Bulgur Wheat Salad

This past week Compassion In World Farming were encouraging people to have a meat free week. The idea is to make consumers think about their meat consumption and the effects it has on the animals and our planet. As a die hard carnivore I was reluctant but eventually decided to partake. I made the decision a couple of years ago to eat poultry and eggs only if they are at least free range and after watching a chilling documentary a year ago, I decided on the same for pork. I see no reason why our over consumption of meat should lead to such terrible lives for these animals and with this in mind I've been pleasantly surprised with how smooth this meat free week has gone. 

It is true that I have missed the taste of salty bacon and a slice of salami on my pizza but not enough to give in. A simple tomato and mozzarella pizza is just as satisfying and the vegetable curry I made yesterday is certainly among the best curries I've had, quite eye opening. Strangely I've found myself feeling a little bit healthier during the week too. I've been flat to the boards in work but have generally had more energy than usual, although that could just be a mental thing. One of my favourite meals of the week was this salad. It's perfect for lunch but works just as well as a side for dinner and I will certainly be having it as a salad at my (hopefully many) summer barbecues. If I wasn't having a meat free week I probably would have used chicken stock to cook the bulgur but the vegetable stock was just as tasty.

Serves 4 (for lunch)

150g Bulgur Wheat (rinsed)
600ml Vegetable Stock (or chicken stock)
4 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
75g Mangetout Peas (sliced into 1cm pieces)
4 Radish (thinly sliced)
4 Chiquino Peppers (sliced)
8 large Basil Leaves (thinly sliced)
4 Spring Onions (sliced)
handful of Cashew Nuts
100g Feta Cheese (crumbled)

1. Bring the stock to the boil and add the bulgur wheat. Bring to the boil and simmer for 15-20 minutes until tender. Drain well.

2. Dress the bulgur with the oil and vinegar while still hot. Stir well and set aside to cool.

3. When it has cooled add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. The feta should provide enough salt and the radish enough of a pepper hit but have a taste to make sure. Serve cold or at room temperature.

Review: Blue Ginger

Blue Ginger

Dun Laoghaire, Co. Dublin

During a hectic day working in the beautiful town of Dun Laoghaire in South Dublin I decided to sample the wears of Blue Ginger, a cafe and restaurant in the centre of town. I had an hour off and with 9 hours remaining of my working day, something substantial was in order. I sat down beside the bar in this stylish restaurant and was immediately tended to by a friendly waitress. Blue Ginger offer a good menu for lunch time diners including soups, salads, mains and even an extended breakfast menu. I went for the "Tiger Prawn Stir Fried Noodles" with a double espresso for after. The prawns were tender and juicy while the portion size was exceptionally generous. There was a decent mix of vegetables and I was happily full after the flavourful dish. The espresso, however, was quite disappointing. I like a strong flavoured espresso but this tasted as mild as an americano. It was a pity but it certainly didn't ruin what was a fine lunch offering.

Lunch Rating:

Food: 8/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Selection: 7/10
Value for Money: 8/10

Overall: 7.5/10 Recommended

Blue Ginger
5 George's Street Upper,
Dun Laoghaire,
Co. Dublin.

Slow Cooked Lamb Shanks

With Easter just around the corner I thought I'd stick with tradition and give a recipe for lamb. Most people will probably choose to cook a beautiful leg but I much prefer the more pronounced flavour of the humble shank. While the leg can be cooked pretty quickly, the shank requires a long and slow cook to break down the muscle fibres and become tender. This is also a great dish to serve at a dinner party as you can put it in the oven and forget about it for a few hours while you get on with other things. Try to use a decent red wine here, something that you wouldn't mind drinking. Ali isn't a big fan of lamb so I cooked a beef rib for her instead. It's the perfect substitute as it will work with the flavours and has the same cooking time.

Serves 4

2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
4 Lamb Shanks
2 Onions (chopped)
2 Carrots (chopped)
2 sticks of Celery (chopped)
2 Bay Leaves
2 sprigs of Thyme
1 bulb of Garlic (cut in half horizontally)
500ml good Red Wine
500ml good Lamb/Beef Stock
1 Tin of Tomatoes
1 Tin of Chickpeas
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

 1. Season the shanks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large cassarole over a medium heat. Brown the shanks one at a time and set aside.

2. With all the meat removed add the onion, carrot, celery, bay leaves and thyme. Season well and cook for 6 or 7 minutes before adding the wine. Scrape up any stuck on bits from the bottom of the pan before layering the shanks into the pan. Pour in the stock and tomatoes, bring to the boil, cover with a tight fitting lid (or foil) and put into a 150 degree oven for at least 3 hours.

3. The lamb should be tender and almost falling off the bone after 3 hours. Remove it from the pan and allow to rest while you make the gravy. Strain the stock into a fresh saucepan, pushing as much of the vegetables through as possible. Add the chickpeas to the strained stock and bring to a simmer. Cook for about ten minutes before mashing the chickpeas into the sauce. Strain again for a smooth finish and add a little lamb or beef stock if it's too thick.

4. Serve a shank per person on a bed of chive mashed potatoes and some roasted vegetables.

Paella with Chicken and Beans

Spain's most famous dish, the paella always elicits happy childhood memories for me. On our family's annual Spanish holiday it was a staple, along with my Mother's sangria and my Father's san miguel (or "piss", as he usually referred to it). Until our recent trip to Barcelona I had considered paella an arduous dish. I had tried recipes by Gordon Ramsey and Simon Hopkinson and although they turned out great, they were time consuming and elaborate, a treat. On the plane journey to Catalunya I began to read a book that I have owned for quite awhile. "My Kitchen In Spain" by Janet Mendel is full of great Spanish recipes and techniques and it was only after reading the technique for paella that I realised how simple a dish it really is.

It actually couldn't be much simpler. Sweat the vegetables and meat in a little oil for 10 minutes. Add rice, water and saffron (or food colouring if you're on a budget) and cook for 20 minutes without stirring. Not particularly time consuming, arduous or even elaborate, the paella is now a weekly event in our house. The reason not to stir it is so a crust can develop on the bottom of the pan. It should be crispy but not burnt. With this in mind, finding the exact temperature to cook it at can take a few attempts. The meats of choice in Barcelona were chicken, rabbit and pork (the meat was always on the bone) but you can, of course, use any combination of meat or fish that you like. I have gone with pancetta and chicken here.

Serves 2

Pinch of Saffron
2 tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Onion (finely chopped)
100g Green Beans (chopped)
1/2 Red Pepper (chopped)
75g Pancetta or Streaky Bacon (chopped)
1 Chicken Leg (chopped into 3-4 cm chunks)
1/4 tsp Hot Paprika
150g Paella Rice
300ml Chicken Stock or Water (hot)
1/2 tin of Butter Beans
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Put a few tablespoons of warm water in a bowl and add the saffron. Set aside to infuse.

2. Heat the oil in a paella or frying pan and add the onion, green beans, red pepper and pancetta. Season and cook for 3 minutes before adding the chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, add the paprika and cook for 2-3 minutes more.

3. Add the paella rice and stir for a minute before adding the stock, saffron water (including the saffron strands) and butter beans. Season, stir well, bring to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes without stirring. Serve hot.

Review: Butt Millins, Naas

Butt Mullins

Naas, Co. Kildare

Butt Mullins is a deceptively large restaurant located on the Dublin side of Naas town, next to Lawlor's Hotel. There is ample parking in the square out front and it is adjacent to numerous bars, in which you can enjoy a pre or post meal drink. We decided to sample the early bird menu (3 courses for €17.95) a couple of weeks ago. It was the night before heading off on holiday and nobody was in the humour for cooking.

Upon entering the restaurant we were welcomed by the friendly host and shown to our seats towards the front of the restaurant, close to the bar. The menu is quite impressive considering the price and I've no doubts that most people's needs are catered for. For starter I decided to try the "deep fried brie with red onion marmalade and tossed leaves." It arrived exactly as described and was a pleasant dish. The brie lacked salt to bring out a bit more of its delicate flavour but I thoroughly enjoyed the marmalade and the leaves were fresh and flavourful. A solid start.

Starter: 6/10

The solidity continued into the main. "Butts house burger with onion ring, french fries and a topping of garlic mayo, cheese or bacon." It was a generous sized burger and the flavours melded together well. Again I felt that it lacked a bit of seasoning but I was happy that the meat retained plenty of moisture. Another solid dish.

Mains: 7/10 

For dessert I took the simple option; "selection of ice-cream." It was nice if a little bland but was a fine end to a very filling meal. The espresso was a little mild for my liking however.

Dessert: 6/10

The service was friendly but possibly a little too formal. I was surprised that when my mother requested chips instead of the potatoes and vegetables with her main she was told that they don't do substitutions. I understand this stance when it comes to something that is cooked into a dish but surely this should have been catered for.

Service: 6/10

Butt Mullins is a warm and cosy restaurant with plenty of chatter and laughter from surrounding tables. It is a lovely atmosphere in which to enjoy a meal. It is also fantastic value for money. The portions are generous and the food is wholesome. It may not be spectacular but what can one expect for €17.95 for 3 courses?

Ambiance: 8/10

Value for Money: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Butt Mullins Restaurant

Popular Square,

Naas,

Co. Kildare

(045) 874252

Barcelona 2015

On a dark and dreary Wednesday morning in February I left Ali and our little zoo behind to head for Barcelona with my parents and little-bigger brother. After our trip to Rome last year we decided to make it a yearly event to get away together. Unfortunately Ali couldn't make it this time due to work commitments but we soldiered on! Upon landing in the Catalan capital we hopped on the Aerobus from El Prat airport and arrived in the Placa de Catalunya just 20 minutes later. We still had a few hours to wait before we could check into our appartment so we sat down for some breakfast in a little Italian cafe just off the Passeig de Gracia. The plan had been to get the metro from Placa de Catalunya to Diagonal but before we knew it we had walked to the Diagonal metro stop! With an hour still to wait we sat down on the Rambla de Catalunya and ordered some booze. Throughout our trip the wine was wonderful. I would never be able to live in Barcelona for that reason, it's taste and price would instantly render me an alcoholic.

Our appartmant was located in a residential area of Gracia surrounded by small business', bakery's and restaurants. We had a rest before heading out for some dinner. We walked down to Las Ramblas and after a quick look around the Boqueria food market we decided to eat in the close by Cullera de Boix. The paella here is wonderful. I ordered the Valencian which consisted of pork, chicken and rabbit with the usual rice and vegetables. The meat was tender and the rice well cooked but it was the smokey flavour that I most enjoyed. The host told me that it was cooked for 10 minutes over fire and 10 minutes in the oven and although over fire could mean anything, I would be willing to bet that there's a wood fired stove or oven involved here. Delicious.

Thursday, after a walk to the Sagrada Familia, we continued down into the city again. After sitting down and admiring the dogs (it's a very dog friendly city) in the Ciutadella Park we walked towards Via Laietana and found a buzzing restaurant for lunch. O'Marulo is a very popular lunch time restaurant on Carrer d'Ortigosa. When we arrived it was just starting to fill up but by the time we were leaving there was a que for tables. There are two clear reasons for this: the food is simple but excellent and it is amazing value! 3 courses plus a drink and tea/coffee for €10.45 is a treat that could be afforded everyday. I had a delicious paella, followed by fried fresh anchovies and finished with a crema catalana (similar to a creme brulee). We found ourselves back in the area on Friday and again dropped in for lunch. The most impressive thing was that the menu had completely changed from the previous day.

After our monstrous 3 course lunch I decided to make use of our kitchen and cook something light for dinner. For ingredients we went to the Santa Caterina Market where I picked up some langoustines (after a mis-translation of price: I mistakenly thought they were just €12 per KG but after handing in a 50 and recieving just €16 back, I soon realised my error. Nevermind, we're on holiday after all!), garlic, tomatoes, jamon iberico and some beautiful fresh bread. I cooked this and it went down a treat, perfect after such a big lunch!

On Friday morning we took the metro down to the marina and after a look around the maremagnum we found ourselves looking for lunch. We decided to go back to O'Marulo again as we had enjoyed it so much the previous day and on the way we stumbled upon a farmers market selling everything from meats and cheese to bee wax moisturiser and honeycomb. I picked up a kilo of hard goats cheese and some honeycomb before heading off to O'Marulo. I went for stuffed peppers for starter while we all went for the rabbit casserole for mains and it was delicious. If you find yourself in Barcelona give this place a try for lunch, highly recommended. That night we had a good look around the Gracia area and went for a late dinner in La Cigale. We had great nachos to start with and even better burgers for mains. If you're looking for a great burger in Barcelona this place has to be on your list. They have a pretty exhausting alcohol list too!

Saturday was match day (Shane and myself got tickets for FC Barcelona vs Malaga) so we were taking it easy from the start. During another good look around Gracia we stumbled upon the Mercat de la Llibertat. It was a little calmer than La Boqueria and the Santa Caterina and so the vendors could show a little more personality, epitomised by their attempts to make faces during my picture taking! This was my favourite of the three markets we were at, it gives more of a glance into the catalan food habits than either of the other two, We stopped for lunch at a not so great cafe close to our apartment before heading off for the Nou Camp.

After the match ( a dreadful 1-0 loss), we walked back into Gracia and got ready for dinner at Cal Boter. This is a charming restaurant specialising in Catalan cuisine. We had tried to go on Friday evening but it was full so we made a booking for our last night. I had pigs trotters with shrimp which was wonderful while Shane's duck dish was so good that he ordered it again for dessert! A nice last supper in Barcelona. After a few glasses of Rioja it was time for bed, to be ready for our early flight home.

The fun wasn't over yet however. After buying 4 bottles of Rioja in the duty free I stuffed them into my bag and boarded the plane. All was fine until we landed in Dublin and I put my bag down to put on a jacket. The bag rolled and after joking that I probably broke a few bottles we set off for passport control. While waiting in the que Shane pointed out that it's easy to know we were back in Ireland as the airport seemed to smell like an off license......as we looked down and saw a trail of red wine behind my bag. Delightful.

Review: Bistro Nua, Newbridge

Bistro Nua

Newbridge, Co. Kildare

It was a miserable Sunday morning, made even more miserable as we had just landed back from Barcelona and all of us were now harbouring a serious chill in our bones. We had all decided that a Sunday lunch was in order but the question of where to go was beginning to get heated. After 5 days in the Catalan capital, money wasn't exactly flowing and some of our favourite spots were ruled out purely on that basis. I thought to check the Bistro Nua website and copped their 3 course Sunday lunch for €19.95 per person, perfect.

I arrived first to an empty restaurant and although we had only booked for 5, the waiter was very accomadating in extending our table to cater for the 8 that we turned into. I was surprised to see nobody else there and although 2 more couples arrived while we were there, it was tough for an atmosphere to develop. As we were reading our menus the waiter arrived with a few boards of bread. They were wonderfully moist and full of flavour, joined on the board by some butter, basil pesto and roasted red pepper pesto.

For starter I went for the "Duo of Salmon Fish Cakes with Tomato and Ginger Chutney." I found the dish to be generous but somewhat unspectacular. I like to be punched with flavour and this just didn't succeed in that. The chutney was good but leaned too heavy on the aniseed which overpowered the tomato and ginger. The two large fish cakes were well cooked but lacked a little seasoning. The salad was a surprising bonus, the dressing was great and with a good mixture of leaves it was full flavoured and delicious.

Starter: 6/10

For mains I decided on the "Slow Cooked Braised Beef with Champ Mash and Gravy," The beef was tender and the mash was great but I've a feeling the chef may be immune to the power of aniseed! I found the gravy to again be overpowered by the aniseed flavour which was a real pity as it completely overpowered everything else on the plate.

Mains: 6/10

For dessert I ordered the "Vanilla Pana Cotta with a Mixed Berry Compote." The Pana Cotta had a great flavour and was cut perfectly by the compote. A simple and delicious end to the meal. 

Dessert: 8/10

The service was excellent. Our waiter was friendly and helpful and answered any questions we had. The ambiance was a little dead due to the lack of people but I can imagine it hopping on a busy night.

Service: 8/10

Ambiance: 6/10

It is on value that Bistro Nua really stands out. €19.95 for three courses is exceptional value and regardless of a few blips on the starter and mains (which could be rectified by somebody hiding the star anise) it was well worth the money. 

Value for Money: 8/10

Overall: 7/10

Bistro Nua

Georges Street,

Newbridge,

Co. Kildare

(045) 486369