2009 at FoodFight.ie
Photo by peterastn
A post by Daily Spud at The Daily Spud
I hate to be predictable, but it’s that day of the year when you’d be expecting to see some kind of top-10-review-highlights-resolution kind of post, and who am I to disappoint?
So c’mon, then, into the spudmobile, seat belts on and let’s zoom through 2009…
First stop, the Irish Blog Awards in Cork. Continue reading »
So, Christmas – Done. New Years Day – tomorrow! Another year older and hopefully wiser.
Have you noticed all the food traditions associated with the new year? Of course my Texan Missus has hers, which involves black eyed peas and leafy greens (representing good luck, good health & good fortune), which is now a tradition I’ve adopted. Continue reading »
A post by Toasted Special at Toasted Special
I couldn’t have Christmas dinner without red cabbage. This one tastes just right with a little port and a hint of cinnamon. It also freezes very well, so you can make a large batch and portion into freezer bags. Just defrost and microwave on Christmas day for a tasty side dish.
This would also go well with some roast duck or a good steak, with maybe some pomme dauphinoise on the side.
Finely sliced 1 large red cabbage (about 1kg) and add to a large saucepan. Add 2 finely sliced red onions. Continue reading »
A post by noreply@blogger.com (www.ifoods.tv) at iFoods
A simple carrot and leek soup from one of our videos on Vidvend. You can download or license any of these recipes. Continue reading »
A post by noreply@blogger.com (Donal) at The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan
2009 has been a fairly spectacular year indeed, between the band, the book, and lots and lots of cooking I have never been so busy in my life, but it has been totally worth it! Here’s my run down of 2009 highlights!
- Started the year flying high as Peter Pan in the Tivoli theatre’s panto.
- Putting together plans for a mixed pop group.
- Forming Industry with Lee Hutton, Michele McGrath, and Morgan Deane! Continue reading »
A post by Hillary at Chew On That
Recipe4Living product testers got a chance to put some super sweet products to the test! Decas dried cranberries, infused with additional flavors and antioxidants had our product testers busy in the kitchen. By using Recipe4Living recipes or their own original recipes, our product testers tried out Decas’ two different flavored cranberries: BluCrans and GrapeCrans. Check out what they had to say about these superfruits in the reviews below.
Click here to see the full review on Recipe4Living! Continue reading »
A post by 'NEEN at 9 BEAN ROW at 9 Bean Row
The Irish, and particularly Dubliners have a tendency to drop the ‘Saint’ from the front of phrases. Continue reading »
A post by The Beer Nut at The Beer Nut
Travel. It’s just as well I love it. Not just the Being Somewhere Different, but the act of Getting Up And Going does it for me. Which is just as well, given the amount of time I’ve spent on the road recently. I’m in Germany when you’re reading this, but I’m writing it holed up in my parents’ house in rural Northern Ireland, with the snow falling and nothing much to do except drink beers and try desperately to make my phone take a half-decent picture of them. Continue reading »
A post by Ruth E at ruth's kitchen experiments
I know I’m in a minority these days but I am a big fan of Christmas cake. When I was younger Mum would have bought slabs of “iced fruit cake” through the year for me, not just at Christmas. Last year I made my first ever Christmas Cake using Mum’s Christmas Cake recipe. I watched Delia’s Christmas Special a few weeks ago and loved the look of her Creole Christmas Cake and decided I just had to try it. Continue reading »
A post by Toasted Special at Toasted Special
This cake recipe includes ground almonds which allows the cake to keep a little longer. It’s got lots of dried fruits and just a little spice. Great with afternoon tea.
Ingredients
225g self-raising flour
115g butter
115g caster sugar
pinch salt
½ tsp mixed spice
125g sultanas
100g glacé cherries
50g mixed peel
100g ground almonds
1 free-range egg
220ml whole milk
flaked almonds
Method
Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl along with the salt and ground spices. Continue reading »
Alright guys, here we go again. New Years Eve…what to do? Does the thought of fighting the crowds out n about in the pubs and restaurants make you want to pull your fingernails out? (A little dramatic maybe, but you get the drift.) I definitely agree with you so (all in the name of research) I gathered some good friends to test out my theory of how much fun a dinner party can be. Continue reading »
A post by Kieran at Ice Cream Ireland
Amazing as it seems, we’re completing our 10th year of Murphys Ice Cream. I thought, perhaps, I’d try to write up a Top Ten highlights of the decade of ice cream, even though there were so many amazing moments…
First Ten Years of Murphys “Top Ten”
1. Opening the doors in Dingle. A dream becomes a reality.
2. Moving the ice cream making from the back of the Dingle shop into our own little ice cream factory. Continue reading »
A post by noreply@blogger.com (Donal) at The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan
I recently watched “Food Inc.” a movie with a tagline which promises “You’ll never look at dinner the same way again” and let me just say it does not disappoint. If you have seen other sensationalist style movies about food before, don’t be put off, “Food Inc.” is very different, not only does it reveal the shocking way in which food is produced and its links with causing life threatening illnesses, it also provides viewers with a look at the alternative lifestyle. A visit to a free range organic farm shows the stark contrast between the production values of food. One of the best points made in the movie is that we, the consumer can change the way food is produced by demanding honest healthy food when we shop. The big companies will respond to consumers needs. Continue reading »
A post by lors at italian foodies
A post by Ruth E at ruth's kitchen experiments
I’m late….. again…. with my Daring Bakers post for this month, but I only just got it finished. This month the challenge was a Christmassy one in that we had to make a Gingerbread House!
I have to admit I had a few problems with this one. There were two different recipes to work from for this, I thought I’d save reading any further and just do the first one, but ended in disaster for me because the dough ended up way too dry and I still had more flour to add! Continue reading »
A post by noreply@blogger.com (Donal) at The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan
Who else is ready for the lighter foods season to start? I love Christmas and all the festive food that comes with it but after all the leftovers are eaten I am more than ready to start eating healthy dishes again. As January rolls in the focus will quickly change to healthy dishes to help all those with optimistic New Years resolutions and I can’t wait! Continue reading »
A post by noreply@blogger.com (Donal) at The Good Mood Food Blog- Donal Skehan
As I mentioned over on twitter the Swedes celebrate Christmas on the 24th of December and Santa Claus personally delivers all the presents in person which was a very strange experience altogether! When I was living in Sweden a few years ago I worked briefly as a chef at a Christmas buffet which is more commonly known over here as a Julbord, so I have my fair share of knowledge when it comes to traditional Swedish Christmas food. However having never actually experienced a Swedish Christmas I was totally unprepared for the non food traditions! Continue reading »
A post by Caroline at Bibliocook: All About Food
Darina Allen’s latest book focuses on kitchen skills and traditions – such as making yoghurt, keeping hens and baking bread – that have been lost in recent times. She talks to Caroline Hennessy for EveryMonday.ie about how the increasing interest in self-sufficiency can help us weather the recession. Continue reading »
A post by The Beer Nut at The Beer Nut
Maybe it was just because I opened it immediately after finishing a particularly sugary dessert, but the first sip of Sierra Nevada Harvest Wet Hop gave me a sharp jolt of astringency which I really didn’t care for. The label makes much of the added complexity and spiciness that they claim comes from using straight-off-the-vine fresh hops, but to me this stuff is just bitter to the point of unpleasantly sour. An hour later it had mellowed a bit, but not hugely. Continue reading »
A post by Toasted Special at Toasted Special
This bread is made in homes all over Ireland. It uses bicarbonate of soda as a raising agent and the buttermilk gives it a subtle tang.
Ingredients
450g plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
300-350ml buttermilk
Method
Pre-heat the oven to 230°C.
Sift the flour, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a mixing bowl. Mix well with a fork to ensure the salt and bread soda are well incorporated into the flour.
Add 300ml of buttermilk and mix through the flour. Continue reading »
To celebrate the publishing of the book The Country Cooking of Ireland by Colman Andrews, we have one of the books to give away and also for Foodfight readers we have a recipe from the book for you. The competition is after the recipe.
Serves 4
The late cookbook author Theodora FitzGibbon adapted the recipe for this unusual and delicious soup from “a handwritten recipe book, 1735”; she doesn’t specify the family name or country. She does note, though, in her indespensable Irish Traditional Food, wherein her version appears, that “Almonds were immensley popular in richer homes in 18th century Ireland. They were not only used for cakes and puddings, but also with meats, fish, vegetables and in soups.” Watercress is a far more ancient food in Ireland, eaten since prehistoric times.
Combine the milk and cream in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the lemon rind and almonds. Bring almost to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pot over low heat, add the celery, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the stock in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly, and cook for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir until the sauce thickens.
Strain the infused milk into the stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the watercress and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes more.
Puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Adjust the seasoning if necessary.
Serve hot or cold.
To win the book, leave an answer to the following question in the comments: Is it beef or lamb that is the meat in Irish stew?
Those with the correct answer will be added to a draw and the winner will be randomly selected.
A post sponsored by Irish Mist
This is a sponsored post by Irish Mist. Have a look at their Irish Mist Facebook Page and become a fan.
Ingredients:
Oven Temperature: Pre-heat to Gas Mark 6 – 400ºF – 200ºC
Preparation:
1. Soak ham overnight in cold water.
2. Remove ham from the water. Rinse under cold tap.
3. Place skin-side down in a large pan, and cover completely with cold water.
4. Bring slowly to the boil, removing any scum which arises.
5. As soon as it comes to the boil, turn the heat down to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook very gently, allowing 25 minutes to the lb./450g plus 20 minutes extra.
6. Approximately ½ hour before the cooking time is completed, remove the ham from the water and cool a little.
7. Strip the rind and score the fat in diamonds. Place a clove in each diamond and place the ham on a rack in a roasting tin.
8. Paint the ham all over with half the Irish Mist.
9. Mix the sugar and mustard with the remaining Irish Mist and spread on the scored fat.
10. Cook in the pre-heated oven for approximately 30 minutes until the glaze is golden brown. Relax before carving.
Important:
Top up the pan with extra boiling water, whenever necessary.
A post sponsored by Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
And another competition. Two goodie bags for the movie Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Blurb: 
When Flint’s latest machine, designed to turn water into food, accidentally destroys the town square and rockets up into the clouds, he thinks his inventing career is over. Until something amazing happens — cheeseburgers start raining from the sky.