The General Chat Thread

Animord · 11-01-2014 11:26AM

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Am off to the farmers market here in Bern shortly myself. It is a real treat just to see the vast array of produce they have. Purple, yellow & white carrots. A dozen types of cabbage. Homemade sausages & salamis galore. Many things that I have no clue what they are.

In true AH style - photos or it didn't happen :pac:

RasTa · 11-01-2014 12:07PM

I got a pork loin for 4 quid in Superquinn as they're half price. Any ideas? I've red cabbage left over from my pork belly.

Also where is the Dublin equivalent of the English Market in Cork

IvyTheTerrible · 11-01-2014 12:22PM

Loire wrote: »

Favourite part of the week coming up.....about to drag the two smallees into the English Market for the weekly meat shop. They get to see the lobsters & have a gingerbread man, whilst I get to have a coffee and a nose around

I brought the little man (22 months) to the local shops this morning, he enjoyed the boulangerie and the vegetable shop, lots of colours and shapes to look at! (also he got a piece of baguette to eat on the way home, he was delighted!)

kenco · 11-01-2014 12:24PM

Loire wrote: »

That must be heart-breaking.

I was speaking to someone about this during the week. He's in a senior position in a beverage multinational. He reckons that we could end up with a two-tier food market where we export our top produce whilst at the same time import lower quality produce...all great news for the environment too:rolleyes: I can see this happening with beef - the japanese have recently agreed importing Irish beef again I think, and the Chinese are probably going to follow. This increase in demand will inevitably push up prices of Irish beef locally. The supermarkets will just bring in more & more cheap beef from abroad to meet the demand.

The laws of supply & demand will ultimately kick-in for the celery farmer above (and others)...they will just have to produce something else. This could be enough to push some over the edge and others to produce more for export. Again....the good stuff goes and the cheap & nasty stuff is imported offered to us and we're happy because it's cheap.

This is a real and scary possibility. Ag and Food is flying at the moment but from an export point of view.

We have some of the best beef, pork, lamb, etc that can be produced and but the only way the farmers can survive is be exporting them we definitely end up in a 2 tier system.

There is a crisis brewing in farming where a lot of small to medium farms just arent viable any more and no farmers children see a future in the business so wont take the farms on and innovate. This is very sad and paints a bleak picture for our children. No matter what business you are in having to destroy your output must be soul destroying.

I know all the arguments down the years about funding for Ag and yes at time s it was abused but now is the tipping point and we have to get behind our Farming sector and try to keep some local produce here and used in our homes and restaurants. Kevin Thornton had a great article last year in Hot Press where he said that Ireland has all the raw materials to be a 'Gastro' vacation hot spot. Good, well priced restaurants serving the best of Irish meat, fish and veg could if marketed properly draw tourists to the bigger cities and beyond

Rant over! Im passionate about this as a child of the '70s when options were limited we have so much more to choose from now (good and bad) and I want the next generation to have even more as opposed to less

kenco · 11-01-2014 12:27PM

The Hill Billy wrote: »

Am off to the farmers market here in Bern shortly myself. It is a real treat just to see the vast array of produce they have. Purple, yellow & white carrots. A dozen types of cabbage. Homemade sausages & salamis galore. Many things that I have no clue what they are.

Go on ya good thing! Far from purple carrots you were rared!

Gloomtastic! · 11-01-2014 01:11PM

Cover your eyes guys, rant on the way.......

Poor farmers. My first prayer of the day is always for the farmers. The papers are always full of farms for sale and there's never anyone willing to buy them.

Middle class city folk lamenting one of Ireland's most inefficient industries. Give us a break!

The Hill Billy · 11-01-2014 01:56PM

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

Cover your eyes guys, rant on the way.......

Poor farmers. My first prayer of the day is always for the farmers. The papers are always full of farms for sale and there's never anyone willing to buy them.

Middle class city folk lamenting one of Ireland's most inefficient industries. Give us a break!

We're not lamenting anything. We are discussing a topic rather than making sarky remarks & generalizing by calling people "Middle class city folk". If you have a valid point to make - we are all ears.

And here's the mod bit...

In future, attack the post & not the posters.

Gloomtastic! · 11-01-2014 02:30PM

The Hill Billy wrote: »

We're not lamenting anything. We are discussing a topic rather than making sarky remarks & generalizing by calling people "Middle class city folk". If you have a valid point to make - we are all ears.

And here's the mod bit...

In future, attack the post & not the posters.

I'm not going to fall out with anyone over this but.......

I thought I did make a valid point when I mentioned starting a thread about being able use the special deals in supermarkets to our culinary advantage. For instance, last time Aldi had tomatoes on special, I bought a load and made a batch of spicy chutney for a fraction of the cost if I were to buy tomatoes at their normal price.

However, what I thought was a reasonable idea was sidelined into a 'we should all pay more for food because we think the farmers deserve it' discussion. I was responding to that discussion. Am I wrong?

And I too would love to be able to regularly shop in farmers markets but I can't afford it and I personally think they're just a rip-off.

Animord · 11-01-2014 02:55PM

Gloomtastic! wrote: »

However, what I thought was a reasonable idea was sidelined.

Probably because it has been discussed briefly further up this thread and someone has started a thread on it already.

Loire · 11-01-2014 03:36PM

Picked up some lovely stuff in the market today. Venison steaks - they look like fillets. 2 medium sized ones for 6.20. Got a pound of venison pieces for another 6 euro odd (question below!). Finally I bought 3 thick pieces of bone-in beef shin (9 euro odd) plus a kg of mince (really lean stuff) for 5e51. I tried the McCarthy sausages (recommended) last week but found them a pit salty. Back to Durkins for their regular sausages...had 3 at lunchtime and they were great (normal service resumed!)

Now the question....can I make a stew / bourgogne type dish with the venison pieces - will they cook like beef or should I give them more/less time?

Thanks,
Loire.

Whistlejacket · 11-01-2014 03:42PM

Also where is the Dublin equivalent of the English Market in Cork

Sadly, there isn't one :-( The English Market is the best food market in the country, by a country mile. If anyone can suggest anywhere else on the island that begins to compare to it please share! (And no, I'm not from Cork!)

The Hill Billy · 11-01-2014 03:43PM

I am annoyed at the marketing gimmicks being used by the chains & the impacts that it is having on my community & many others.

I am not suggesting that farmers deserve a livelihood for the sake of it. However, I do feel that they are being treated very badly in some instances.

At home I don't often shop in farmers markets, but I do try to source my food locally & am lucky to have two shops nearby that sell locally griwn fruit & veg. In most cases it is cheaper than in the chain stores (when they are not flogging kilos of carrots for 8c, that is).

Loire · 11-01-2014 03:43PM

Picked up this book

http://www.ebay.ie/itm/The-Irish-Heritage-Cookbook-by-Biddy-White-Lennon-Georgina-Campbell-/140935097706

At the book stall shop in the middle of the Wilton Shopping Centre in Cork yesterday for only 4.99 - it's a really nice book. The recipes are great and there's a very good introduction into meat, cheeses etc at the start. Highly recommended for anyone fancying an impulse purchase!

The Hill Billy · 11-01-2014 03:48PM

Animord wrote: »

In true AH style - photos or it didn't happen :pac:

The fecking market wasn't on today. There was a great big ice rink set up in the square instead.

Loire · 11-01-2014 03:53PM

Whistlejacket wrote: »

Sadly, there isn't one :-( The English Market is the best food market in the country, by a country mile. If anyone can suggest anywhere else on the island that begins to compare to it please share! (And no, I'm not from Cork!)

Isn't there talk of one opening up in the George's St arcade or thereabouts?

It's a bit mad (Ted) that there isn't a decent market in Dublin considering both the number and diversity of people living there. It's probably an area where the market will not work - it's in no single person's interest to set up something that big, only to have a small shop themselves. Probably something the council needs to do.

I was reading over Xmas that an Irish American (ex CEO of Coke) has bought the CHQ buildings down by the IFSC so maybe something on the horizon there?

Anyway, in the interim, why not hop on the choo-choo, come down to Cork and let us entertain ye all?!!

Loire

Dizzyblonde · 11-01-2014 04:00PM

The Hill Billy wrote: »

The fecking market wasn't on today. There was a great big ice rink set up in the square instead.

MissFlitworth · 11-01-2014 04:01PM

Loire wrote: »

Isn't there talk of one opening up in the George's St arcade or thereabouts?

The fruit markets in Smithfield which is cool, love the area, love the buildings and feared they were going to go the way of the fish market across the road (which is now a car park), glad the wholesale crowd will be staying and it's right around the corner from my house and beside the home of the item that gave me my 2013 Stone - the Brother Hubbard cinnamon scroll. They will never see the back of me.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/dublin-s-victorian-fruit-market-to-be-redeveloped-1.1498008

However I will believe it's happening when I see it. They've lead me on before.

Speaking of markets - in Dublin I like the Newmarket Co-Op & the Honest to Goodness market in Glasnevin but they're only on Saturdays and Saturday morning tends to be when I sleep so I never get there.

Animord · 11-01-2014 04:06PM

The Hill Billy wrote: »

The fecking market wasn't on today. There was a great big ice rink set up in the square instead.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

There is no market and there are no purple carrots, are there?:p

It would be great to see something like the English market in both Dublin and Galway, Limerick has the Milk market, which though it isn't every day, is a very good market.

I heard Darina Allen talking about it once and she said that Cork has the English market and has always had a foodie reputation because of the large port close by which gave it greater access to foreign foods. No idea if that is true or not!

Animord · 11-01-2014 04:47PM

Loire wrote: »

Now the question....can I make a stew / bourgogne type dish with the venison pieces - will they cook like beef or should I give them more/less time?

Thanks,
Loire.

Your problem with venison, if it can be called a problem, is that venison has no fat which means that it has nothing in the meat to lubricate it during cooking. Darina suggests marinading it in olive oil before stewing and not over cooking it. It should be rare.

Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall says under no circumstances marinade it. Cook it hard and fast leaving it as pink as possible.

Animord doesn't know which is best but definitely quick cooking!

the beer revolu · 11-01-2014 04:50PM

Loire wrote: »

Now the question....can I make a stew / bourgogne type dish with the venison pieces - will they cook like beef or should I give them more/less time?

Thanks,
Loire.

I'd treat the pieces just like beef - venison casserole/stew is lovely.

If you are frying or grilling the other cut you got keep a sharp eye on them. I've found that venison seems to cook faster than beef steaks and you really don't want them cooked any more than medium rare as it is very lean and will dry out easily.

hardCopy · 11-01-2014 05:20PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

The fruit markets in Smithfield which is cool, love the area, love the buildings and feared they were going to go the way of the fish market across the road (which is now a car park), glad the wholesale crowd will be staying and it's right around the corner from my house and beside the home of the item that gave me my 2013 Stone - the Brother Hubbard cinnamon scroll. They will never see the back of me.

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/consumer/dublin-s-victorian-fruit-market-to-be-redeveloped-1.1498008

However I will believe it's happening when I see it. They've lead me on before.

Speaking of markets - in Dublin I like the Newmarket Co-Op & the Honest to Goodness market in Glasnevin but they're only on Saturdays and Saturday morning tends to be when I sleep so I never get there.

I'd love to see this get off the ground. The Queen Victoria Market in Melbourne is amazing, a proper tourist destination with guided tasting tours. They have everything there from poundshop tat at one end to specialty butchers and fishmongers at the other. The cheap stalls cost very little and can be rented by the day while the premium chilled ones have a 20 year waiting list.

To my shame, I still haven't made it to the English Market.

Minder · 11-01-2014 05:23PM

Made a lamb stew with neck. I added split peas and pearl barley. Despite nearly 5 hours of cooking, the split peas are still chalky. I soaked them for 24 hours, pre cooked them, avoided salt lest it toughen them. What in the name of blue blazes do I have to do to get these things soft?

Loire · 11-01-2014 05:36PM

Thanks for those two replies. Working this evening but looks like I could be home by 8....if so I'll do the steaks and wash down with a bottle of pinot noir I brought back from France in Sept! Will do the casserole then tomorrow.

Animord · 11-01-2014 06:09PM

Loire wrote: »

Thanks for those two replies. Working this evening but looks like I could be home by 8....if so I'll do the steaks and wash down with a bottle of pinot noir I brought back from France in Sept! Will do the casserole then tomorrow.

Eight suits me, shall I bring anything?:pac:

Loire · 11-01-2014 06:15PM

Animord wrote: »

I believe that we spend in the region of 5% - 10% of our salaries on food where previously we would have spent in the region of 30%. We are already totally hooked on cheap food.

This is so true and was brought home to me in France the summer before last...the local supermarket had a huge fish section. So big was it that you had to take a ticket (like those ones in the motor tax office years ago) and wait your turn to be served. I was in heaven! Of course, the reason the fish selection is so dodgy in places like Tesco and Dunnes and only frozen in the German supermarkets, is that's all they'll sell profitably. If the demand was there, the selection would certainly be better. All back to how much we value our tucker really.

*** let's start a revolution ***

:D

Just to edit above - the fish in France was not any cheaper than here - people were just willing to spend more for food.

Animord · 11-01-2014 06:38PM

Ireland gave away its fishing rights to the EU in the 70s in return for agricultural subsidies, apparently because we did not value fish, which we mostly still don't.

I have heard it said that it is because we equate fish to penance and fasting. I don't know if that is true or not. Certainly most of our shell fish goes abroad because the Irish, generally, are not prepared to eat it.

Markcheese · 11-01-2014 07:30PM

RasTa wrote: »

I got a pork loin for 4 quid in Superquinn as they're half price. Any ideas? I've red cabbage left over from my pork belly.

Also where is the Dublin equivalent of the English Market in Cork

Multiple replies here , one of the veg guys in Mahon point had those multi-coloured carrots last thursday,mad yokes .
Try stuffing the pork loin and roasting it,(put a bit of butter in the stuffing to keep loin moist )
Has anyone tried the new taste of west cork stall in English market ?
And no there is no Dublin version of the English Market- cos Dublin isn't daecent like Cork , boy . ( although we don't have anywhere like fallon and byrne yr money down here ...

Markcheese · 11-01-2014 09:32PM

Venison loin steaks (same as a sirloin of beef but looks like a fillet cos the beastie is smaller and lighter) should probably be done fast on a pan or en croute like a beef wellington..
The diced up stuff you could marinade and stew, low and slow , it'd be nice done as a pie maybe with a bit of streaky bacon or belly pork...

qo2cj1dsne8y4k · 11-01-2014 10:52PM

Trawling through the cooking club last night I found a recipe for a Malaysian (I think) curry by Curry Addict. I am definitely going to try this during the week. Only problem is I do not have a pestal and morter so is there anything else I could use to go beat up the spices as I'm kinda broke at the min and don't think I'd be able to stretch to a p&m this week?

Also - whoever recommended the mussels, will also try those out this week!

Toast4532 · 11-01-2014 11:48PM

Jesus I am absolutely exhausted.

Been in the kitchen since 6pm all evening cooking. Made two huge pots of soup for the next few weeks. Made a lovely chicken and veg soup, should get about 30-40 portions from it, made mushroom soup too, but half of it was devoured so I have four portions left.

Tomorrow I am making lamb stew, lamb pie and cottage pie and whatever else I can manage to make.

I swear I did more chopping and cleaning than I did cooking.

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