Pete's Perfect Portion 13

Roast Pork with Crackling Sandwich - Poulet Bonne Femme, Avoca, Rathcoole

Last Thursday I found myself in Newcastle, Co. Dublin around lunch time. I had been thinking of getting something to eat in the village and then it clicked with me; Avoca is just two minutes away! I'm a big fan of Poulet Bonne Femme. Their roast chicken sandwich has been my favourite lunch time treat for as long as I care to remember but this time.....this time I went for the pork. This is the sandwich dreams are made from. Succulent pork, crispy crackling, fresh bread, butter, mayo, Dijon mustard and a few mixed leaves. Perfect.

Review: Fallons, Kilcullen, Co. Kildare

Fallons of Kilcullen

Kilcullen, Co. Kildare

Yesterday while I was deciding what new PC to splash out on, the hunger hit me. It was 3 pm on a muggy Saturday and having not eaten since an early breakfast, Ali and I decided to go for something fairly substantial. It was not our initial plan to go to Fallons (our intended haunt closed at 3) and I had never considered it for lunch. It was somewhere I would like to try for dinner some evening but it never crossed my mind for a midday meal.

Inside, Fallons is a stylish space and although it doesn't feel as relaxed as a cafe, it doesn't feel too formal either. The well trained staff provide an efficient and friendly service but it's the food that really catches your attention. After a decent espresso, I had the roast of the day on brioche with chips. The beef was delicious, it was cooked well done but didn't suffer from being dry or tough. The brioche was tasty but it was the addition of beautifully caramelised onions that set this apart. The sauce was excellent and while I'm not a fan of a sandwich loaded with leaves, this wasn't swamped with salad and suited me perfectly. The chips were well cooked and crispy and the garlic sauce I requested had a great freshness to it.

As for the price, it could be considered slightly expensive for everyday lunch. The total bill came to €30.80 for my sandwich with chips, Ali's pulled pork salad, a tea and an espresso. It was substantial though, you certainly won't leave hungry!

Lunch Ratings:

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

Overall: 7.5/10 Recommended

Churrasco Italiano

World Cup, Day 7 - Chile

Churrasco Italiano

Chilean Sandwich

The first week of the World Cup has come to an end. It's been a very entertaining week on the field and my challenge has gone very well. We've ate well this week and I've really enjoyed cooking dishes from so many countries, long may it continue! Tonight we celebrate Chile and rightly so after that performance against Spain. My initial plan was to cook a Curanto but I decided against it this morning. It's a big dish containing a lot of different meats and fish and I felt like something more basic and less fatty.

After some research I came across the Churrasco Italiano which is a popular fast food in the South American nation. I also liked the idea of the link with my favourite cuisine. Despite the name the sandwich really doesn't have anything in common with Italian food, instead it got its name as the avocado, mayonaisse and tomato make the colours of the Italian flag. I took some serious liberties with this dish. Churrasco is Portuguese for barbecue but generally refers to beef. I didn't use a barbecue and I used turkey rather than beef as I'll be cooking a Moussaka tomorrow with either beef or lamb.

I love this sandwich. The mayo and avocado make a great combination and I've a feeling I'll be eating a lot more of these. If you want to make it more traditional use beef instead of turkey and barbecue it if weather allows.

Serves 3

1 Ripe Avocado
Juice of 1 Lime
2 Tomatoes (sliced)
3tbsp Good Mayonnaise
2tbsp Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
400g Turkey Steaks
3 Soft Wholemeal Baps
Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper

1. Prepare the simple guacamole by cutting the avocado length ways all the way around and twisting the two sides away from each other. Scoop out the stone and discard. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and place in a bowl with the lime juice. Mash well with a fork and season to taste.

2. Heat the oil over a medium heat and add the turkey steaks with plenty of seasoning. Fry for 2 minutes on each side before covering and allowing to cook through (if you have a thermometer, check that the middle of the thickest part is at 73 deg) turning every couple of minutes. Remove from the pan and allow to rest for a couple of minutes before slicing thinly. 

3. Cut the baps in half and begin layering with 1tbsp of mayo on each. Next put a layer of sliced tomato followed by a layer of sliced turkey. Spread the guacamole on the top half of each bap and place on top. Serve with some boiled rice.