Letters on Lunches

Ballymaloe Diary, Week 4

I've been slow to blog since I've moved down here but it's not easy; with everyone scrapping for computers, I have to come in early to get my 'cupla focail' down on paper. Also, the weather has been amazing so many people sit in the fruit garden sipping tea before morning classes which is a shame to miss out on.

Something I haven't explained up to now is the set up. In the afternoon demo, one of the master teachers (Darina, Rachel & Rory O'Connell) demonstrate a bunch of different dishes. At the end of the demo, we herd up like animals with the reward being a plate of tasty morsels - both sweet & savoury - on our plates; this will be lunch the following day. We then check the matrix on the notice board for the following day to see what we are required to cook with our partner (partners change weekly) and go home that night and write out a fairly detailed order of work. The premise is a balanced meal so there's always a starter, main course & dessert but we can add in breads, biscuits, cakes, basically anything that will have ingredients in abundance if we think we have extra time or just want to get the practice. We are supposed to have our food plated up by 12pm for teachers to mark us and lunch should be at 12.30 where we kick back & enjoy the fruits of our labour. Lunch has been out in the sun trap that is the fruit garden this past week & it feels like things couldn't get better but I know they will!!!

On to a completely different subject now about something new I learned yesterday. Sour dough bread.... Did you know it takes 8 days to get the "starter" started??? The starter is basically flour & water which is fed with more flour & water for 8 days, and at the end of this time, you have a living thing. It sounds like having a baby to be honest. You need to look after your starter (for years), feed it, use it, and feed it more before making a loaf - I can't wait to get started (excuse the pun) - magical.

I've to go here - it's theory day & we're learning about coffee.

Ballymaloe Diary, Weeks 2 & 3

So, I've another two weeks down and soooooo much done. We've made cakes, marmalades, chutneys, breads, gutted fish, jointed chickens, butchered lambs, plucked fowl and skinned rabbits. Ooh rabbit skinning; it's not for the faint hearted at all at all. Imagine how I felt when I saw a dead bunny urinate on one of my fellow classmates; animal rights activists may assume I was moved by the beauty of nature in life and death, everyone else may assume I almost urinated myself from laughing at said event!

We were also introduced to the seriously enthusiastic German butcher, Philip Denhart who basically slid through half a lamb carcass with the smallest boning knife and very little effort. We were taught that you don't actually need a power saw to butcher an animal. He's also a dairy enthusiast and demonstrated butter and cheese making and I heard through the grapevine that he bakes cupcakes (modelled on the Magnolia Bakery recipe) for a local farmer's market. Mental note: must try cupcakes.

Celebrity coeliac chef, Rosemary Kearney was in to demonstrate some of her amazing, coeliac friendly recipes and I also spent an evening working in the kitchen at Ballymaloe House. When I say worked, I mean I loitered around the kitchens for a few hours, plagued the chefs with questions and tasted as many of the dishes on the menu as I could. I left fed & happy.

Onto food tasting and you'll be glad to hear I'm not balooning in size - we're treated to the best of food but most people are mindful of portion control. I also go walking in the evenings which isn't such a chore due to the breath-taking scenery.

It's getting close to cooking time here so I'd better sign off for know....

Ballymaloe Diary, Week 1

I've been completely plagued about providing an update to the course in Ballymaloe by loads of people... I'm going to do this quickly as I could ramble on for pages about how great the course is, but in summary, it's lived up to all my expectations & more.

On Monday, we were given a tour of the gardens, glasshouses and grounds. We saw the wonderful shell house as well as the piglets, milking parlour, cottages, orchards, compost heap (v important) and of course, Palais de Poulets. Lunch was soup followed by a plate of local tasty treats and the afternoon was a masterclass in chopping. We were told early on in the morning that Darina could not be with us as her mum was extremely ill; unfortunately, Mrs. O'Connell passed away on Thursday morning but I guess it may have come as a relief to the family as I know how difficult it is to watch a loved one suffer.

On Tuesday, we were given a tour of the kitchens and got to grips with our new knives which was cool (and a little bloody). There are 4 kitchens and each student must share a work area in one of those kitchens with a partner. The groups are given a list of dishes to cook and between partners, must decide who cooks what. An order of work must be written up before cooking commences and partners, areas & kitchens are shuffled every week.

The opportunity is there to do so much; I've signed up for a night in the kitchen at Ballymaloe House, a Saturday working on the Farmers Market stall, a Saturday in the Crawford Gallery kitchen and a weekly gardening class which is proving most informative.

Wednesday was our first proper day cooking and I loved it. I made a gruyere & dill tart, mediterranean salad and a jar of wild rocket pesto which I brought home with me - delicious! Thursday was a theory day which began with a cheese lecture followed by wine tasting (happy days) and the aftenoon hosted lectures on fire safety and food hygene which taught me an awful lot that I didn't already know.

There was a real buzz about the school on Friday afternoon as Rachel Allen was in to give the afternoon demonstration on Mexican food. Wow, sometimes she seems a bit scatty on the tv but in reality I can completely understand why she got snapped up, she was so lovely and flew through about 15 dishes aswell as making time to learn peoples names. I left for the weekend happy as a pig in you-know-what and looking forward to getting started again on Monday morning.

I've an 8 mile drive to the school each morning and to say the setting is idyllic would be a gross understatement. Rolling hillsides, stone walls, sea views, heaven! It's worth a trip down just for the views but when you get down, there's so much to do. The cliff walk in Ballycotton, beach walk (or kite-surfing) in Garryvoe, Stephen Pearce Gallery in Shanagarry not to mention a tour of the fabulous school & gardens at Ballymaloe.

Better go... I'll check back next week...

Bad Blogger

I've been a very bad blogger of late but it's not entirely my fault you see. I'm getting ready to head down to Ballymaloe on Sunday evening and beginning the course on Monday morning. I can't believe it has come around so quickly, just lightening fast. As a result, I've been trying to get things wrapped up at home - clothes washed, house cleaned, errands ran, etc etc, the list goes on. Also, some very kind friends have had me over for dinner as a farewell which meant I haven't had to cook much myself lately. I'm taking their invitations at face value but I've a sneaky suspicion they know i'll be looking for guinea pigs in the coming weeks...

I also received some sad news on Monday, my lovely Gran, Frankie Woulfe, passed away after almost 84 years on our earth . She had a very good life and was very good to the people around her - the past couple of days have been a testement to that and we've heard some amazing stories about her. One friend of the family lined the inside of her grave with daffodils which was a beautiful gesture and made the grave seem much more than just a hole for a coffin. She passed away at home surrounded by her sister, daughter, son, the priest & the doctor and it was all over before 5.30pm - she wouldn't like to  put people out by passing away outside of business hours.

Miss you Gran. X

Paella Party

I know I mentioned in a previous post that we went to Spain for a holiday last year. We spent a few nights in Barcelona, a few nights in Valencia & a few nights in Madrid. I also mentioned that a colleague of mine who had previously lived in Barca had given me a list of places to eat and one of those places was the restaurant 7 Portes. We met my brother & his girlfriend beforehand and queued up at the ancient restaurant which is famous for it’s paella. It was one of those restaurants where the waiters are all oldish men and wear white jackets. While there were many of tourists, it was comforting to see the hoards locals enjoying their meals also. We all ordered the same thing - house paella - and instead of cooking four individual dishes, they brought out one massive dish & served us from that. It was fabulous; bursting with flavour and the ambiance of the restaurant made it all the better.

            Tommi Myers’ new show on Channel 4, A Cooks Tour of Spain, really whetted my appetite for Spanish food again so I decided to try out paella for myself yesterday. I perused a few different recipes and started from there. The recipes I had seen were all cooked on the hob in the pan but the 7 Portes paella had been cooked in the oven so there were lovely crispy bits of rice along the sides of the pan. I took some advice from Bill Granger’s paella about not stirring the rice, shaking it instead, and also from Anthony Worrall Thompson on the ingredients.

            The beauty about paella is that really, anything goes, well, within reason but you could go for vegetarian, seafood, meat or a mixture. I went for a mixture. Sadliers do smoked chicken breasts which I thought would work a treat and I also had some left-over chorizo in the fridge and picked up some squid, prawns, pancetta and veggies to go into the pot too. Now, the preparation was a tad tedious as there was an awful amount of chopping to be done, but I took plenty of time doing that earlier and didn’t start cooking until about half an hour before my guests were due to arrive. The cleaning of the squid was a bit grizzly but I thought I’d better get my hands dirty as everything presented in Ballymaloe will be in it’s raw state; fish will be gutted, pheasant plucked, rabbit skinned and not a chicken fillet in sight. I got a bit squeamish when the tentacles stuck to my fingers but dinner is a serious matter and one must soldier on whatever the cost.

            Everything was fried in stages and once the stock was poured on, the chicken, prawns, peas & calamari were added to the pan and everything transferred to the oven. As the prawns were in their shell, they turned a beautiful colour and the calamari was chewy with roasted bits but in a nice way. There was crispy rice on the sides which was also a treat to be scraped onto the plates when returning for seconds. The pan was plonked in the middle of the table with a salad and between the four of us, demolished the lot. I had made Portuguese custard tartlets for dessert which also went down well and I have to say, I was very proud of my paella and will definitely be making it again.

Paella

Serves 4

What You Need

About 150g pancetta diced

About 300g chorizo

2 smoked chicken breasts cut into thick slices (or 4 thighs)

1 spanish onion chopped

1 clove of garlic chopped

1 red chilli de-seeded & chopped

1 red & yellow pepper sliced

1 squid cleaned & cut into rings (fishmonger can do this)

4/8 fresh prawns with shell on

Half a bowl of peas

1 tsp smoked paprika (or regular)

A good pinch of saffron

½ pint paella rice (I used risotto rice which was perfect)

1 small glass of white wine

1 pint chicken stock (or veg or fish)

A handful of parsley if you have it

What You Do

·        Pre-heat the oven to 200C.

·        Heat the stock and add the saffron to allow it to infuse the stock for about 10/15 minutes.

·        Heat a good glug of olive oil in a large pan and add the chorizo & pancetta, fry until crisp.

·        Lower the heat and add the onion, peppers, garlic & chilli and gently fry for a few minutes until the onions are translucent.

·        Add the rice & paprika and stir. Once the oil is nearly all absorbed, add the wine and cook off the alcohol.

·        Then add the stock/ saffron mix and shake the pan gently (don’t stir). Place in the chicken pieces carefully (so you don’t burn your fingers), then scatter the peas and place in the prawns followed by the calamari.

·        Transfer to the oven for 20/25 minutes and serve with a green salad.

Note: Smoked chicken breasts are already cooked so if using chicken thighs, you will need to brown them for a short while in a separate pan before adding to the paella. Also, this is super if cooking for a group as everything looks neat & tidy when guests arrive as there will be no pots on the stove and cooking the dish in the oven means you don’t have to stand over it like a risotto. I can’t stress enough how easy it is to make this dish!

Casserole for Summer

Gordon Ramsay has made a huge name for himself in the world of food over the past few years but another Ramsay who has been quietly beavering away in the background is his lovely wife Tana. Unfortunately, Chorus doesn’t give me access to UKTV Food but I’m pretty sure she hosts a show on that Channel and she has also written a very useful cookbook. I can’t say I’ve gone & purchased it myself but I have paged through it diligently in my aunts bookshop and found a lovely recipe for a chicken & mango casserole which I’ve since cooked time & time again.

            I know some people don’t like the idea of fruit in their dinner but this is different. Even my guest last night noted that the mango was more like a sweet squash than the super sweet mango it was in its raw form. This dish is so comforting for a cold and windy day but it also has a fresh taste about it which urges you not to worry because Summer is right around the corner!!!

            On another note entirely, I’m going to head into Alchemist Earth later for the food tasting hosted by Ginger Girl. I’m a little nervous as I’ve not yet opened her jar of apple & sloe jelly but I’ve two very good friends calling for dinner on Thursday night and plan on cooking a special meal for them of which the jelly will play a big part. Tune in next week for the recipe, until then, make do with this delicious casserole!

Chicken & Mango Casserole

with saffron rice

Serves 4

What You Need

1 & ½ cups long white rice

About 20 strands of saffron

4 full chicken legs split at the joint to make 4 thighs & 4 drumsticks

1 litre chicken stock

2 onions sliced thinly

1 cup flour

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 handful of parsley

Sea Salt & Pepper

1 mango peeled & cut into chunks

1 Tbsp butter

What You Do

• Pre-heat the oven to 200C
• Gently fry the onion in a pan for about 5 minutes & transfer to a casserole.
• Season the flour & coat the chicken pieces. Gently brown the chicken pieces in the pan and transfer to the casserole when done.
• Add the butter to the pan with a tablespoon of flour, mix to a thick paste and slowly add some of the stock until a smooth sauce is achieved. Add this to the casserole, followed by the rest of the stock, parsley, cinnamon, seasoning and mango.
• Stir and transfer to the oven for 1 & ½ hours.
• Cook the rice per the instructions on the packet with the saffron and serve with the chicken when done.

Coffee? Make Mine Irish!

I have this thing for Irish coffee. For me, it’s a real treat and I often make one if sitting in on a Friday or Saturday night. I have many friends who are partial to the odd Irish / French / Baileys coffee and one thing that always surprises me is the amount of people that get it wrong. Personally, I think I make a mean Irish coffee and I’m not saying that mine is the best, but here are some tips that may help to improve on your versions.

1. Heat the glass – this is important as it’ll help keep the drink hotter for longer. It sounds simple but so many people don’t do it. Put a teaspoon into the glass and fill the glass about a third of the way with boiling water. Then tilt the glass & turn it gently so the water gets to heat every part of the glass. Pour the water out after about 10 seconds of this. The teaspoon stops the glass from cracking apparently.

2. Add the sugar & coffee – one teaspoon of brown sugar & one teaspoon of good coffee granules. Obviously, if you’ve a coffee maker, make a pot. Add some water, about 4/5’s up the glass & stir so the sugar completely dissolves. If you don’t do this, the sugar will sit at the bottom without sweetening the drink.

3. Add the Irish whiskey – please note IRISH whiskey; not scotch, not JD; Irish whiskey. Also, measure it! Some people load the glass with whiskey thinking it is better with more liquor, it’s not. Too much whiskey makes the coffee difficult to drink and also makes the drink go cold. I don’t have a proper spirit measure so I normally put in about 2 cap fulls.

4. Stir again and pour the cream in over the back of a dessert spoon which will help it to float. This requires some practice and the cream should be whipped to the point where it forms soft peaks. Also, if you’re worried about wasting cream, it freezes well so pop what’s left into a freezer bag and you always have an Irish Coffee at hand.

If you couldn’t be bothered making an Irish Coffee at home or would just prefer to go out for a good one, Debbie from Fennessey’s makes the best I’ve tried in Limerick.

On another note, we’ve been calling to Cahill’s on Wickham Street most Saturday mornings for espressos after the market. It’s primarily a tobacco shop but they’ve introduced a new coffee machine and have a great selection of handmade Belgian truffles. They also have a good selection of coffee granules for sale as well as bars of Valrhona chocolate (widely regarded as the Rolls Royce of chocolate). They don’t have any seats but it’s nice for a quick coffee & choc before heading off to finish off the rest of the Saturday morning chores. 

The Cherry on the Icing on the Cake

We’d a bit of an anniversary at the weekend. Yes, you’ve guessed it, we’re the quintessential Irish couple who hooked up on Paddy’s night. He treated me to a late supper in the Lobster Pot and the rest, as they say, is history (that’s a funny joke if you’re from Limerick, if you’re not, The Lobster Pot is a fast food joint, frequented by drunkards, famous for garlic & cheese chips & battered sausages). So back to the anniversary, we decided to treat ourselves to dinner in the bright and airy Cherry Tree restaurant on the Ballina side of Killaloe and treat ourselves we did. If one was to pick holes, it could be said that the service was a little slow but to be fair, we weren’t being ignored; the friendly waitresses continually re-assured us that they were coming to take our orders, coming with food, coming with the bill, everything was on its way. It was somewhat funny, slightly endearing and marginally irritating. We got over it as the food more than compensated for it.

            I’m not going to properly explain what was on the menu as I just can’t. I can break it down as best I can but just can’t explain every component in detail – it was one of those top meals that you could safely say, hand on heart, ‘I couldn’t have done better’!

The bouche was a white wine & ham soup which was more like a foam (we noticed a lot of foam on our plates as the night went on) and it came with a selection of fresh homemade breads; lovely. I ordered scallops to start and himself ordered the quail. Both came out on rectangular plates in three pieces (everything’s in threes there, should have been called The Cherry Three – snigger). I’m not sure what sauces and accompaniments were with either, all I know is that both dishes were an utter joy to eat and we were left dying to see the next offering.

            A kiwi & vanilla sorbet was then delivered. I couldn’t get any vanilla but the kiwi flavour came off a treat and set us up nicely for the main. I ordered halibut with razor shell clams and rack of lamb for the other half. The lamb was ordered medium rare which was cooked as ordered and was unbelievably tender with the tiniest amount of fat attached. The halibut was divine and I was sure to point out to the waitress who collected our bare naked plates that we didn’t enjoy the food – I think she got the joke.

            Dessert, ah dessert was just a piece of chocolate heaven. It was the richest, most well executed chocolate fondant I’ve ever tasted. It came with a tiny scoop of hazelnut ice cream and pomegranate coulis. The coulis was ok, it was more like a juice and raspberry would have been better for sure. Himself had something with pistachios, I didn’t really notice as I was busy ogling the deliciousness that sat oozing in front of me.

             We ordered peppermint teas which came with hand-made chocolate truffles, jeez, would it ever end. The chocolates were just sinful and at that juncture, we were left safe in the knowledge that we had made complete pigs of ourselves! With a half bottle of Fleurie, the bill came to €123 but they also do an excellent set menu for €48. It was expensive but the quality of the food was of mammoth proportions. I believe the chef proprieter has worked in many well respected establishments, Le Gavroche and Fortnum & Mason to name a few. The Cherry Tree is definitely worth a visit for a special occasion and I’m sure we’ll be back.

Overtime, Notice & Leftovers

I’ve had a really busy week at work and will be working for the next couple of weekends which is a major pain. It means that I can’t go to my beloved market for the next two Saturdays (himself will be given a list) and do all my bits around the house or cook any long slow dinners. That’s what I love about weekend & days off; meals are planned during the week and great enjoyment is made from putting them together and savouring them at the weekend. Unlike many of my friends, I love food shopping. I like to take time to stroll among the aisles and see what’s new. Himself enjoys the liquor section; he spends ions gazing at foreign ales and selecting one or two bottles of high octane import to be drank out of an oversized red wine glass after dinner. The only thing I don’t really like is the fact that I don’t have a trolley to bring around the market with me; I think I’m going to have to invest in one of those plaid trolleys you see grannies pulling behind them, well, maybe not.

            Another event that took place at work this week was me handing in my notice. I was a bit inspired by Eddie Hobbs of all people last year when I watched his program about how to spend your SSIA. The number one thing to do was to change. your. life which really rang home. I had spent a good chunk on home improvements but went through all my finances, made a spreadsheet to outline a savings plan and sent a deposit off to Ballymaloe Cookery School to hold a place on their certificate course beginning in April. Most friends and family weren’t too surprised, even at work, many people thought it was something I’d go into eventually as all I seem to talk about is food. But handing in my notice made it so much more real. I was awake all that night in a bit of a panic; what will I do after? What if I can’t find a job? What if I can’t pay my mortgage? What if I’m not good? What if I can’t handle a kitchen? Questions raced around in my head until I eventually nodded off and I’m sure I spent the night grinding my teeth in my sleep. That’s just me stressing about what might happen, of course, everything will probably be fine and I’ll be happy out working somewhere nice before setting up my own fabulous business (;o)) but Sarah’s a stresser and that’s just the way it goes.

            I cooked Sunday lunch for the family last weekend which was roasted sea bream served with roast potatoes and a caprese salad on the side. That was followed by rhubarb crumble and custard. I had to improvise with the crumble as my big dishes were going to be used for the fish & potatoes so I just baked the crumble on a baking tray & stewed the rhubarb in a saucepan. What a way to go. The crumble came out so crunchy, it was fantastic. I made the custard using up a Green Saffron vanilla pod which was perfect with it. Anyway, there were a few roasties left over which I used up during the week in a frittata. I used up two egg whites from the freezer to be mixed with one whole egg which made a really light supper. Here it is…

Bacon & Potato Frittata

with a green & mango salad

Serves 1

What You Need

1 small onion sliced

Some bacon bits (I used leftover bacon from a bacon & cabbage dinner)

2 cooked potatoes sliced pretty thick

1 whole egg (or 3 if you don’t have spare egg whites)

2 egg whites

A splash of milk

Juice of half a lemon

100ml olive oil

Half a mango

Some salad leaves

What You Do

·        In a bowl, whisk the eggs, milk & seasoning.

·        Heat some oil in a small pan and gently fry off the onions and add the bacon & potatoes after a few minutes.

·        Pour in the egg mix and allow them to cook for about five minutes. Finish the frittata under the grill until the top is a golden brown colour.

·        Mix the lemon & oil in a jar & dress the leaves. Chop up the mango & add to the salad. The zingy salad is great with the frittata.

Hey Presto, Pesto!

Delia Smith’s new program, which began last night, has got me thinking; I never really buy convenience foods but I’ve spent a long time building up a huge arsenal of foods in my store cupboard and freezer so a good – shortcut free - meal is never far away. Sometimes, I may have to pop to the shop for one or two items but most of the time, I just use up things from the weekend shop in the market.

            For all those out there with empty fridges & cupboards, take this piece of advice; build your store up gradually. Pick one or two items up each week and in no time, you’ll have the base of any recipe from most cookbooks. Here’s a list of some items that I use quite a lot and are extremely handy to have in the press / freezer along with a snapshot of their uses.

Product                        Use                                                                  

Olive oil                       Cooking, dressings, mayonnaise, dipping bread and more

Extra Virgin Olive Oil    Too strong for cooking, better for dressings & bread

Sesame Oil                   A drop is good in stir-frys, noodle dishes & oriental salads

Grapeseed Oil              Good for mayonnaise as not too strong

Balsamic Vinegar          Dressings, onion jam, strawberries & marinades

White Wine Vinegar     Mayonnaise, dressings, emulsion sauces

Rice Vinegar                Oriental dipping sauces & salads

Worchestershire Sauce Meat dishes, stews, welsh rarebit, Sunday fry ups

Soy sauce                    Stir-frys, dips, salads, marinades & use as seasoning

Oyster sauce               Stir-frys, dipping sauces

Sweet chilli sauce        Dips, stir-frys, oriental eggs

English Mustard           Mustard mash, bacon, ham, mayonnaise

Dijon Mustard             Mustard mash, marinades, mayonnaise, pork burgers

Wholegrain Mustard    Mustard mash, colcannon

Piri Piri                       Fajitas, burgers, chicken dishes, bbq marinades, wedges

Ketchup                       Burgers, bbq

Honey                         Breakfast, Indian, Moroccan, Oriental, dessert & more

Tabasco                      Oysters, eggs, home fries

Cayenne Pepper           To give heat to a dish

Curry powder               Quick curry, dhal, curry mayo, soups

Smoked paprika           Paella, patatas bravas, choriza stew, wedges

Cinnamon                    Moroccan tagines & soups, desserts

Cumin                         Lamb, Indian dishes

Coriander seeds           Indian dishes

Maldon Sea Salt           Seasoning for everything

Black pepper                Seasoning

Freezer

Wine Red/White           Left-over wine for sauces & casseroles

Breadcrumbs                Coating meat & fish, making burgers & meatballs

Egg whites                    Pavlovas, meringues, omelette / frittata(use 1 egg & 2 whites)

Parmesan                     Italian dishes

Tortillas                        Fajitas, quesadillas, chips

Herbs                           If you don’t use up full pack, freeze left-overs for sauces

Pitta bread                    Defrosts quickly for a handy snack

Berries                         Sauces, fools, jams, puddings

This is just a start and you’ll need to look at building up pasta, rice, noodle, lentil, nut & pulse dry stores as well as tins of things like tuna, tomatoes & pulses. Hopefully, the additional ingredients will get you experimenting more with different flavours and get you cooking outside of your regular comfort zone.

            The recipe today was made to use up some basil left over from another dish on an earlier day. I didn’t pick out the small baby leaves, which is probably the right thing to do, but just bunged the whole lot into the pestle & mortar and mixed like mad. I keep pine nuts in a jar in the cupboard, parmesan in the freezer and always have spaghetti & olive oil so there was no need to visit the shops after work. Dinner was on the table in 20 minutes so I have to ask, why cut corners?

Spaghetti alla Pesto

Serves 2

What You Need

A good handful of basil leaves chopped

A small handful of pine nuts

2 Tbsp of fresh grated parmesan

Enough olive oil to loosen the mixture

Sea Salt & Pepper

Enough spaghetti for 2 people

What You Do

• Cook the spaghetti as per the instructions on the packet until al dente.
• Place all the other ingredients in the pestle & mortar and grind until made into a paste.
• Toast some pine nuts in a dry frying pan.
• Toss the pesto in the spaghetti and sprinkle with some of the toasted pine nuts & some parmesan.
• Pour yourself a cold glass of Pinot Grigo if available.

Limerick Foodie News: A new Italian restaurant has opened up on Mallow St – Tavola Calda which is both authentic (orders given to the chef in Italian) & reasonably priced. Pasta dishes range from €5 for lasagne to €8.50 for Bucatini all’ Amatricana (pasta with bacon, tomato & onion sauce). The bruschetta is around €3.50 and is made using foccaccia bread – not pizza base. They also have some nice wines which may be ordered by the glass, a good selection of Panini and, Paolo will be glad to hear, don’t use cream in the carbonara!! Drop in and give them some business, it’s important to support the newbies in town.