Glutinous veg pancake

Everyday I harvest small quantity of different veg for the meals, the easiest is to stir-fried to make a decent dish. This one have smoked mackerel for the protein part, after stir-fried to softern all veg, mix in glutinous flour water batter to make a crispy on the outside and glutinous inside pancake.

Home grown veg

Very pleased to still have harvest from the garden, the first time so late into the season. Mainly because of abnormally poor harvest during summer, hence re-sow a lot of veg during end July, not what I used to do in the past.

Most of them (spinach, stag horn plantain, mizuno, butter lettuce, lamb’s lettuce, gold and red beetroot, pea, red and purple carrots ) germinated and growing well. Together with existing tomato, aubergine and bean plants, providing a continuous supply of home grown veg.

Full Irish breakfast quiche

Went to Ballybunion for a walk along the coast, and found a coffee shop for a simple lunch. This quiche looks great and is tasty, with egg, bits of sausage, black pudding, bacon, mushroom and tomato. First time to see this creation and a good idea, piping hot, and no need to eat a lot of bread.

Squid and pork patties

The squid legs and fins are used in a separate meal, mix with minced belly pork and chopped fine scallion, season with salt, white pepper and chilli sauce. 

Formed into balls then flatten, place a leg on top for visual effect. Brush with oil and bake at 180˚C until cooked through, around 20 minutes. Serve with mustard diluted with fresh cream sauce.

Deep fried squid

Ordered fresh Irish squid, turns out to have only 2 for a kg, pretty good size and thick meat. It is wet and cold outside and the thick body is good to have it deep fried, wonderful comfort food, even though I rarely do deep frying.

Just dredge in flour mixed with seaweed flakes, for the colour effect and a mild flavour. Worked well, though not as crispy as a proper batter, squid is tender and tasty. The red sauce is a quick mix of raspberry coulis, cider vinegar and soy sauce.

Wild deer

 一直知道愛爾蘭樹林內野鹿很多，且在瘟疫期間因為少獵殺而數量大增。

野鹿和野山羊，數量過多，是生態平衡的破壞者，因為不似放牧的牛羊，只吃青草和嫩葉，鹿和山羊，並不擇食，所到之處，可以把所有草根、樹苗、嫩樹皮吃過清光，成就不少光禿山頭。

然而，有獵人捕殺，卻又不常在餐廳、市場上見到，知道自然又是因為本地人不愛吃也。

最近經人介紹，終於在附近找到獵人，且是一盤小生意，有屠房、冷藏櫃，包裝出售，有四名工人的公司。

八成出口英歐，其餘供應本地餐廳，有野鹿外，尚有野山羊、野鴨和野鴿。

買了一整條小鹿背脊骨連肉，十五歐羅一公斤，若由他們切下作肉扒出售，就要付三十五歐羅。鹿肉出名的少油脂，肉色深氣味強烈，下了很多胡椒粉和五香粉辟味，燒烤、焗至剛好，肉質細𡟹綿密似鴨胸肉軟嫩可口，煮後氣味亦沒那麽濃。

野外生物吃的是各種天然植物，有不同的營養，又環保又有口福，何樂而不為。

Wild Mayard duck

Finally found a hunter of duck, wood pigeon, pheasant and deer who live nearby, and went to see his supply. Quite a small commercial operation with proper butcher area, cold room and packing facility, with 4 people working. 80% went to UK or other European countries, as Irish are not crazy with game meat. The rest to local restaurants. 

He is happy to sell to individual customer in cash and we get the wholesale price. Wild Mayard duck is small and not fatty, good for a meal for 2. 

I seasoned with salt and 5 spices powder, bake at 200˚C for 25 minutes and rested in the oven with the door ajar for another 10 minutes. The breast meat is dark and tender, while the thigh is tough and needs longer cooking/stewing.  Next time I will cook breast and thight separately.

Cider

A good year for apple, meaning I have to think of ways to use them up. The best liked variety for eating is Cox Orange pippin, good sweet sour balance. The other three trees planted by previous owner are fine but more on the sweet juicy side. Hence decided to use these sweet ones with excess green cooking apples to make cider.

Simply juice the apples, fill the jar until 3/4 full, add wine yeast for a sure good fermentation. This cider is not going to keep, will start drinking in a couple weeks time as a mild alcoholic apple juice.

Staghorn plantain

Found this green veg from seed catalogue, a perennial veg if it survives winter here. The name is obviously from the shape of the leaves, unusual, even more green after cooking. 

 

Texture is a bit like Chinese chive, on the tough side, better to cut up into short pieces next time.

Wild line caught sea bass

 

野生sea bass 鱸魚，是今年伴侶希望釣到的本地海魚，但尚未成功，這條是附近釣魚人揮杆釣到，但那人並不吃魚，所以大方送人。

魚兒銀光閃閃，體態和骨頭都似三文魚，但魚肉只有些少粉紅色彩，所以仍未被捕殺至滅絕。

鹽醃一晚，放在蔥油上焗熟，肉嫩滑鮮美，但油水不夠多，背脊肉略乾，仍然是上好魚種。

昨晚煮餘下的鱸魚尾，加上拌了橄欖油的蒽碎，用紙包好，焗爐焗廿五分鐘，剛剛好。

 

 

效果似蒸魚，只是沒有添加蒸氣的倒汗水，魚肉濕潤嫩滑，蔥油芳香，執意不下豉油，太搶味，反而吃不到清淡魚鮮滋味。

 

 

 

Gold beetroot

To show off the beauty of gold beetroot and present as a centre dish, I cut them thin and arrange half overlapping on a baking dish. Brush olive oil on top and bake at 180˚C until the edges are golden. 

Enjoy very much the natural sweetness with crispy edges and softer centre.

Lamb rack one tray bake dinner

I love cooking with oven, so easy and effortless, not to mention no need to slave over a hot stove!


1.Season rack of lamb with salt and pepper for a few hours.
2.Cut vegetables that could be baked, like pumpkin, tomato, broccoli, purple carrot etc. into bite size pieces, season with salt and olive oil.
3.Sear rack of lamb at medium heat until golden, place among vegetables with fresh rosemary at the bottom.
4.Bake at 200˚C for 20 minutes, rest with oven door ajar for another 10 minutes, for a pink in the middle result.

Pickle herring in honey mustard sauce

The herring pickled 2 weeks ago is ready to serve, I simply mix mustard with honey to use generously as dressing, tasty and good texture.

Broad bean germinated

I have not been successful in germinating broad bean in winter since moving to Ireland, for an early spring harvest the next year. So tried to sow a month earlier than usual, in end September, and indeed they germinated. Fingers crossed for a good crop next year.

Normandy France tour 9/9 traditional food

 

Pork skin pate, pressed beef cheek, intestines sausages, tripe stew, liver pate….. traditional food is still available and well appreciated in France.

 

 

Normandy France tour 8/9 Cider and Calvados tasting

No just we learn a lot from visiting the cider and calvados production houses, it is also a pleasure to wander around the grounds of these multi-generations family business, with the old buildings in great conditioins.
 

Calvados is distilled cider, with an alcohol content over 40%, aged in various oak casks like sherry, whiskey, port etc for the colour and rounded deep flavor.

 Christian Drouin::

 

 

 Cider is made from special cider apples that have a lot of fragrance and tannin, most houses have a mix of over 30 types, fermented at arond 15˚c for 2 to 3 months, for the rich flavor, bottled under pressure so that it is very bubbly like champagne on opening, with only 4% alcolhol.

Dupont:

Normandy France tour 7/9 Cheese tasting

Met rainy weather while in the Pays d'Auge area, the best thing to do is go round the cheese area to visit museum and production houses, with tasting of course. 

Camenbert

Camenbert

Camenbert

Camenbert

Liverot

 

cheese tasting paired with a sharp cider