Independent.ie - Food & Drink RSS Feed

couscous

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

350g couscous, rinsed and drained

Preserved Lemons

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

10 organic, unwaxed lemons, preferably the small, thin-skinned Meyer variety

Harissa paste

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

8 dried red chillies (Horn or New Mexico), deseeded

Tagine of spicy kefta with lemon

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

For the kefta 450g beef or lamb, finely minced

Creamy comfort

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The food of Italy changes dramatically from the north to the south of the country, and the changes are directly related to the local produce that's available.

Put to the test: Ready-made lasagne

Thu, 18 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Italian food is a perennial favourite among adults and children, and lasagne is definitely one of the staple dishes of this cuisine

Eat, shoots and leaves: Spud luck

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The Irish potato -- alongside parsley, blackcurrants and wild salmon -- is our national superfood. I'd add eggs to that list too, but we can hardly claim those as uniquely Irish.

Tabletalk: Lightness of touch

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It's Mother's Day today, so let's hope Irish mothers are being indulged left, right and centre. It's still not too late to think of a nice plush weekend away for the mammy!

Paolo Tullio: Oliveto

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

The history of pizza is a long one. We know that the Etruscans, an early Italian people, baked a flat bread on stones 3,000 years ago that they covered in toppings of cheese, oil and herbs, and they called it picea.

Easy entertaining

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It's Mother's Day tomorrow -- the perfect opportunity to get the family together and enjoy each other's company around the dinner table. Having a large family event at home is no mean feat, be it a First Holy Communion, Confirmation, Christening or birthday, so I have compiled a series of recipes that can be prepared ahead, then regenerated and served later.

The Chop House: A new star act in the wings

Sat, 20 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Last week I got a private preview of Dublin's newest theatre, the Grand Canal Theatre. It's a stunning piece of architecture: angular, bright and gleaming. It was designed by Daniel Libeskind, the architect currently working on the Ground Zero project and the designer of Berlin's Jewish Memorial -- an extraordinary installation of huge blocks which impressed me enormously when I saw it.

Menus from the 'Titanic' to feature in cook book

Mon, 15 Mar 2010 10:37:23 +0000

In first class they enjoyed filet mignons lili with pâte de foie gras, while in third class they made do with vegetable soup and cabin biscuits. Later, an iceberg in the mid-Atlantic would ruin the meal for everyone.

Three to Try

Sun, 14 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Mount Falcon Estate

Baked White Chocolate & Mixed Berry CheeseCake

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

12oz/350g biscuits (ginger nuts/Oreos/ chocolate chip cookies)

Chicken and Chorizo Gratin with Leeks and Wild Mushrooms

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

2ozs/50g butter

Lemon and Broccoli CousCous

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

250g couscous

The good gourmet: Planning your Mother's day meal

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

If you are planning to cook a really nice meal for Mother's Day, I suggest starting at Dunnes of Donnybrook, an excellent butchers. Not only do they have delicious four-week hung, dried-aged, melt-in-your-mouth beef, but they have various pre-prepared meat dishes.

Take three wines

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Jacob's Creek Sparkling Blanc de Blancs -- the Jacob's Creek family of sparkling wines are brilliant value, delivering great quality at the price. This latest Champagne-style addition is 100pc Chardonnay: super crisp, with zesty lemon and grapefruit, rounded off with a rich creaminess and a tingly dry finish. €13.84 Widely available.

Collalbrigo Prosecco Spumante Brut -- it may be too late to order this for Mother's Day, but it would make a great additition to your Prosecco repertoire and worth stocking up on for any forthcoming special occasions. Light, refreshing and elegant, with zippy pear and apple fruit. 11pc alc. €14.95 Available from www.wine yards-direct.ie (minimum order one case, which may be mixed).

Jansz Premium Non-Vintage Sparkling Wine -- a great Champagne pretender from Australia's cool-climate Tasmania. Fresh and crisp with all the toasty richness that you get from the real thing and at a budget price. €15.99 (currently reduced from €20.99). Available from Oddbins.

Wine: Add some sparkle to Mothers Day

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It's time to advise all you Prosecco lovers of a new word for your wine vocabulary, although Prosecco purists will never have to utter its name. Producers of the much-adored Italian bubbly have displayed a territorial streak akin to that shown in Champagne in France, which successfully fought to protect its brand by ensuring that the use of the name is confined to sparkling wine produced in that region.

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

Sat, 13 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

12oz/350g pasta

Deal of the week: KOH restaurant

Fri, 12 Mar 2010 12:46:38 +0000

Tucked away on the Millennium Walkway in Dublin's Italian Quarter, KOH keeps both its location and its brand of Vietnamese cooking quite discreet.

Deal of the week - Jaipur

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 11:17:17 +0000

The interior of Jaipur is the perfect nod to the spices on the menu - tumerics, saffrons and a hint of pink here and there. Given the modern feel of the interior, if you prefer the stereotypes of a sitar soundtrack or the comforts of flock wallpaper, it may not be for you.

the west is won

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Lots of Galway's many restaurants are not up to much -- some of them are surviving purely on the custom of unknowing visitors to the City of the Tribes, as local people know of these eateries' weaknesses.

Three to Try Davy Byrne's Toddies

Sun, 07 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

jj Gannon's hotel, Bar & Restaurant

Early Spring Vegetable Risotto

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

½ tsp olive oil

Flat Bread with Chargrilled Chicken, Avocado and Peppers

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Flat bread 175g/6oz plain flour

Vanilla Mousse With Spring Rhubarb in its own pink syrup

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Vanilla mousse 3 eggs

Take three wines

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

Shy Albatross Cabernet Sauvignon -- from Chile, with ripe, upfront dark fruit flavours with supporting tannins; a supple and versatile drinker in one of those handy 50cl bottles that makes it perfect for a mid-week supper. 13pc alc. €6.99. Available from Conway's, Ramelton, Donegal; Garvey's Supervalu, Listowel & Tralee; Lohan's Next Door, Salthill, Galway; Ardkeen Stores, Waterford; The Wine Centre, Kilkenny; Petits Supervalu, Wexford; Egan's, Portlaoise; King's, Delgany.

Alta Vista Premium Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 -- from Argentina's Mendoza region; structure and concentration with dense black berry fruits topped off with notes of coffee bean, tobacco and pencil shavings, all bound in well-integrated tannins. 13pc. Just the thing for a weekend roast or steak. €12.95 (currently reduced from €14.95). Available from Mitchells, CHQ, IFSC; Rathfarnham and Sandycove.

Ai Palazzi Cabernet Sauvignon Riserva Masottina 2004 -- Piave, north of Venice, may not be the best-known Cabernet Sauvignon region, but it has quite a history and here delivers a treat of a wine: rich in blackcurrants, wrapped in silky, sweet tobacco, with smooth tannins and a long, concentrated finish. 13pc alc. Perfect for roasted red meat or steak. €23.95. Available from Jus de Vine, Portmarnock; Next Door, Thomastown; Ardkeen Stores, Waterford City; Carpenters, Castleknock; Martins, Fairview.

Wine: A well-travelled friend for life

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

People tend to have strong views on certain grape varieties. How often do you hear "I love Merlot" or "I hate Shiraz". Cabernet Sauvignon tends not to inspire the same passion, falling more into the category of a solid friend.

The good gourmet: 64 Wine

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

While the kids are at school in the morning it's nice to catch up with friends, and 64 Wine in Glasthule is a great little find.

Paolo Tullio: Salon des Saveurs

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

There are chefs whose names transcend the realms of gastronomy and become part of a broader celebrity. Conrad Gallagher is one of them -- his career has been played out in the media almost from the very beginning, when as a talented young chef he first became known for his restaurant Peacock Alley. Even people not remotely interested in food or gastronomy followed his very public rise to prominence and, later, fall from grace. If you like analogies, there are endless parallels you can point to about flawed genius.

Spring Fever

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

There is something rather special about eating seasonally, with the underlying pleasure of having good food in its prime that's been picked and selected carefully.

Put to the test: Teabags

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

It's the second week of Fairtrade fortnight and while you may be more likely to sup that variety of coffee, spare a thought for its sister tea bag.

Deal of the week - Bentleys

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:30:18 +0000

If the grand entrance to the elegant georgian pile that is Bentley's Oyster Bar and Grill doesn't impress you, then the pre-theatre menu certainly will. Changing daily and depending on suppliers and quality of produce the menu is as inventive and inviting as perhaps you'd expect given it's Michelin starred patron. Whether you buy into those labels or not the food certainly won't disappoint.

True life: A top chef, a 14-hour day and a midnight plate of chips...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 05:00:00 +0000

'This is a vocation. But Jesus, I'm 44 now. I can't run around like I did when I was 24 or 34. I feel the aches and pains... In my dreams I'd love to be the mentor figure to a group of talented young chefs, but you have to generate the money to pay them. And you can only do that with customers."