The General Chat Thread

Markcheese

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

I've never made it but there's a recipe in the Cooking Club http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=81958212

Mr bells in English market and in togher do some nice baklava, (might depend a bit on time of year,they stock loads around Ramadan )

iwantmydinner

Bingo! Picked up Madhur Jaffrey's Ultimate Curry Bible at a charity book sale in work. Bloody delighted with myself... Curry from scratch has been an ambition for a few years.

Roesy

Need some ideas. I've got some fresh prawns that should be used today but I'm completely without inspiration. Neither of us feel like having an asian dish as we've had a curry, pad thai and sea bass with lime, chilli and ginger this week. I also have some chorizo and halloumi. Help me out people!!

iwantmydinner

Roesy wrote: »

Need some ideas. I've got some fresh prawns that should be used today but I'm completely without inspiration. Neither of us feel like having an asian dish as we've had a curry, pad thai and sea bass with lime, chilli and ginger this week. I also have some chorizo and halloumi. Help me out people!!

Use the chorizo and prawns in a light and spicy tomato sauce for pasta?

B0jangles

Make Shrimp and Chorizo Gumbo!

Or maybe Jambalaya (easier)

I have a nice jambalaya recipe if anyone is interested

emaleth

Shrimp and chorizo skewers are fantastic cooked on the barbeque, and you could marinade and grill the halloumi as well. Nice green salad, or maybe couscous, and away you go. I don't bother to do anything to shrimp, bar oil, salt and pepper, if I'm doing them with chorizo.

Faith

Fry diced onions and TONS of garlic, add a decent splash of white wine, cook off, add cream and prawns and cook until prawns are cooked/heated through. Serve with pasta and optional garlic bread.

Loire

Faith wrote: »

Fry diced onions and TONS of garlic, add a decent splash of white wine, cook off, add cream and prawns and cook until prawns are cooked/heated through. Serve with pasta and optional garlic bread.

That sounds really really nice!!

Roesy

emaleth wrote: »

Shrimp and chorizo skewers are fantastic cooked on the barbeque, and you could marinade and grill the halloumi as well. Nice green salad, or maybe couscous, and away you go. I don't bother to do anything to shrimp, bar oil, salt and pepper, if I'm doing them with chorizo.

Ended up doing something along these lines minus the barbeque. I cooked the prawns in the chorizo oil and charred the halloumi and some red pepper in the griddle pan and served it with a green salad and a little bit of ciabatta to mop up the oil.

iwantmydinner

Sounds delish Roesy!

Chewabacca

Anybody used strong flour to make pasta? I did a search and people were saying that 00 and strong flour are the same but I thought I'd double check, it's a lot of effort to make pasta, don't want to waste that much time.

Cheers.

Faith

Chewabacca wrote: »

Anybody used strong flour to make pasta? I did a search and people were saying that 00 and strong flour are the same but I thought I'd double check, it's a lot of effort to make pasta, don't want to waste that much time.

Cheers.

They're not the same thing, but strong flour would be fine.

OREGATO

Chewabacca wrote: »

Anybody used strong flour to make pasta? I did a search and people were saying that 00 and strong flour are the same but I thought I'd double check, it's a lot of effort to make pasta, don't want to waste that much time.

Cheers.

I've often used strong flour as a substitute to 00 flour. Always worked out fine

It can be hard to find tipo or 00 flour so for reference, if you're in Dublin, I only know of Fallon & Byrne and Carluccios that stock it.

Dunne and Crecencies (spelling?) in Kildare Village also stock it.

HTH

BaZmO*

OREGATO wrote: »

I've often used strong flour as a substitute to 00 flour. Always worked out fine

It can be hard to find tipo or 00 flour so for reference, if you're in Dublin, I only know of Fallon & Byrne and Carluccios that stock it.

Dunne and Crecencies (spelling?) in Kildare Village also stock it.

HTH

I've seen it in Superquinn.

MissFlitworth

It looks like there may potentially be a BBQ & Beer festival in Dublin this Summer

https://www.facebook.com/BigGrillFestival

I won't get my little hopes raised just yet because the only thing I've heard about it was when a page I follow liked that page on Facebook and it's light on info but if I got to spend a day in a sunny park this summer surrounded by bbq pork smells, scabbing bits of crackling off people and drinking beer it would be a very happy day indeed.

B0jangles

For anyone interesting in thai cooking, Aldi have the occasional pot of thai basil in among the potted herbs again (in Bray anyway). It's not advertised separately unfortunately so you just have to watch out for it when it shows up, but it's well worth getting if you can. The flavour is amazing, and quite different from the normal italian variety.

MissFlitworth

Just treated myself to a small pork box & a tub of lard from Old Farm. They won't have rashers in stock till next week so getting it sent then. Next week is going to be a *good* week.

GrahamThomas

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Just treated myself to a small pork box & a tub of lard from Old Farm. They won't have rashers in stock till next week so getting it sent then. Next week is going to be a *good* week.

What's Old Farm?

MissFlitworth

GrahamThomas wrote: »

What's Old Farm?

Old Farm Pork, I think someone here directed me to them (possibly Animord) when I was looking for free range, happy pork ages back

http://www.oldfarm.ie/

Gloomtastic!

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Old Farm Pork, I think someone here directed me to them (possibly Animord) when I was looking for free range, happy pork ages back

http://www.oldfarm.ie/

Love it! I'll have a large pork box and a pig rearing course please!!

Animord

ummmm. piggies!

Gloomtastic!

Animord wrote: »

ummmm. piggies!

You get about €1.60 a kg for a pig to slaughter, about €128.00. Kill it and process it yourself, about €1,200.00. 100 pigs €120,000.00!!!

Here piggy, here little piggy :eek:

MissFlitworth

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

You get about €1.60 a kg for a pig to slaughter, about €128.00.

Is that if you're selling the porker to a slaughterhouse? €128 per pig hardly seems like enough to feed that pig into adulthood. Although I know little to nothing about what age pigs get slaughtered at or what pig food costs, it seems so low

Animord

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

You get about €1.60 a kg for a pig to slaughter, about €128.00. Kill it and process it yourself, about €1,200.00. 100 pigs €120,000.00!!!

Here piggy, here little piggy :eek:

Well I think they sell little piggies too, so you could do it Gloomtastic and let us know when you make your millions. I suspect, like MissF says, that are might be a few other costs involved. I'd love to do it though. I bought half a pig about a year ago - cost me €175 I think and I got a massive amount of meat - I actually sold half of my half because I just didn't have the space for it.

iwantmydinner

Then there's vet bills, Dept of Ag down your neck, housing, leccy for housing... Livestock rearing is negative craic.

But yeah, delicious piggy!

the beer revolu

Funnily enough, I'l be picking a whole pig up from the slaughter house tomorrow morning and bringing it to my favourite butcher to be lovingly butchered and vac packed. Proceeds will be divided in 4. Works out at around €80 per quarter. No idea of weight, though.

Previously, it's been fantastic quality pork- this is probably the 6th pig we've gotten but it's only since the last one that it's been butchered right. Makes a big difference.

Can't reveal my source.

Chewabacca

OREGATO wrote: »

I've often used strong flour as a substitute to 00 flour. Always worked out fine

It can be hard to find tipo or 00 flour so for reference, if you're in Dublin, I only know of Fallon & Byrne and Carluccios that stock it.

Dunne and Crecencies (spelling?) in Kildare Village also stock it.

HTH

Ended up getting strong flour, worked fine when my very Italian housemate christened the pasta machine and made linguini. Hopefully my ravioli works out next week.

Getting a half a lamb next week for a barbeque with friends. Anybody have an idea how many people it would feed? Want to have enough people to finish it but not so many that people are left hungry. Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Going to braise the tougher cuts in red wine, slow roast the ribs and glaze them on the barbeque and the leg, parts of the shoulder and all other tender bits will be spiced and cooked medium rare on the barbeque. Can't wait.

BaZmO*

I'm posting this on behalf of MrTsSnickers

---

Do you have a fantastic Chili recipe? Famous among your friends for being the go to Chili person? If you are, or indeed would like to give it a go, I would like to invite you (and your team!) to join AIM Family Services in the Trinity Bar on May 31st for our inaugural Chili Cook Off. There is no entry fee* just a great day to be had by all!

If you're up for the challenge let me know and support a great cause in the process of having a fun and tasty afternoon!

All we need is for you to register your team with the engagecharitysolutions@gmail.com by May 25th.

We also have an event page on Facebook if you would like to contact us there:

Facebook Link

AIM Family Services, founded in 1972, is a voluntary organisation with charitable status. Our free legal information drop-in centre has been operating since 1975. AIM provides non denominational counselling for couples (married, cohabiting or same sex), individuals and families, family mediation and family law information, and offers one stop shop for people with relationship difficulties.

the beer revolu

Stage one of our relationship with the piggy!

Gloomtastic!

On a smaller scale, Aldi have all their leftover hams from Easter at half price. Still another 10 days shelf-life.

It's already in the pot with a couple of litres of cola