A food Journey in Korea- Ireland -

Pumpkins Pumpkins Pumpkins

2009-10-29T08:25:00.000-07:00

http://virginia.ie/

Pumpkin pie
http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/10/pies.html
I also like to use pumpkin for Thai curry .
I advise you use a small pumpkin , Squash . The verities in the store Like Aladdins are really not that nice .
http://www.allaboutpumpkins.com/varieties.html#babybear

OR TRY CHEESECAKE

http://blossomhollow.com/2009/10/24/pumpkin-cheesecake/

Chapter 1- In photos and Giant Tuna

2009-09-24T12:21:00.000-07:00

Hop House and KimChi Restaurant

2009-09-19T07:57:00.000-07:00

This is my new favourite place in Dublin . It has a great Korean beers and Soju. It has the best Kimchi I have had since leaving Korea . I ate the Kimchi chi gae (kimchi stew but with beef not quite as good as pork but still great all the same )it was YUM . I have also had the Jae yuk bo kum . (spicy pork stir fry ) I ordered some lettuce and Dwenjang to go with it . It was like stepping back into Korea. The staff and the owner are really friendly . If your missing real Korean food this is the closest you may find .

http://www.hophouse.ie/index.htm

the menu

http://www.hophouse.ie/main_menu.htm
So.Moo.Food Review Kimchi here take a look.
http://sofood.wordpress.com/2009/06/09/kimchikorean/

for more info look here http://www.ireland-guide.com/establishment/kimchi_restaurant_at_the_hop_house.7973.html

Contemporary Korean

2009-09-19T07:33:00.000-07:00

Fat man tell us about this most amazing contemporary Korean food.
Check it out

http://www.fatmanseoul.com/2009/09/16/w-gourmet-contemporary-korean/

julie and julia

2009-09-19T07:09:00.000-07:00

http://www.julieandjulia.com/
for the trailer

This is a fun Movie . Must for a foodie

Julia Child (August 15, 1912 – August 13, 2004) was an American chef, author and television personality. She introduced French cuisine and cooking techniques to the American mainstream through her many cookbooks and television programs, notably The French Chef which premiered in 1963. Her most well-known cookbook is Mastering the Art of French Cooking, published in 1961.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Julia_Child

http://www.biography.com/articles/Julia-Child-9246767

WATCH the original Julia Child
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LWmvfUKwBrg

this is great
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3u1ljheBtY&NR=1

National Organic Week

2009-09-14T08:23:00.000-07:00

check out
http://www.organicsupermarket.ie/news/
for all your organic needs

National Organic Week 2009 - Events Listing

http://www.bordbia.ie/aboutfood/organicfood/Pages/NationalOrganicWeek2009-EventsListing.aspx

Is organic worth it?
http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/pricewatch/2009/0914/1224254469124.html

Despite the recession and a belief that they’re more expensive, sales of organic food are up 16 per cent on last year – and that’s on top of price-cutting and increased competition, writes CONOR POPE
IT’S BEEN a tough year for organic food producers. As if convincing people to spend a little more on food in the middle of a full-blown depression wasn’t hard enough, they’ve also had to combat a headline-generating scientific report which was published this summer casting doubt on the nutritional benefits of their produce.
Researchers from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, acting at the behest of the British government’s Food Standards Agency, found that consumers were paying higher prices for organic food partly because they believed it had health benefits. After carrying out a review of 162 scientific papers published over 50 years, however, the researchers found there to be no significant difference.
“A small number of differences in nutrient content were found to exist between organically and conventionally produced foodstuffs, but these are unlikely to be of any public health relevance,” says Alan Dangour, one of the report’s authors. “Our review indicates that there is currently no evidence to support the selection of organically over conventionally produced foods on the basis of nutritional superiority.”
Organic food campaigners immediately countered by saying the researchers did not take into account the health effects of pesticides and other contaminants found in some foods. They highlighted the fact that the absence of pesticides is the single most important reason why people in Ireland continue to be drawn towards organic food in the face of downturns and downbeat scientific assessments.
At least the organic producers will be able to draw breath and bask in some positive publicity this week as National Organic Food Week continues.
Lorcan Bourke heads up Bord Bia’s Organic Marketing Development Group. Given his brief, it is hardly surprising that he neatly sidesteps questions over organic food’s nutritional superiority and value for money.
“All I can really say is that there are a lot of studies and a lot of very contradictory findings. The only thing I can say with any degree of certainty is that the number one reason people tell us they buy organic is the pesticide issue. It is the most regulated area of farming and consumers are buying into the ‘free from’ aspect.”
But it must be tough to convince people to buy organic when they are struggling to make ends meet in many aspects of their lives?
In the UK there has been a sharp rate of decline in the popularity of organic food over the last 18 months as people concentrate on budget shops. One of the problems in the UK has been the fickle nature of organic buyers, while Irish shoppers tend to become hardened converts, Britain’s are more prone to dip in and out of the sector, Bourke says.
There is, Burke accepts, a degree of price sensitivity on evidence now. People who would have happily paid up to 25 per cent more for food because it was organic are now saying that price gaps of more than 10 per cent are a big turn off. There is, however, “a strong cohort who will pay whatever is necessary for organic food”.
That cohort is keeping the sector in Ireland surprisingly buoyant. According to new research from Bord Bia, the value of organic sales in Ireland increased by 13 per cent in the year to July. In the first seven months of this year sales reached €124 million compared to €104 million over the same period last year – a 16 per cent rise.
The research also showed that 73 per cent of Irish grocery shoppers purchased an organic product in the last month, with fruit, vegetables and dairy products accounting for the most popular purchased categories.
But how much more are people prepared to pay for organic food? Bord Bia asked that question last year and found that 47 per cent of all consumers would “definitely” or “probably” buy organic if a 10 per cent premium is charged but, if the price differential between organic and conventional produce is any bigger, interest tails off dramatically.
“The big problem now across the board is that there is less money in people’s pockets. People have lost their jobs and that forces them to make real decisions at the point of sale,” says Burke.
Darren Grant is an ex-Dell worker who opened the Organic Supermarket in Blackrock, Co Dublin in July last year “on the day the recession was announced”.
Despite his poor timing, he says business has boomed through the bust. “We have seen a 45 per cent increase in trade in the last year. People have started to realise the true value of food and, instead of buying expensive ready meals, they are buying the raw ingredients.”
The store has an organic version of everything and claims to be the only exclusively organic supermarket in the State. “We want to bring organic food to the masses. In the past it was seen as elitist,” says Grant.
The buyers at Lidl and Aldi would hardly agree and for quite some time both discount stores have shown a healthy appetite to increase the range of organic foods to be found on their shelves. Both stores recognise there is a market for organic produce and both are prepared to sell at comparatively low prices to bring people through their doors.
TO MARK NATIONAL ORGANIC WEEK, Lidl has gone a step further and slashed the price of its organic food. Its organic carrots are €0.85 a kilo compared with a normal price of €1.66 while dozens of other items are selling at half price in the store for the rest of the week.
While Aldi hasn’t gone quite as far as Lidl this week, it is still selling organic food at knock-down prices and cheap as chips organic vegetables are also on offer in Tesco where price-matching with the German discounters seems to be the order of the day.
The Organic Supermarket may not be able to quite match the big boys price for price, but it does bring something unique to market. “Our lettuce is picked at 6am in Wicklow and on our shelves at 8am, so it’s as fresh as it can be and there’s no food miles to worry about either,” says Gran

So What have I been Up to ?

2009-08-30T06:46:00.000-07:00

So for the past 2 weeks I have being staging in Chapter one in Dublin

its a Michelin stared restaurant .

http://www.chapteronerestaurant.com/

When I am not working I have being busy getting the garden together and cooking using the local produce .I have found wild sorrel , watercress and sloes to mention a few of the free food that is around the farm .

My gran-uncle has the best cooking apples they have the beautiful colour . Here is some jelly I made . The recipe is from the Ballymaloe cooking school book.

Blueberry cheese cake from Rachel's book Bake

Chickens .

Rhubarb plants

Pumpkins

before

after

So we Have onions, beet-root , lettuce , beans ,tomatoes, dill, coriander, thyme , lovage, sage, rosemary, potatoes,chives , cabbage and pumpkins.

Black currant icing .

Black berry and apple tart.

wedding food

Darragh our new addition to our Family

Taking a break

2009-07-26T13:48:00.000-07:00

Due to some Personal stuff I am taking a break from this for a while . In time I will be back with lots of great new stuff from where ever I may be in the world .

Pumpkin Leaves for eating

2009-07-22T07:28:00.000-07:00

I love making use of as much of the plant as possible so I am so Delighted to find the Pumpkin Leaf can be eaten . I am reading that it is a southern Africa Dish

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/food_and_drink/real_food/article6722192.ece
The Article
TIP OF THE WEEK: Keep an eye on your pumpkin plants. Restrict the production to two or three fruits max per plant to concentrate the energy of the plant into producing larger pumpkins. Cut away the unwanted babies when they are grapefruit-size, cook and eat.

Seasonal Recipe: Pumpkin Leaves in Peanut Coconut Sauce

This Tanzanian dish, know as M’chicha Wa’nazi, can also be made with spinach, chard or other greens.

Ingredients

30g / 2 Tbsp butter

Several large handfuls (about 450g / 1 lb) pumpkin leaves or other greens, washed and shredded

Sea salt

1 large onion, chopped

1-2 red chillies or to taste, deseeded if large, finely chopped

70g (1/2 cup) roasted peanuts

250ml coconut cream

Method

Melt the butter in a large lidded pan and add the greens with a little salt. Fry until tender. Add onion and chillies and cook until the onion is soft and translucent.

In a blender, puree the peanuts with the coconut cream until fairly smooth. Pour into the pan, and cook, stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with mash or rice. Serves 4

http://recipes.wikia.com/wiki/Pumpkin_leaves

Dark green pumpkin leaves contain a great amount of vitamin A that is vital for a proper growth, healthy eyes and protection from disease. Moreover, pumpkin leaves are a great source of calcium, iron, protein, and calcium and they can be prepared in many ways. First of all, leaves should be washed every time before cooking and placed in boiling water. They should be eaten with coconut cream or other fats in order for the body to assimilate the vitamin A.

Some Reading

2009-07-22T03:48:00.000-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/22/dining/22currant.html?_r=1&ref=dining

Bloggers Trying Korean food

2009-07-21T12:51:00.000-07:00

I read a few blogs every now and then . I love when my fellow foodies try Korean food .
Here is one of the Blogs I like to read trying Korean Food

http://chadzilla.typepad.com/chadzilla/2009/07/gabose.html

I haven't been posting as often as I use to I am taking a little break . Doing some gardening and looking for a job . I will keep posting every now and again . Dont worry I will be back.

Jameson Factory

2009-07-17T07:14:00.000-07:00

I got a Diploma in Whiskey tasting .

http://www.jamesonwhiskey.com/

As you may know I am in Love with whiskey so having a trip round the Jameson factory was a great treat .

So I am home

2009-07-17T07:08:00.000-07:00

I have been cooking ever day . I have found Crazy amount black currants . So after making pots of jam I decided to make so cup cakes inspired by Claire from Violet cup cakes . Claire came and gave a fabulous demo at Ballymaloe.

No Reservations - Ireland

2009-07-04T10:54:00.001-07:00

No Reservations - Ireland Part 2

2009-07-04T10:53:00.001-07:00

No Reservations - Ireland Part 3

2009-07-04T10:52:00.001-07:00

part 4 and 5 on you tube

Check out Facebook

2009-06-26T12:29:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com

Week 9 and 10

2009-06-26T11:53:00.000-07:00

So week 10 has just passed and I have handed in my final recipes for our last day of cooking . It was hell trying to decided what to do in the end . But after many sleepless nights I made a decision and its done .

Roast Beetroot and goats cheese salad
*****
Poached Monk fish with Tomato and basil sauce.
Courgettes and new potatoes .
Green salad with a cider vinaigrette.
******
Homemade Ice Cream , Banana Bread and Carmel sauce.

Now all I have to worry about is doing it in 3 hours and doing it well . we will also be given a bread to make on the day too. But we wont know what that will be till the day before .
I have just over a week to practice . But before I can put my mind to it, I have to do my Wine exam. 100 multiple choice question about the wine course . This is a separate exam to the Ballymaloe Certificate.

I made a triangular Kimbab complete with Ballymaloe Kimchi.

Darina Using my Knife

Ox tongue

Monkfish

This week we did a lot on finger food . We cooked a whole lot of duck and made a lot of puff pastry . I am finding out pastry is probably not my thing . Last week we made a lot of Pasta all by hand which I loved . Back to studying for wine exam.
I have promised myself to stay quiet on this course so as and when I get a job and some money I am now really looking forward to a night out with friends .

Dining at cliff house With Martijn Kajuiter.

2009-06-21T07:38:00.000-07:00

Are you a Foodie ? Are you in Ireland ? Have you been to the cliff house hotel . I say you must go, Here is my visit to the Cliff house Hotel in Pictures have a look at their website for more info http://www.thecliffhousehotel.com/dining.html. We had the Tasting menu (below) at the chefs table .

Helvick Oyster and Guinness
Oyster Meringue , Gooseberry , Hazelnut

West Cork Scallops
Green asparagus textures And Mizuna

Local Suffolk Lamb
Mint Broad Beans Verjus and Brix

Organic Clare Island Salmon
Carrot Marsh Samphire , Smoke

Skeaghanore Duck
Beetroot , Sweet potato, Amaranth Spinach

Pre Dessert
Lemon verbena ice

Strawberry collection 2009

Dark Chocolate 70%
Coffee ice ,Olive oil, Sea Salt

A wonderful night was had by all . The hotel and chef Martijn Kajuiter where more then welcoming to us . Not only is the food fresh and local but the staff where very friendly . Even appeared to really enjoy their jobs . Not all that usual for Ireland .

Week 8 Cooking School

2009-06-13T10:11:00.000-07:00

Foraging With Darina

Evening tea at Ballymaloe House

The Wine Cellar at the House

The Kitchen
Myrtle Allen and Myself

http://ballymaloe.ie/family/myrtle-allen.html

Darina ,Myrtle and Myself

Evening tea

Some of week eight

Some of the students go fishing in Ballycotton and on Friday last they caught some mackerel . They cooked them up on the BBQ at the back of the Blackbird .

KimChi in Ballymaloe

2009-06-13T09:01:00.000-07:00

Darina Allen requested I make kimchi so I did .
I have been missing kimchi so much. No Joking.
I am really pleased with how it came out.
I will be having kimchi jiggae next week.

Week 7 Road Trip, Markets and more food .

2009-06-06T09:46:00.000-07:00

Some food from Week 7
Week 6 we had our herb and salad leaf Identification exam and also a technical exam.
I did extremely well and am starting to get my stuff together for week 12 exams where we have 3 written and a 3 hour cooking exam.

Rachael with ox tail

Beef kidney

Making Apple jelly

Its Elderflower season

Road Trip

The Tannery

We Visited the Tannery In Dungarvan Paul Flynn owns this He is is regarded as one of the foremost Irish chefs, cooking exciting and modern Irish food. It was wonderful that he allowed us to wonder into his restaurant cooking school and vegetable gardens.
We also had the pleasure of having a wonderful Dessert in the Tannery while Paul Talked to us about the reality of the restaurant business.

The Tannery Cooking school Blog Is Here http://tannery.wordpress.com/

The Tannery Cooking school is amazing .

Paul and Rory

The food at the Tannery The gardens
The drive there

At Mahon Point market

If your into food and this end of the country this is a not to be missed Market . Every Thursday
With 43 wonderful stalls
http://www.mahonpointfarmersmarket.com/

At Frank Hederman Smoke house

http://www.frankhederman.com/

At the cheese Farm

Cutting the curds

Curds and whey

The Cliff House
Head Chef Martijn Kajuiter

http://www.thecliffhousehotel.com/dining.html

Kajuiter's kitchen and restaurant is acclaimed by guests and destination diners from Waterford and all over Ireland, uses only the finest of local ingredients. "I want to work with seasonal products from the Irish soil and sea

The Chefs table

Gourmet talk of the Korean taco again

2009-06-01T13:58:00.000-07:00

Okay, but how about taco ideas? Shin recommended kalbi (marinated short ribs) and daeji bul-gogi (spicy pork), with condiments including a slaw of shredded romaine lettuce and Napa cabbage with a sesame vinaigrette. “Instead of vinegar, which is what Koreans would use, I’d use fresh lime juice,” said Shin.

Kye and her mother also made homemade ssamjang, the sauce typically slathered on the Korean lettuce wraps called ssam, which you can think of as the original Korean taco. (Actually, Shin recalls tortilla-based Korean tacos long predating Kogi. “Growing up in LA, there’s so many Latinos in K-town, you had Korean tacos at your backyard barbecue,” she said. “It never really tasted great.”)
Bulgogi

Adapted from Kye Soon Hong
Makes enough for about 18 tacos

Note: the same marinade may be used for kalbi, thin-sliced bone-in short ribs

• 1 1/2 pounds beef rib eye, thinly sliced (preferably from a Korean or Japanese market)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 teaspoons Asian sesame oil
• 2 teaspoons mirin
• 2 teaspoons water

Combine all ingredients and marinate at least 2 hours or up to 24 hours. Cook meat on a grill or in a skillet, then chop for tacos.

Read more here http://www.gourmet.com/food/2009/05/korean-tacos

My mouth is watering at the taught of one

Chorizo pasta - Rachel Allen - Market Kitchen

2009-05-31T02:49:00.001-07:00

Rachel does the demos at Ballymaloe cooking school

Mark Bittman: What's wrong with what we eat

2009-05-31T02:43:00.001-07:00

A Must Watch

'Half a Pound of Crap' In Daily American Diet - Mark Bittman

2009-05-31T02:35:00.001-07:00

Mark Bittman: "Food Matters", part 1

2009-05-31T02:31:00.001-07:00

Mark Bittman: Food Matters, part 2

2009-05-31T02:30:00.001-07:00

Week 6 Ballymaloe

2009-05-30T07:36:00.000-07:00

Pizza, Burgers , Duck ,Wine and Tapas

Our 6 week exam was held on Friday .
We had to identify 10 herbs and 10 salad leafs as well as a practical exam, mine was chop and sweat an onion , make paper piping bag , chop cucumber and make short crust pastry and line pastry tin .
Last week we had Peggie's birthday night with amazing food and drink. Last night Mark once again hosted another great party BBQ .

On Saturdays the school has Pizza bar open and for around 10 euro you can get an amazing Pizza cooked in the wood fire oven check out the photos below.

I made my house mates Dak-Dori-Tang
Korean chicken stew
Here is the recipe
2 chickens
1/2 cup of dark soy sauce
2 inches of chopped ginger
5 cloves of garlic
6 carrots
6 potatoes
3 onions
sugar or honey
black pepper and salt
gochujang (Korean red pepper paste)

Steam the chopped up skinned chicken in a little water for 10 -15 mins
Keep the water .
Mix the garlic, ginger, honey, salt, pepper and soy sauce together.
In a large pot add the chicken , potatoes , onions and carrots . Add the sauce and may be a little of the chicken cooking water. Simmer until the potatoes are cooked .
Serve with rice .

Week 5 At Ballymaloe

2009-05-24T05:06:00.000-07:00

http://www.lanson.fr/en/maison.htm
Here is Colm and a Lady (cant remember her name sorry ) from Lansons Champagne .
Colm is the sommelier from Ballymaloe House . Colm is now keep a wine Blog here.http://www.cookingisfun.info/wine/
In this wine tasting class we got to try a Lanson vintage and Non Vintage Champagne .

One of the hatched chicks

As I have already said there are 11 nationalities on the course . There is a doctor ,accountant ,lawyer, and all sorts of other really interesting people. Francis has two silver Olympic medals and 3 gold world medals for rowing for Britain .http://www.ara-rowing.org/athlete/frances-houghton

People my pay to come into Demo in the evenings some evening there are many visitors .Last week one of the ladies in Demo Was the owner of Obama's favorite chocolate all the way from Seattle .The owner of Frans chocolate http://www.franschocolates.com/home.php

Everyone always gets a birthday cake on their birthday .

We have made all sorts of bread now we are making sour dough bread with our own home gown yeast .

Extra Classes

2009-05-24T03:54:00.000-07:00

Pig

Philip the school butcher teacher some butchering skills in the evenings sometimes . This class is optional . Its great you really get a good idea where you meat is coming from and what parts are from where . This is a skill I would love to study further.

Lamb

Should we wish to get out of bed an hour before class on Wednesdays we can attend a gardening class . I really like this class this week we all got a French tarragon plant . The gardens here are amazing so this class really is a class not to be missed.

Michel Roux came by School today

2009-05-15T13:22:00.000-07:00

The Michelin starred Michel Roux and Jr stopped by the school today .

Above Greeting Rachel Allen

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michel_Roux

Michel Roux has one word for foul-mouthed TV chefs ... Pah! His Waterside Inn has retained three Michelin stars for 19 years without resorting to such antics. So what's the food like? Don't ask Rachel Cooke - she just got sandwiches

The name is a culinary legend. Michel with his older brother Albert arrived in England in 1971 to open the original Le Gavroche Restaurant in Lower Sloane Street. The address was imprinted immediately onto the gourmets and gourmands across the country. By 1972 when they opened The Waterside Inn, they had another 3 restaurants in London, each a landmark in a city not then known for fine dining. Between them they have trained over 800 young chefs many of whom are now also legendary.

http://www.waterside-inn.co.uk/Index.aspx?Id=1

Latest new is

May 08 2009 (FoodBizDaily) - Michelin-starred chef Michel Roux Junior is set to open a second restaurant in September 2009 as part of a 10 year contract between Restaurant Associates and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) worth £30 million.

from here

week 4 in Ballymaloe cooking school

2009-05-15T12:59:00.000-07:00

So many Sweet things this week

This week was quite an eventfully week my worst cooking so far . But great fun . I was cooking cakes which seems appropriate as it was my boyfriends and my mums birthdays. I moves into kitchen 3 which is a little more stressful then the other kitchen I was in. I started making yeast bread and started my Sour dough starter named Ali. My sweet geranium plant I picked up in optional gardening class, got green fly and my salad leaves including Perilla (Shiso) are growing beautifully . Mick In my house cooked some great Thai curry . We had a wine tasting before lunch wednesday ,we tasted 6 wines all from France. We also had a talk on tea . By a Irish tea distributor who doesn't seem to know Korean green tea . I offered him a cup of Boseong Green Tea and he declined but he did seem busy .He also never mentioned Korea at all.

Here is what the LA Times has to say this week about Boseong Green tea (one of my favorite places in Korea I visited 4 times ) The tea I offered him.

The Boseong region is to green tea what the Napa Valley is to wine. There are hundreds of tiny producers in the area. Visiting the plantations, I was struck by the pungent aroma of the leaves even before I caught sight of the fields. But it was the view that took my breath away. The soft rolling rows of tea plants stretching up along the hillside stood majestically in the morning fog.

http://www.latimes.com/features/food/la-fo-greentea13-2009may13,0,1 965007.story

64 foodies and a Saturday Night

2009-05-11T14:01:00.000-07:00

Mark and his Fore-Quarter Of Lamb,Yum . He cooked for 6 hours.

Jenny's Cup cakes (Butterfly buns )

Food in the Pink cottage on Saturday thanks to Mark and everyone else who cooked wonderful things .

Wine and Food

2009-05-11T12:59:00.000-07:00

In Above Picture Gustavo Sanchez( Terrazas de los andes) ,Matt Steel (Green point ), Rory O Connell (Chef) , Robert Mann (Cape Mentelle)

Roast Organic Chicken with watercress and wild mushrooms. Cape Mentelle

Roast Rack of Lamb with Spiced Chickpea Stew With Afincado Malbec

Salad of Ballycotton Prawns with oven roasted cherry tomatoes ,Organic greens , Herb Flowers
Wine -Cloudy Bay

Above Salad of Lobster Courgettes and peashoots to go with Greenpoint non vintage

So Saturday and Sunday Ballymole house Hosted and 2 day 5 workshops on wine and food Pairing Day one Domaine Chandon/Green point with Matt Steele. Cape Mentelle ,Margaret River with Robert Mann,Terrazas Mendoza with Gustavo Urbano. Sunday I helped in the kitchen . While Sioban Harnett from Cloudy Bay ,Marlborough Talked and Cheval des Andes , Mendoza with Nicolas Audebert finished the workshops . Day one I sat and enjoyed amazing food and wine and Day two I helped along side the most amazing chef Rory O Connell

In the kitchen

Above Grilled Tbone of beef with wild garlic relish and red wine sauce ( Wine -Cheval des Andes)

Ballymaloe House and Moët Hennessy Wines

Unique Food and Wine Event in May

Ballymaloe House in association with Moët Hennessy Wines are running a unique Food and Wine Event and Gala Dinner over the weekend of 9th/10th May 2009

Meet the winemakers from the following iconic wines in person.

Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand Sioban Harnett

Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley, South Australia Matt Steele

Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, Western Australia Robert Mann

Terrazas, Mendoza, Argentina Gustavo Urbano

Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, Argentina (Cheval des Andes is a joint venture with Chateau Cheval Blanc, Bordeaux) Nicolas Audebert

Click here to learn more about the winemakers (Powerpoint Presentation - 612 kB)

Moët Hennessy 5 Winemakers Gala Dinner

The Long Room, Ballymaloe House, Saturday evening, May 9th 8.30pm

Attend this fabulous 6 course Food and Wine dinner hosted by the winemakers from these 5 Iconic New world wineries. Each course will be partnered with a wine that will be presented by one of the winemakers. Each wine and food pairing will be a prefect combination of flavours.

As places are limited for this unique dinner, booking ahead is strongly advised.

Food and Wine workshops at the Ballymaloe Cookery School

Saturday afternoon, May 9th, and Sunday morning, May 10th

Attend a series of hands-on seminars covering iconic wine and food pairings.Each session will be presented by Rory O’Connell in partnership with the winemaker. Taste the perfect combination of freshly prepared food with these wines. Learn how to prepare these perfect food pairings for yourself. Learn about these modern day Iconic wines, how they were made, followed by tutored tasting by the wine winemaker.

Saturday - May 9th

2-3 pm Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley with Matt Steele

3.15 – 4.15pm Cape Mentelle, Margaret River with Robert Mann

4.30 – 5.30 pm Terrazas, Mendoza with Gustavo Urbano

Sunday - May 10th

11 – 12pm Cloudy Bay, Marlborough with Sioban Harnett

12.15 – 1.30 pm

Midleton Farmers Market in pictures

2009-05-09T12:08:00.000-07:00

Above some great smoked mackerel by Frank Hederman

http://www.midletonfarmersmarket.com/

Ballymaloe cooking school

Some of week 3 in Ballymaloe

2009-05-08T11:44:00.000-07:00

This week I plucked and gutted two birds . Learned all about prawns made Mayonnaise made yeast bread made ceaser salad and french onion soup and a whole lot more.
As you can imagine I am still loving every minute of it . Friday we had an after noon with Rosemary Kerney . The Author of Healthy gluten free Eating

Wild garlic, broad-leaved garlic,

2009-05-02T09:44:00.000-07:00

In Season is Wild Garlic a beautiful white flower with a lovely leaf great for salads and stews . With a wonderful aroma of garlic from it . The best thing of all about the wonderful plant its free . It grows everywhere at the minute . Use in the place of spinach in pies or on pizza.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramsons

Around the gardens

2009-05-02T05:06:00.001-07:00

The gardens around the school are stunning . So I taught I would share some of them with you.

Ballymaloe gardens

The school

The pigs

The green house

The Herb garden

The student accommodation

Week 2 Cooking in Ballymaloe

2009-05-02T02:39:00.000-07:00

Rachael Allen was teaching us this week .
Rachael is Darina Allens Daughter in Law Darina is the Head of the school and has written many books http://cookingisfun.ie/pages/cookery_books/

Rachel Allen
http://www.rachelallen.c o.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rachel_Allen
Her books include

Rachel's Favorite Food,

Bake

Rachel's Food for Li ving

Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends

Rachel's Favourite Food at Home

http://www.amazon.co.uk

You can see Rachel onTV
BBC
RTE

WEEK TWO - FOOD

Cutting up half a Lamb

The Fish

Kidney salad with Caramelized Shallots

The food

Lunch room

My breads

Pudding

My chicken

Labneh
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Labneh

Home made butter

Crispy chicken skin

Sweetbreads
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sweetbread

Sweetbreads are the thymus glands and pancreas glands of lamb, beef, or pork.

Lemon pudding

Home made cheese

So far we have learned how to make cheese, Soups, How to fillet fish and chicken, make all kinds of Tarts, Breads ,raitas, Mexican food, pastry, compote, salads, biscuits ,Syrups , stocks and list goes on and on. The day starts round 6(sometimes ) trying to get some exercise in before all the butter and cream :) I get to school round 7:30 -8 if I have duties like making stock or collecting herbs from the garden. Round up ingredients and start cooking. After lunch we have demo till 5 (if you have no duties like cleaning up after demo otherwise 6 or 6:30 ) get home file today's recipes and make your time-plan for tomorrows cooking . Its a really full day and right no every ones is exhausted.

My Mums Roast Lamb

2009-04-25T09:23:00.000-07:00

My huge miss in Korea was good Lamb . So when I got home I couldn't help myself and next week I have a whole day of learning to cook Lamb.

Full Irish

2009-04-25T09:19:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Breakfast With Black pudding I talked before about it here
http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/05/soon-dae_27.html

Home sweet home

2009-04-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

To the pub

My Home

Week one in cooking school

2009-04-25T08:36:00.000-07:00

Ballymaloe cooking school week one

Daniel Brunier

Who makes

Châteauneuf-du-Pape's top wines came to talk to us about wine and also let us try some of his wines

http://www.winespectator.com/Wine/Features/0,1197,3584,00.html

Rory O Connell

the food

In class with Darina

The food

Around the school

My home right now

I would love to write more but I have little to no Internet and have no time I am extremely busy but will keep posting some photos

Stuffed Trout

2009-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

Baked Potato with sour cream dill and chives

I took the trout and de-boned it (badly )
Trout (My Dad caught ) Stuffed with pinhead oatmeal(steel cut oats), onions, chives, parsley, leeks , bacon and butter . Cook the bacon add onions and leeks . Till softened . Add chives and parsley butter and pinhead oatmeal cook till the oatmeal soaked up all the juices. Wrap in foil and cook at 200 till fish is cooked .

Asparagus is coming into season.

Chives
The kitchen The Rayburn

Streaky Rashers

Canadian Press

2009-04-14T22:54:00.001-07:00

http://www.thestar.com/fpLarge/video/607103

Brown Soda Bread

2009-04-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

Buttermilk

Recipe
http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/07/irish-soda-bread.html

Real Irish

2009-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

Boiled ham ,Soak in water For a few hours then change water boil half way change water (Boil for 2 hours ) Eat with spring cabbage , carrots , mash potatoes and white sauce (flour , milk, butter ,salt and pepper)

Boxty

2009-04-14T08:51:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boxty

“

Boxty on the griddle,

Boxty in the pan,

If you can't make boxty,

You'll never get a man.

”

Boxty where I am from is usually in the dumpling form

8 oz/ 250 g/ 1 cup raw potato
8 oz/ 250 g/ 1 cup mashed potato
8 oz/ 250 g/ 2 cups plain flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
large knob of butter, melted
about 1/4 pt/ 125 ml/ 1/2 cup milk
Grate the raw potatoes into a bowl. Turn out onto a cloth and wring, catching the liquid. This will separate into a clear fluid with starch at the bottom. Pour off the fluid and scrape out the starch and mix with the grated and mashed potatoes. Sieve the dry ingredients and mix in along with the melted butter. Add a little milk if necessary to make a pliable dough. Knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide into four and form large, flat cakes. Mark each into quarters but do not cut right through, and bake on a griddle or in a heavy pan.
Recipe from here
http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/culture/recipes/cooking/boxty.shtm

I remember my dad making it we would boil potatoes , grate more and squeeze till all the starch is gone mix together maybe add flour and boil . I also remember making cake these were not boiled but cooked in the oven. I love boxty for breakfast . Boxty is a is popular everywhere my cousins come down form Dublin and buy as much as they can to bring back with them as they cant get it there.

Rhubarb

2009-04-13T01:30:00.000-07:00

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rhubarb

One of my loves of home is going to the garden and finding sometime to eat . Yesterday I found Rhubarb and made a simple crumble but unfortunately I tried to cook it in the rayburn. Well it was a good idea but impossible for me to sort the temperature so I burnt it . Was still edible but not great.
Crumble recipe

http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/11/chinese-quince.html

Roast dinner

2009-04-13T01:11:00.000-07:00

My first cooking at home was a roast on Easter Sunday

Parboil the potatoes and put in a hot roasting tin with melted goose fat this is the secret to great crispy roast potatoes .

Goose Fat is high in ‘heart healthy’ monounsaturated (55g compared to 19.8g in butter) and polyunsaturated fats (10.8g compared to 2.6g in butter).
Goose Fat is also rich in Oleic acid C18.1 (a specific type of monounsaturated fatty acid) which can lower blood cholesterol levels. Goose fat contains on average 58% oleic acid, C18.1, and is generally higher in comparison to other animal fats.

Info from here http://www.goosefat.co.uk/gfis_04.html

Oh how I miss Parsnip http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parsnip

Fresh herbs from the garden

I cooked the roast beef for 1 hr 30 mins at 180 degrees Celsius . Covered in foil for the first hour and the meat was sitting on garlic and onions .

Cherry blossoms

2009-04-12T17:15:00.000-07:00

I will miss Korea in the Spring

I will miss

2009-04-12T13:52:00.000-07:00

Street food

Feeling rice having millions

Food on a stick

Ho doc

Markets

Korean Fruit

http://passthekimchi.blogspot.com/2007/04/korean-fruits.html

Last meal 2 and 3 Good bye Korea

2009-04-12T13:44:00.000-07:00

Typical Korean beef BBQ .

My favorite gamjatang or pork spine and potato soup.

Thanks Everyone for coming out, I miss you already .

Cake and chopsticks

2009-04-12T13:37:00.000-07:00

Cake and chopsticks always made me laugh so I had to post this one . Also the cake can have anything on it including tomatoes . Even tough it not my birthday I still was made blow out the candles very funny .

Last meal 1

2009-04-12T12:14:00.000-07:00

Cheap pork stir fry

Lettuce , rice , sesame oil, red pepper paste, sea weed , mash- stir fry.

Fried rice
Yum

Farewell

2009-04-07T16:41:00.001-07:00

Why does it take a minute to say hello and forever to say goodbye?

Tomorrow I leave for Seoul and Friday I leave Korea I cant tell you how much I love it here and will miss it terribly .
But dont worry I will get back to blogging once back on Irish Soil.

Good Bye Korea

Goodbyes are not forever.
Goodbyes are not the end.
They simply mean I'll miss you
Until we meet again!

Steamed egg, Gye ran jjim: 계란 찜

2009-04-01T02:25:00.000-07:00

Recipes

http://koreanfood.about.com/od/sidedishesbanchan/r/Steamedegg.htm

My Favorite Korean Recipe site www.maangchi.com

http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/egg-side-dishes

LEES

2009-04-01T02:19:00.002-07:00

This place really surprised me . Above Mr Pizza in New down town Suncheon.
Its clean and had a nice view on the fourth floor.
Everything on the menu was in or around 7 000 won . Mostly Pasta or Tonkatsu Japanese Pork Cutlet.

So to start they gave us corn soup with some sweet garlic bread.

Bulogi rice

2 1/2 -3 pounds of tenderloin beef

Garlic, honey, sugar, asian pear, onion, sesame oil, sesame seeds, 16 oz. Beef broth, vegetable mushrooms, medium carrot, bunch of green onions, tofu, and green chili pepper.
Recipe from here http://www.lovethatkimchi.com/bulgogi.html

Chicken Tonkatsu

Plastic food outside
But the main reason I like this place is value for money everything was just 14 000 won .

Jae Juk Bokum( Spicy Pork Stir fry)

2009-04-01T02:19:00.001-07:00

I love this dish My friend Sara made this for me once I am still trying to get her recipe it was the best I ever had.
This one can be found in Suncheon In Sheda Next to LIVE chicken place.
Man Won For two people .

Spicy pork Stir-fry (Jae Yook Bokum) (Hot) -
Julia's Cook Korean

20 oz of thin cut pork meat
1 onion
Â½ carrot
2 thick green onions or 3 smaller green onions
oil
Seasoning
2 Tbs of soy sauce
2 Tbs of red bean paste (gochujang)
2 Tbs of rice wine
1 Tbs of chopped garlic
2 Tbs of chopped green onion
1 Tbs of ginger juice (or ginger powder)
ground black pepper
1 Tbs of sesame seed oil
3 Tbs of sugar
1 Tbs of ground red pepper

Full Recipe Here http://www.massrecipes.com/recipes/04/10/spicyporkstirfryjaeyookbo56257.html

OR Here http://recipecircus.com/recipes/dmvezina/PORK/Jae_Yook_Bokum_-_Spicy_Pork_Stir-Fry.html

Tuna

2009-04-01T01:38:00.000-07:00

For 20 000 won (10 EURO ) You can get all you can eat tuna . They also served the best fish cheeks and some braised tuna with radish.
We also were served Juk (Korean rice porridge) and after more rice in a Korean hot bowl (Dolset). A feast I must say . The tuna was Delicious .

This place is next to on the same street as Tom And Toms .

Seoul Eats Brings Us Rice Cake Competition

2009-03-31T21:41:00.000-07:00

Image from here

Think of this as the Iron Chef for rice cake. The winner will not only get fame, they will also win 2,000,000 won. You heard me correctly. 2 million won. The Second Place winner will win 1 million won, Third Place 500,000, and fourth 300,000. Not bad huh?

For more Info Check out Se oul Eats here

Tteok (pronounced [t͈ʌk]) (also spelled ddeock, duk, dduk, ddeog, or thuck) is a Korean cake made with glutinous rice flour (also known as sweet rice or chapssal), by steaming. Normal rice flour can be used for some kinds of tteok. There are hundreds of different kinds of tteok eaten year round. In Korea it is customary to eat tteok guk (tteok soup) on New Year's Day and sweet tteok at weddings and on birthdays. It is often considered a celebratory food and can range from rather elaborate versions with nuts and fruits down to the plain-flavored tteok used in home cooking. Some common ingredients for many kinds of tteok are mung bean, red bean, and sweet red bean paste, Korean mugwort, jujube and other dried fruits, sesame seeds and oil, sugar, and p ine nuts.

http://encyclopedia.vbxml.net/Ddeok

Image from here

If only I was still in the country for this I would so be there.
Here is a Video on how to make Rice cake
http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/gyungdan

My Favourite 송편

http://www.maangchi.com/recipes/songpyeon

http://www.kimchibulgogi.com/sweet-rice-powder-cake-recipe/

These Are really cute
http://mykoreankitchen.com/2007/02/02/strawberry-rice-cakes-for-my-valentine/

David Chang

2009-03-31T18:12:00.000-07:00

David Chang is a noted American chef. He is chef/owner of Momofuku Noodle Bar, Momofuku Ko and Momofuku Ssäm Bar in New York City.^[1]
His Parents are Korean .
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Chang

He taught English in Japan for a short while
.
His first restaurant and most famous Momofuku he see it as fast food.
http://www.momofuku.com/

Deluxe bo ssam dinner package from Momofuku.

Package 350 dollars for 8-10 people
Bo Ssam with sauces, Lettuce and rice
choose 4 seasonal Items
10 pork buns
cole slaw
sweet potato puree
brussels sprouts
azuli beans with bacon
kimchi apples
collard greens
Blondie pie

Bo Ssam is one of my favourite thing to call in on a Sunday
http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/06/bo-sam.html
http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2009/02/calling-in-bo-sam.html

Here he talks for an hour with Charlie Rose
http://www.charlierose.com/view/interview/9181

More Reading here -here
http://gothamist.com/2008/03/17/the_new_yorker.php

Chang opened Momofuku Noodle Bar in 2004 after having an epiphany: "Why can't I cook something simple? I'm not an awesome cook—I just want to make noodles." MacFarquhar writes, "The idea of Noodle Bar from the start was to take the humblest meal—a bowl of noodles, a pork bun—and, with a combination of obsessive devotion and four-star technique, turn it into something amazing."

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2008/03/david-chang-as-he-opens-momofuku-ko.html

Mr. Chang was born in northern Virginia, where his father, an immigrant from South Korea, worked in the restaurant industry, eventually opening a restaurant. His family wanted Mr. Chang to go into law or finance, but he studied religion in college and graduated with no particular goal. In his early 20's, he lived in London, taught English in Japan and had a variety of jobs in New York, from bussing tables to working in the finance industry. Finally, he enrolled in culinary school. He worked at Mercer Kitchen in Manhattan, then got a job in the kitchen at Craft after agreeing to answer phones for a month. After two years at Craft, he returned to Japan and worked at a small soba shop, then at a restaurant in the Tokyo Park Hyatt, followed by a year at Café Boulud in New York. Saying he was ''completely dissatisfied with the whole fine dining scene'' and its pretentiousness, he decided to open his own restaurant -- working with his Momofuku partner and co-chef, Joaquin Baca.

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/david_chang_chef/index.html
David Chang Cooks With Marta Stewart
Here

Pigs

2009-03-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Maybe some nice Sam gyup sal
LIKE style on the runway, style for pigs is changeable. With their abundant fat, the curly-haired Mangalitsa pigs of Hungary were all the rage a century ago. But as time went on, they became has-beens.
Now that succulent pork is back in fashion, the Mangalitsa — saved from near extinction on a farm here at the edge of Hungary’s bleak and barren Great Plain — are making a comeback.
Text from the NEW YORK TIMES here

Beef, Stout and Potatoes

2009-03-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

So with all the American beef on sale I decides to buy some but was not so sure what I was going to do with it . So I got home a looked in the fridge . This is what I came up with Beef ,Garlic ,Onions,Potatoes ,Thyme , Rosemary ,Stout, Butter , Flour and a drop of whiskey.
I fried the onions layered them over the beef and garlic . Made a roux with the flour and butter added the whiskey and stout. Added the herbs poured over the Potatoes and beef. Put in the over at 190 Celsius for 2 hours .

Tasty

Kyung Hyes Amazing Apple Jam

2009-03-25T01:34:00.000-07:00

My Friend Kyung hye sent me over the most amazing Apple jam She tells me there is Apples, sugar, Lemon juice and cinnamon. I cant stop eating it . Thank you Kyung Hye (Hope I spelled your name right )

Calling in Jjim dalk 찜닭

2009-03-25T01:13:00.000-07:00

I love ordering in something on a Sunday evening and I have convinced my boyfriend that there is more out there to order then Pizza . Last time we got Jjim Dalk. I was quite good and spicy .
It cost 20 000 for a big bucket full of noodles , potato , cabbage, squash and chicken. I have this on the list of things to cook before I go which is getting longer and longer now . Fat man so kindly posted the recipe for it here.
Just call 061 725-3436

Ballymaloe cooking school In Gourmet

2009-03-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

http://www.gourmet.com/magazine/2000s/2008/05/ballymaloecookeryschool

I like this

2009-03-24T16:51:00.000-07:00

Obamas to Plant Vegetable Garden at White House

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/20/dining/20garden.html?ref=dining

Sam Gae Tang My way .

2009-03-22T23:43:00.000-07:00

Sam Gae Tang is Korean Summer Chicken Ginseng soup
More about it here

I put a Chinese twist to my Sam Gae Tang

So I took some cinnamon, Star Anise ,Garlic, ginger and black peppercorns. Stuffed a chicken then finished stuffing with rice and Boiled it for 2-3hrs.
Star Anise is plentiful in Ansan in Seoul .

Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes

2009-03-22T23:22:00.000-07:00

http://macs-foodkorea.blogspot.com/2008/06/cherry-tomatoes-stuffed-with-cream.html
I made this one before but this time I used cream cheese milk green onion and pepper with a little lemon juice

Pig head for sale Korean Market in Photos

2009-03-22T23:17:00.002-07:00

Great home made chips

2009-03-22T23:17:00.001-07:00

I tried to make home made chips . Here is how I did it . Got some nice big potatoes and cut . Put them in water then dried them before I blanched them in hot oil (blanch cook with out color) After which I put in the freezer . Then I cooked again this time a the highest heat I could get the oil . Cook Till they were brown .

Thai Sour Yellow Curry with Fish

2009-03-22T23:09:00.000-07:00

My Favorite Thai curry . To make it you need Shallots, Dried red chilli, garlic, lemongrass, salt, shrimp paste, Tamarind and Turmeric . I cooked with mushrooms ,onions ,peppers ,Pollock and coconut milk.

Kimchi Galbi Jim

2009-03-22T22:54:00.000-07:00

So I went down to the Uni to eat on friday this is what we found . Kimchi galbi jim. It was very good would have been better only for the cats running round the kitchen.

My last Weekend April 4th

2009-03-19T00:55:00.000-07:00

So I am leaving Korea April 10th to go to cooking school. I am going to Ballymaloe school in Cork In Ireland. I start April 20th I am going to try and keep blogging . And will probably rename the blog A food journey in Korea-Ireland-
So I am having my final weekend party in Suncheon Info here
Suggestions what I should try and eat for the next 3 weeks would be good and what to cook would also be nice . This is the Final stretch.

T

Mackerel

2009-03-17T04:10:00.000-07:00

Mackerel is one of my favorite meals in Korea. I love it when they serve it at school so I tried my hand at cooking it at home. I used some apple vinegar ,garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and chili. I then placed it in a pan with a lid. I put it on a low heat for 15-20 mins. You could garnish with some green onion. In my opinion this is a heavenly dish.

Pork Fillet with apple-mustard stuffing

2009-03-17T04:06:00.000-07:00

Pork Fillet
Apple
Mustard powder
Parsley
Cinnamon

Salt and pepper

Cut open the fillet and stuff with sauteed apples, mustard powder,cinnamon,salt and pepper
Cover the apples in foil. Put in a pre heated oven 180 Celsius. Put in for 20 mins then remove the foil . Cook again for another 10 mins.

Pineapple sage

2009-03-16T20:20:00.000-07:00

I was wondering in class today when I came across a plant in the window its called Pineapple sage . It smelled so good.

Salvia elegans, commonly called Pineapple sage, is a perennial shrub native to oak and pine scrub forests at 6,000-9000 ft. in the highlands of Mexico and Guatemala.^[1] It has tubular red flowers and an attractive scent to the leaves that is similar to pineapple. It produces numerous erect leafy stems and flowers in the late autumn. The red flowers are attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. In a highland temperate forest in central Mexico, pineapple sage was found to be one of the three most-visited species by hummingbirds.^{[2]
From here}

^{What could you cook with this? . I found these Ideas.}

Walnut & pineapple sage paste

2 cups walnuts, 2 cups (packed) p. sage leaves, 3 cloves garlic, 1/3 to 1/2 cup walnut oil. It's wonderful on pork and chicken. I also sauteed some leeks in butter, added white wine and the walnut/p. sage paste and used it as a topping for grilled salmon: heavenly! From here

You can fry the leaves and serve as an appetizer: dip them in egg thinned with water and olive oil, dip in flour, fry quickly in oil, salt and pepper. from here

Here is lots of great Ideas http://www.nefffamilyfarm.com/PineappleSage.html

Pineapple Sage Salsa
2 cups fresh pineapple cut into 1/2" pieces
1/2 cup sweet red pepper
1/4 cup onion, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon chipolte pepper, crushed (hot chili powder can be substituted)
1/4 cup pineapple sage flowers, coarsely chopped

Note: To get 1/4 cup of flowers, you'll need 20 or more flower stems of pineapple sage. It's a bit tedious, but you need to pluck the tiny, bright red flowers one-by-one. It's okay of you end up with a little bit of the sepals (the green stuff around the base of the flower.)

Combine all these ingredients in a nonmetallic bowl. Cover, then refrigerate for at least 12 hours before using. This allows plenty of time for the flavors to meld.

The salsa is also good as a dip with chips or served on seafood. And believe it or not, it tastes pretty good on ice cream, too! You might consider eliminating the onions, even though they're sweet.

Pineapple Sage Chicken

1/4 C Teriyaki or Tamari Or Soy sauce
1/4 C honey
1/2 C Olive Oil
2 TBS lemon Juice
2 TBS Apple juice
2 tsp ground ginger
Handful of Pineapple Sage leaves chopped
Boneless Chicken Breasts
Marinade chicken in above ingredients. Cook on grill
Serve with Pineapple kabobs

Pineapple sage is extensively used in Mexican traditional medicine, especially for the treatment of anxiety. Although scientific information about these medicinal properties is scarce, a preliminary study on mice found support for the plant potentially having antidepressant and anti-anxiety properties.
From here

I cant wait to try some of these.

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh, Happy Saint Patricks Day

2009-03-16T05:42:00.001-07:00

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh

Paddys Day in Suncheon.

Saturday night In Elvis, Music, Stew, Soda Bread and great craic.
Also we raised quite a lot of money for the orphanage
Thanks everyone who showed it was a fun night.

My St Paddys Day recipes in the Korean Herald

2009-03-12T05:53:00.000-07:00

So I made it into the Korean Herald bringing Authentic Irish home cooking to Korea. All the Irish out there will be happy to know There is a Paddy's day party here in Suncheon On Saturday In Elvis. Not a PATTY'S DAY AN All Irish Paddy's day full of great craic.
If your in Gwangju go along and watch some Gaelic football. If your Irish why not play.

http://www.koreaherald.co.kr Check this out for the greatest sport in the World
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luQ2Vxez2V4

Tous Les Jours

2009-03-10T21:39:00.001-07:00

Need a lunch time snack.
After the sandwich shop Lime I have found a new sandwich that I can consider good for Suncheon. The sandwich above took me by surprise . The bread is good for this neck of the woods . I do recommend it . I did use to frequent the other big baker in Korea until one day I got maggots and flies with my sandwich. No kidding . But this one come with my praise .
Below is a wrap I do love wraps . This one comes with chicken in a tasty wrap a nice alternative to bread.

http://www.tlj.co.kr/

Trying something new

2009-03-10T03:35:00.000-07:00

Pan fried scallops with ceaser salad .

I wonder round the market sometimes just looking for dinner.
Here is what I found.
Not pretty but quite tasty.

The New York Times talk about South Korea, Drinks Are on the Maple Tree

2009-03-09T23:48:00.001-07:00

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/06/world/asia/06maple.html?ref=dining

HADONG, South Korea — At this time of year, when frogs begin stirring from their winter sleep and woodpeckers drill for newly active insects, villagers climb the hills around here to collect a treasured elixir: sap from the maple tree known as gorosoe.

Irish Pubs In the New york times

2009-03-09T23:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a nice read ,while getting ready for Paddys day .

www.nytimes.com

“A good pub is a place devoted to conversation, with drink as the lubricant,” Mr. Barich said one evening last week. “In an American bar, the minute you finish your drink they say, ‘Do you want another?’ You’d never see that in a good pub.”

In years past, an Irish pub was a family-run business, and the publican more than likely lived upstairs — an arrangement that created an intimacy across the bar.
“A good publican is a person with character, concerned about the welfare of patrons,” Mr. Barich said. That a barman could aspire to one day own a pub himself made for a system of dues paying that also resulted in better service.
But with trophy pubs now commanding as much as $8 million, a shift has been made to partnerships or corporations that may own and manage several bars. At the same time, more Irish are drinking wine, and drinking at home or in restaurants, chipping away at the social relevance of pubs.
The changes are most pronounced in the countryside, where verdant fields gave way to suburban sprawl in a period of rampant economic growth (now considerably tamed) known as the Celtic Tiger. The farmers who once treated rural pubs as community centers are selling off their fields, or else being frightened away from the barstool by strict drunken driving laws. “The loss of those country pubs signifies a huge change,” Mr. Barich said.

I think I have to love this quote the best and strongly agree.

“Nobody wants drunks in Irish pubs because they’re boring,” he said, “and the last thing you want to be called is boring.”
Instead, traditional pubs foster warmth and fraternity.
“For the couple of hours that you’re in there,” Mr. Kirwan said, “you mesh with this community and your personal troubles are shed.”

Pork loin wrapped in bacon

2009-03-07T23:17:00.000-08:00

Pork loin wrapped in bacon

I crave Sunday roast from home but it is not easy to get a roast beef here and its expensive and lamb is impossible to get so pork is always my alternative option. This time I took my pork loin and covered it in mustard and rosemary salt and pepper wrapped it in bacon and used rosemary twigs to hold the bacon in place then drizzled some maple syrup over it.
This pork loin was 7000 won.

I then took my wrapped loin and placed it in a roasting tin on a bed of onions and garlic so as it doesn't fry it is roasted all over. Pre heat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 1hour 30 minutes.

After 30 minutes I added parboiled potatoes with a little rosemary.

Baileys mustard sauce
To make the sauce I used chicken stock, baileys, whole grain mustard salt pepper , sage and parsley. I de glazed the roasting pan the pork was on and strained the contents with a sieve.
Once the roast pork was finished I let it sit for 10 minutes before cutting . I finished the roast potatoes in the oven at 250 degrees Celsius for another 10 minutes

Baileys Bread and butter Pudding

2009-03-05T22:06:00.000-08:00

Bread and butter puddingTry this on for Saint Paddy's Day.

You need some butter
8 slices of white bread with crusts cut off.
2 cups of milk
2 eggs
sultanas
Cinnamon
2 tablespoons of vanilla sugar
A dash of Baileys or a Irish cream liquor

Mix together the eggs and milk . Add the baileys and sugar . Butter one side of the bread. Cut it into triangles. Place it in a pie dish butter side up. Sprinkle with raisins and Cinnamon.
Pour over the bread.
Place in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for 35 minutes.

Cloudy Bay, Marlborough, New Zealand	Sioban Harnett
Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley, South Australia	Matt Steele
Cape Mentelle, Margaret River, Western Australia	Robert Mann
Terrazas, Mendoza, Argentina	Gustavo Urbano
Cheval des Andes, Mendoza, Argentina (Cheval des Andes is a joint venture with Chateau Cheval Blanc, Bordeaux)	Nicolas Audebert

2-3 pm	Domaine Chandon, Yarra Valley with Matt Steele
3.15 – 4.15pm	Cape Mentelle, Margaret River with Robert Mann
4.30 – 5.30 pm	Terrazas, Mendoza with Gustavo Urbano

11 – 12pm	Cloudy Bay, Marlborough with Sioban Harnett
12.15 – 1.30 pm