We may be restricted in our movements but thanks to being able to order online and to deliveries by Neighbourfood, and the work of the Blog Chef, we can still enjoy our meals. I’m sure many of you have found your own satisfactory solutions.

One thing about ordering online is that you can end up sometimes with too little, sometimes too much. We had been thinking about ordering Saturday’s evening meal in (via Click & Collect or similar) but then took stock of what was already in the house and came up with this very tasty alternative indeed.

Think I’ll start at the end with that amazing Panna Cotta from Annie’s Roast. Annie is probably best known to most of us for her market stall that features mainly ducks and chickens (which come from East Ferry Farm owned by her brother Rob and his wife Yvonne). By the way, she’s now taking orders, including goose and turkey, for Christmas

But she also does a variety of prepared foods and this rich and luxurious dessert is one of them. One to watch out for! This classic Italian sweet is made with delicate vanilla bottom and a fresh strawberry topping, using all local-licious produce including: buttermilk, cream, sugar, strawberries (€5.50). 

The starter, from the English Market’s Farmgate was also pretty rich, smooth and superb. Chef Pam Kelly and her team have come up with a very satisfying combination of Carrignavar Duck Livers and Longueville House Apple Brandy. And you get quite a tub of it for just over a fiver.

We’ve got in quite a few prepared snacks and meals from On the Pig’s Back via Neighbourfood. The Beef Bourguignon (€7.95) comes freshly frozen and has a shelf life of 3 months. But it was dispatched here after three days.

It is the traditional French stew prepared with beef braised in red wine and beef broth, flavoured with garlic, onions, carrots, and mushrooms. Serves 1-2. Suggested side (not included): Creamy mashed potato. It takes about 20 minutes to reheat - you get instructions!

We did add the mashed potato as suggested and this was yet another winner. Just top class quality beef, hearty and warming, a genuine traditional taste of the heart of France made right here in the heart of the city with the best of Irish ingredients. Superb. But then, the kitchen in On the Pig’s Back seldom (if ever) disappoints.

Farmgate Café 

On The Pig’s Back 

Annie’s Roasts  

Neighbourfood 

Supporting local will be the aim again this weekend. Looking forward to trying the incredibly popular Dim Sum from O'Mahony's Watergrasshill. We missed on their first two offerings of it as it sold out very quickly. Third time lucky though! 

Taste of the Week. The Rocket Man's Smoky Corn and Yellow Lentil Dahl

Taste of the Week.

The Rocket Man's Smoky Corn and Yellow Lentil Dahl 

The Rocket Man is one of the most popular food suppliers in Cork city for the past few years. With the current restrictions, I nowadays most regularly come across his food in NeighbourFood, the small producers platform that he founded.

And it was there that I found our current Taste of the Week, a heartwarming Smoky Corn And Yellow Lentil Dahl. Heartwarming even if it is delivered frozen (with a shelf life of five days). It is described as 
"Ready to Eat Indian Inspired Yellow Lentil Dahl with Grilled Corn. Comes with Toasted Coconut, Yoghurt and Fresh Herbs. Vegan without the yoghurt topping."

You get a big tub (480g) for less than six euro and it's a terrific lunch for two. Big hearty flavours with a satisfying crunchy (softish!) texture. And you also get a few toppings with your Taste of the Week. Well worth a try!

Taste of the Week. Nash 19 Seasonal Soup

Taste of the Week

Nash 19 Seasonal Soup

Just because you can't get to a favourite restaurant doesn't mean you have go without. Quite often, Neighbourfood provides a bridge and that's what happened with this current Taste of the Week, a delicious seasonal soup from Nash 19. Ingredients in this warm and warming beauty are pumpkin, root vegetable and coconut, and it was made with their own veg stock.

Be sure and check out Neighbourfood, or if you in town pop in and check out this and other good things from Nash 19 in Princes Street, Cork

Taste of the Week. O'Mahony's Pork Burger with Sobrasada.

Sobrasada

Taste of the Week. 

O'Mahony's Pork Burger with Sobrasada.

Thanks to O'Mahony Butchers in the English Market (Grand Parade end) and to Neighbourfood, we've got another delicious Taste of the Week. The secret here is surely the Sobrasada. What is Sobrasada? You might well ask. 

Didn't know much about until I was completing my order for Neighbourfood and saw it in the description for this product and found out it is a mildly cured chorizo which works really well with sweet pork. I've often taken Eoin O'Mahony's word for strange terms before and he's never let me down!

So I continued with the order and more or less forgot about it until the Wednesday delivery. And we were amazed with the class and quality of the burgers which also contain fresh parsley, apple and Kalamata olives.

Superb pork too of course. With fries added, also a salad (mostly from the garden) and lashings of the superb Smoked Ketchup from Tipperary's Three Men in a Trailer, we were on a winner. Thank you Mr O'Mahony!

 

Pic from Neighbourfood listing

Taste of the Week. Future Orchards Apple Juice

Taste of the Week. 

Future Orchard Apple Juice

Future Orchard Cork is based at Upper Glanmire Bridge, to the east of Cork City and they produce our current Taste of the Week, a delicious apple juice made from hand-picked 100% organic Irish Apples. We usually order by the bottle but now we're on to their (big) box, with a tap of course!

We get the juice via Neighbourfood who have quite a selection of local apple juices. Mealagulla were suppliers earlier in the year and we'll also got impressive bottles from Kilbrack Farm and Ballymaloe.

Future Orchard’s 100 Shares Per Hectare concept is an award winning model of community supported agriculture (CSA), showing how  a membership structure can support small funding-independent projects. "We believe that the world we live in needs us to take more ethical and co-operative ownership of our food production systems. Our little project is limited but it hopes to be a seed of change."

If you have apples yourself that you'd like to turn into juice then Future Orchard can help. Check it out here.

Future Orchard is based at Upper Glanmire Bridge.

You'll find them on Twitter and Facebook and here are contact details:

Contact: +353 87 9462280  Not functioning!

Email: futureorchardtrust@gmail.com

Taste of the Week. O'Mahony's Italian Sausages with Spanish Rice

Taste of the Week

O'Mahony's Italian Sausages with Spanish Rice

I don't know how many times we've found our Taste of the Week in our Neighbourfood delivery box. The latest is Italian Sausages from the O'Mahony Butcher stall in the English Market. Indeed, you're always on a winner when you purchase at this particular outlet.

What would we do with the sausages? And then I remembered a recipe we used put to good use a few years back. The Blog Chef found it in an instant: Spanish Rice with Chorizo and Sage. We substituted the Italian Sausage for the Chorizo and ended up with a very enjoyable bowlful indeed, our fleeting Taste of the Week.

You also need tomatoes, garlic, red pepper, turmeric (which adds a warm glow) and frozen peas and sage. The trick with the sage is to add a bunch of it (well shredded) towards the end; Dry Sage it, just like a brewer Dry Hops his beer!

It's a relatively easy dish, all cooked in one pan. If anyone wants the recipe, DM me.

Taste of the Week. Heaney Saison and Apricots

Taste of the Week

Heaney “Way Over Yonder” Saison and Apricots!

The Heaney “Way Over Yonder” Saison is a hazy beer from the County Derry farmhouse brewery. It pours a gold colour, with a fluffy head that hangs around for a bit. Fruity and slightly spicy in the aromas. Fruity too on the palate, apricots are suggested.

Apricots put me thinking. And then I realise I have a box of them in the cupboard, a box of unsulphured apricots from West Cork Olives via my Neighbourfood order. 

You hear a lot about sulphur in wine but it is commonly used also in fruits and other food items as well. The sulphured apricots are an attractive yellow while the unsulphured are a less attractive dark colour but I think they taste better.

Anyhow, I got a few to taste with the beer (sourced from Bradley's) and the pairing was absolutely perfect, a delicious Taste of the Week.

Taste of the Week. Hederman's Smoked Mackerel

Taste of the Week

Hederman's Smoked Mackerel

Frittata with Hederman's Smoked Mackerel

You get some excellent examples of the Spanish Frittata in the local Cork restaurants. But sometimes, it can be a bit on the bland side.

Whole Smoked Mackerel by Hederman, also delicious

If you're cooking one at home, here's one surefire way to pump up the flavour factor. Use a couple or three of the delicious Smoked Mackerel fillets from Frank Hederman, available in his stall at the English Market and in various farmers markets (eg Midleton).

Hedderman mackerel fillets

The official Blog Chef recently did one and the smoked mackerel (one fillet was plain, one chilli and one chive) worked a treat. We got our latest lot via Neighbourfood (six is the minimum order here but, don't worry, you'll get through them quickly). A superb Taste of the Week.

Check out NeighbourFood and check out Mr Hederman!

Taste of the Week. Salted Caramelitas by Sonas

Taste of the Week
Salted Caramelitas by Sonas 

I never know for sure what I'll find when I start shopping online at Neighbourfood. But always pretty sure that I'll have at least one taste of the week to write about.

These delicious Caramelitas, produced by Sonad Trading, have been catching the attention recently and are definitely Taste of the Week.

They sell them well on the Neighbourfood order sheet: We love the juxtaposition of salty and sweet ... and these little love bombs of deliciousness have a great balance - loads of salted caramel (made with Gloun Cross Dairy cream and Irish Atlantic Sea salt), dark chocolate, buttery organic oats, tones of vanilla ... Incredibly intense but deeply satisfying ... like an old familiar love song. 10-12 little bites in a box. They’re intense but very addictive! Do not contain nuts but made in a kitchen where nuts are used. 


Local and lovely. Couldn't have put it better myself. Go on. Treat yourself. I find them superb with the mid-morning coffee.

Blackrock based Sonas Trading is a unique mix of Irish and Malaysian. Pia Zain came from Malaysia, and was trained at Ballymaloe. She instantly fell in love with quality of food and ingredients in Ireland, and stayed! More info on Pia and her many delights here.

Taste of the Week. Irish Cheese

Taste of the Week.
 Irish Cheese

Lots of Irish cheese enjoyed these past few months, thanks to the delivery service of Neighbourfood. On the Pig's Back are regular suppliers and most, if not all these cheeses, have come from the Douglas outfit. I could do a Taste of the Week with each but took this shortcut instead! Just gives an idea of the marvellous cheese we have in this country. And there are so many more!

Crozier. Also had the original Cashel Blue. Cashel is cows milk while Crozier is sheeps.

Gubbeen

Coolea came via the Roughty Fruity selection in the English Market. 

Taste of the Week. Harissa Chicken Fillet

Taste of the Week

Harissa Chicken Fillet

No problem finding a taste of the week when the order from Neighbourfood arrives. The only trouble is picking one for The Taste of the Week.

This week the nod goes to On the Pig’s Back for their Harissa Chicken Fillet. Many of you will know that Harissa is a hot sauce or paste used in North African cuisine, made from chilli peppers, paprika, and olive oil.

The chicken is top quality and the version of the sauce in which it was cooked was fairly hot. We enjoyed it for lunch with a salad (leaves and radish from the garden) and some left-over potato. The salad helped cool the sauce and we there and then decided to order our new Taste of the Week again. And again!

On The Pig’s Back 

Must say that On The Pig's Back is one of the stars of my NeighbourFood box.We've told you recently about their stunning quiches and they have an endless selection of top cheese (Hegarty's and Durrus now in the fridge). A day or two after the chicken (above), we enjoyed their superb Fish Pie Grattan. You might well query: what's the big deal about a fish pie? This is something special. The main ingredients (smoked haddock, cod, and salmon) are more or less the usual. They add in carrot, leek, celery, fennel, garlic, potato, white wine, cream, herbs, breadcrumbs, cheese, olive oil, butter and cornflour. Throw in their experience and attention to detail and you a beauty on your hands, on your plate, as good as many a restaurant meal! It comes frozen and will keep for three months or so. No waiting around here!

Top Co-ops Come Up With Little Beauties

Top Co-ops Come Up With Little Beauties

Once upon a time, the word cooperative was frowned on by wine importers. But, in recent decades, many coops have favoured quality over quantity. Importers, such as Kilkenny's Le Caveau, have long been among those who go off the beaten track in search out the good stuff. Below, we have two very good ones indeed.

Labastide “Terrane” Terres du Tarn (IGP) 2017, 12%,

€13.45 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny 

Located in the heart of the historic Gaillac vineyards, the Cave de Labastide was founded in 1949. Today it is the oldest cellar of the Gaillac appellation. It is made up of about a hundred cooperative winegrowers with an area of around 1,000 hectares of vines.

Colour is mid to dark ruby. Lovely red fruit on nose and on the palate. It is hard to fault this one. Much smoother than expected, slight spice, well made everyday easy-drinking wine. I’d say many a lunch in the area has been polished off with a carafe of this one, obviously an excellent house wine (yet another one!) on the Le Caveau list. Highly Recommended.

You may be wondering about the little known grape varieties that have been used here: it is a blend of indigenous varieties Braucoul (Fer Servadou) and Duras. The former contributes perfumed blackcurrant fruit while the Duras is peppery and structured.

So, enjoy it with your lunch or dinner or just a simple honest baguette with some fresh cheese on the side. Should go well too with charcuterie. Also as an aperitif though perhaps chill it a little if the summer is good!

Madregale Terre di Chetti Bianco (IGP) 2018, 12% abv, €11.95 at NeighbourFood Cork

Also at 64 Wine Dublin, Bradley’s of Cork, Greenman Dublin, Le Caveau Kilkenny 

Spritzer with Chambord

This white wine is obtained from a blend of Chardonnay (the dominant partner according to the label) and Trebbiano, the grapes cultivated within the municipality of Tollo in Chetti (a province of the Italian region of Abruzzo). I have long been a fan of this Le Caveau “house wine” and of its companion red. Watch out for it as restaurants reopen, along at the stockists above. Highly Recommended. And well-priced too!

Colour is a clear light gold. Moderately intense aromas with a citrus touch. Fresh and lively on the palate, with an unexpected smoothness. Good acidity too and that helps it match with the suggested light seafood or pasta dishes like spaghetti with clams. But it may also be appreciated as an aperitif.

It was hardly out of the NeighbourFood delivery box when I was pressing it into use as part of a spritzer where its minor companions in the glass were Chambord (the black raspberry liquor from the Loire Valley), ice (lots of it) and soda water.  Quite a pleasant opener to the evening and might well have been more appreciated had I presented it a few days earlier when the temperatures were about 50% higher than they are this breezy evening (June 6th, 2020).

Madregale is produced, using organic principles, by the award-winning Cantina Tollo, one of the biggest and best co-operative wineries in the Abruzzo region, covering 3,200 ha owned by 800 farmers.

Taste of the Week. Ballymaloe Elderflower Cordial

Taste of the Week

Elderflower Cordial

If you’re taking advantage of your county, the new travel limit for the phase of Covid19, you’re going to see a lot of elderflower blossom as you make your way from Youghal to Allihies.

Anyway, if you pick some of these white flowers you can make yourself some Elderflower cordial. But, if you don’t feel like making the long trip (could be a seven hour haul or thereabouts if you take the coastal route!), don’t worry as the folks at Ballymaloe Cookery School have done all the hard work for you, probably starting with a local forage.

You can get a bottle of their delicious cordial on Neighbourfood. I reckon it is one of the very best around and is Taste of the Week here. Check it out for yourself - well worth it.

How about using it to make this delicoous spritzer. Two parts of your favourite sparkling wine, one part of the cordial, and two parts ot sparkling water. A big part of sun would be a bonus!

Ballymaloe Cookery School 

Taste of the Week. Hederman's Hot Smoked Chilli Salmon

Taste of the Week.
Hederman's Hot Smoked Chilli Salmon

Dinner...

Great to see Frank Hederman listed among the local producers now available on Neighbourfood, a marvellous service which has been a godsend to both customers and producers, especially over the last few months, and their delivery service has been a bonus for the likes of myself in the cocoon.

So the minute, I saw the famous smoked salmon on offer, we ordered his Hot Smoked Chilli Salmon fillet. Just by coincidence, as we prepared the dinner, Frank engaged us in a Twitter conversation and suggested using it in a salad with new potatoes. 

Never one to turn down a tip from the horse's mouth, we went along with that and enjoyed a marvellous Taste of the Week, with enough left over for a breakfast that made the taste buds sit up and take notice a little earlier than usual.

Check out NeighbourFood and check out Mr Hederman!

and enough left over for breakfast!

Taste of the Week. Mini Quiche from On The Pigs Back

Taste of the Week
Mini Quiche from On The Pigs Back

Must say, our current Taste of the Week is a beauty: Chorizo, Sweet Potato, Tomato & Emmental Mini Quiche. Made by the folks at On the Pigs Back and delivered via the marvellous NeighbourFood system.The quiches, you get two for six euro, are absolutely exquisite. Make sure you get some. Use for lunch or as the base for dinner. Either way you're on a winner. Just because there's a crisis doesn't mean you miss out on the good things, not with the likes of On the Pigs Back and NeighbourFood on your team.

On the Pigs Back Mini Quiche
Douglas
Cork

Taste of the Week. Baked Jerusalem Bagels

Taste of the Week

Baked Jerusalem Bagels

Bread and Roses produce these ultra delicious flavourful baked Jerusalem bagels. They are made with milk and topped with pomegranate molasses and sesame seeds. They freeze perfectly and defrost quickly.

While bagels have a Jewish origin, there are many styles, many doughs, many toppings. The most common bagels are used like buns or rolls, for various fillings.

Jerusalem Bagels are different, used for dipping in yogurts or labneh, with hummus or baba ghanoush. I didn’t have any of those handy on the morning so just slathered it with Leamlara honey and the combo was superb. A cool Taste of the Week from Bread and Roses. Tip: give them (the bagels, not the bakers) a few seconds in the microwave and then enjoy the superb aromas before getting down to business.

Q: Where did they get the roses bit?

A: They decided to call their small bakery ‘bread & roses’ in honour of Rose Schneiderman, an American socialist, feminist and one of the most prominent women labour union leaders of the 20th Century. 

Their sourdoughs and other baked products are available on NeighbourFood and at the Coal Quay Market in Cork City centre on Saturday mornings (when the markets are reopened!) 

And don’t forget, they gift their sourdough starter to you.

Bread and Roses 

Taste of the Week. Hungry Crow Amazeballs

Taste of the Week

Hungry Crow Amazeballs

Niamh O’Reilly of Hungry Crow has quite a range of tempting chocolates. They are absent just one ingredient: guilt! Their ‘Free from’ policy helped them win the 2016 Listowel Food Fair ‘Best Emerging Artisan Food Product’.

And their Free From raw and vegan treats taste every bit as good as they look. Niamh makes her own nut butter and fruit is a very important ingredient.  Hungry Crow produce has no refined sugars, grains or dairy.

Their chocolates now have an extra outlet on NeighbourFood and the Amazeballs are our Taste of the Month. The original are Salted Caramel and here’s the story: "These are amazeballs, Auntie Niamh," declared the maker's 6 year old niece when she bit into one for the first time. They have only 4 ingredients - chocolate, dates, sea salt, vanilla.

And the Freshly Squeezed Amazeballs are just as tasty. Here, Niamh combined dates soaked in freshly squeezed organic orange juice and zest with 85% cacao Colombian chocolate and created another set of irresistible Amazeballs. 

Hungry Crow 

15 Beechwood

Clonakilty

Co. Cork

Mobile: 087 950 4868

Elbow Lane Brewers Have the Wisdom

Elbow Lane Brewers Have the Wisdom

Didn’t quite expect it when I started this Irish session, didn’t expect that I’d end up proclaiming the Cork City ale as my favourite of the bunch.

I’ve been drinking it from time to time in the Market Lane restaurants, most recently in Goldie, their fish and ale spot across from the mothership and indeed just across from the micro brewery as well. And it always goes well with food. Enjoyed it without the food this time just as much and probably took a bit more notice of its quality without the grub.

All the beers here, with the exception of the Elbow Lane, came from Bradley’s. I bought the Wisdom via Neighbourfood but Bradley’s have the Elbow beers available as well. As you may know, they are all named after lanes in Cork City.

By the way the White Hag Lager is excellent as is the Black’s Mosaic. The other two, if you’re open to experiment, as I was, are worth a try. You just might just find a favourite there!

The White Hag Helles Style Lager, 4.5%, 440ml can

Light gold is the colour, a host of bubbles rising. Very pleasant in the mouth, easy drinking and well balanced to the finish. Light and refreshing they say. Light and refreshing it is.

The Helles style originated in Bavaria (Germany) apparently and this is one of the best Irish efforts that I’ve tasted.

Sligo based White Hag are a modern independent craft brewery from Sligo, on Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way. “We brew innovative and ground breaking beers, inspired by ancient and classic styles.” They produce quite a range of beers, most of them in can.

Blacks Brewery Mosaic IPA, 6.5%, 330ml bottle

This little bottle from Blacks showcases the Mosaic hops, giving the beer an American style (I suppose any beer with blueberry muffin aromas has to have US influences!). The hops, with its tropical aromas and juicy palate, is the main man here. This, in its small bottle, is well balanced though and another excellent and loveable brew from Kinsale.

They say: A West Coast Style IPA, packed full of tropical aromas, juicy big flavours and absolutely no nonsense. The malt character also shines through with freshly baked pastry and a whiff of blueberry muffin lingering in the background. On the palate, medium in body with a soft texture, mouthwatering acidity and a balance of bitter and sweet flavours.

Stone Barrel (brewed by their Third Barrel Brewing) Cabin Fever Enigma IPA, 7%, 44cl on can (but it’s a 33!).

“Long time friends and brewers, Stone Barrel Brewing and Third Circle Brewing, decided to combine their experience, resources, love for brewing and absolute passion for beer and create one of Ireland's most cutting edge breweries.” 

Tropical fruits and white grapes (they say) in the aromas; I’m thinking there’s something  "ferment-y" in the background too, like a sourdough starter. Maybe there is too much Enigma hops here as the brewers say. Not bad at all on the palate and a good hoppy finish as well. It is well balanced and the higher alcohol is hardly noticeable.

They say: Brewed with a lovely blend of Irish base malt, oats and wheat with a strong focus on the dry-hop hops. Big tropical and white grape aromas balanced with a slightly sweet finish.

Larkin’s Quadditch 10.5%, 440ml can

Quadditch is the Larkins’ take on a classic Belgian quad. “With whole plums added to the mix, a deep, rich beer, with complex dark fruit notes, awaits you. A warming beer”. Hop varieties used are Hersbrucker and EKG.

A cloudy muddy brown. Aromas more or less anonymous. This hulk of a beer comes into its own on the palate, deep and rich with fruit flavours, pretty complex for sure. A touch of sweetness is present and the high alcohol is just about noticeable. Probably best with food and recommendations for the Belgian equivalent are Roasted Duck, Aged Gouda and Bread Pudding. Tried it with creamy Gubbeen cheese - needs must. The pairing's not too bad but not a must-do either (though I never refuse a chance to eat the iconic Gubbeen). Serve in a Tulip glass at about 12 degrees.

Elbow Lane Wisdom Ale 5.2%, 500ml bottle (and draught in their restaurants).

Dark, between amber and brown, nice frothy head. Caramel is perhaps the most prominent of the aromas. Good balance of hops and toasty malt on the smooth palate. The Elbow Lane team produce beers to match the food in the various Market Lane restaurants and they certainly succeed.

Goldie, the latest of five restaurants in the group, shows the words Fish and Ale under the main title. And the beers come from the Elbow Lane Micro Brewery, also across the street. Brewers Russell and Davide have specially formulated the ales to suit food and, as customers of the restaurants will tell you, they have been very successful in that regard. And excellent without the food too!

They say: This medium bodied amber ale is brewed with a selection of specialty malts that impact rich, toasty and caramel malt character, balanced by a firm yet pleasant hop flavor and aroma. This ale is excellent with many foods and uniquely satisfying as a stand alone pint.