FoodFight.ie - Food and Drink in Ireland - The tastiest content from around the Irish blogosphere

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If I was to name one recipe that is ideal food therapy, it would be this rich tomato & Italian meatballs pasta. There is something extremely relaxing about rolling the meat into little balls and plopping them into a boiling, rich, tomato sauce. I rely solely on the heat of the sauce to cook and infuse the balls with flavour and I love to serve the dish on a big platter with serving spoons, so that people can dig in at the table.  Continue reading »

A great way to include essential vitamins and minerals into one’s diet is through juicing fruit and vegetables. Juicers can be bought at a reasonable price these days and it will last you years. However, recently I was introduced to the ‘Nutri Ninja’ {variant of the Nutri Bullet} and I must say, in the matter of a few weeks, it has steadily become the most used utensil in my kitchen.  Continue reading »

Riedel A Winner At Ballymaloe
Can’t Beat A Proper Glass.

We are in the Grainstore at Ballymaloe and sampling various wines in glasses made by Riedel, “the Rolls Royce of glassware”, according to our guide John Hinckley, UK based Business Manager with the company. He takes us on quite a drive!

Glassmakers since 1700, things looked grim for Walter Riedel and his family when he returned to Austria in 1955 after imprisonment in Russia.  Continue reading »

When you spend a lot of time watching the doings of small breweries, the behaviour of big breweries can seem a bit weird. Diageo, for instance, has two new beers out but looks to be treating them in very different ways even though they’re quite similar to each other, on paper at least.
Smithwick’s Blonde I learned about via my ancillary hobby of peering in pub windows at what they have on tap.  Continue reading »

An OK ale. Similar enough to Newcastle Brown.
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We had driven to Dun Laoghaire with the intention of a having a nice brisk walk along the seafront and taking a goo at the controversial new library. After walking all around the new venue, I quite disliked the cold, bleak exterior of the library, but really liked the wide open inside space, with lots of room for daytime readers. I’d love to see this new resource becoming a big part of the Dun Laoghaire community.  Continue reading »

The coffee machine hisses and sputters the final drops….
She opens the refrigerator door… She takes out the quart of skim and pours a splash into her mug. She grabs the plastic handle of the carafe and fills the mug with hot, viscous, bitter, bracing caffeination. She takes a small sip, then a larger one. She tops up the mug, and again wipes away tears.

from The Accident by Chris Pavone.  Continue reading »

Not all of my soup making attempts are disastrous, thank goodness, and this was one of the nicest ways I've spent a Sunday afternoon while The Hubs was working (apart from lying on the sofa watching Scandal and eating chocolate).  But if you time this right, you can easily accomplish both.  That's called multitasking, you know…  Back to the soup now.  Continue reading »

Have you caught the spiralizer bug yet? I am a true addict! If you haven’t heard of this trendy kitchen gadget, you’re in for a treat. Rather than the good auld Irish ‘chunk chop,’ you can create fantastic textures and shapes with most veg in a matter of minutes. I used my spiralizer to create this Crunchy Cucumber Asian Salad and it was a huge hit with my family and friends!  Continue reading »

IWFS Launch 2015 Programme at Jacques
Ardsallagh Cheese The Five Course Star

Dessert, with Ardsallagh!

A totally unexpected gift from a travelling salesman started Jane Murphy’s long term love of goats and led to the beautiful Ardsallagh cheese that so many people know and love today.

Back in the late 70s, that insurance salesman in County Carlow wasn’t getting the best of receptions from Jane.  Continue reading »

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Three spring pestos
It’s coming back into spring greens season and I love them all! Although we get local veg throughout the year, it’s always a breath of fresh air when we start getting the local spring greens back in abundance. The hedgerows are starting to sprout and wild garlic is on its way. If you aren’t lucky enough to live near wild garlic, you most probably have some garlic chives growing in a hedge nearby.  Continue reading »

Would you take wine recommendations from these people? Doerthe Woltermann, vice president of the Dublin Ladies Craft Beer Society and the Lovin’ Dublin beer correspondent,….  Continue reading »

The biggest request on my youtube channel is behind the scenes footage so at the start of 2015 I decided that I would record what I’m up to each week and share it with all of you! This had led to weekly vlogs which I upload to my channel every Tuesday! I love seeing the reaction they get each week and from what I can see in the comments, you seem to be enjoying them too! Now that I have done my first 5 vlogs, I thought I’d do a little recap of what has been happening!  Continue reading »

Trambusti, based in the province of Florence, was founded in 1934 by Orlando Trambusti and is today run by his son Giovanni and grandchildren Giacomo, Veronica and Francesco. The estate’s 52 hectares (which include gorgeous olive groves) are at an average height of 350 meters above sea level, an altitude that is considered just about perfect for viticulture in Tuscany.  Continue reading »

Southern Spice Coming To A Food Near You
Rebel Chilli On The March

Just enjoyed a great week on the food front. Just about everything I’ve had on the plate has been enhanced by a touch of Rebel Chilli. Started in 2009, Rebel Chilli was the brainchild of Ken Moore.  Continue reading »

Join us in IADT from March 9th for a week of delicious food, giveaways & cooking advice!  Continue reading »

Two imperial stouts from the realm of New Zealand today.
Moa Imperial Stout has some classy presentation, though the black-on-black label is quite difficult to photograph. This is 10.2% ABV and, enticingly, is aged in Pinot Noir barrels. The flavour begins with quite orthodox coffee and sweet caramel – all very pleasant. But soon afterwards, the barrel drops into the middle of it all, adding a massive, jarring, sap-and-sawdust effect.  Continue reading »

Taste of the Week

Elderberry Syrup from Wild Irish Foragers

Wild Irish Foragers are a farm based family business in Shinrone, Birr, Co Offaly, and frequently seen at food fairs and festivals; their products are also available in the English Market and the Village Greengrocer in Castlemartyr. They will have a stall at the big Shed for the 2015 Ballymaloe LitFest. There is a full list of stockists here.  Continue reading »