YOUR WINTERY MOMENT

Every day should have it's golden moment. Millions of tea drinkers all over the world know this very well indeed. It is in fact the tag line for 'Barry's Irish Tea'. Founded in 1901 by Cork man James J BArry, it remains to be run by the Barry Family. Their tea is sourced from India, Kenya and Rwanda. Tea is a very important thread in the tapestry that is Ireland. Their tea and their adverts invite warmth into your life. Life throws many curve balls our way and when it does, the first thing you should do is have a cup of tea , nay a cup of 'Barry's Tea'. To some this may seem a little absurd to suggest such a thing. The ritual involved in making a proper pot of tea, sitting alone or with friends to enjoy this amber nectar induces a moment of relaxation. It is difficult not to feel just a little calmer as this tea warms you within. I asked people to submit photographs of their 'Wintery Moment' and the winners will receive a box of 'Barry's Irish Tea'









'BASILICA AT UNIVERSITY OF NOTRE DAME' from Michael Low, Southbend, Illinois

'OUR FIRST SNOWFALL' from Diane Perry, Colbert, Georgia

'MOON PINK CLOUDS' from Patricia Shea,

'BUNNYCONNELANS IN THE SNOW' Cork, Ireland from Eamon O'Brien, Germany

'SUNSHINE SKYWAY BRIDGE' from Monica Tampa Bay, Florida

IRISH LINEN TEA TOWELS

I picked up some of these tea towels, when I was in Ireland. I particularly loved the pair of 'Irish Linen & Cotton' tea towels. The border is so beautifully done, with a very subtle pattern taken from the historic 'Book of Kells'. I have some of these left, although they have been a very popular item I believe at this time there may only be 15 sets remaining. $25 for the pair.

'The Doors of Dublin' is another in the range. This tea towel is 100% linen and simply gets better with age ! It holds water so well....of course you could simply frame it for something a little different !

SOME CHRISTMAS GIFTS PERHAPS ?

Giving Life to Seaweed

I remember only all too well my week at 'Knockadoon Marine Camp' located in Cork. I was fourteen years old, and to this day it still ranks as one of my all time favorite holidays. I learned about seaweed, upper, middle and lower zones and foraging for seaweed. Now, twenty seven years later, living in Dallas, I have rediscovered the wonders of Irish seaweed through a book called 'Irish Seaweed Kitchen' by native Irish woman, Dr Prannie Rhatigan. This book is a veritable feast for the eyes. Packed with incredible recipes, photographs and nutritional information on seaweed. Prannie was born and raised on the west coast of Ireland. In this book she reveals her experiences harvesting seaweeds with her family and explains their vital nutritional importance. We all like to eat seaweed when we dine out in Sushi Restaurants and have accepted the wide use in Asian cooking, but have we ever really given thought to the widespread availability of seaweed coming from Ireland, after all it is an island. Reading this book, Prannie's passion for this ancient source of nutrition, jumps off the page. I contacted a man in Ireland by the name of Ger Talty. Ger lives in Quilty, County Clare and is a third generation seaweed forager. I had a group of eight people from Dallas visiting Ireland and as part of their 'foodie' day in Clare, they spent the day foraging with Ger and learning how to cook with this incredible product. Ger and his family own a company called 'Spanish Point Sea Veg' They forage, dry and package the various sea weeds for consumption. As a child we used to eat dried seaweed. There was nothing unusual in that. However, I did not ever really cook or bake much with it. I simply had to try. Thanks to Ger, I had seven different bags of his 'Spanish Point Sea Veg ' and so I set about baking in my kitchen.

Leafing through Prannie's book, which has become a very good friend of mine now, I landed on her recipe for 'Banana and Alaria Loaf'. It was a Saturday morning, busy day ahead with my oldest going to his Sophomore homecoming dance, corsage to be picked up, errands to be run , all the while knowing that my boys are always hungry ! This was the perfect recipe. For those of you who love to eat Japanese wakame, then you will find this Alaria very similar. This seaweed is high in calcium and B vitamins. (wakame is used in miso soup). First I placed the Alaria on a baking sheet and dried it in the oven for a little while. In Prannie's book, there is the most beautiful bookmark, offering different suggestions for preparing the seaweed. All very easy.

For the loaf, I needed the following ingredients: 3/4 oz dried Alaria 2 eggs 4 oz golden raisins 2 tablespoons local honey (which I only use to help with allergies) 3 oz Kerrygold unsalted Irish butter, melted 2 tablespoons raw organic sugar 8 oz all purpose flour ( I like to use King Arthur, unbleached & unbromated) 2 teaspoons baking powder 3 bananas, mashed

The Alaria was soaked in 1/2 pint of water for 20 minutes, covered , then simmered over a low heat for 40 minutes. Then cooled slightly. Oven was pre heated to 350 degrees F. - First the eggs were beaten in a small bowl, raisins added, allowing them to plump. - Honey was added to the seaweed and cooking liquid - Butter was melted in a saucepan , sugar added, then cooled. Honeyed mixture and soaked raisin with eggs were added. - Flour and baking powder were mixed in a large bowl. - A large tablespoon of the flour was added to the wet mixture, then the remainder was gradually folded in. - Finally, mashed bananas were added. - Mixture was poured into a 1lb loaf tin and baked for 90 minutes. While the loaf was still hot, I drizzled a little mixture of water & confectioners sugar over the top. Mmmmmm

AN IRISH SUMMER'S EVE IN DALLAS

Sunday July 31st, the feast of St Ignatius, (the founder of the Jesuit Order) was the date for 'An Irish Summers Eve in Dallas . It was the last supper of sorts for the outgoing President of Jesuit College Preparatory School of Dallas, Rev.Philip Postell, who was moving to Arizona. Ten couples gathered on a hot summers evening. They had seen their kids through elementary school together, endured tough times, watched their boys play football, struggle with homework, succeed at homework, watched their boys discovering their passions and finding themselves. And through it all with the strong guidance from this very special man. So, as you can imagine this was a bitter sweet evening but nonetheless a special evening.

Now ,salmon is widely available here in Dallas but Irish smoked salmon is not. It seemed only fitting to pull out all the stops for this very special evening and contact a few friends. Birgitta & Peter Curtin, owners of the The Burren Smokehouse came to the rescue. They shipped their organic salmon from Co, Clare in the West of Ireland to Dallas on ice in time for our soiree. This salmon is now available in Dean & DeLuca.

Served with traditional Irish soda bread, a slather of Kerrygold Irish Butter freshly chopped Dill and a squeeze of lemon, makes this smoked salmon a meal in itself....

Before dinner began, Fr Postell gave the blessing and in his own inimitable way was able to rouse the crowd again with laughs all round.

The kitchen was a hive of activity. The way I like it ! For starters we had carrot and coriander soup with pickled carrot, a recipe shared by the 'Wild Honey Inn' in County Clare

MENU

-Roast leg of lamb with an Irish whiskey marmalade glaze
-Fingerling Potatoes
-Grilled brussels sprouts with lemon zest
-Carrot and parsnip smash
-Roasted red onions

While the guests were enjoying their dinner, I whipped up some dessert. Raspberry fool with Irish Butter Shortbreads.

DuMOL 2008 Russian River Chardonnay was poured at 'The White House' in January this year. The guest of honor was, President Hu Jintua, of the peoples republic of China. This was not the 1st appearance for DuMOL wines at state banquets. In fact it has been poured at 'Crawford Ranch' the residence of President George W Bush and at 'Camp David' when Tony Blair, former Prime Minister of England was visiting. Kerry Murphy is the proprietor of DuMOL wines and tells us there in fact over 1,000 people currently on the pre release waiting list.

Thanks to our hosts, Mr and Mrs Tom Codd, they ensured the guests were treated with rather special libations!

2000 Pascal Doquet Grand Cru Champagne
2009 DuMOl Russian River Chardonnay, 2007 Larkin Cabarnet Franc Napa Valley, 2007 DuMOL Syrah & 2009 DuMOL Pinot Noir

The wines were served with love and received with love. DuMOL proprietor Kerry Murphy explains that the berries are very small, with tight clusters of fruit. Their work is labor intensive and costs four times as much to put in as regular vineyards. Their standards are high and as a result are a favored and popular wine among the members of the prestigious 'Wine Geese Society', part of the 'American Ireland Fund'.

The teenagers moved with ease among the guests, serving, clearing and refilling water glasses. Hovering, wondering if they could catch a morsel of lamb, or a lone sprout. Watching them reminded me of 'Oliver Twist' as if they only received gruel to sustain them.

The evening was layered with Irish stories and peppered with anecdotes. Ingredients such as 'Kerrygold' butter and 'Burren Smokehouse' Salmon were sandwiched between carrots and parsnips, sprinkled with Irish methods of bread baking.

Recently I was leafing through Darina Allen's new book 'Forgotten Skills of Cooking' and I came across a recipe for tomato and apple chutney. Laced with childhood memories of eating chutney's and cheeses, I had to make this for our guests. I served this tangy chutney with 'Cashel Blue'Irish Blue Cheese. Now, if you have never had the pleasure of tasting this cheese, then there is a treat in store for you. 'Cashel Blue' is made on the Grubbs family farm in County Tipperary and is available in most 'Whole Foods'stores. As soon as you put this in your mouth, the unmistakable creamy taste of Irish milk comes through, in this blue cheese.

We finished the evening with a glass of 'Coole Swan', made from Irish cream, Irish whiskey, Madagascar Vanilla and Belgian Chocolate. Guests absolutely loved it. The bottle was modeled on the original Irish milk bottle and it got it's name 'Coole Swan' from the poem 'The WIld Swans of Coole' by the great WIlliam Butler Yeats. This glass was but a mere taste and of this award winning liqueur, so when the guests discovered they were all receiving a bottle in their goodie bags, to say they were delighted is a bit of an understatement.

A copy of 'A Kingdom of WIne', which won the Gourmand Award for the 'Best in the World Wine History Book for 2006' was also included in the goodie bag. The author, Dr Ted Murphy is a fellow Corkonian and his research on the Irish and their influence on viticulture throughout the world needs to be shared. When you open this book you begin a magical journey and discover facts and stories about the Irish that will change your view forever.

It was a lovely evening. The guests were wined and dined but most of all, the families worked together and then ate together. This Irish Summers Eve was a peek into my Ireland........

#SOULFODDER

"Galway Oysters, Kerry Pies, Wexford Strawberries, West Cork cheeses, Dublin Bay prawns, Westmeath Beef, Comber potatoes...these are just a few of Ireland's most famous foods " Georgina Campbell

I came across this beautiful book called 'Ireland for Food Lovers'. It is both a cookbook and travel guide, filled with stories and photographs. Georgina is one of Irelands' leading food and hospitality writers. This was the inspiration for my next chat on Twitter ! Yes, on Twitter. There is such an incredible community of food writers, foodies, food suppliers and food lovers online.

This is my 3rd week hosting this Twitter Party. For the last two weeks I hosted it in the evening and decided to change the time to accommodate our European friends ! If you would like to join in, please do.
WHEN: Tuesday , August 2nd
TIME: 9am CST/ 10am EST 3pm (Irish Time!)
HASHTAG: #Soulfodder

A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER
1) Nothing negative
2) No selling
3) You can join in and follow the conversation a lot easier by going to tweetchat
4) REMEMBER, after the hour is over, you can always go back to the chat by simply typing in #Soulfodder and it will all be there for you.

The topic this week is 'TRAVEL' as it pertains to food. Needless to say, it doesn't have to be about 'Ireland'!

I will ask a few questions and people can answer and join in on the conversation. This is a great way to connect with people globally, make new 'Foodie Friends' and learn about other food blogs, sites and suppliers.

BIA is the Irish word for Food. Thanks to the folks at 'Bord Bia' (Irish Food Board) they have donated a copy of 'Ireland for Food Lovers' by Georgina Campbell, it will inspire you !

INSPIRED BY SPROUTS

Yes, you read correctly, the title says 'Inspired by Sprouts' and by sprouts I mean 'Brussels Sprouts'. I cannot honestly remember a time when I did not like them. I can even eat them slightly boiled with nothing but a little white pepper. Now, that is not the case for a lot of people, I understand, so when I come across a recipe for them , especially one that I can share with others I immediately try it out. Yesterday, I was browsing through the 'Huffington Post' on line and came across this recipe for grilled brussels sprouts and they were quite simply delicious.

They were par boiled for a grand total of five minutes, drained, then tossed in onion powder, garlic powder, fresh lemon zest, kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper.

I grilled beef on a charcoal grill, using a marinade that I also found on the same site, that was quite simply delicious. When the meat was cooked, while standing , I grilled the sprouts for four minutes turning for another four minutes, returned them to the bowl, tossed again in remaining oil and added more fresh lemon zest and freshly grated parmesan cheese.

Food52 is the name of this new and exciting site for foodies, chefs, cooks and generally food lovers. I also love their new service called 'In a Pickle'