The Sunday Times. October 14th 2012. Blackberry Cumberland, Cajun Pasta and Scallop stars.

Posted by WiseMóna    6 Comments    in The Sunday Times weekly column

Hello fellow food lovers,

It is wet and dreary and cold. I am trying to get all caught up on sharing a back long of The Sunday Times weekly recipes and I am loving all the light bright photos I  have been flitting in and out of all weekend. The evenings have grown so short here in Galway since the time change and now, it is almost completely dark before 5pm each evening. I feel like hibernating, don’t you? Wake me up when the crocuses and snowdrops start to bloom.

I feel it would be unfitting if we did not mention how proud we are that Galway now has a Michelin star restaurant (Aniar), the first, and hopefully not the last, for the city of the tribes. When we moved back to Galway four years ago there was a slow and steady throb of excitement in the food and restaurant sector but it almost seemed like people were afraid to step out of their comfort zone and push the proverbial envelope when it came to dining out. JP McMahon (owner of Cava and EAT restaurants too) and his creative crew (Enda McEvoy – executive chef) have exceeded the expectations of all Galwegians, and then some. We are delighted to see them putting Galway on the Michelin map and hope many of you will come to sample their fabulous menu.

The notion of a restaurant serving up foraged food on a plate is very hip these days and finding the balance between something that looks and tastes like weeds to something that looks like but certainly tastes nothing like a weed takes skill. A few weeks ago shared a recipe for blackberry buttermilk buns and since then have discovered that the leaves of the blackberry bushes, when steeped in boiling water with a spoonful of honey, can help reduce the inflammation caused by a sore throat. Imagine, all these years we have been picking the fruit from the bramble bushes without ever knowing that the leaves had a value. This is what foraging teaches us.

The first recipe we are sharing this week is another for blackberries. Cumberland sauce, as we know or remember it, pours a bit thin, like a syrup. We have included a recipe for Blackberry cumberland sauce that is more of a chutney or jam than a syrup. It is also delicious and we are sure you will love it on a piece of roasted meat for Sunday supper or just by itself on a slice of cheddar cheese.

The second recipe we are sharing is for a pasta dish. Pasta is the fastest option to turn to in our house when everyone is in a hurry and starving. Although we do make a lot of our own pasta from scratch, there are several excellent fresh pasta options out there and tagliatelle is our favourite. The recipe is really for the sauce. Roasting bell peppers (and peeling the blackened skin off) enhances the overall flavour of the pepper, making it an excellent addition to any sauce or stew. It also decreases the chances of there being any digestive issues as most of the bitterness comes from the skin. Although we made ours a seafood pasta, you could throw a piece of chicken or pork into the sauce just as easily or keep it light and just add more veg at the end.

Our third recipe is our little way to nudge you into the entertaining spirit. Now that everyone has settled back into school, it is time start thinking about entertaining for the holiday season. This Scallop star appetiser does require a bit of finagling with the pastry but is worth every minute of your time. It is not often you see mustard sauce served with seafood but in this case the marriage of flavours works incredibly well. You can make your own puff pastry from scratch (email us for a recipe if you want one) but the pre-made pastry works just fine too.

This batch of recipes should put you in the mood for entertaining. The blackberry cumberland is delicious. That sweet mustard shallot tang will stand up well to a sizzling piece of duck or a slab of cold cheddar. We served it with a piece of duck. Our own back yard duck. You can only imagine how good this tasted.

A recipe for cajun pasta that will knock your socks off – because it is so very very simple

Cajun Cray fish  pasta – serves 4 as an appetizer

A few weeks ago we received a small bag of crayfish from a friend of ours. The tiniest and most flavour packed present we have ever seen. Their is not a lot of meat on their little bodies but the shells are chock full of flavour so after you cook them for a few minutes in boiling water, remove the fish from the shells saving it for your dinner and make a small pot of fish stock from the shells. This is handy to have on hand when making a chowder for lunch on a Saturday. Waste not want not.

What you will need

For the sauce

1 small onion, large dice

40 g [1/3 cup] celery, large dice

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

A pinch of salt and black pepper

1 Tbsp butter

A small pinch of dried oregano, basil and cayenne.

A small sprig of fresh thyme

1 red bell pepper, roasted and skin removed

120 ml 1/2 cup stock (fish or chicken)

240 ml [1 cup] cream

125 g cray fish, pre-cooked

What you will need

For the pasta

250 g of fresh Tagliatelle pasta

How to prepare – the sauce 

Sauté the onion, celery and garlic in a bit of butter with salt and pepper until tender (about 8 minutes on medium heat).

Add remaining herbs and spices and the red bell pepper.

Deglaze with the 1/2 cup of stock and add 1 cup of cream.

Simmer for ten minutes.

Using an immersion blender, blend until the sauce is smooth.

Add in the pre-cooked cray fish. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.

How to prepare – the pasta

Cook the pasta in 2 liters of boiling salted water for 6 minutes. Make sure not to overcook it, you want it al dente. Drain once cooked and then add to your cajun cray fish sauce. Serve immediately.

and finally we have  a recipe to get you thinking about those Christmas parties you are throwing ….

Scallop stars.

Scallop Stars

When using with puff pastry you need to work fast with very cold pastry. Roll it out and cut it as fast as you can and do not over work it as it might end up very chewy and dense; It should be light and flaky. Once you have the scallops seared and ready to put into the pastry stars, practice first on a few pieces of paper, just to be sure you get it right before you put it in the oven. If entertaining you can bake these ahead and eat them at room temperature if desired.

What you will need

320 g puff pastry (1 box store bought is fine or email us for a recipe)

4 large scallops

1 egg, for egg wash

What you will need – for the sauce

1 small onion/shallot, fine dice

2 tsp butter

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

Dash of Worcestershire sauce

1 Tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

3 Tbsp cream

Salt & black pepper to taste

Optional – to make this more of a main meal than an appetiser

1 kilo prawns, shelled

How to prepare – the sauce

Sauté the onion in some butter and oil. Add in the scallops, sprinkled with a bit of salt and pepper and cook for two minutes on each side. Do not burn the onions; if you have to, take them out of the pan while the scallops cook. (if using prawns to make a bigger meal out of this then add them in here).

Deglaze the pan with a squeeze of lemon juice and worcestershire sauce and add in the wholegrain mustard. Reduce heat and add the cream and mix well with wooden spoon. Finish with a knob of butter and fresh parsley. Remove scallops and add them to the pastry (below) and reserve the sauce for later.

How to prepare – the pastry

Cut the sheet of pastry into four perfect squares; only use very cold puff pastry.

Place each square on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

At each corner, cut a diagonal slice almost to the middle but not quite (1/2”).

Egg wash the edges. Place a cooked scallop in the center of each pastry square.

Take the left side of each corner and fold it over to meet itself and continue to do so in a pinwheel fashion. Practice first with paper. Once you have sealed the scallop in the star/pinwheel shaped pastry puff, egg wash the outside of the pastry.

Bake in a 220ºC oven for 10 – 15 minutes (depending on your oven).

Serve on a bed of salad greens with the sauce poured on top.

Enjoy the read and recipes … and thanks for all the emails and support guys and dolls. I cannot tell you how hard it has been adjusting back to the life of a student …I honest-to-god cannot wait to get back to the world of ‘work’ and away from the madness that is the world of academia. Almost finished with this semester so only 12 more weeks of ‘college/structured class’ after Christmas then we can take our life off ‘hold’ and get back to ‘normal’ whatever that is.

Your support on Facebook/Twitter/here on the blog , the emails and the steady flow of book sales works wonders for a gal.

Thank you xxx

WiseMóna

The Sunday Times. October 7th 2012. Recipes for Venison hotpot, Mushroom & Quinoa Goetta and warm potato and sausage salad.

Posted by WiseMóna    2 Comments    in The Sunday Times weekly column

Venison hot pot noodle bowl

Hello fellow food lovers,

I am hoping to get a back log of recipes (published weekly in our column for The Sunday Times) uploaded to the blog over the next few days.

I am back in final year of college and we just received our exam timetable yesterday. I am finished Semester 1 on December 14th … and have a few days of running around after that getting ready or Christmas before the kids get off school.

Come January I will be headed into my final semester of this four year undergrad and I am excited about just getting finished so we can take our life off hold and I can get back to ‘working’.

Mushroom Goetta for breakfast

I hope you enjoy the recipes. We are particularly fond of the Mushroom Goetta one as it reminds us of our former life back in Cinainnati where Goetta is a very popular breakfast dish. If you have not tried it, now is your chance! Ours is a veggie recipe so it is perfect for those of you that want a delicious savoury and nutritious alternative to the traditional Irish breakfast.

Click above for story and recipes

If you have any special recipe requests for Christmas, then send me a quick email (MonaAndRon@Sunday-Times.ie) and we will get cracking on it.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Corn and Cauliflower Chowder

Posted by WiseMóna    28 Comments    in Kitchen

Soup ….. or Chowder.

Call it what you will.

We steer clear of the thin and lacklustre ‘veg’ soup and favour bigger bolder flavours with a bit of body.

Ladled into a bowl steaming hot coupled with spice from the white pepper, this is delicious.

Oh yeah … and there is bacon in it too.

Corn Chowder … with crackers

This is one of our favourite soups ever and I would love to know if you would ever make this or eat it?

Call it a ‘social experiment’ if you will.

Humour me please xx

WiseMóna

** Please note that while this might seem that I might have actually made this soup myself, be under no illusion that I did. My willing husband, the chef, made it for me. He is ever so willing. **

Voting in Ireland .. it is not too late

Posted by WiseMóna    14 Comments    in The Snug

Ok – this is not a food related post … so tune out now if you came here for something delicious.

This is a quick view into the way ‘voting’ happens in Ireland.

It was not so rainy today … so why the poor voter turnout?

Today, we left it a little late (but the polls do not close until 10:00pm) to get over to the kids national school to exercise our constitutional right and vote in this very important referendum. If you have not voted get your rear end to the polling station and VOTE – because this referendum concerns the welfare of Children.

Typically, we get a little card in the mail to carry with us to our polling station on the day of the vote. We must also bring along our passports or drivers licence as identification. This week, we received nothing in the Irish post and when I asked at the local post office about this they told me I could still go and vote, even without my voting card as long as I had the proper identification.

The Chef & I carry dual citizenship (America & Ireland) and we vote in every election.

We arrive at the school and are disappointed to see how quiet it is (no cars outside) but hey, folks have had all day to vote and it was nearing supper time so maybe they have all come and gone and are back home milking the cows and putting the animals in for the night already.

There are three rooms to choose from and outside each room there is a notice board with sequence numbers in the thousands. I reckon if we had our voters registration cards we would have known automatically which room to vote in.

In each room there are a few people (very nice people) stationed to ‘locate’ each voter and man the large metal voting boxes.

We go into the first room and ask if they can find us.

Voting helper person : Address please

Me: Rockwood road

Voting helper person : Do you know the name of your street in Irish? (Gaelic for any Americans reading).

Me: (totally red-faced) Am, no. Sorry I don’t. It just says ‘Rockwood’ on the road sign, it is not in Irish. (still trying to make up an Irish name in my head)

Voting helper person : Takes out list that is sorted by NUMBER and starts to look for us ‘Wises’.

Me : Standing there horrified that I can not only see the names and numbers of everyone that is registered to vote, I can actually SEE whether or not they have shown up to vote.

At 6:00pm on November 10th it seemed like less than 10% of Claregalway voters had turned out to vote. I am not happy about knowing this information for many reasons and the biggest one being it is NONE OF MY DAMN BUSINESS.

Sigh.

They could not ‘find us’ without knowing  the Irish road name … and they did not know the name of our street in Irish either.

We moved on to the second room and at this point I was growing a little annoyed but mostly because I had just seen all this information that is, as I just mentioned, none of my business.

Room two :

The exact same thing happened.

We were not on that list either.

Third and final room – with help from the nice folks in room 2 – we finally are ‘found’ on a list, listed under ‘Cregboy’ which, and wait for it, is in ENGLISH, and one street over from where we live.

I say to the (very young) chap who is helping out in this room ‘shame there was such a low turn out for the vote today, it is such an important one’ and he says ‘ah, shur its a Saturday. People have better things to be doing’.

We were handed our voting cards, we voted and returned home. No one asked us for our ID and our vote was written in ‘pencil’ on a piece of paper because there were no pens.

I want to die. Shady…..shady……shady………

The national news has just reported that there was as little as 2% turnout for the Children’s referendum today.

Why, Ireland. Why?

If you are reading this, and you are Irish have not yet voted today … the polls are open until 10:00pm tonight.

Please, get out and vote. It is not even raining!

WiseMóna

Do what you love …

Posted by WiseMóna    49 Comments    in The Snug

Eh, ‘do’ what you love … tee hee hee ….

Maybe it’s because I am old. Is that why I get frustrated listening to the young wans at college whining on endlessly about the state of the economy and the fact that there are no jobs for them to do so they might as well stay in college and keep on …….. er, keeping on?

This week, in my German class, we are starting to discuss ‘Arbeit’ (work) as a topic. Our oral exam is going to be a live interview where our teachers interview us ‘auf Deutsch’ for a pretend job and we have to conduct ourselves in a proper and professional manner in the hopes that we get the job which means we will get a good grade for Christmas. Dear Santa ….

There are a couple of mature students in the class with me and we all have a slight edge on the young wans. We have had a few interviews and we have had jobs. We have also worked hard and know how to appease the boss. So I think I have to make sure I can talk about my past work-life experience (in German) in order to scrape a pass on this one. Because scraping a pass is all I have the energy for.

One of our teachers, a lovely young German man, was explaining to us the word ‘work’ or ‘job’ or ‘career’ and how this word always has negative connotations for him, and he felt for most German people. It seems that all my class (Irish students) felt the same way – but most of them (young) either have not had jobs or have only had part-time jobs bar tending/babysitting/tutoring etc. No ‘careers’ as of yet.

What struck a nerve was the fact that our teacher who just explained how the idea of ‘work’ made him feel … revealed that perhaps he was not enjoying his job all that much. So, the question arrises, dear readers, if you truly do not love your job (a) Why are you doing it and (b) How can you be doing a good/effective job if you are not enjoying what it is you are being paid to do?

Now, seeing as  I have to start traipsing back through my ‘work life’ I thought it would be only fair to drag you along with me …. please note there are random photos of people or objects or, eh, alcohol, scattered throughout this blogpost which should depict ‘things I love’ as we make our way through the story.

Doing what she loves …Pearl the puppy soaking up the sun

Am I the only one out there that is doing what I love? And I do not mean this career-change path  I am on right now. I mean from the start.

Age 14 – Dishbitch (or Kitchen porter) at the Rockland hotel. My first job. My first paycheck.

I.loved.that.job

Age 18 – Bartender at McSwiggans where the lovely Tommy Smyth himself taught and trained his team with tenacity. We were educated in the skills of bar-tending, which has served me my whole life, but more importantly we were taught how to deal with customers.

I loved that job too.

At the ripe old age of 19 I moved to the states and continued on with the bar-tending at the Omni Netherland Plaza Hotel . I had to wear one of those fancy tuxedo uniforms … I was young and single and catering to very rich people. I really loved that job because it taught me how to be nice to rude people. Plus, I made some serious life-long friends there too.

From the age of 19 – 29 I was a wedding planner. My first year on the job I managed 15 weddings and in my final and tenth year I was managing over 500 weddings a year.

I.REALLY.loved. that. job. I did not always love the brides or the mothers of the brides – but this was a very FUN FUN FUN job. I was fulfilled. Had I not loved it, I doubt I would have stayed at it for ten years.

Then we opened a restaurant  …

and had a baby at the same time ……….That was a rough year for me …..

She (Rory-Belle) who made me a Mama.

I loved both of those jobs – one as much as the other – both at the same time.

This is man who breaks my heart on a daily basis … in the best kind of way . I Love my little Jack.

Five years later, with the addition of her brother to the crew, we closed up shop and moved to Switzerland…..

I started working for a huge international insurance company as a corporate event planner. We were set up for life. Money, pensions, health insurance, beautiful clean Switzerland. But the job sucked bigtime. Actually – the ‘job’ was ok – but the people were intolerable. I could not find happiness. I no longer LOVED what I was doing.

Seashells from the Irish sea shores …

So. . . . and maybe this is where we differ folks, I quit my job.

And moved the whole family back to Ireland where I could do what I love.

Only problem was … I did not know what I loved doing anymore. I was so bent out of shape because my ‘dream job’ had not worked out I could not see the forest through the trees.

Irish Daffodils … enhancing one of my favourite wines (Paco & Lola. Albariño).

I was lost. I was unbearable to be around. Even the Chef grew weary of my misery. I did not know what I was going to ‘do’ next. I did the only thing I could do at the time.

I did what my mammy told me to do.

I went back to college to learn how to write … because she knew …… as most mothers do …. what I loved to do.

I.Love.Writing.

Click me! Click me!

I realise we live in a time of serious economic crises folks. I am not living in a happy bubble. We have real stress and worries like everyone else.

But we are both doing what we love. Every day. He is baking to his little hearts content and I am earning my keep with my words and photos. It is a very modest existence. We are happy.

Do.What.You.Love.

Life is too short to be miserable.

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today.

WiseMóna

(this post is dedicated to the memory of my Dad (Gerry) who died of Leukaemia at the very young age of fifty. He was buried on Christmas Eve 13 years ago and you could say that I am missing him now more than ever).

Savour(ing) Kilkenny

Posted by WiseMóna    18 Comments    in Kitchen

Hi there and hello from gorgeous sunny Kilkenny.

We are here this weekend participating in the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival and wow – what a city!

We have eaten sumptuous suppers at Café Sol and, to wrap up our day, sampled fine (Irish) wines at with Susan Boyle and we have laid our weary heads to rest right here .

If you scroll down below all the photos you will find a link to all the recipes we showcased today at our Thanksgiving Feast celebration. Enjoy every bite!

Kilkenny has such an array of talented crafters and food producers!

Click on this image to be taken to all the recipes.

Clare Ann O’Keefe….was the Chef’s little helper today. If she wasn’t such a sweetheart I’d be jealous xx

Our MC and the Chef’s lovely assistant for today was the lovely and talented Clare Ann O’Keefe. I can’t wait for this chick to come to Galway.

Cornbread stuffing …. if you did not get to taste it then you should take the recipe and make it … now.

The best part of my day today was the people. This should come as no surprise to you. Sitting front and centre in the audience  and lined up out the door to eat the Chef’s Thanksgiving creations we had Lorna, Dee, Catherine, Imen, Suzannah, Julie, Lisa and probably a host of other friends I have forgotten (sorry). And incase you think it was all girls .. there were dashing husbands present too, my own included.

Looking out into the crowd of people who were hungry for the food and fun we brought to the Chef’s table today made me so proud to be participating in Savour Kilkenny.

This was our first time visiting the beautiful city of Kilkenny and when I asked the Chef this evening what he thought of the city he gave me the most wonderful answer.

He said ‘its just like Galway really. Great good, a beautiful walking city with incredibly friendly people’.

First timers to this event, we are honoured to have been invited and included in so many of the festivites and hope if you have time over the next two days (seeing as it is a bank holiday weekend!) you will take a little road trip to Kilkenny and join in the fabulous food festivities! Bring your appetite!

On a side note … a super super super shout out to a few places that you need to check out when you visit this beautiful medieval city. . . . The Left Bank Bar/Pub is one of the nicest bars I have ever been in. The food, the service, the decor, the bathrooms, and the very attentive management team. Go there. Eat and drink lots.

 And the madam behind the MD Media company. Miriam Donohue runs this business but what you do not realise is that it is really just one big happy family-run business. We met the whole family. They are all gorgeous and incredibly hard working. If you need a bit of help with PR for an upcoming event I cannot imagine that they would not be the right folks for the job.

Ok – that is it for this evening ..

WiseMóna x

The land of opportunity, right here in Galway.

Posted by WiseMóna    16 Comments    in The Snug, When in Galway

I am not a straight ‘A’ student. I never have been, and I never will be.

I am more of the ‘creative’ kind of student. One that reads slowly and learns at a different pace.

I never thought that college was for me, (somedays I am still not sure it is) but what changed my way of thinking was the course I took.

In 2009, I was accepted into a relatively new course at NUIG (National University College of Galway) titled BA Connect – Creative Writing (GY111). I think it is safe to say that I was ready for college and college was ready for me. Finding the right course is more than half the battle.

Which brings me to the reason why I am writing a blog post about a new course just unveiled at NUIG. This course is so ‘hot off the press’ is is still not even on the college prospectus so I decided to share a copy of their fancy brochure right here on my blog.

BA in Journalism (GY119) at NUI Galway. A level 8 degree.

Next start date: September 2013.

NUIG BA in Journalism prospectus (page 1)

Perhaps you are interested in returning to education yourself, or if you have a teen ready to fly the coop and go to college next year? Are you thinking that it is too soon to start worrying about this just yet?

Let’s face the cold hard facts here folks. There are only NINE Sundays between now and Christmas which means you have only a few weeks after that to get the all important CAO forms filled out and uploaded (usually by end of January). For you or your teen.

No.Need.To.Panic. ……. there is plenty of time.

NUIG BA in Journalism prospectus (page 2)

If you are interested in this course then feel free to print out these images for your reading pleasure and if you would like more information on this course leave a comment here on the blog and I will make sure you get a copy of the brochure sent out to you personally via snail mail or email.

They are only accepting FIFTEEN students. Small classes, like mine, means you get a lot of attention from your teachers. It makes it harder to skip classes and many of them are workshop style which means you work harder. You also get an extra year to work on placement in your chosen field which means you have (valuable) work experience when you graduate. And you know how important it is to have work experience when you start looking for a job these days.

NUIG BA in Journalism prospectus (page 3)

Although I do love the course I was accepted into I can’t help but *sigh* when I read the details of this new course. Specifically ‘Year 2 – The Journalists Web’ where students get to focus on social media as an effective communicative tool. Twitter, blogging, photography and movie making are just a few of the platforms that will be covered.

NUIG BA in Journalism prospectus (page 4)

Ok – this is an exciting course and I can’t tell you what a great university NUI Galway is. You need to come visit and see for yourself.

So, if you, your child, or anyone you know is getting ready to enter into third level education then share this link with them right away. This one should not be missed!

Those are all the WiseWords I have for this evening,

WiseMóna

4BA Connect-Creative Writing (final year)

PS – have you entered the competition with The Sunday Times yet?

The power of we (Blog Action Day)

Posted by WiseMóna    18 Comments    in Kids

* no need to adjust your set…this is a rare pictureless post *

A year ago, today, I wrote a blog post about what it was like to be a foster parent in Ireland. It was a short piece for the Annual Blog Action Day.

http://blogactionday.org/live-coverage-of-blog-action-day-october-15-2012/

I shared a photo or two of our gorgeous little foster kids, and was promptly told to remove them, as it is against HSE policies to allow photos of children in care on FB / Twitter and blogs. The law is there to protect the kids. I get that and respect that.

It was a slap on the wrist I did not want but totally deserved. Who am I to decide to plaster details of their happy little lives all over the Internet?

This year, the title for Blog Action Day 2012

‘The power of we’

is so tempting. I want to take a huge risk and tell you how difficult the last year has been. I want to tell you that taking in a couple of foster kids is the hardest thing you will ever do and will put so much stress on your family your solid-rock stance might shatter into smithereens.

But I can’t tell you anything. I am gagged and bound when it comes to talking about ‘my girls’ …. I can’t tell you when they are happy or sad or pure holy terrors. I can’t show you photos of their new hair cuts and cute lip glossed lips and pink finger tips.

I can’t explain how easy or impossible it might be for any Mum or Dad (or Granny) to take two grown girls into a new environment and expect them to thrive.

All I can tell you is that ‘we’ are doing ok. My Mum is the third parent to all four of our kids. The terrible two (Rory Belle and Jack) that you see in the images on many of the blog posts represent the state of happiness and health of the entire foursome.

This past summer when all ten of ‘the cousins’ were hanging for the month of July, not one of us adults had to raise our voices – not once.

We are nothing without our family. The love and dedication my Mum has for our very blended family is unlike anything I have ever encountered. Mum to me, a friend to my husband and Granny to our brood.

This kind of love is what makes our world go round.

WiseMòna

This blogpost will self destruct in 48 hours or less ….just incase

Up and coming …..

Posted by WiseMóna    28 Comments    in The Snug

I am sure, if y’all are connected to me on Twitter or Facebook, you are sick to the teeth of hearing me ramble on about this but I feel like I have to put it out here in the blog.

Winner winner chicken dinner!

Oh.My.God.

Myself, the Chef and my Mum (aka Granny) went to the blog awards on Saturday night and came home with four awards.

The three categories we had received nominations for (Best Food and Drink Blog; Best Blog of a Journalist; Best Photo Blog) and the one that knocked me for six … Best Blog overall.

The list of all the winners are right here and when you have time you should link up and follow them because they are all brilliant and worthy of your reading time.

Here is a link to the photos too … all taken by Damien Carroll from Cearbhuil Studios. Now there is a talented guy.

Now, a bit of housekeeping if you please ….. there are a few events on the horizon that the Chef & I are participating in and we really hope you will join in the fun.

The first one is Savour Kilkenny starting Thursday October 25th running the entire bank holiday weekend until October 29th 2012. Their gorgeous brochure is right here. We are going to do a ‘Thanksgiving Feast’ …. there will be a gluten free pecan chocolate pie floating about too …. for anyone that is interested.

…. a wee blurb from their website ….

Welcome to Savour Kilkenny Food Festival 2012

Savour Kilkenny is now in it’s 6th year. Our festival takes place from Thursday October 25th to Monday October 29th 2012, over the October Bank Holiday weekend, a wonderfully atmospheric time of year for food-lovers when we dip back into the recipe books for comfort food to share in darkening Autumnal evenings with family and friends.

It’s a festival with a true community heart run by a voluntary committee of Kilkenny people who are passionate about food. Growing it, making it, cooking it, sharing it and eating it – all will be celebrated this year in a rainbow programme.

….

THEN – barely a week later we will be back down for a night’s visit to one of our favourite country hotels, Lisloughrey Lodge, as we are hosting their Food & Wine readers evening. We do love this hotel and hope, if you have not already planned a night away in November, you will join us on Friday November 2nd 2012 for the festivities. I just got a glimpse of the menu and their award winning chef, Johnathan Keane, is not going to disappoint!

THEN – and as if that is not enough – we will be ready to judge the winners of the Sunday Times ‘Great Irish Dessert Off’. You need to enter this competition. Seriously – €10,000 euros worth of Miele kitchen equipment for ONE PERSON. The Chef & I are the judges and we cannot wait to see your recipes!

Recipe for this delicious Autumn stuffing in The Sunday Times (October 21st 2012)

All the hoopla aside….here’s the thing:

On blogging…….. from me to you:

Thank you readers, my dear friends,

for flitting in and out of this here blog.

The comments that you always leave me,

are my reward for wordy slog.

Its nice to have a trophy (or four!) sure,

and with flowers I will keep them filled.

But knowing you are reading WiseWords,

is what keeps me totally thrilled.

So if you are a blogger

and want to steal the show next year.

Work hard and listen to your readers,

because they sing the loudest cheer.

…………………………………………….

All rhyming aside guys and dolls…. I.am.humbled.

Thank you so much for these awards and coming back time and time again to check in on me even when I had nothing much to say.

WiseMóna xx

With pomp and circumstance

Posted by WiseMóna    30 Comments    in Reviews

A few weeks ago we were invited to attend an event at Claregalway Castle. The event was to introduce Galwegians to several wines from the Loire valley (d’Anjou). The wines were being showcased alongside some of Galway’s premium foods. It was already the weekend, and seeing as the castle is within walking distance from our home, how could we refuse such an invite?

Weaving our way onto the castle grounds I had one of those moments where I wanted to drop everything and just be thankful for my life; We live and work in such a beautiful small city. The castle, recently restored by Dr. Eamonn O’Donoghue, was all a-glow with small wood fires flanking the entrances to the castle; the most beautiful of Irish welcomes in my opinion. Soaking in the scents of wood and turf fires burning in the autumnal air, gave me reason to pause for a minute, and give a nod to the cemetery across the road to where my Dad lies in his eternal grave. Swallowing that lump that arrises (still after almost 12 years now) at the loss I feel of not having him around to just be part of our daily life, we carried on, thankful we still have my Mum to keep us on our toes.

Greeted warmly at the door by none other than Séamus Sheridan of Sheridan Cheesemongers, we were instructed to start drinking and sampling the food. He did not have to tell us twice!

Photo credit : Saoirse Roberts

With all the fuss about the food and wine, we took a step back from the crowd to observe the group of French men and women as they made their pronounced entrance. Their was a fanfare of trumpet players, fitting for the surrounds no doubt, and our robed and feather-tailed capped visitors welcomed us to the castle and delighted us with stories about who they are and about the wines were were sipping.

…

The Fins Gousiers D’Anjou is one of the oldest and most active organisations of its kind in France, whose main aim is to promote the wines of the Anjou region in the Loire. They celebrate their passion for wine making and tasting by assisting to build relationships between producers and enthusiasts through participating at organised events/festivals. As part of these events, there is a ceremony of true pomp to enthrone “Knights” under the Chevalier of Fins Gousiers of Anjou.  

The Chef & I marvelled at the pride they carried with them for their beautiful wines. They, in robes and fancy feathered french berets, toured Galway during the oyster festival, explaining the details of where the grapes grow, how it is produced and brought plenty to share. They were most generous.

….

As part of their recent visit, a showcase event was hosted by Dr Eamonn O’Donoghue in the beautifully restored Claregalway Castle, which included a presentation of wines from 13 different appellations in the Anjou area produced by 27 different winemakers. In additions to the wines available for tasting, a wide range of top quality foods was on offer on the night from local producers including Bradys Craft Butchers Athenry, The Old Barracks Restaurant Athenry, Herteriches Butchers Galway, Connemara Smoke House, Kelly’s Oyster Suppliers, Foods of Athenry, Beechlawn Organics Ballinasloe, Goyas Café and Bakery and Sheridans Cheesemongers, the owner of which, Seamus Sheridan was one of the key organisers of the event in Claregalway.  Attendees included Cllr. Tom Welby, Mayor of County Galway, Cllr Mike Kelly, Deputy Mayor of Ballinasloe as well as representatives from the French Consulate, French Trade Commission, Local Authority Officials, local and national importers and distributors of wine, significant players from the Food and Wine Industry, Failte Ireland, GMIT, Alliance Francaise and the media. Everyone present on the night was impressed by the Anjou wines, Galway foods, the spectacular setting, beautiful music and the ambience of the event.

…

Ahem … yes, I know. They never mentioned I was there … *sigh* always a bridesmaid never a bride.

The thing is, they had a stellar line up of food purveyors showcasing some of, not just the West’s, but Ireland’s gorgeous food. I hope the French folks enjoyed it.

A few days after the event we did a bit of investigative work to find out more about the wines, the wine region itself because, admittedly, we have a lot of drinking of these wines to do before we can start preaching how great they truly are. But for starters, I heard a rumour that Peter from Cases Wine Warehouse might be looking in to stocking a few of the wines we tried that night.

I am wondering if one of them is this one …..

Cremant …. must translate to ‘stop everything you are doing and enjoy every bubble’

or even this one … not just because it is pink – but because the effervescent and finish on the palate has stayed with me for nigh on three weeks now. This wine should be in everyones fridge for Christmas.

It would be rude to drink it from the bottle … but I understand why one might do just that.

Now that relations between Galway and the Loire valley are forged fast from this fabulous food weekend, I believe a small contingency of very important and influential people will be traveling to the Loire valley next year to promote Irish food and further this friendship that has been forged. I can tell you personally that we are already very versed in the wines of Vouvray and Sancerre. Two of our favourites actually.

Were I to go to France I would make contact with Dubarry and Magee (requesting them as sponsors) and ask them to deck out the Irish food foot soldiers in rags of dapper tweed and fancy Galway boots.

I would instruct them to share Marion’s beautiful goats cheese because I think that the French, masters of cheese themselves, will also agree that this product is indeed superb. I would (and actually might) order bushels of oysters from Kellys and smoke them over turf this winter and offer a wee jar of said shelled treats to our new French friends, because they have an affinity already for our gorgeous plump Irish oysters and they would pair these smoked delicacies with one of their light red luscious Loire valley reds. I would bring large, on the bone, hunks of beef and lamb from James McGeough butchers in Oughterard and I would have the chef (my chef that is) cook it and serve it up to the locals to show them that we take as much pride in our food as they do in their wines.

I would make sure that we would walk with pomp and circumstance, just as they, because if we do not, who will?

If you were going to France (or anywhere else in the world) to promote Irish food, which food would you bring with you to share with our French friends?

Nice answers now … no ‘Tayto’ or ‘hang sandwiches’ comments. We have a plethora of goods on this beautiful food island to be proud of. Let me know your favourites and I will pass it along to the powers that be.

WiseMóna

Special thanks goes to Made in Galway who invited the Chef & I to attend the beautiful cultural evening at Claregalway castle.