Magazine

FEAST MEAL SPRING APRIL 2016 Delicious spring celebrations

• hedgerow cocktail at damson diner • ballyvolane gravad lax with cucumber pickle and dill mustard mayonnaise • braised connemara hill lamb shanks with germinate and wild garlic mash

In HOUDS OPGAVE Pagina 1 Pagina 2 Pagina 3 Pagina 4 Pagina 5 Pagina 6 Pagina 7 Pagina 8 Pagina 9 Pagina 10 Pagina 11 Pagina 12 Pagina 13 Pagina 14 Pagina 15 Pagina 16 Pagina 17

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Cover Advertentie Inhoudsopgave Redactioneel Voorwoord Colofon/medewerkers Column

Damson Diner & Cocktail

Rosemarie Durr Pottery & Soup

Ballyvolane House & Graved Lax

Connemara Hill Lamb

Advertentie Backcover

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A delicious celebration of this spring’s seasonal produce and a show-case of some of Ireland’s finest food producers.

The opening features in this dinner journal take us on a journey across Ireland through our feast spring menu.

Each ingredient feature brings you closer to a dramatic spring meal in the Glade, surrounded by forest in Kinnegad.

Kildare.

On our way to the great feast we

travelled to the wild hills of Connemara for spring lamb for our main course of braised lamb shanks. In a converted railway station in Carnaross.

Meath we explored Sheridans Cheesemongers’ headquarters where mountains of cheese act as taste-snapshots of Ireland’s many terroir.

It’s hard not to be inspired by the raw and beautiful scenery which produces so much of Ireland’s finest food. But townies in Ireland are not without their foodie credentials. New voices in food like Oisin Davis of Dublin’s Damson Diner gave us a foraged cocktail masterclass

showing us how to make a hedgerow cocktail with elderberry gin, all his foraging takes place in urban Dublin. From the romance of an island bakery off the west Cork coast Patrick Ryan’s Heir Island Firehouse Bakery shared his recipe with us. Over in Drogheda Jeni Glasgow shares the much lusted after secrets of her wild and wonderful Brown Hound Bakery, with the recipe for her sweet torched lemon temples making a dramatic end to our feast.

The importance of every element of our feast is highlighted by a visit to Rosemarie Durr’s pottery studio in Castlecomer. A morning spent with Mark Grehan in his beautiful Dublin city flower shop located on the steps of the Powerscourt Town House ensured we had unique floral displays on our table setting.Turn the pages and follow our spring 2013 journey through Ireland as we gathered the ingredients for a Spring feast.

Enjoy, Donal 4

Colofon Ross Golden-Bannon Editor

Ross has been eating for Ireland as restaurant critic for The Sunday Business Post since 2001 As the author of the ebook How to Write About Food he’s happiest when he’s a good meal in front of him along with some fresh copy and a big red pen.

Donal Skehan

Sharon Hearne Smith

Donal is a food writer and photographer with three cookbooks under his belt Donal shot all the features for feast and enjoyed every minute. feast was a dream he has had since he first started writing about food and his guiding principle was to celebrate the stories of the people behind food.

Sharon’s job has taken her around the world working with names like Ina Garten, Lorraine Pascale and Jamie Oliver. We’re head over heels in love with her styling. she cooked through our feast recipes making each and every one look particularly special.

Photographer

Food Stylist

Design © 2017 Laura Gijzen Text copyright © 2013 Ross Golden-Bannon & Donal Skehan Photography copyright © 2013 Donal Skehan Cover copyright © 2013 Ross Golden-Bannon & Donal Skehan All rights reserved.

Published by Donal Skehan trading as Donal Skehan & RGB Consulting.

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Get your fish fresh at the market

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Welcome to Marseille marketplace Home of bouillabaisse, striped breton shirt and one of the most involved fish markets you’ll ever come across. How so? Seafood, and a life tied to the sea in this area is king.

As is quality.

Three hundred days of sun, France’s second largest city and the home of the breton and bouillabaisse…

Welcome to Marseille, a true nautical city.

Where it’s none more apparent than at their morning fish market – one of the most interesting and eclectic ones you’ll ever come across.

Because in this region, seafood and a life tied to the sea is king.

It’s crucial.

And for some, very much

their raison d’être.

For strong salty links flow through every element of this walled ancient city – with the fish market being the finest example of the locals’ organic and unwavering link to the surrounding waters.

For it’s a presence and a preference well played and occupied in life.

Fishermen, fresh from their post midnight and pre dawn starts on the Mediterranean return to port. They pull up at the base of this ancient harbour and begin uploading their morning haul – notably while the rest of the city begins to stir.

Seafood bounty of every type, size,

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and for every use abounds.

It’s lain out in a ‘pop up’ style along the front, and regular customers come to view and select what they’ll be taking home for the day.

Time is taken over the transaction – and there’s no rush, with vendors ensuring their clients take home of their catch is of unsurpassed quality. It’s hard to get fresher than at the market.

Damson Diner & Cocktail South William Street Dublin 2

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Hipster New Yorkers probably come to Damson Diner for inspiration. Located on South William Street in Dublin 2, the space is a modern style American diner with neon lights, exposed pipes and high ceilings. They’ve the low-down on what’s happening in the food world too. Run by Oisin Davis,formerly of The Sugar Club, the diner serves up dishes like Vietnamese bánh mi, a sort of light baguette along with other Thai street food favourites. You’ll also find Louisiana crowd pleasers like Indian inspired nibbles like courgettes and fennel bhaji. We love the food but we’re in love with the cocktails.

Foraged wild foods like sloes are combined with gin, vodka and whiskey helping to revive old glories like elderflower gin. These are then combined into the latest cocktails, one of which they’ve kindly shared with us for our feast. 52 South William St, Dublin 2; Tel: + 353 1 677 7007.

Hedgerow cocktail

Elderberry gin

70ml Elderberry Infused Cork Dry Gin 50ml Crinnaughtan Apple Juice 20ml Green Tea Syrup a dash of Lemon juice

500g Elderberries, ripe 100g Sugar 700ml Cork Dry Gin Gin 20 ml Water a dash of mint

Chill a tumbler with ice and water and set aside. Place all ingredients in the shaker with ice, shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Garnish with a preserved baby apple or slices of apple dipped in lemon. The Damson Diner’s gin was infused for 5 months with wild Irish elderberries, though we have a 2 month version below.

When gathering the elderberries make sure to just pick the ripe ones. Pick through removing any unripe berries and stalks.

Put the berries in a microwave proof bowl and pop in the microwave for about 2 minutes. Stir half way through.

They should be hot but not collapsing into a mash.

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Rosemarie durr pottery & soup

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ROSEMARIE DURR POTTERY Irish craftsmanship has become famous the world over with names like Nicholas and Orla Kiely setting the bench mark.

There is a wealth of handcrafted ceramics to be found throughout Ireland and when it cames to choosing some bowls for our wild garlic soup,

FOR THE SOUP

Rosemarie Durr’s striking free form colourful pottery was an obvious choice. alongside her husband and designer Andrew Ludwick, she set up the Rosemarie Durr Pottery shop. What we love about them is that although they are pieces of art, they are also functional everyday kitchen items which are comforting to hold and eat from. The contrast from her blue bowl was perfect for the wild garlic soup, drizzled with

a zingy wild garlic oil, flowers, Durrus cheese toasts and poached egg.

25g butter Rosemarie Durr Pottery, 2 medium potatoes Castlecomer Estate Yard, 1 medium onion Castlecomer, Co. Kilkenny, 1 litre vegetable stock Ireland. Tel: +353 (0)56 4440007.

200g wild garlic leaves 8 large free range eggs Poach the eggs first, semi-cooked until ready to serve. Melt the butter in a large pot over a medium heat. Add the onion and potatoes and fry gently. Season with sea salt and ground black pepper. Lower the heat, cover with a lid and continue to cook for 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to the boil. Add the wild garlic leaves. Cook for 2-3 minutes until wilted and tender. Blitz the soup with a hand blender. Pass through a sieve for a silky smooth finish. Place the poached eggs in warm water to revive.

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Bally volane House & Graved Lax South William Street Dublin 2

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The first view of Ballyvolane House by the weary traveller is a wel-come one, framed as it is by shimmering trees, green lawns and languishing mauve wisteria. It is a grand house, a Georgian county retreat, but not overwhelming and the simple façade feels homely and welcoming. No surprise really considering the welcome you’ll get from Justin and Jenny Green, this unique and peaceful spot is their place of work and their home so there’s a great family run atmosphere here. Guests all sit around the family dinner table for breakfast and dinner. Attention to detail is everything from the deep, cloud-like beds to the impeccably sourced food, it is a place set apart.

Evenings start with rhubarb martinis from the Victorian walled garden, though this obviously changes with the seasons, their hedgerow martini of autumn fruits is something of a legend. They keep rare breed pigs including Saddlebacks, Gloucester Old Spots and Durocs all of which appear on the menu in some form, breakfast being the natural starting point.

A meander around the estate is a chance to see a country house which is truly embedded in the locality. Justin proudly shows off their chickens, doves, donkey’s and a motley pack of dogs which add a huge amount of personality to the setting.

Guests can choose to go fishing in the local river for salmon and trout, and then see the fish appear on their dinner menu.

Justin’s father Jeremy grows a huge amount of vegetables throughout the year in Ballyvolane’s vast walled garden.

Guests are lucky enough to see these appear on the menu which often includes more exotic vegetables like sea kale, asparagus and globe artichokes.

Salad leaves of all hues and textures are grown along with chard, spinach, courgettes, all sorts of cabbages, curly kale, beetroot, Jerusalem artichokes and four varieties of potatoes. And that’s just the short list. Fruit such as loganberries, figs, pears, apples and raspberries are served up in season and the green house is used for growing cucumbers, chilies and tomatoes too. The menus change daily and are dictated by what is ready to harvest, what’s seasonal and of course the weather and fishing conditions also dictate what will appear on your plate. Inspired by our fishing trip to Ballyvolane House we’ve come up with a favourite salmon dish for our feast. Ballyvolane House, Castlelyons, Fermoy, Co. Cork. Tel + 353 (025) 36 349.

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Conne mara Hill Lamb

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Connemara hill lamb HILL LAMB SHANKS WITH GREMOLATA 8 Hill Lamb shanks 50g plain flour 2 onions, finely chopped 2 sticks celery, chopped 2 carrots, finely chopped 3 garlic cloves, crushed 375ml dry white wine 750ml chicken stock 50g can anchovies, drained

For the gremolata 4 tablespoons fresh mint 2 tablespoons garlic, finely chopped 2 tablespoons lemon zest, finely grated

If ever the essence of terroir was expressed in an Irish product it is Connemara Hill Lamb.

We visited Martin Joe Kerrigan’s lamb farm at the edge of Lough Corrib and in the heart of the Connemara Ghaeltacht region.

While we were up the mountain shooting, ten lambs were born and we watched them up and walking within a few hours. The lamb has

won a number of important awards including one from the Guild of Irish Food Writers. There are only three others in Ireland.

Corr Na Mona, Connemara, Co. Galway, Tel +353 9495 48798; www.connemarahilllamb.ie

Place a really large casserole pan on a high heat. Season the lamb shanks and toss them in the flour to coat. Add the oil to the pan and working in batches. Next, reduce the heat to medium and add the onions, celery and carrots to the pan. SautĂŠ for 6-8 minutes until soft but not coloured, adding the garlic at the last minute. Increase the heat and then add the wine, allowing it to bubble down for a minute or two. Then add the stock, anchovies, lemon zest, tomato puree, parsley. then reduce to gentle simmer for about 3 hours. Turn the shanks occasionally during this time.

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FEAST MEAL Volgende editie!

Summer issue

Great things to come…

Recipes to celebrate sunny summertimes Quick, fresh and intense • FIRST BITE - Juicy Lucy Sliders • HOT DISH - Cheesy Bites & Dishes • BBQ - Like Ancient Cajuns