Given the week that’s in it, it would be remiss of me not to wish the hurlers all the best for this weekend.  I have no doubt the excitement will reach fever pitch by Sunday morning and the whole country will watch as the drama unfolds.  Come Sunday evening we may be the home of championship hurling, but I can confirm today that we are already the home of championship food.  I am resolute in that because Tipperary Food Producers had their ‘All Ireland’ last Wednesday night and came out triumphant.  Now to be fair, what has now become the annual Long Table Dinner is more of an event than a contest, but it is still a huge test of produce, expertise and excellence in what the County has to offer from a food point of view.  We were not disappointed and once again the Premier County well and truly lived up to its name. 

This year, for the sake of variety and given the increased interest, the event was held simultaneously at four different venues throughout Tipperary.   In all 237 people sat to eat at the same time with four different menus constructed entirely of food sourced in Tipperary.  Indeed some of the people attending had travelled further than many of the ingredients.   In thought I had devoured each of the menus finding it hard to choose where I most wanted to eat.  Fully aware that I have yet to master the power of bi-location I was left with a dilemma.  In the end, thankfully, the decision was taken out of my hands and I was told to be in Chez Hans in Cashel.  The other venues were The Old Convent in Clogheen, Brocka on The Water in Nenagh and Inch House in Thurles. 

Events like this are always a risk.  We boast in the advance publicity that it will be a triumph.  We promise Epicurean delights and orgasmic bursts of flavour.  We assure quality and guarantee that you will be inspired, stimulated and enthused by the food on offer.  Then the night arrives and while I have true faith in the producers involved in Tipperary Food Producers Network, nerves make a concerted effort to move me towards fear.  You see with food there are ten thousand variables from the storage of it, delivery to the kitchen, preparation, cooking and ultimate presentation. 

I shouldn’t have paid any attention to the doubting Thomas inside me.  As each course came, one was more perfectly prepared than the previous and it was hard to choose a favourite.  We tasted lamb, pork and beef and sampled an array of vegetables, fruit and cheese all locally produced and brilliantly used in original recipes for each of the eight courses.  Once the starting gun went off and the first course of Mushroom Soup, Lovage Cappuccino arrived the bar was set very high.  Soon however, all nerves were allayed and as we settled into a perfectly paced culinary jaunt around the county I found myself marvelling once again at the variety of flavoursome food we have on our doorstep.  We should be shouting it from every rooftop and not hiding our light under a bushel.  The taste sensations never let up.  Each meat course and its various accompaniments was a stand alone success.  The cheese course was transformed from the common to an exhilarating and exceptional taste explosion involving mature Crozier Blue cheese, warm plums, toasted brioche, candied walnuts and aged balsamic.  Indeed just listing the ingredients does this fusion no justice whatsoever as it was a feast for the eyes also.  Right to the very end there was no let up.  This wasn’t a slow climb to the summit and then a quick run back down the other side.  Oh no, this was a continuous gentle caress, a slow build to the fireworks of the homemade vanilla ice cream and hand made biscotti.  

While the food was the obvious star of the show let us not negate the chef’s magic touch.  Jason Matthiae of Chez Hans is a true original and if cloning is ever perfected we should make ten of him and keep them in cold storage!  His ability is outstanding and the preparation of each course while witty, daring and youthful still achieved a traditional precision that is sometimes hard to find these days.  Of course a true food experience is a combination of many elements.   While we like to think that what we are eating is the most important part, the setting, the service and the atmosphere all either add or subtract to the overall.  In this instance nothing fell short and once again it is a testament to the entire staff of Chez Hans.  If you haven’t ever eaten in this true shrine to wonderful cuisine at the foot of the Rock of Cashel I urge you to do so.  You won’t be disappointed. 

The feedback from the other three restaurants was equally good but obviously I can only truly comment on where I was.  Indeed for anyone enjoying the new social media of Twitter #tipperaryfood, a quick glance at last Wednesday night’s duelling tweets from TJ Crowe of Crowe’s Meat Dundrum and Gary Gubbins of Red Nose Wines will confirm that each restaurant involved was equally fantastic.  I wanted to be at them all.

Regardless of where we were last Wednesday evening the truth is that we have something very special in our local food and our local food producers.  Perhaps it’s the passion of the people involved, perhaps it’s the Tipperary soil and environment in which we all do our thing, maybe it’s a combination of God given gifts, talents and our location.  Whatever the reasons we can be confident of where Tipperary food is today.  We can hold our heads high and stand at our farm and plant gates as proudly as any French or Italian.  It may have taken us a few years to shake off our modesty and proclaim such parity but in Tipperary we have certainly earned and achieved it.

Please God next Sunday will be as successful for the hurlers as The Long Table Dinner was for the food sector.  Up Tipp!  Now where’s that book I had on bi-location? I welcome feedback always. pat@jwb.ie

Pan-fried Pork Chops with orange and rosemary

These pork chops are cooked until they’re beautifully golden but still tender and moist. Of course they would also be delicious cooked on the barbecue or under the grill.

Serves 4 

Ingredients

1 orange
2 tablesp. olive oil
1 teasp. good quality mustard
1 teasp. rosemary, chopped
4 x 150g bone-in loin pork chops, each about 2.5cm thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Jacket potatoes and lightly dressed mixed salad, to serve 

To Cook

Preparation time
30 minutes 

Method

Finely grate the rind from the orange into a bowl and then squeeze in the juice. Whisk in the olive oil, mustard and rosemary. Season and pour into a shallow non-metallic dish. Add the pork chops, turning to coat. Cover with clingfilm and set aside for at least 15 minutes or up to 24 hours in the fridge to allow the flavours to penetrate the meat. 

When you are ready to cook, preheat a griddle pan until smoking hot. Shake off the excess marinade from the pork and add to the griddle pan. Cook for 10-12 minutes until cooked through, turning once. Remove from the heat and leave to rest for a couple of minutes. 

Serving Suggestions

Arrange the pork chops with the jacket potatoes on warmed plates. Have a bowl of salad to hand around separately.

Surprisingly, I think I’m missing the hum of the vuvuzelas; those African horns that created the constant bee like soundtrack to the games of the World Cup.  Watching the football and hurling matches on Sunday I noticed what seemed like a quiet crowd.  I think it was just the distinct lack of humming that I was missing.  It probably wasn’t the best World Cup ever but it did allow for a few outdoor gatherings in various locations where people watched the match and those with no interest sat around and chatted; the obligatory barbecue keeping everyone sated.  Before the final I was hoping that Holland might pull it off as they have always played a particular style of football that is full of adventure and flair.  I was saddened to see the legacy of Ruud Gullit and Johan Cruyff trampled on by thuggish, cynical players on Sunday night.  Justice was done in the end, Spain deserved to win and as it’s their year in the sun let’s celebrate with them.

Thousands of us have visited Spain on holiday so we’re not totally unfamiliar with the food.  However in beach resorts we often tend to miss out on the real native dishes and instead get a very poor version of what they consider Irish or English food to be.  Sometimes when I’m in Spain I think how superior our food and restaurants are here and I often think that if we had Spain’s weather we could lose the run of ourselves completely.  Occasionally I have strolled down a side street or into a less touristy village and found a local joint that has been incredible.  There is nothing finer than a day spent soaking up the sun and working up an appetite followed by an evening of fine food and wine enjoyed at leisure with no worries of the following day.  And if you are going to Spain don’t be fooled by price.  Just because it is an expensive place with fancy tablecloths it doesn’t always follow that the food will live up to expectations. 

So what exactly is Spanish food and is it really just paella and expensive plates of cured meats?  There are wide and varying ingredients used in Spanish food.  Yes, Chorizo sausage and other cured hams and meats are consumed in great quantities.  They also grow oranges, lemons, olives, tomatoes, melons and other produce that lends itself to tasty, tangy natural dishes.  But Spanish cooking isn’t fancy.  It is accessible, down to earth, and based on the ingredients available locally or the crops grown regionally. Mountains run through Spain in several directions, acting as natural barriers to communication and making transportation difficult until the last half of the 20th century. This is one of the reasons why cooking differs so much from region to region.  But there is commonality; food in Spain is fresh, abundant and full of taste and the Spanish love their food.

Garlic and olive oil feature largely and are often the only common ingredients to foods from the various regions.   Ham is revered and you will even find museums of ham on mainland Spain.  Walk through any supermarket and the cured meats section is a sight to behold.  Surrounded on three sides by water it is not surprising that fresh seafood is always popular in coastal regions.  Wonderful cheeses of every type can be found made from sheep, cow and goat milk.  From aged hard cheeses to the soft creamy types, the range is staggering.  Eggs are big.  They form part of most dishes. Spain is a country of nuts and that’s not an insult as they are the top producers of almonds, hazelnuts and walnuts.  Traditionally the Spanish prefer meat grilled over coals or sautéed in a sauce and they seem to veer towards veal, suckling lamb and pig but roasted meats are popular for holidays and festive occasions.  Chicken is also eaten widely.  When you take this list and add in local legumes, vegetables and fruit you can see how many different and tasty options suddenly appear.

So if you want to go all Spanish you could try a Tortilla Espanola, a Spanish omelet, made of eggs, potatoes and onions.  Jamon Serrano is Spanish Ham, and just sliced with fresh crusty bread it is delicious.  Break out the Chorizo sausage and, taken seriously, a good paella will have them crying out for more. Paella de Marisco which translates to Spanish Seafood Rice originated in the fields of Valencia. People in the country mixed rice with rabbit, snails and vegetables and cooked it over an open fire. It has evolved into a dish where fish, shellfish, meat, pork and/or chicken may be used.

Finally, we cannot talk about Spanish food without mentioning tapas.  Little colourful bowls of olives, ham and chorizo create tapas and are eaten nationwide.  It would be very easy to create your own.  Finish it off with the eggy, smooth texture of a crème caramel and you might as well be sitting in Madrid.  Viva Espana! I welcome your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Spanish Omelette with Spicy Tomato Salsa 

This is a Great Illustration of Simple, Enjoyable Food 

Serves 4 

Ingredients

• 1 tablesp. olive oil
• 8 potatoes, cut into small dice
• 1-2 onions, chopped
• 6 Quality Assured eggs, whisked in a large bowl
• A little salt and black pepper

Spicy Tomato Salsa  

• 4-6 well-flavoured tomatoes, diced
• 1 red onion, diced
• 1 fresh chilli, diced
• 1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablesp. basil or coriander, chopped
• Juice of ½ lemon
• 1 tablesp. olive oil
• A little salt and black pepper

To Cook

Method

Lightly oil a large non-stick pan. Add the potatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the onions and continue cooking for another 4-5 minutes. Add the mixture to the eggs, season and mix well together.

Reheat the pan again with a little oil. Add the egg mixture. Cook until the under side is set. Put a large plate on top of the pan and turn the omelette onto it. Then slide it back into the pan and cook the other side. (If the pan is not super non-stick just finish under the grill).

To make the Salsa: Mix all the ingredients well together and set aside until ready to serve.

Serving Suggestions

Slide onto a board and cut into 4 wedges. Serve with the Spicy Tomato Salsa and mixed leaves.

FOOD lovers are turning back the clock and preparing for the sumptuous ‘Long Table Dinner’ feast which sees the Tipperary Food Producers group tantalize the taste buds of gourmets nation-wide for this year’s banquet on August 25.

Organisers of the ‘Long Table Dinner’ gathered at the foot of the Rock of Cashel today (Wednesday, July 14), otherwise known as the ‘Seat of the Kings of Munster’, to launch the upcoming mouth-watering banquet to beat all feasts. Diners will be transported back 1,500 years for the Long Table dinner which takes place this year as part of National Heritage Week and runs in four locations across Tipperary.

In keeping with custom, only food from Tipperary will be served at the traditional feast. Fresh, seasonal produce from over 30 food producers – all members of the Tipperary Food Producers Network – will be used. The custom created menu will read like a journey around Tipperary, combining the very best artisan food from throughout the county.

The event is the brainchild of Pat Whelan of the award winning James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel and Chairperson of the Tipperary Food Producers group. Pat wants to showcase the very best in Tipperary food by creating an entire meal using only food produced and created within the county.

“We are delighted to be launching the third annual Long Table Dinner of Tipperary. It is great that this year the dinner will take place across four locations in the county, really giving everyone the opportunity to experience the traditional feast.

“This is an opportunity to recognise and showcase all that Tipperary produces. I think everyone will be amazed at the fantastic meal that will be prepared from Tipperary food. Tipperary is a county name that is renowned internationally as is the Rock of Cashel; we are building on this heritage and prestige and bringing the finest of Tipperary produce to the fore. This is very much a team effort and it is incredible to see what can happen when people work together.” Pat added. 

The Long Table Dinner will incorporate a very futuristic element this year as Tipperary Institute will be working with the organisers by filming the ‘Long Table Dinner’ at all four locations, fusing the most up to date technology with the indigenous food production industry therefore creating the longest virtual table worldwide. This unique production will be available for viewing on www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com

The ‘Long Table Dinner’ will take place across four strategic locations around the county. In Nenagh the Long Table Dinner will take place at award winning restaurant ‘Broca on the Water’ in Kilgarvan Quay, Ballinderry overseen by Chef Ann Gernon.  In Thurles the Long Table Dinner will take place at the award winning ‘Inch House’ overseen by the Head Chef Michael Galvin. In Cashel ‘Chez Hans’ will host the event where dinner will be prepared by award winning Chef Jason Matthiae and in Clogheen the Long Table Dinner will take place at ‘The Old Convent Restaurant’ with preparation by award winning Chef Dermot Gannon. Dinner will commence in all four locations at 7.30pm on the evening of August 25, 2010.

A unique booklet will be produced for the event – so guest can choose the venue by menu – this booklet will be available to view on www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com. Tickets for each venue will be  available from James Whelan Butchers in Clonmel on (052) 6182477 and at the four Long Table Dinner locations or from any member of the Tipperary Food Producers, please see www.tipperaryfoodproducers.com for full listing.

Wine keeps you slim, fruit makes you fat and eggs are now a super food!  (I wonder does that include Cadbury’s Eggs, given the season!)  If you go back a few short years juicing fruit was hailed as a cure all for both health and weight loss, red wine was never considered a slimming aid but good for your heart and, at one point, eggs were nearly sold with a skull and crossbones stamped on the box to avoid over consumption. We’ve never had so much information about food and we’ve never been as confused.  You even hear small children using words like ‘protein’, ‘fat’ and ‘carbohydrate’, words that always sounded as if they were from another planet and little to do with the wonderful world of food.  Today’s generation of children are growing up with a completely different set of food rules and beliefs.  Of course it’s necessary as there is much more variety now.  When we were given milk at school, milk was milk.  These days there’s the bewildering choice of milk, chocolate milk or strawberry milk!  Why didn’t they just leave it alone; it was perfectly good to begin with?

 ‘Low carb’, ‘low fat’, ‘gluten free’, ‘protein rich’ ‘full of fibre’ are all buzz phrases used by marketers to enhance sales.  Health grounds are now seen as a way to distinguish a product and as a society we have bought into the game.  If you take a step back for a second, shouldn’t health giving properties be the basic quality you would expect from anything you are about to ingest into your body?  If we really considered what is in certain products we would naturally steer clear of them. 

I grew up with the ‘must clean your plate’ mantra ‘because of all the poor people in Africa!’  Many a comedian has since made the point that the expanding waistlines and clean plates of western world children never made any difference to the starving anywhere, least of all Africa.  The other revelation of the 70s and 80s was the low fat craze.  We eradicated natural fat to the point where food tasted like cardboard and in turn manufacturers put the taste back with chemicals, which made us even fatter in the long run.  Sugar was next on the hit list so we just solved that problem with another chemical; something that was even sweeter than real sugar but was calorie free. It may not be making us fat but God knows what it’s doing to our insides. Coffee has been through its fair share of positive and negative swings.  One article will have you believe it is nothing short of poison while others will claim a few cups a day are good for you.  There’s even another school of thought that believes using coffee enemas will clean out the liver and detoxify the body.  I think I’ll just stick to a mug in the morning, imbibed through the mouth. 

The author and motivational speaker Anthony Robbins wrote in one of his books once that if you owned a car but didn’t have a juicer, you should sell the car and buy one, it was that important for your health.  Jason Vale is known as the Juice Master.  He has sold books and has many franchised juice bars throughout the UK and Ireland.  There isn’t a shopping centre or mall in the country that doesn’t have a juice concession or smoothie counter.  Yet, here’s a headline from a newspaper only last week, “Too much fruit can make you fat! Thought plenty of grapes or apples will keep you healthy? Think again…”  Meanwhile the health authorities are at pains to encourage at least 5 a day.  Apparently exceeding the recommended amount is fine if you are a healthy weight, but if your are overweight or suffer from high cholesterol or diabetes, too much fruit could mean trouble.   The main concern is in the area of smoothies and juices.  Fruit sugar doesn’t trigger the ‘full’ feeling in the body like other foods and therefore even though you are taking in lots of energy calories with your juices and smoothies you don’t feel satisfied.

Eggs have gone in an out of popularity too but now they are being hailed a ‘super food’.  Blueberries, broccoli, oats and turkey are other foods that have reached the dizzy heights of the ‘super’ tag.  Eggs are even being credited with the ability to tackle obesity and are considered necessary for eye health, once the domain of the humble carrot.  The nutritionists say eggs are one of the most nutrient-dense foods and are recommending one a day for the maximum benefit. They discovered that, despite being low in calories, eggs are a rich source of protein and are packed with nutrients thought essential to good health, particularly vitamin D, vitamin B12, selenium and choline.   When it comes to protein rich foods, eggs contain the richest mix of essential amino acids, crucial for children, adolescents and young adults for body growth and repair.

Perhaps one of the best reports to emerge recently is the one about red wine.  If you thought sweating at the gym was the way to go, forget it.  Just take to the sofa with a glass of Merlot.  Quoting the report, “Women who enjoy a glass or two of wine a day put on less weight than those who stick to mineral water or soft drinks – with red wine particularly forgiving.”  I wondered why they didn’t mention men and then realized that the study was only carried out on women.  The study also proved that while a glass of wine has calories, those calories are burned off more quickly than calories from other foods.  So if a glass of wine has 120 calories and so does a chocolate bar, the wine will disappear fast while the chocolate will take up residence on your hips, get married and have a large family and live with you forever.

Sifting through it all there is only one answer; enjoy all food in moderation and as close as possible to what nature intended it to be and you can’t go too far wrong.  And I’m delighted to include in that wine and Cadbury’s Crème Eggs!

I welcome your comments to pat@jwb.ie

Apple and Jameson Tart     

Ingredients

• 250g (8 oz) shortcrust pastry
• 50g (2 oz) ground almonds
• 4 large Bramley apples, peeled and diced
• 2 tablesp. sugar
• 250ml (½ pt) cream
• 3 egg yolks 50g (2 oz) caster sugar
• Dash of whiskey

To Cook

Method

Set oven Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F). 

Line four individual tart tins with the pastry. Sprinkle some ground almonds on the base of each one. Then add the apple and enough sugar to sweeten. Heat the cream. Beat the egg yolks and sugar together. Stir in the cream and a dash of whiskey. Spoon a little of the cream mixture into each tart. Keep remaining cream. Bake tarts for 25-35 minutes.

Pour the remaining cream into a bowl. Place over simmering water. Stirring constantly, continue to cook until the custard thickens. Set aside – keep warm

Serving Suggestions

Serve the tart, dusted with icing sugar, with the warm custard. Vanilla ice-cream, thin almond biscuit, raspberries etc. are optional.

Irish food history is often dominated by the Potato Famine leading us to believe that spuds were historically a huge part of the Irish diet. This is untrue. First of all people died during the Famine because of oppressive politics rather than food shortages. The food we were producing was being exported leaving the potato for the natives. When that crop failed it meant disaster for the indigenous population. Legend has it that Sir Walter Raleigh was the first to have planted potatoes in Ireland and he wasn’t even born until the 1500s. We have a long and rich tradition of animal husbandry and it was the dominant food producing activity for thousands of years. In ancient Ireland the number of cows owned by a man was taken as a sign of his wealth. Cattle were kept for their milk rather than their meat, but meat was eaten in winter when the preservation conditions were better.
Farmers kept sheep, pigs and chickens along with cattle. Sheep’s wool is responsible for the itchy Aran Sweater or, colored with vegetable dyes, we get the sartorial style of Peig Sayers with her browny black shawl thrown around her shoulders! Sheep were raised on the hills while pigs were herded in woodland areas where they fed on acorns and fruit that fell from the trees; surely an orgasmic thought for the purist free range supporter amongst us. Chickens gave eggs and there was plenty of milk and cheese coming from all the animals. Even in death nothing was wasted, even the blood was preserved for long lasting nutritious puddings.
Even in the 20th century most homes stored their meat in little larders, cold rooms or covered vessels outside. With fridges still of the future, other methods of preservation were necessary such as salting, smoking and curing. In an older Ireland, community life and organization worked very efficiently. At different times of the year a farmer would slaughter an animal and the spoils were shared out between the neighbours meaning the animal was eaten fresh. Sometimes the meat was even bartered for work. If only our present day conurbations worked with such sharing and efficiency we all might be much better off.
We are spoiled with our vacuum packaging, high end fridges, home freezers and date stamps. ‘Use by’ dates amuse me greatly. If something is going out of date at midnight tonight does that mean it is fit for consumption at one minute to midnight but at one minute after midnight it’s gone off? On the other hand because of these recommended dates consumers have become very careless. The date stamps are subject to certain conditions. The optimum storage of meat is something that many people are not aware of. It is a constant frustration for butchers or any fresh food retailer. Meat and fresh produce regularly leave a shop in perfect condition only to be left for too long in a hot car on the journey home. The product hits the fridge in less than ideal condition. Ideally it should be put into the fridge as soon as possible and the temperature maintained at a constant rate. However the fridge is also the place where many other items are stored and so it is accessed repeatedly. With every opening of the fridge door the temperature is lowered and it has a cumulative negative impact on the shelf-life of any food stuff stored. We have an online meat service at James Whelan Butchers and I spent a long time looking at how best to safely ship small amounts of meat to customers who sometimes live quite a distance away. Keeping it cold during transportation was the goal and it was only when that was perfected could we move our website business forward.
There are two ways to store meat in order to keep it in the best possible condition; by freezing it immediately on getting it home directly from the point of purchase or by keeping a fridge specifically for protein. This may seem unrealistic but it need only be a small bar fridge and they are no longer prohibitive in price. Freezing meat is an excellent storage option. Get it into the freezer as quickly as possible and keep air from getting to the meat while it is in the freezer. It is a myth that once meat is frozen it keeps indefinitely. For best results meat should be dated on the day it is frozen, as oxidation and dehydration of meat continues even at freezing temperatures, albeit very slowly. Most home freezers are set higher than the optimum 0 degrees F, and so deterioration will definitely occur over time. The optimum time to use frozen meat is within a month of purchase, although periods of up to a year would be acceptable for beef and lamb and about 6 months for pork.

Thawing meat is a process that should be carefully considered, as bacteria are ever present in every environment and should be avoided if possible. The meat to be thawed should be placed into a large dish to avoid any possibility of drips onto other food. It should be thawed out overnight in the fridge and it’s vital that it be thawed completely before cooking. Large joints will take longer than 24 hours to thaw, and 2 days should be allowed to ensure it is ready for cooking. Of course busy life-styles dictate that meat is often defrosted in the microwave, which is perfectly safe, although the end result is definitely taste-compromised.

If using meat fresh from the fridge there are some differences to consider between the various types of meat purchased. Minced meat is best cooked on the day of purchase, as is poultry and offal. Beef, lamb and pork can be stored for days before cooking. ‘Use by’ and ‘Best Before’ dates are handy modern guides but if you really want to know if something is alright I recommend natures free gift and essential guide, the nose!
I welcome to your feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Roast Ribeye of Beef

 Ingredients
• 2 kg ribeye of beef
• 2 teasp. chopped fresh thyme
• 2 teasp. sweet or smoked paprika
• ½ teasp. English mustard powder
• Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
• 2 tablesp. Dijon style mustard
• 1 tablesp. olive oil
 • 1 large onion, roughly chopped
 • 1 large carrot, roughly chopped
 • 2 teasp. plain flour
 • 300ml beef or chicken stock
 • Creamed horseradish, roasted root vegetables, to serve

To Cook
Method
Place the thyme, paprika and mustard powder in a bowl with a teaspoon each of salt and pepper, then mix to combine. Wipe the meat with damp kitchen paper and then spread a thin layer of the mustard all over the fat side of the joint. Sprinkle the spice powder on top, patting it down gently to help it stick.
Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 7, 220ºC (425ºF). Pour the olive oil into roasting tin and heat in the oven for 5 minutes. Add the onion and carrot, tossing to coat. Season with salt and black pepper. Sit the beef on the bed of vegetables. Place the roasting tin in the pre-heated oven.
Reduce the oven temperature to Gas mark 5,190ºC (375ºF). Roast the beef for 1 hour and 15 minutes for rare, an extra 15 minutes for medium-rare and an extra 30 minutes for well done.
Remove the beef from the tin and place on a large dish. Rest in a warm place for at least 20 minutes before carving. To make the gravy, stir the flour into the juices in the roasting tin and then gradually stir in the stock. Place directly on the hob to heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring and scraping the bottom with a wooden spoon to release any sediment. Season and pour through a sieve into a gravy boat, discarding the vegetables that the beef has been roasted on. Carve the beef into slices and arrange on warmed plates with a dollop of creamed horseradish and the roasted root vegetables. Hand round the gravy separately.

Reading a recently published memoir of an Irish childhood in the early fifties, I was struck that we have regressed in terms of human relationship despite all our technological progress.  In the book the writer recalled his Grandmother’s house where neighbours and friends came regularly to play cards and share supper in the evenings.  Inevitably, the night was rounded off with music and songs as one or two of the card players were proficient on the box or the fiddle.  Even the television brought people together; his Grandmother had the first television in the area and many would gather to marvel at the hazy, snowy black and white pictures emanating from the magic box.  When they tired of the TV, the kitchen beckoned where tea and cake would accompany laughter and chat. He mentions the post man stopping in for a cup of tea and has vivid memories of making the daily trip with his mother and sister to the shops on foot.  Without fridges and freezers fresh food supplies were purchased daily.  He recalled the walk as being a special time with his mother and he had fond memories of the relationship his mother enjoyed with the local shopkeepers.  The greengrocer and butcher called her by name.  They shared in her celebrations and good fortune but also acknowledged her sorrow when necessary; sympathising over the death of a relation perhaps or the difficulty of a sick family member.  There were kindnesses.  If needed, an extension of credit for a few days was proffered easily, or the throwing in of an extra bit of meat here and there, “just for luck”, as the butcher used to say.  The shops were also a source of news and generally of help to the community at large.  Whatever was happening you heard it first in the shops. If someone received a good or bad report the shop had it.  Admittedly the dark side was the propensity for unwholesome gossip, but the good outweighed the bad, and it was largely the glue that held communities together.  Even in my own childhood, the 70s and 80s, I would have witnessed my mother and father dealing with customers in a similar manner.  There was always a kind word at the news of a birth or even a death.

Our modern world talks the talk about community but the actions promote isolation. The drink driving laws have rendered many in the countryside to long lonely nights.  Gone are the days of catching up with friends or even the publican for the news.  I’m not objecting to the drink driving laws, they’re totally necessary, but that doesn’t change the fact that Paddy or Johnny might not speak to anyone for days and nights on end.  Their quality of life has been changed irrevocably and no one is looking for a real solution.  Even during the day, the very idea of the postman stopping for a cup of tea and a chat in 2010 is possibly a sacking offence.  The impatient queues and overworked staff at the post office or the banks are no longer fair game to pass the time of day with and attempts to engage some shop assistants could result in you being under suspicion for having a stalker’s intent.  With all our telephones, mobile phones, skype, facebook, twitter, blogs, e-commerce and other tools of communication we are, as a nation, a much more lonely and isolated society than at any other time in history. 

It’s important for me to say at this juncture that I’m not looking to go back to the past and I wholeheartedly embrace facebook, blogs, twitter and being able to shop on the internet.  What I believe we need is balance.  I love the idea that we can enjoy our modernity without negating our humanity.  We are not robots programmed to receive, but humans geared towards outreach.  John Donne put it perfectly when he wrote, “No man is an island entire of itself….”  John Donne lived in the 17^th century so our leaning toward the singular must have been a cause for concern even then.  It has been a slow trajectory but a steady one all the same.

I think the more recent resurgence of artisan and farmers markets throughout the country is as much about the people as it is the food.  There is a convivial camaraderie among the stall holders and the customers.  It’s a novelty to speak to the food producer, the very source.  During the tiger years there was a good deal of nonsense attached to some of these markets; over inflated prices for mediocre product was just one difficulty.  However our newfound lust for value has doomed the charlatans and the markets are now growing into small wholesome communities as they should do.  We need to insist on this level of interest in our traditional shops also.  It costs little for the checkout assistant to acknowledge a customer and yet the value to the shopper can be immense.  

Where do shops fit into society these days?  To be honest if we don’t encourage the social side then why should people make the effort to visit?  Why should a person take the time to travel and the trouble to find parking if the experience is going to be cold and soulless?  Why not just encourage everyone to buy a computer and shop online from the comfort of their own home?  We must bring value back to retailing and that value is often found in the intangible.  There is no boast in value, layout or hygiene these days; these should be a given, but we can single ourselves out on the shopping experience as a whole. The time is certainly ripe to welcome back the Cead Mile Failte that we’re known for around the world.  Couldn’t we all do with the extra smiles!

St Patrick’s day is almost upon us so I attach a great recipe for corned beef.

I welcome your feedback – pat@jwb.ie

As individuals we are defined by our personal values. If you asked me what value I remember most about my Grandmother for example, I could say without hesitation, ‘honesty’.  “Tell the truth and shame the devil”, was her mantra.  The crime was never the issue with her as long as you owned up to it and forgiveness was always the first response.  It was a super lesson for children, the association of telling the truth with the positive consequence of forgiveness and warmth and not punishment and suffering.  Sadly, my Grandmother would have a hard time living in today’s world where honesty is of decreasing importance and marketing relies more on spin than truth.  This was brought home starkly when a glossy brochure from a well known supermarket discounter spilled out of my Sunday newspaper. 

As I picked it up, the retailer and marketer in me instantly recognised a cunning ruse.  Picture smiling Irish farmers and food producers in your fancy brochure and without too much effort you are pedaling the notion that not only have you special offers to tempt me with, but also your products are Irish and therefore the quality is intrinsic.   If I had even a shred of guilt in me before about buying discounted goods from all across Europe, suddenly the consumer in me was acquitted; they were Irish goods after all!  This is, at best, stretching the truth.  Yes you will find Irish produced goods at your local German discounter but nobody will tell you what percentage that is.  Is it 1, 2, 10, 50, 75 or 99% of all they stock?  In fact you will still have to upturn every item to see where it is made and where it has come from.  Not everything is as it seems at first.
 

The trend towards discount supermarkets has been huge in this country.  It has still to sweep the UK in the same manner, but that’s due to tighter controls on planning permission and government imposed competition rules.  Ireland has a different attitude.  During the tiger years our unrelenting appetite for building and development meant that we embraced this European ideal and these stores sprung up everywhere.  Indeed some Irish towns and cities have stores in multiple locations and all Irish market conditions have suited their strategy.  While we were enjoying our prosperity they were bedding in, slowly reprogramming the consumer with the ‘we’re cheaper’ message.  Now at a time of tighter market conditions the bite of recession has blinded us all to the difference between price and value.   We are lured in the main by the cost of the item and in these straitened times few tend to stop and consider the value.  Many would be surprised if they were to learn that sometimes what appears as ‘cheaper’ is actually more expensive and I’m not talking about the added value of nutrition or the environment; actual hard cash.  For example if you see two strip loin steaks for €7.99 it appears fantastic value for the price of a meal for two.  However when you look more closely you will see that the weight might be 300grams per steak.  When you multiply that out, the price per kilo can be more than the price per kilo in your local butchers or in the indigenous supermarkets.  That means that if you were to buy the same size steak at your local butcher’s, it would actually be cheaper in monetary terms.  Of course the other question is do you really want a measly 300 gram steak to begin with!  Maybe if you are on a restrictive diet but eating for pure pleasure will leave you deeply unsatisfied.   There is also the possibility that any profit the local retailer makes will be spent locally.  His or her family will buy their food, their school uniforms, their clothes, their cars, their electrical items etc., from other local retailers.  Sadly when the profits are going to privately owned German companies the likelihood of anybody buying as much as a stick of rock in Clonmel or County Tipperary has about the same odds as hell freezing over any time soon. 

The discounters have done a superb job on the perception front.  By stacking them high and removing all frills they have convinced us that they are ‘definitely’ cheaper.  They have achieved the Holy Grail of good marketing and that is they have managed to change the perception of the public even if the actual difference is, in some cases, negligible and when you consider the offering outside of just price points, they can be more expensive.  So what is the main discounter strategy?  Well essentially it is to keep all business costs to a minimum, hence the no frills and uniform appearance of the stores and the cash only rule.  Also, traditionally they carry a smaller range of goods so choice is restricted.  That said they have had to adapt their model specifically for the Irish market.  Originally they would have sold a small range of own branded, dry grocery goods but the Irish shopper is more used to wider product ranges, fresh produce (meat and vegetables) and fair trade items.  We have all noticed how the Discounter has changed since it first launched on this island.

However I don’t wish to engage in xenophobic bashing of the competition for being foreign or to wage war with guilt and move consumers to buy local and Irish out of some idealistic sense of patriotism.  Money is tight, we are in the grip of recession and we need to find the best bang for our buck, but just because the discounters have the loudest voice in the playground doesn’t mean they have the best value on everything.  As a consumer you owe it to your pocket to verify their claims and statements on value.  Please consider comparing like with like.  Don’t discount the non discounters because of some notional marketing message.  Rediscover your local greengrocer, butcher and deli.  There is monetary value to be had there too and you won’t have to compromise on quality or customer service.   Honest!

I welcome any feedback to pat@jwb.ie

Beef Wellington  for Two

Prepare the Beef Wellingtons ahead of time and you’ll have enough time to change into something more comfortable before you sit down to dinner. Just the two of you.

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp. (45 mL) butter, divided
• 1/3 cup (75 mL) minced shallot or red onion
• 1-1/2 cups (375 mL) coarsely chopped mushrooms
• 1/4 cup (50 mL) red wine
• 2 x 4oz Fillet Steaks , cut 1 inch (2 cm) thick salt and pepper to tast
• 1/2 pkg. frozen puff pastry dough, thawed
• 1 egg
• 1 tbsp. (15 mL) water

Cooking Instructions

1. Melt 2 tbsp (30 mL) of the butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the minced shallots and cook, stirring, just until softened — about 2 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mushroom liquid has evaporated and the mushrooms have started to brown. Add the wine and cook, stirring, until it has evaporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper and transfer to a bowl.
2. Add the remaining 1 tbsp (15 mL) of butter to the skillet and increase the heat to high. As soon as the butter has melted, add the steaks to the pan, sprinkling them with salt and pepper and quickly sear both sides until browned — about 1 minute per side. Remove steaks from pan immediately. Let cool.
3. On a lightly floured surface, roll the block of puff pastry dough out to a 12-inch (30 cm) square. Cut the square in half, then cut one of two halves in half again (reserve the remaining half of the dough).
4. Beat together the egg and the water and brush lightly over the surface of the two small squares of dough. On each square, spoon half of the mushroom mixture and top with one steak. Pull the corners of the dough up and over to wrap the whole thing up like a package — seal up any openings by pinching and folding them together. Turn over and arrange on a baking pan. Brush with egg mixture. Using a heart-shaped cookie cutter, cut shapes out of the reserved pastry dough to decorate the top of each packet and brush with egg wash.
5. You can prepare the Wellingtons to this point as much as 3 or 4 hours before you want to serve them. Refrigerate, covered until about one hour before you want to begin baking.
6. Remove Wellingtons from the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before baking to allow them to come to room temperature.
7. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
8. Place Wellingtons in the oven and bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until puffed and golden. Let stand for about 5 minutes before serving.

Servings: 2

I’m not going all Gordon Ramsay, uttering expletives and being profane, but I am going to talk about the other equally offensive ‘F’ word; FAT.   There is no doubt that this country, and indeed the western world, is in the grip of a growing problem with obesity.  Sadly ‘Fat’ seems to have framed, blamed and tried without jury or due consideration.  It has been turned into a ‘catch all’ for everything negative in the food world and has become very, very misunderstood in the process.

First things first; the flavour is in the fat!  There, I’ve said it.  Don’t come to me looking for ridiculously lean meat and then wonder why it’s bland and tasteless.  Don’t remove all the skin from chicken or duck before cooking it and then wonder why you end up with dry, boring meat that needs a tonne of sauce to make it appetising.  Yes, fat has calories but so do carbohydrates and proteins.  In fact the body needs a certain amount of fat to function healthily.  I don’t know what the written equivalent of a megaphone is, but imagine that I am shouting through a big one and saying FREE THE FAT!  FAT IS FINE!  ONLY FOOD FOOLS FOREGO FAT!

Naturally occurring fat is essential to cooking delicious food.  A traditional Sunday roast will be a triumph or a disappointment based on the naturally occurring fat content.  Even if the fat is removed after cooking and never consumed, the fact that it was present while the meat was in the oven means that the joint is almost self basting and you are guaranteed a better tasting dinner.  If the animal has been fed properly it will be beautifully marbled with thin vein like lines of fat running through it.  Introducing fat to dishes is often a chef’s secret ingredient.  Roast potatoes in real goose fat are the best.  Use real suet in dumplings and you’ll never look back.  Fat is often the chef’s secret ingredient.  Fat has also been proven beneficial in boosting the immune system.  I’ve mentioned it before but in case you missed it, chicken soup really does have medicinal benefits for the common cold.  Known as Jewish penicillin, the curative properties exist in the fat of the chicken that usually surfaces to the top in home made chicken soup.  Do not skim it off before administering it to the patient; that’s where the goodness is.   

We have all heard the myths that eating animal fats will increase your cholesterol and increase your risk of heart attack and at best increase your waistline.  I can assure you and all studies back up the fact that naturally occurring animal fat eaten as part of a healthy, balanced diet will not adversely affect your health.  Eating fat does not make you fat.  Eating more calories than you are burning off makes you fat.

We have such a negative mental association with fat.  If it were a person it would be staring at us from a Wanted poster with a substantial bounty attached for capture.  It is a gross misrepresentation.  Without our layers of fat we would be very, very cold.  It protects our vital organs and provides us with energy, vitamins A, D and E and essential fatty acids. 

Consuming too many Trans fats clogs the arteries, makes us fat and can kill us, but get the distinction right!  Trans fats are not to be confused with naturally occurring fats.   When you see people who are morbidly obese I will bet that not one of them will say that their weight problem is due to an over indulgence or addiction to avocados, fresh chicken with the skin on, joints of meat or oily fish.  Let’s prod the subject from another angle and ponder the proven discovery that the lowest incidence of heart disease in the world is among the Eskimo communities.  What would you say is the basis of an Eskimo diet?  Well it’s certainly not fruit and vegetables as last time I checked very little grows in the snow.  You will, however, find that fish and meat are very popular.   Equally when we look at the longevity and low incidence of heart disease in Mediterranean people; while we do find lots of fruit and vegetables, they also love their olive oil, their oily fish and fattier, slow cooked cheaper cuts of meat are very prevalent in rural areas. (In their case I personally believe the presence of sunshine has plenty to do with it also.)

What we want to avoid is too much saturated fat.  You will find the most saturated fat in processed foods, particularly foods such as margarine, cakes, biscuits and pastries which are made with hydrogenated vegetable oils.  Also meat products, (not necessarily meat) such as manufactured, burgers, sausages, pies, puddings and pasties can be high in saturated fat.  If you like pies and puddings then make your own or look for the artisan alternatives; these are usually lower in saturated fats.  Fried and deep fried fast foods can be lethal but remember crisps fall into this category also, although these days there are healthier alternatives available.

The main thing is to stop the confusion and being so afraid of fat.   Life is for living and taste buds are for tasting.   I’m all for balance, health and good nutrition and fat is very much part of a balanced diet.   Get the right information and put the taste back into your cooking; find some fat!

I welcome your feedback pat@jwb.ie

Classic Meatloaf

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup of finely chopped onion
• 1 celery rib, chopped fine
• 1 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped scallions (can substitute onion)
• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 teaspoon salt (use 1 1/2 teaspoons if using Italian sausage)
• 1 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 2 tsp Worscestershire sauce
• 2/3 cup ketchup
• 1 1/2 pounds of ground chuck
• 3/4 pound of spicy ground pork sausage or Italian sausage (a mix of sweet and hot if you are using links)
• 1 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 2 large eggs, beaten slightly
• 1/3 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

METHOD

 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
 In a large heavy skillet cook the onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and scallions in butter, over medium heat, stirring, for about 5 minutes. Cover the skillet and stir occassionally until the carrots are tender, about 5 more minutes. Stir in salt and pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1/3 a cup of ketchup. Cook for 1 more minute.
 In a large bowl, combine the meats, eggs, vegetables, bread crumbs, and parsley. Form into a loaf and put into a rectangular baking pan with 2-inch high sides. Cover the loaf with remaining ketchup. 
Bake the meatloaf in the oven for 1 hour.
Serves 4 to 6, with plenty for leftovers for meatloaf sandwiches

I got the evil eye from one or two customers this week accompanied by a sharp tongued reprimand.  Patrons of James Whelan Butchers are no shrinking violets.  I committed the heinous crime in this very column of recently referring to dieters as ‘fat fighters’.  One woman went so far as to suggest I could do with a bit of fat fighting myself; that cut deep.

First of all, in my defense, a friend is currently attending a weight loss class and constantly refers to it in jest as fat fighters. I hate diets because I always feel, no matter how good the regime or what it promises, they always get a little boring and repetitive.  I always assume a diet mentality; “I’m on a diet so therefore I couldn’t possibly enjoy my food”.  I also think, “I can’t wait until I’m off this diet so I can have something really nice to eat”, and therein lies the problem.  It’s this thinking that causes the inevitable failure.  The reality is that many people of normal body weight eat great food and enjoy it so why can’t we all do that?

Firstly we have to sort a few things out in our minds. 1) Great tasting food need not make you fat and 2) any food in moderation, be that size or frequency, won’t cause you any harm.  It’s not what you do occasionally that creates the problem it’s what you do every day or at least regularly. 

This fat fighting friend of mine has approached the whole thing quite differently this time and I’m happy to report it is working.  Instead of sticking to traditional diet foods, she has trawled the internet and her own cook books, adapted recipes and found ways of eating like a normal human being – for nourishment and taste – while still losing weight.  She is attending Weightwatchers where all foods are given a points measurement and you have a certain amount of ‘points’ to eat every day.  To be fair it sounds pretty flexible as long as you spend your ‘points’ budget’ wisely.

This time round instead of cardboard tasting crisp breads and bland grilled chicken fillets, which would have been staples on any previous regimes, she has filled her fridge with wonderful, tasty health giving foods.  The main reason for this approach is that she didn’t want to have to cook one dish for the family and create special meals for herself.  They have all been moved to this healthier way of eating and surprisingly, no one has complained or noticed and even desserts are still in evidence.

I called over for lunch the other day and watched the shopping being unloaded.  A punet of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, some deli pancetta and parmesan cheese, fresh basil and chives, a full chicken, a pack of smoked salmon, a tub of crème fraiche, yoghurts, bananas, apples, grapes, blueberries, carrots, an aubergine, a butternut squash, leeks, spinach, rocket, onions – red, white, spring and garlic, stewing steak,  paprika, Italian bread and duck breasts.  It was a riot of colour and freshness; real food, exciting food and you could almost smell the nutrients it was so alive.  I was inspired and amazed.  “I thought you said you’re on a diet” I teased as I picked up the smoked salmon and the pancetta.  “I am and it’s going really well,” was the quick reply.

I was slowly coming around to the idea that there could be such a combination as eating well, enjoying your food and losing weight.  If this was a panto some of you would be screaming “Oh no there isn’t” but I can tell you, “Oh Yes there is”.  We had a diet lunch; a puff pastry circle (approx side plate size) rolled quite thinly and baked in the oven for about 8 to 10 minutes. Two to three large handfuls of fresh spinach thrown on a dry hot frying pan until wilted down.  The spinach was put on top of the cooked pastry base.  Some crème fraiche and an egg were mixed together and a good tablespoon was drizzled over the spinach and then some smoked salmon was popped on the top.  It was returned to the oven for a few minutes and when the salmon had been warmed through, it was plated up with a mound of rocket leaves on the top and garnished with some pesto.  It was delicious.  Dinner that night was Hungarian Goulash, hence the diced beef and paprika, and there was an interesting adaptation of the classic Eton Mess for dessert using yoghurt and a vanilla pod.  At this rate even I could take to this dieting lark.

The bottom line is that diets can be utterly dull and boring if you just live on pre made ‘diet’ foods or they can be very exciting if you cook and experiment with real food.  I’ve certainly seen the light and so to fat fighters everywhere, yes you can enjoy your food, stay healthy and even loose a few pounds into the bargain!   Drop into James Whelan Butchers in Oakville this week and pick up a copy of our low fat, healthy option recipe sheet. We are starting to develop a range of food products that are carrying points. Real Food Real Taste Low Calorie I welcome feed back always. pat@jwb.ie

Salad of New Potatoes and Smoked Salmon with a Dill and Mustard Dressing 

Some hot news this week and God knows we need it after the recent weather we’ve been having.  While spring is just around the corner, it is still chilly enough for warming foods; stews, casseroles, mountains of mashed potatoes, rich gravies and so on.  Well just to mix things up a little why not try a few spices and the odd new ingredient which turns something ordinary into something exotic. 

The average Irish palate being used to a milder and blander type of taste, has taken some time to embrace eastern flavours.   Indian restaurants have opened all over the country in the past while and although not as prolific as Chinese restaurants, you will find at least one good Indian establishment holding its own in most places.  They have opened us up to new tastes and the Irish pioneers who first entered quickly found that there was so much more to Indian food than merely hot chilies.  Sadly we had been misled for many years by sandal wearing charlatans who thought that throwing a fistful of Schwartz Curry Powder and lentils into a pot of meat stew replicated an Indian dish.  The rest of us didn’t know any better and so blindly believing these ‘sophisticates’ we declared that “Indian food was a bit hot and not really to our liking”.  There are indeed very hot dishes available on most Indian menus, but there’s plenty more besides.  It’s like saying that the only thing we eat in Ireland is bacon and cabbage.  Indian food is highly varied and while as a country it has a history of mysticism, its food is not mysterious at all. 

India is highly populated and has many divides which impact the food culture. ‘Curry’ is an all purpose term devised by the English to cover the whole range of Indian food spicing.  The differences in food and traditions between Northern India and Southern India are quite distinct.  In the north much meat is eaten and cooking is often of the “Mughal” style which has a similarity to that of the Middle East and central Asia.  The emphasis is more on spices and less on curry heat. In the north more grains and breads are eaten and less rice while in the south, more rice is eaten and the dishes tend to be hotter.  Religion also plays a part.  Strict Hindus don’t eat beef as the cow is considered sacred while strict Muslims will not eat pork.  Therefore making a sweeping statement like, “Indian food is hot” does an ancient, food rich culture a great injustice and shows an extremely narrow viewpoint.

The good news for cooks is that Indian food is not about expensive cuts of meat.  It is about creating tasty dishes that combine meat, veg, pulses and spices that go a long way with little waste. I particularly love the way Indian food delivers vegetables. While I don’t deny that a lightly steamed Irish carrot can tempt the taste buds in its glorious simplicity, an Indian spiced and dressed dish of leafy green spinach can be a marvelous   meal in and of itself.  Talking of spinach, that brings me nicely onto the health benefits. 

Very creamy, calorie laden Chicken Korma can indeed be the nemesis of the dieter.  Go to any fat fighters meeting and the mere words ‘Chicken Korma’ will have them hoisting crosses and stringing garlic up around the room.    In some cases a two day food allowance can be tied up in one restaurant portion of Chicken Korma, Naan Bread and a half bottle of wine!  For the track suited brigade that pound Irish ring roads every evening, such a meal would require at least two laps and strike fear into their cholesterol free hearts.  Thankfully not every Indian dish is like that and many have great health benefits because of the spices.  Turmeric, one of the basics, has long been used worldwide as an antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agent thanks to a chemical present in the spice called curcumin.  Curcumin’s medicinal properties are now also thought to protect liver and kidney function, ward off Alzheimer’s disease and even kill cancer cells.  Recent research from the Cork Cancer Research centre found that curcumin started to destroy some forms of throat cancer cells in the lab within 24 hours.  Meanwhile chilies are proven to raise the heart rate, increase perspiration and release endorphins due to capsaicin, the substance which gives chilies their heat. In pharmaceuticals capsaicin is commonly used as a painkiller to help manage arthritis, shingles pain and headaches.  Just like the research in Cork, American researchers at Cedars Sinai Medical Centre discovered that capsaicin killed off prostate cancer cells in the laboratory.  The pepper component also dilates the blood vessels, increasing blood circulation and reducing blood pressure.  Ginger is traditionally used to help digestion and reduce inflammation, as the root helps neutralise stomach acid. It’s effective at reducing nausea and may also reduce cholesterol and blood clotting.  Garlic contains the chemical allicin which works to dilate the blood vessels and lessen the chance of blood clots, thereby reducing the risk of thrombosis.  Sadly, to have a fully positive effect on one’s health, two to three cloves should be consumed daily, which admittedly might be a bit much for spouses and co workers.  You might end up in rude health but you risk loosing some friends in the process.  Of course the health benefits are just an added bonus, the real benefit is the taste.   I encourage you to try cooking some Indian this week and remember that adding curry powder and lentils to a pot of meat does not a curry make!  Take the time to do it properly and your taste buds will joyously reap the rewards.

Chicken Terriyaki

 Ingredients: 

• 2 pieces free range chicken breast, sliced

• A little Vegetable oil

• A little Flour

• A little Grated ginger

• 2tbsp Sake (rice wine)

• 4 tbsp dark soy sauce

• Sugar as per taste

• Mixed Green Salad  

Method: 

• Mix sake, soy sauce and sugar in a bowl to make teri-yaki sauce. 

• Smear the chicken with flour. 

• Heat a little oil in a frying pan. 

• Sauté chicken on both sides to a golden finish and remove chicken from the pan. 

• Remove the left over oil from the pan. 

• Pour teri-yaki sauce into the pan and heat up to boil. 

• Simmer chicken well in the pan again on both sides and turn off the heat. 

• Add grated ginger to garnish. 

• Serve with salads.