The General Chat Thread

Faith · 25-07-2014 06:18PM

Dizzyblonde wrote: »

Someone around here mentioned The Fish Shop in Blackrock recently

It looks pretty basic but apparently they do the best fish & chips.

Thanks for the suggestion, DB - we went here today and it was just lovely

. Great value too, we got hake and chips for €7.50!

Markcheese · 25-07-2014 06:48PM

Heard of sumac (and tried it ) , last year, it was in a yogurt salad dressing , tried it a few times since, can't say I was mad about it ...

The Hill Billy · 25-07-2014 08:38PM

After all the chat about the food in Dingle in the other thread I've booked a few days down there in mid-August. Can't wait!

B0jangles · 28-07-2014 07:15AM

I just discovered a handy shortcut that may be of use to some of you

You know how you need to use cold, cooked rice when making any kind of fried rice? When I want to have fried rice for dinner, I normally cook the rice the previous evening and leave it overnight, but sometimes I forget and make it in the morning. Which leads to the problem of what to do with the rice when it is cooked - it needs to go into the fridge to get properly cold and hard, but obviously you have to wait until it is already cooled off to put it in there, which is a problem if you have to get out of the house in a hurry.

I've found that you can cool pan-hot rice to stone cold in less than 30 seconds if you blow on it with a hairdryer set to no heat and low power (to stop the rice flying everywhere) and just turn the rice over gently with a fork at the same time.

It's not quite as good as natural cooling but I can't tell any difference once it has spent a few hours in the fridge as well.

(Of course this now opens the question of why I have a hair-dryer in the kitchen, doesn't it?

)

the beer revolu · 28-07-2014 08:50AM

B0jangles wrote: »

(Of course this now opens the question of why I have a hair-dryer in the kitchen, doesn't it? )

To dry fish skin so it'll be nice and crispy, of course!

Great tip, by the way.

MissFlitworth · 30-07-2014 08:47PM

My local Lidl (the hellhole on Moore St, Dublin if anyone else is a survivor of a Monday night's shopping in there!) has 400g bags of parmagiano chunks, can't find a picture of them online but imagine a decent sized crouton made of pure cheese. I am itching to buy a bag but can't figure out what to do with them, I prefer parmesan shaved or grated. I think it's just because it's a novely bag of cheese, really must resist.

B0jangles · 30-07-2014 08:51PM

I saw them too - I cannot think what you are supposed to do with them at all - float them in soup?

Actually, that would probably be really good in a hefty broccoli soup... (I'd still quarter them so they'd float though)

MissFlitworth · 30-07-2014 08:59PM

I do like broccolli & cheese soup indeed, little cheese mcnuggets floating on broccolli sounds very good.

It's an odd thing to do to cheese that you don't typically eat in big wodges is cutting it into lumps

fiddlechic · 30-07-2014 09:05PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

My local Lidl (the hellhole on Moore St, Dublin if anyone else is a survivor of a Monday night's shopping in there!) has 400g bags of parmagiano chunks, can't find a picture of them online but imagine a decent sized crouton made of pure cheese. I am itching to buy a bag but can't figure out what to do with them, I prefer parmesan shaved or grated. I think it's just because it's a novely bag of cheese, really must resist.

Snap! I examined them in that very Lidl this very evening!
Likewise, I felt there would be a time when I would need them, and chunks of parmigiano would be far superior to normal parmigiano blocks, but wasn't quite sure when that would be; but knowing my luck it's well after the expiry date.

I had them in the basket for about 10 seconds and had a premonition of bloody fingers as I grated their inch square asses.

MissFlitworth · 30-07-2014 09:13PM

Hah

I too saw myself cursing and bleeding trying to grate the nub of a cheese cube

foodaholic · 31-07-2014 04:19PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Hah I too saw myself cursing and bleeding trying to grate the nub of a cheese cube

I pulse it in the food processor - no bloody knuckles anymore

catho_monster · 31-07-2014 05:37PM

catho_monster wrote: »

Anyone got some suggestions for cooked kohlrabi recipes?

Got some in our veg box this week and, having never tried it before, went the raw route - mandolined with beetroot and apple. Turns out we're not that keen on such a strong cabbagey/turnipy raw thing going on in our salads

If it turns up again though I don't want to waste it! Need some inspiration to help tone it down a bit (a lot?!), if anyone's got some going...

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I had way too many to be only using tiny amounts with other veg in recipes, and I didn't trust the power of chicken in the soup suggestion to cover up the taste of kohlrabi!

In case anyone finds themselves in a similar - I've got kohlrabi to use, get me out of here - situation, this kohlrabi curry recipe was tonight's dinner and it was a success! Gorgeous dinner, and plenty for the freezer (because I doubled it, because I had so many!).

Alun · 31-07-2014 05:42PM

catho_monster wrote: »

Thanks for all the suggestions, but I had way too many to be only using tiny amounts with other veg in recipes, and I didn't trust the power of chicken in the soup suggestion to cover up the taste of kohlrabi!

Doubter

Try it, it really is nice, honest

the beer revolu · 01-08-2014 09:43AM

I know it's going down the raw route but : slaw of grated carrot and kohlrabi with lots of lemon juice and some oil heated up in a ladle with cumin seeds is really refreshing and tasty.

pampootie · 01-08-2014 05:20PM

Haha! I also got a kohlrabi this week and had no idea what it was, and googling "small turnip thingy" got me nowhere. One click to this thread and now I have a recipe and everything!

Alun · 01-08-2014 05:52PM

pampootie wrote: »

Haha! I also got a kohlrabi this week and had no idea what it was, and googling "small turnip thingy" got me nowhere.

Although it looks like a turnip, it's actually a brassica, i.e. a member of the cabbage family, so although it has a similar texture, it tastes quiet different. When cooked, it absorbs flavours quite well though, just like turnips and squashes, so it's not too overpowering.

MissFlitworth · 01-08-2014 07:17PM

Finally got round to picking the gooseberries in my garden, most of them are gooseraisins at this stage, but still got loads (and covered in stickybacks). Now to freeze them before I use them as an excuse to procrastinate instead of studying for exams next week.

Alun · 01-08-2014 07:20PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

Finally got round to picking the gooseberries in my garden, most of them are gooseraisins at this stage, but still got loads (and covered in stickybacks). Now to freeze them before I use them as an excuse to procrastinate instead of studying for exams next week.

I thought gooseberries were green (and hairy!)

MissFlitworth · 01-08-2014 07:24PM

I did too until this bush randomly grew out of the scrubby patch in the corner of the garden! Apparently they can be anywhere from green through to different shades of purple (I think they're listed under 'red fruit' here) Ours started out green and gooseberryish looking and changed

Actually - these look a LOT more like blackcurrants! I may be very mistaken

Alun · 01-08-2014 07:25PM

Well, you live and learn

(Or maybe NOT!

)

BaZmO* · 01-08-2014 07:28PM

Interesting. I definitely wouldn't have called the gooseberries. I always remember them as been those horrible sour fruit things that grew at the side of my Grandmother's house. I must revisit them and see if I like them now, the OH loves them.

MissFlitworth · 01-08-2014 07:29PM

They don't taste like Ribena, I have a feeling I've never had an actual blackcurrant before today! Or whatever these are, hopefully not poisonberries

BaZmO* · 01-08-2014 07:34PM

They do look a lot more like blackcurrants than red gooseberries.

Alun · 01-08-2014 07:39PM

BaZmO* wrote: »

They do look a lot more like blackcurrants than red gooseberries.

Yes, you're right, I remember seeing red gooseberries now I've seen those images, and they're nowhere near as dark as the berries in Miss Flitworth's photos.

StripedBoxers · 01-08-2014 07:40PM

Pretty sure they are blackcurrants or something, at the side of my aunties house she used to have a crap-load of them every year, she would make about 20 tarts from them.

I remember the days myself and my cousins were sent out with buckets to pick them, then bring them in and wait anxiously for the tarts to magically appear the following morning when we rose from our beds.

MissFlitworth · 01-08-2014 07:43PM

I definitely wouldn't make a fruit farmer

Blackcurrant gin it shall be!

fiddlechic · 01-08-2014 09:24PM

Regardless of exact berry, surely some jam is plan!

Kohlrabi - I made this a few weeks ago. Very, very nice. Lots of ingredients, but very easy. http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2012/dec/14/kohlrabi-carrot-salad-recipe-quince

Update on Lidl chunks of gran padano. I buzzed them (having sliced them in half, as full ones getting stuck) in my new Lidl food chopper thingie, as recommended by OscarBravo. I had to make a pasta salad for a family gathering tomorrow, so made the avoca one, and have quadrupled the parmesan content simply because of the fun I got whizzing them up.

Pre and Post Whizz...

sillymoo · 01-08-2014 09:26PM

MissFlitworth wrote: »

They don't taste like Ribena, I have a feeling I've never had an actual blackcurrant before today! Or whatever these are, hopefully not poisonberries

Here is the number for Beaumont Poisons Centre (0)1 809 2566

Just in case....

MissFlitworth · 01-08-2014 09:42PM

I don't think I've enough for jam fiddlechic! I left it really late to 'harvest' my crop and I am sure as sugar not climbing round the back of the bush to get the rest of the ones that aren't raisinesque. I will weigh them and see though! My own jam would be amazing. If not though, there will be blackcurrant booze.

Sillymoo - I think if I did poison myself I'd be way, way too embarrassed to have to tell a nice doctor I just ate things I found on a bush even though I didn't know what they were

I'd have to pretend one fell into my mouth or something

confusticated · 01-08-2014 11:53PM

And hope the doctor's not on boards...

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