Terrine and other Elements

An Indian summers day with Lily

Scorching hot sun sparkling on the wide river Reusse. Fire and water, a steamy, dreamy mix, floating gently by us in the shallows and flowing quickly, creating deceptivly dangerous whirlpools, in the deep centre. All this at the foot of my daughters back garden.
 We are minding my grandaughter Lily, that is her dad, her great grandmother and I.


White water The Reusse

 Slipping upstairs, barefoot, I cool my feet on the stone tiles in the kitchen and wonder what to cook? There are left overs: a pumpkin & coconut Thai style curry - one egg -half a packet of tofu - lots of onions... I root around the cupboards, it is literally too hot, to hot foot it to the shops; the cobble stones out the front are ponding out warning waves of hazy heat.
  I add some fine polenta flour to the curry, finely chop two mushrooms, two big red onions and mix it all together.
 In a second bowl goes the egg, two teaspoons of corn flour, a dash of cream, a small mug of water, two cooked potatoes, a chopped white onion and loads of fresh parsley. Using a potato masher I lazily blend the mixture together.
  I brush a rectangular bread tin with water, line it with cling film and start to layer my bits & bobs:  half the curry, half the creamy mix, a little grated cheese,  wafer thin slices of tofu then reversing the layers  and finishing up with the curry.
The whole thing then goes in a bain marie  in a medium hot oven at around 200c.
Happily I drift back downstairs to chat with   Omi about everything under the sun, in the sun, my white legs turning pink before our eyes; "Oh well vitamin D, I am all yours" I think.
  Roughly an hour or so later I remove the terrine from the oven and while it is cooling I finish  off a bulgar salad, wash the lettuce and away we go, on this stunning Indian summers day, lunch is served.
 To conclude the meal we all follow Lilys trend and stretch out under  the shade of large umbrellas, where we fall, comatosed into a well deserved after-lunch nap.


Our ship comes in

Westerly warmth & Healthy good cheer

The Dingle Peninsula Food Festival is looming!

It always takes place on the first weekend in October, often managing to steal a smidgeon of the mellow warmth of September in its wake. This year with our Indian summer in full swing on Europe’s most Western spit of land, The Dingle Peninsula, the festival promises to be an exciting and vibrant celebration of the most delicious and innovative, Irish food products.

 Events include a scrumptious food trail, the prestigious Irish taste awards, Dingle’s colourful Farmer’s Market, artisan food workshops and cooking demonstrations from the best chefs on the peninsula.

 Needless to say the warm Kerry welcome will include foot tapping music events and for kids: a mad hatters tea party - I've got mine! So let your senses be enlivened, educated and indulged for this most delightful and appetizing event of the year.

Spicy Sprouted Mung BeanSpinach Cakes

Ingredients:

2 mugs of sprouted Mung Beans

*½ mug soaked crunchy Green Spilt Pea

*[or ½ mug extra Mung bean]

4 tbsp Olive Oil

½ tsp Peri-Peri

½ tsp Salt

1 large Onion, finely chopped

5-6 large leaves of Chard, finely chopped

Golf ball size fresh Ginger, finely chopped

Method:

To sprout mung beans simply soak them overnight; as long as they have that crunchy raw texture and taste it is enough for the recipe. Once sprouted and not used they need to be washed daily and then can even be kept in the fridge for anything such as: stir fries, stews or salads.

Liquidise the bean spouts, oil, spices and salt. Add the onion, spinach & ginger and mix well

Drop tablespoons of the mixture into a frying pan and lightly shallow fry for a few minutes each side or place onto an oiled baking tray or forms and bake in a medium hot oven 200c for 20 minutes - or until set.

The basic mixture can also be used as a raw-food spread, served on a rice or corn cracker.
Serve with a dipping sauce made with equal amounts of argave syrup and tamari and some slices of ginger soaked white balsamic vinegar.

I love my heart - warming, heart - shaped baking forms 

                    Recipe from Lorna's G.D. free cookery demo

A Positively Grande Tour

The life of Riley @The Park Hotel Kenmare

Last wednesday there was an  enormous storm brewing. It was my day off plus it coincided with my husbands and we had planned to take our Swiss guests, Sylvia and Jurg, on a day trip. 
Ireland, in deluge, was not what we wanted to indulge in, however there were definitely breaks of blue nestled in those big fat puffy clouds.
 Looking on the bright side  "I know" I said "lets go South to Kenmare,  it must be sunny over those mountains".
Our first stop was to my beautiful, secret hideaway - Cahernane House Hotel on the Muckross road.
Morning coffee was courteously served in the soft splendor of the stately drawing room, thus giving the storm a little lee way to abate.
Relaxed and positive we left for Molls Gap, Ladies view and the beautiful national heritage of Killarney Park - all gazed at through high speed window wipers. "Look the stream has burst its banks"mossy undergrowth and rocks poked through white water, the trees dripped with shiny prisms of light, it looked magical "The faeries must be out in full force today".
"Today is the yearly Horse Fair coinciding with the Kenmare weekly farmers market - a seven year wonder, it simply can't be raining there, that would be too cruel". my chatter continued, a barrage of fun and equally as consistant as the rain.
Can't it! We slowed down way before kenmare into a bottle neck of traffic and [I] kept smiling "think positive " I chirped, determined my day was going to be perfect.
Half an hour later we crept past the bedraggled stall holders at such a drowsy speed we could have bartered for trinkets from the car. My heart bled for the traders, although like the cat with the cream I felt snug and I waved like a queen at bedraggled colleagues, happy of course that the weather mattered not, at least not to me; I had no goods to keep dry.
"Ok then we are going to the Kenmare Park Hotel to lounge in luxory."
  I also wanted to say hello to Francis Brennan, my on screen mentor from the At Your Service TV show on which we had featured in last January.


Afternoon Sushi

And that is what we did, we holed up on comfy couches in the bay window in front of a moving sea of trees and a wild patch of sea,  and we listened to the wind howling and whistling on the other side of the Victorian windows. Francis, the good man that he is, was thrilled to see us and we felt warm, welcome and happy. Our friends loved the decor, the beautiful food presentation, the tastes and the great service from the staff, who were - well - all "At Our Service"; and very nice it was too.
Our next port of call was the closest grand house to the Phoenix home stead. Ballyseedy Castle is a treasure hidden away near Tralee on the Killarney road.There we relaxed and ate creamy tortelinni in yet another luxurious drawing room with the friendly dogs at our feet.

Lady Sylvia

 There was a rainbow too as we arrived at Ballyseedy which gently framed the noble trees and a sweet donkey and foal.
 We were not  looking for a pot of gold, but hey - our day was just about as golden as it gets.

Courgette & Chocolate Cake

Even though rain stopped play for a while, the courgettes plants have finally beaten the swamp and have, like they do every august, become abundant.
Spices are everything when it comes to ringing the changes around yet another tasty courgette dish.
Today at The Phoenix, I served them nestled amongst the oven roast veg simply sprinkled with salt, pepper, olive oil and a dash of balsamic, in a very fruity curry seasoned with darkly roasted cumin, cloves & mustard seeds. But what about puddings! My friend Cat licked her lips and mentioned a chocolate courgette cake she and her bother used to make "back home in Chigago".
All the C's Cats Chocolate Courgette Cake from Chigago.


After the Rain

And here it is an improvised version, a delightful moist flan and gluten free to boot.
2 mugs young courgette, coarsly grated
2 mug apples, grated
6-9 plums, chopped
1 mug quinoa flour
1 mug desicated coconut
1/2 mug organic sugar
200 grams dark chocolate in flaky chunks,
1 mug cream
2 eggs
3 tbls olive oil
a dash of lemon
1 teaspoon baking powder
beat the eggs and cream together and add to all the other ingredients, pour into a well oiled medium flan dish and bake until the mixture turns golden brown and sets.
Cool and serve with dark chocolate sauce.

Feldenkrais you make me as light as a Feather

 Cuban heat is always so relaxing

People called me relaxed. They think I never lose my temper, get stressed out or feel murderous towards my loved ones.
With convoluted thought patterns, I believe them, they perceive therefore I am.
 However there is always another side; I have made a secret discovery about myself with help of my sister in law Verena Gersbach who is a Feldenkrais practitioner.

flying was the most relaxing thing kyle could  do

Our session began with me standing - comfortably in front of her, or so I thought! "Now how do you stand? where is your weight ? how do you breathe and where?" So I lay on my back & my side for further questions,   "how do you sleep? how does your back feel in that position? Move this arm, make a right angle with your legs, how is that? and always the same droll enquiry "why do you make it so hard for yourself."


She moved my spine and turned my head, continuously asking - how does that feel?
Well it actually felt like awakening a part of my brain that had forgotten the "Yes you can relax " command.
I realise that in day to day tasks - like now - as I sit tap - tap - tapping at these keys I am using and sustaining enough strength to chop a basket of kindling. It is apart from the fatigue, so very ageing.
As a young child I listened daily to a story broadcast on the old BBC home service. It began with "Are you sitting comfortably? Then I will begin"
I always was: legs thrown on a chair - laying on my back on the floor - the dog as a pillow, eyes wide open and gazing at nothing. Do you remember?  The childhood day time revere - abandoned, unplanned, unscheduled and non discussed; pure relaxation, experienced until boredom kicked in, and then, we really had to scour our brains for "Something to do!" Now most of us experience the exact opposite.
 Verena popped into the kitchen to see how I was after the session. "So tired, as if I had received a pummelling sport massage" I said as I put a cup back on a shelf, "Are you still carrying the weight of that cup? ask your body? can you release it now?" "Am I?" My mind fluttered - that tray, that heavy pan,  school satchels , push chairs, baskets, buckets, boxes, and countless bags of this that and the other. "Yes I am; I carry all the compound weights of the day the week, the month and the years, holding myself ready for it all with a tight lipped and professional smile .

Verena has gone back to Zurich now but she, in her ethereal form , which is very similar to her real physical body:  a supple trained dancer of slight proportions, is a voice in my head, reminding me to: simply find the easier way to use my body, to exert the energy I need for the moment and then to let go.

Catch yourself now in the pose in which you may be reading this - legs tense ready to sprint - curvacous hips and pelvis locked to the world - shoulders and back loaded up for a polar expedition - jaw tight - a slight frown and breath almost non existant? In other words "Are you sitting comfortably?

sometimes things can get too relaxed 

Verena   Gersbach will be facilitating a week long residential and non residential Feldenkrais  workshop @ The Phoenix in early April 2013.

Details will be posted here.

Taboule with a Twist

Taboule with a twist

On Saturday I hit killarney with my healthy, tasty morsels. It was The Summer Fest, that time of year again and Sarah O' Brien had decided to facilitate a "pop up market" with artisan foods and crafts in the Outlet Shopping Centre next to the station in Killarney. The weather [this years main topic] was  mixed. Loading up my car huge sheets of rain bounced around me. "Great the shopping centre will be packed, and with all those fantastic events for kids there will be lots of hungry parents looking for that healthy alternative"!  As i drove towards killarney the sun did what we were about to do: it popped up and shone like a real live summer day, fantastic.
Our beautiful healthy food created a stir from the beginning, and what was most popular was the Ten-a-day salad and an unusual Taboule salad made with a mixture of bulghar and wholemeal cous-cous.
The Former is something we have on every one of our markets and the recipe is easily found in The Phoenix Cookbook. The Taboule has a twist away from the classic Lebonese version and is equally good for festive occasions, big picnics and in this case - event markets.
This recipe makes lots, it will keep and is lovely used the next day as a stir fry.

1 mug [200grams] bulghar
1 mug {200grams] wholemeal cous-cous
[in both cases organic if possible]
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1heaped teaspoon vegetable boullion
2 mugs boiling water
1 mug cold water
2 tbs whole cumin
2 tbs Sunflower oil for frying
2 onions, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
2 small chilli, chopped
1 handfull currants or sultanas, chopped
2 sticks celery, diced
1 leek, diced
The Raw Ingredients
10 cherry tomatoes, quartered
1/2 cucumber , diced
1 handfull black olives, chopped
1 bunch spring onions, chopped
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
a few sprigs fresh corriander , chopped
The Dressing
juice of 1 lemon
pepper, salt
2 tbs olive oil

This recipe has three sections:
First mix the bulghar, veg boullion, and the boiling water, stir briefly, cover and rest for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile dry roast the cumin seeds in a wok, when hot to touch add the sunflower oil, onion, garlic, chilli, currents and saute until glassy. Add the leek, celery and fry briefly until the veg is barely cooked and remove from the heat.
Add the cous-cous, tinned tomatoes and cold water to the bulgur and then stir in all the cooked ingredients. The flavours will permeate. Cool and rest for about ten minutes.
Finally add all the other raw ingredients including the dressing and rest for one hour before serving.
This salad can be made hours in advance, which will even improve it; however if  the mixture is a little stiff before serving add more dressing or even a dash of cold water. Decorate with edible flowers, toasted seeds and serve with a colourful selection of salads from The Phoenix market stall.

The Power Of Raw Red Hummus

Sprouting is a wonderful way to squeeze every bit of nutrition out of seeds,  grains or pulses. It is so amazing that all you need is water to create a valuable and relatively cheap power food that can be used in salads, sandwiches, stir frys and more.
For this hummus soak the chick peas for about two days, they will begin the sprouting process quite quickly and if you don't want to use them pop them in the fridge where they will keep quite happily for about a week. Simply wash and rinse them every second day.

4 mugs sprouted chick pea
A dash of water
Juice of 2 Lemons
2 - 4 cloves of garlic
1/2 mug olive oil
2 freshly grated beetroot
2 juicy pears, cored and peeled
sprig of parsley, chopped
2 tbs. tahini
A twist of pepper and salt to taste

Place the liquid ingredients and the garlic into a blender and pulse.
Add the chick peas, beetroot, pears and seasoning and pulse until really smooth, you may need a dash more water, depending on the water content of the sprouts. Finally add the tahini.
This is going to be pink and potent. Sometimes I will add a fat red chilli to the blend for - when we like it hot! Now slice up bright orange carrot sticks, some long crunchy celery put your feet up and press PLAY.