Food for thought

Irish and fine wine, pour champagne like beer and the great Russian ban

admin — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 13:07:41 +0000

News this week from the world of wine and drink includes the faith that the Irish are showing by investing in fine wines and thus ditching the confidence once held in buying stocks. The art to pouring the perfect glass of Champagne is looked at and equated to that of pouring beer and the Moldovan wine market takes a huge hit as Russia bans their produce. Read on for more news.

Goat cheese – get some in your diet

admin — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 08:39:13 +0000

Enjoying good food doesn’t have to mean being chained to the kitchen for hours on end or spending a fortune in fancy restaurants. French goat’s cheeses are the perfect ingredient for a wide variety of quick and easy recipes that can be shared with family and friends or be devoured on your own.
Crottin is a small barrel-shaped French cheese with a smooth texture and can range from smooth and creamy to dry and crumbly. If you need a dish to tempt even the fussiest of eaters, try this linguini with Crottin, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic. Prepared in a matter of minutes, this pasta dish will put a smile on everyone’s faces.
It will be a hit with kids big and small and the fact that it is rich in goodness makes it even better too.

Here’s Sophie Wright’s Linguini with Crottin, cherry tomatoes, fresh basil and garlic

WHAT YOU NEED
250g crumbled goat cheese
200mls extra virgin olive oil
8 cloves peeled garlic, thinly sliced
500g cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 bunch picked basil
1 lemon
Salt and pepper
1 packet linguini pasta

WHAT TO DO
Put a large pan of salted water on the stove to cook the pasta. Once the water has started to boil, drop in all the linguini and cook as per packet instructions.
Put all the olive oil in a saucepan along with the thinly sliced garlic. Fry over a low heat, stirring occasionally until the garlic starts to go slightly golden. Add in the sliced tomatoes and allow them to wilt in the oil, the skins will start to shrivel and the juices will start to form a sauce.
Add in the Crottin along with a squeeze of lemon juice, black pepper and a pinch of salt.
Drain the pasta once it is cooked to al dente and add to the sauce. Now add in all the basil and combine well.
Serve immediately.

Toast your cups to a great Limerick roast

admin — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 16:00:38 +0000

WITH care, love and attention comes the plaudits of your peers and none more deserving than the artisan producers of the Mid West region.
Pónaire Coffee, based in Annacotty with its roastery filled with heady aromas of a quality bean, found themselves top of the class when their coffees won Gold in the 2010 Great Taste Awards.
The Indian Blend (for filter/cafetiere) received 3 Gold Stars – the maximum awarded and master roaster and one half of the Ponaire duo, Jennifer Ryan said, “Our Connoisseur Espresso Blend won a Gold for the second year in a row. We roast and blend all our own coffees and are thrilled that the independent panels of judges found our coffees to be of such high standard to bestow upon them such high awards”.
The Great Taste Awards is the acknowledged benchmark for speciality food and drink. It has been described as the ‘Oscars’ of the food world and the ‘Epicurean equivalent to the Booker Prize.’
Jennifer adds that “Coffees can be purchased at our roastery in Annacotty Business Park, Limerick or at our new Roastery Coffee Bar in the Limerick Milk Market, or online at www.ponaire.ie.”