Category Archives: Suppers and snacks
Of curries and kiwis: two takes on a cucumber salad
Last Saturday I needed food to warm me up and set me right. As wrong as it might seem to be craving curry just two days after midsummer’s day, the rain and grey were putting heat into my mind. So I bought myself a shiny aubergine… Read the rest of this entry
Nothing but an onion
Traditionally used as a dip for bread and olive oil, za’atar is a tangy herb mix (oregano, thyme, sumac and sesame seeds). It made a really tasty addition to my mushroom risotto, made with the ends of a couple of packets of dried porcini and shiitake mushrooms rescued from the back of the cupboard. I added the za’atar once the onions had started to soften and sweeten nicely, and before I added the soaked mushrooms followed by the carnaroli rice. Read the rest of this entry
The mother of all soups
Isn’t there something they say about necessity? and mothers? Well if you’re like me, you probably aren’t a big fan of recipes. I mean they have their place and all. I like to read them, just not necessarily while … Read the rest of this entry
Fish can be cheap as chips
It occurred to me that lemon sole is one of those fish I tend to overlook, maybe cos the fillets can be very small and are often overcooked and bland. I popped by my nearest fish counter on the way home and picked up three fillets for €1.60. When I got home I wrapped them in foil with some of the gnarlier bits of a fennel bulb, a few wedges of lemon, lots of black pepper and a little olive oil, and preheated the oven to about 200C.
A happy Valentine’s day dinner
It’s a funny old day eh? It’s supposed to be about celebrating romantic love but so often just becomes about stirring discontent. If you want to know who to blame, you don’t have too far to look – St Valentine’s remains lie waiting for inspection in Dublin’s Whitefriar Street Church. Read the rest of this entry
Happy New Year!
Last Monday I was busy up in Sandyford’s China Sichuan helping celebrate the start of the auspicious Year of the Dragon, a year last night’s waiter explained is associated with luck granted or received from external sources. Read the rest of this entry
My Christmas 2011 food highlights
Good food’s not just for Christmas you know. With this in mind, I thought I’d share my fond reminiscences of some of the highlights of a quite delicious fortnight. You might like to seek out some of the flavours herein. Bloody good they were too… Read the rest of this entry
Blue sprouting pasta supper
Pasta supper, in eight easy steps and even less minutes. Read the rest of this entry
Shaking up a salad
Today was a long day so tonight I wanted something quick but satisfying and healthy too, cheering food rather than comfort food. A tin of Ortiz tuna brought as a dinner gift by a very clever guest* was winking at me from the countertop where it had been suggestively lingering all weekend. (Quick, ticked, and cheering too.) Some spuds from Jenny McNally’s north county Dublin organic farm went into the pot and some broccoli into the steamer on top while I rinsed Jenny’s peppery leaves and a handful of baby spinach. (Healthy, ticked.) Read the rest of this entry
Tarted up tuna for supper
Tonight’s supper was:
* 1 tin of tuna (not Ortiz sadly, because the only place I know that sells it is the veg shop in the old Dundrum Shopping Centre, and I think the shop might have closed…)
* Shavings of red onion
* Shavings of fennel… Read the rest of this entry
@Holymackers