Ethical Eating

Over the past couple of years I've been shocked upon researching the treatment of certain animals destined for our plates. I say certain animals because it is just that. On this fair isle, in general, it's safe to say that cows and sheep have the best of it. They graze in green fields and eat fresh grass until the time comes for them to be slaughtered, butchered and sold to us. Others are not so lucky. Kept in baron cages and pens with nothing to do except root around in their own excrement it makes me wonder what is so different about these that they are treated so badly.

For awhile now I have been eating poultry, eggs and pork only when they are (at least) free range but it's not as easy as you might think. Free range chickens are widely available with a certain German retailer selling them for only a few cent more than their not so lucky cousins. It can be tough to find in cafés but most of the better restaurants now use a free range bird. Pork on the other hand is a nightmare. I haven't found a single butcher/shop anywhere near me that sells free range pork or bacon. (I jumped the gun, most Supervalu's stock free range rashers and Swan's in Naas sometimes stock free-range sausages). Surprisingly, I am yet to see it on a restaurant menu either. Pork remains, for me at least, a treat reserved only for my own home.

I'm currently struggling with the thoughts of farmed fish. Schools of large salmon languishing in a pool of their own feces with a cocktail of chemicals thrown in to stop the spread of disease. It all sounds like they are heading down the same route as our feathered friends except for one difference; with wild stocks being so depleted we are actively encouraged to eat the unfortunate farmed type. I think I'd rather not eat the endangered species at all, pollack does me fine.

Further Reading:
Irish Times - If you can’t win the scientific argument, suppress it - Fintan O'Toole
Irish Times - Factory farms – misery on the hoof - John McKenna

BBQ Season!!

BBQ Season

My favourite time of year is finally here! Although I relish the coziness of dark evenings in front of the fire, I particularly love the al fresco nature of summer and barbecue season. Nothing beats the whole family sitting outside in the (hopefully) sun enjoying good food and a few beers. For my birthday this week we took a chance, we decided to have a small family barbecue and hoped that the weather held up (it is the middle of May after all!). Thankfully the sun shone, the rain stayed away and we had a great evening together. 

Even though it was my birthday, I decided I'd take care of the cooking and with €50 to feed 12 people (including 2 fussy kids) I knew I had my work cut out! First thing to sort were the salads:

Egg Salad - Hard boil 10 eggs, peel and roughly chop. Mix with plenty of mayonnaise, finely chopped chives and season well. Sprinkle a little paprika on top.

Potato Salad - Boil 1kg of baby potatoes until tender, drain and put into a large bowl. Add plenty of extra-virgin olive oil and season well. Add some dried oregano and some finely chopped chives. Mix well.

Pasta Salad - Boil 500g fusilli pasta in salted water until cooked, drain and put into a large bowl. Add lots of extra-virgin olive oil, plenty of halved cherry tomatoes, chopped basil and season well. Mix thoroughly and squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon just before serving.

Spicy Rice Salad - Saute some garlic, chilli, onion and chopped red pepper over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add some turmeric and stir well. Continue to cook for another 5 minutes before adding 250g of rice. Add 500ml of vegetable stock and allow to simmer. Add more stock as necessary until cooked.

With the salads complete and in the fridge, I moved onto meats. For me, the most important piece of equipment for a BBQ is an instant digital thermometer. It allows you to get everything cooked perfectly without having to overcook for safety's sake I prefer to cook chicken in the oven first and then finish off on the BBQ. This method ensures they are cooked through without burning:

For the dry rub mix together; 1tsp cayenne pepper, 1/2tsp white pepper, 1tsp thyme, 1/2tsp smoked paprika, 1/2tsp dried oregano and 1/2tsp salt.

Lightly oil a large baking tray and lay out 15-20 chicken drumsticks. Sprinkle over 3/4 of the dry rub and massage it all over the drumsticks. Put into a 150 degree oven for 30-40 minutes until just cooked through. Char on the BBQ for a couple of minutes to add a bit of life. You can also brush some of your favourite BBQ sauce onto the drumsticks before they go on the BBQ for an extra hit of flavour.

Next I made burgers: spicy lamb for those of us keen on a bit of heat and plain beef for the more conservative!

Saute 1 onion, 1 red chilli and 2 cloves garlic (all finely chopped) in plenty of extra-virgin olive oil with some salt and pepper for 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Allow to cool. Put 500g of lamb mince into a mixing bowl and add the onion mix, including the oil. Season well and add in half a beaten egg. Mix well. Lightly oil a large plate and with wet hands, shape the lamb mix into five patties. Lay on the plate, cover with cling film and leave to rest in the fridge for an hour or two. Season each side and cook on the BBQ, brushing with BBQ sauce if you like.

You can make the beef burgers the same way but I just mixed 500g of mince with salt, pepper and half a beaten egg and continued as above.

The last bit of cooking was some Nolan's of Kilcullen sizzler and plain pork sausages which were brushed with BBQ sauce and placed on the BBQ until cooked through.

The small amount of cash left over was spent on 12 cans of San Pellegrino orange and lemon and Ali baked a beautiful orange and almond cake for dessert (and to hold the birthday candles).

 I'll have plenty of BBQ posts up over the summer, it's good to take advantage of whatever little sun we get!