Taste of the Week. Gubbeen Salami

Taste of the Week

Gubbeen Salami

In a 2014 article in the Guardian newspaper, Fingal Ferguson credited his Spanish maternal grandmother with a big role in his love of producing chorizo and salami (and much more) on the family farm in West Cork.

Fingal spent many a summer holidays with his grandmother’s family in Andalucia and obviously learned much, not that he has ever stopped learning the techniques, never discarding the traditions.

We should all give mucho thanks to his Abuelita (his mother too is fulsomely credited) as Gubbeen pork products are now renowned not just in West Cork, not just in Ireland, but further afield, hence the Guardian's interest.

I have been enjoying the Gubbeen chorizo for quite a while now but it is only relatively recently I got into the salami. Lightly smoked and with gentle spices, it is our Taste of the Week. The initial “toughness” quickly vanishes on the palate and soon you are savouring that delicious blend of smoke and spice. Close your eyes and you're in Andalusia. Sherry, please!

The Farmer's Markets, especially Mahon Point every Thursday, Bantry (Friday), Skibbereen (Saturday), and Schull on Sundays in summer, are places you’ll find a Gubbeen stall, and lots of advice on using the wide range and variety of products, including dry-cured bacon, salami, pistachio salami, chorizo, fresh ribs and chops.

For the rest of the country and abroad, check out the Gubbeen outlets and distributors here.

Taste of the Week. Un-Phỏ-king Believable Chicken Broth.

Taste of the Week

Un-Phỏ-king Believable Chicken Broth

Where's my Phỏ Gà? A broth of a boy waits.

Sonny, described as the Merchant of Broth, has recently taken a stall at Mahon Point Farmers Market and here last Thursday, I found my Taste of the Week.

It is Sonny’s Chicken Broth and a pot of it, enough for two, will cost you a fiver. It is a Vietnamese broth and the proper title is Phỏ Gà. It is made from Tom Clancy’s free range chicken and enhanced with star anise, cinnamon, black cardamom, lime leaf, charred onion and ginger. Tom also has a stall in Mahon.

The aromatic broth is refreshing and delicious, packed with flavours. And it may even be good for you - not that they were saying so at the market stall. According to the Mayo Clinic, chicken soup is a cold remedy used in many cultures; taking in warm liquids, such as chicken soup, tea, or warm apple juice, might be soothing and might ease congestion by increasing mucus flow. You can also read good things about it in this New York Times article.

Taste of the Week. Cookies of Character.

Taste of the Week

Hazelnut & White Chocolate Cookies

I’ve never really held cookies in high regard, especially those chocolate chips ones. But West Cork’s Cookies of Character have changed my mind and my favourite (current!) is their Hazelnut & White Chocolate version. Rich and luxurious, these cookies are packed with toasted hazelnuts and creamy milk chocolate and made using vegetable oil in place of butter and are our Taste of the Week!

These delicious handmade cookies are made by Richard and Jane Graham-Leigh at their Regale bakery near Dunmanway. They started making the cookies by hand through necessity, then realized how much better they were made that way, rather than on a machine.

And the other good news is that they are widely available in Cork and also in several outlets in Dublin along with a  scattering of stockists in Galway, Louth, Meath and Waterford. And if you visit Mahon Point Farmers Market any Thursday (10.00am to 3.00pm), you’ll find their stall there and quite a selection to choose from. Check stockists here

Taste of the Week. Social Circles

Taste of the Week

Social Circles

It wasn’t exactly the feedback I was expecting. Shortly before Christmas, I was visiting friends and one of the little food gifts I had left was a pack of Social Circles from Seymour Biscuits in Bandon. I met my hosts a few weeks later and they told me that the Social Circles were absolutely gorgeous but “we were fighting over them!”

So there you are. If you decide to try Social Circles, our Taste of the Week, then my advice is to get at least two packets. These biscuits are seriously addictive! I did get the two packs for a post Christmas get-together and they vanished in no time.

Everybody seems to love them. A pack contains six shortbread biscuit pieces which have been immersed in Belgian chocolate with added Madagascan vanilla pod, pecan, cardamom spice and natural orange extract; you get three of Cardamom Orange and three of Vanilla Pecan. I got mine at Bradley’s (Cork) and they are also available at the best gourmet stores and hotels in Ireland and their new website allows customers throughout the world buy online.

They make lots of other biscuits too - the fresh milk comes from their own farm nearby - and you can check them all out here

Taste of the Week. 15 Fields Cheese

Taste of the Week

15 Fields Cheese

Our Taste of the Week is the 15 Fields mature cheddar cheese. It is a cooperative effort between Eamonn Lonergan of Knockanore Cheese and Sheridan’s. The name refers to the fifteen fields of Eamonn’s West Waterford farm. The cheese is produced from “great raw milk” in Knockanore and is then transferred to the maturing room in the Sheridan’s warehouse in Meath.

Many of you will have noticed at various tastings that it is usually the young cheddar that gets the popular nod ahead of its mature cousin. Generally the reason given is people don't particularly like the usually very dry texture of the mature. Sheridan’s seem to have got over that hurdle with 15 Fields (matured for 14 months).

It is their first venture as affineurs and, while it is early days yet, they “are really happy with how it is going”. I tasted it over the Christmas (having won a hamper in a Sheridan's online competition!) and it is terrific, a lovely Cheddar, mature but not dry, full of great flavour and our Taste of the Week.

Sheridan's recent book Guide to Cheese classes cheddar as a Pressed Uncooked Cheese and you’ll also see it classed as a Scalded Hard Cheese. The group is large and varied and includes Farmhouse Gouda, Cantal, Raclette, Pyrenees, Tomme de Savoie (and other Tommes) plus most of the English county cheeses such as Red Leicester, Wensleydale, Cheshire and Double Gloucester.

They are particularly good for use in cooked dishes, the stronger flavoured ones giving the best results. Don't overcook or apply strong heat or the cheese will become stringy and leathery. They are also ideal for light meals and snacks, especially picnics and packed lunches. Versatile!

Visitors at Knockanore Farm

Taste of the Week. Killeen Cheese

Taste of the Week

Killeen Cheese

Bought some Killeen goat milk cheese at On the Pig's Back recently and it is a gem. Made in the Gouda style by Dutch-born Marion Roeleveld in Ballinasloe, the recently published Sheridans Guide to Cheese has praised it to the rafters of the dairy: “The Gouda-making technique works very well with goats’ milk and Marion produces the best we have ever tasted.” High praise indeed for our Taste of the Week.

It is a very pale cheese indeed, the texture is firm and smooth and it falls into the Pressed Uncooked category. It is mild, a little sweet and totally delicious, very versatile too and one that garners many converts for goats cheese. Try it in salads, with fruit or as a topping for savoury dishes. And don't forget the cheese board. It was voted Best Goat Cheese at the British Cheese Awards in 2014.

Killeens also make a cows milk cheese along Gouda lines. Check out their website here for the details of both cheeses (and some variations as well) and you’ll also see that they are widely available.

Taste of the Week. Wilkies Tumbes Chocolate Bar

Taste of the Week

Wilkies Tumbes Chocolate Bar

“The chocolate we produce at present is made from single origin organic criollo cocoa beans from Peru.  Criollo beans are considered a delicacy.” And this one, with beautiful flavours and smooth velvety texture, is certainly a delicious delight for the chocolate lover and is our Taste of the Week.

The beans come from the Tumbes Farm and are organic.  Shana Wilkies, based in  Midleton (County Cork), ensure that the small farmers receive a fair price. Shana also use beans from the Amazonas Farm from which they make two bars; both are good but one, with cocoa nibs added, is highly recommended.

Read all about Wilkies Bean to Bar chocolate here.

Taste of the Week. Rebel Chilli

Taste of the Week

Rebel Chilli

Kick bleak mid-winter up the arse with ginger, green chilli and lemongrass.

Is your chicken looking a little sad? Your bland burger hiding between the covers? Your sandwich less than appealing?

The good news is Plain time is over. Cork’s Rebel Chilli have just the cure for your food time blues, summer or winter. Their Green Chilli, Lemongrass and Ginger Sauce will heat up anything you decide to use it on (cheese, fish, meats). It is just what you want, your mid-winter zest and our Taste of the Week.

Taste of the Week. St Gall Cheese.

Taste of the Week

St Gall Cheese

Fermoy Natural Cheese Company is a small family farm run by Frank and Gudrun Shinnick. The farm uses raw milk from their Friesian cows to produce several varieties of cheeses, yogurt, kefir, labneh, and raw milk. Gudrun learned her cheesemaking skills in her native Germany and later in Switzerland.

St Gall, it is said, was an Irish monk who brought cheese-making skills to Appenzell in Switzerland. And this Fermoy cheese, available at On the Pig’s Back in the English Market, is based on a recipe for the Swiss cheese.

St Gall is hard and dry, with a pale golden colour and scattering of small holes. In the mouth it is smooth with a creamy sweetness, a very lovely taste with a slight herby flavour. A delightful cheese and our Taste of the Week.

I certainly enjoyed my few slices at lunchtime but the guidebooks recommend using this cooked hard cheese in fondues and sauces. You might also consider grating it in recipes which call for grated gruyere. St Gall is a good cooking cheese as it keeps its flavour well when melted.

Taste of the Week. Vienna Lager by Elbow Lane.

Taste of the Week

Elbow Lane Meeting House, Vienna Lager 5.4%, Bradley’s of North Main Street

Elbow Lane may have “breached” the German Beer Purity law here but when that extra ingredient is love, well it is easy to forgive! And this Vienna Lager, a collaborative effort with the famed Bradley’s of North Main Street, is a winner, copper in colour, rich in flavour, well balanced and with a pleasant smoothness all through. It is a seasonal offering, brewed for the festival on the horizon. You may need to move quickly to get your hands on some as it is a "very limited" edition.

Not only does the love come from Cork. Some freshly picked hop flowers from Elbow Lane's garden were added to the German Perle and Herzbrucker hops and the Munich and Vienna malt.

Three men are credited on the label: Michael Creedon of Bradley’s, Russell Garet the Elbow Lane brewer, and David Dempsey who came up with the name (after a lane near Bradley’s). I like the bottle too and its long neck. Now better head on down town and get some more of our Taste of the Week.

Taste of the Week. Potato Loaf by Diva Bakery

Taste of the Week.
Potato Loaf by Diva Boutique Bakery Cafe & Deli

Visited the Diva Cafe in Ballinspittle recently at lunchtime (review here) and also called to their bakery and deli across the street. Lots of that morning's bake had been sold but there were still some interesting breads on offer, including a Toasted Walnut Loaf. My pick was their Potato Loaf, our Taste of the Week. Lovely and crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside and full of flavour overall. Keep up to date with the bakery and cafe here. 

Taste of the Week. Custard Tarts by La Cocina

Taste of the Week
Custard Tarts by La Cocina

This Taste of the Week comes via Silvia and Olga Iglesias, the two sisters than run La Cocina. One of their outlets is at Mahon Point Farmers Market (they also do Douglas) and it was there that I picked up this little treat, all dressed up for Halloween. It is small but massively delicious and they use lemon flavoured custard as part of their take on the traditional Portuguese favourite. La Cocina makes artisan Spanish food (savoury, as well as sweet) in Cork and they may be contacted at lacocinacork@gmail.com. You'll find them on Facebook here.

Taste of the Week. Nettle Pesto

Taste of the Week. 
Nettle Pesto

This is a superfood according to Fiona Falconer on the Wild About Website. Maybe so, but in any case it sure tastes good. Smeared it over a piece of hake (from Ballycotton Seafood in the English Market) and it certainly enhanced the experience. Our latest Taste of the Week, bought in the market during the recent Dingle Food Festival, is a versatile little gem and may also be used on chicken, lamb, veggies and pasta. Check it out, and all the other Wild About products, on the very informative website.

And a little warning, this is raw food and needs to be refrigerated straight after purchase. Otherwise, when opened it will bubble out all over the place. Experience speaking!

* Did you see this recent video that I posted? It was commissioned by www.cork.ie and is about the English Market and us getting lots of hits. View it here. 

Taste of the Week. At Lunch in Adare Manor

Taste of the Week. 
Starter in Adare Manor

Sometimes, at a meal, you stop talking and take extra notice of what you are eating. Such an occasion came up at a recent wine tasting lunch in the Adare Manor Hotel. We were on the starter: Smoked Irish Salmon with Mango Salsa, Crab, herb and citrus creme fraiche. 

Think I may well have had this combination before but the plate in Adare was quite a treat, a superb mix of flavours and textures, even colours. Taste of the Week, without a doubt. If you want to enjoy, you’d better hurry! Extensive refurbishment is planned for the leading five star hotel from early next year and it will be closed for up to 18 months.

Taste of the Week. Macroom buffalo steaks

Taste of the Week. 
Macroom buffalo steaks

Pic by O'Mahony's Butchers

"Full of flavour and tender," I said. "What more would you want?" Stupid question.
"Another one," she said.

We were chatting about our Taste of the Week, the ribeye steaks produced by Johnny Lynch of Macroom Buffalo and sold in the English Market by Eoin O'Mahony. Sirloin also available.

Yes, indeed. Another one is the correct answer!

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week

Skyr from Iceland

Skyr is the new yogurt like dairy product from Iceland. Except that they don't call it yogurt and, while new to Ireland, it has a history of over a 1,000 years in Iceland.

I’ve been enjoying some samples over the past few days. It has a creamy velvety texture and the flavours are enhanced by the addition of strawberry, blueberry and vanilla. It comes in a 170g pot with a fold-out spoon in the lid so you can enjoy it on the go.

Skyr (pronounced skeer) is billed as Iceland’s secret to healthy living and you may read all about the benefits here. Here too you’ll find the full story and also some recipes.

It is made by a large dairy co-op from skimmed milk and they use “the Original Icelandic Skyr Cultures” and it is widely available in Dunnes Stores outlets up and down the country.

Taste of the Week

Taste of the Week
Black Pudding with Teeling Whiskey
 by McCarthy's of Kanturk

 The picture below shows most of the ingredients you need to make black pudding. Add water and blood and you have it. But if you want something extra, then add some special ingredients just like McCarthy's of Kanturk did as they made this one (left), our Taste of the Week. As well as the blood and water, cream and some of the superb Teeling's whiskey were mixed in. We had a taste in Nash 19 on Culture Night and will soon be getting more. It is soft and flavoursome, spicy but not salty, crumbly and moist, just irresistible!

Taste of the Week. So Milky Milk Chocolate

Taste of the Week

So Milky Milk Chocolate

One of the bonuses of visiting Clonakilty recently for A Taste of West Cork was the chance to meet chocolatier Allison Roberts at the tasting event in Spiller’s Lane. She was one of the local producers showing their wares and I stocked up on her chocolate bars, including the So Milky Milk bar, our Taste of the Week.

This has no “artificial anything” and is “Gluten free”. Aside from Cocoa, the other main ingredient is Coconut Blossom Syrup. And the milk is not from the cow but from the goat!

Clonakilty Chocolate is a Fairtrade operation, the beans coming to Clon from the farmers of Kokoo (Ghana). Even the wrapper is bio-degradeable. Eating it, the chocolate that is, will make you feel good in more ways than one!

Other bars include: Chai Chilli, 100% Cocoa, Decadent Dark, Wild West Salty, and Seriously Minted. The Salty and the Minted are also among my favourites but do sample and take your pick from a great choice.

Taste of the Week. Martin’s Whiskey Marmalade

Taste of the Week

Martin’s Whiskey Marmalade

How about whiskey in a jar? Whiskey for breakfast? An early morning Hair of the Dog maybe?

Martin’s Homemade Jams and Marmalades, from Mallow, have started making a whiskey marmalade with the whiskey coming from St Patrick’s Distillery of Douglas. It is quite different to other versions, with a lovely aroma and surprisingly delicious flavour and is our Taste of the Week. Indeed, one non-marmalade eater here has been converted.

The marmalade is available at the Friday Market in Mallow, at Danno’s SuperValu and Lucey’s Butchers (both in Mallow), at Bradley’s of North Main Street (Cork) and at Roughty Fruit (English Market).

See more about St Patrick’s Distillery here.

Taste of the Week. Goatsbridge Barbecued Trout Paté

Taste of the Week

Goatsbridge Barbecued Trout Paté

This Taste of the Week is delicious and easy to make. And we even have the recipe (below) for you! Your main ingredient is Barbecued Rainbow Trout from Goatsbridge in Kilkenny. Just follow Mag’s recipe and add the Paté to a quality toasted sourdough, Pana was the bread used on this occasion. For more about Goatsbridge products, and more recipes, visit their website and online shop.