Out and about...in Howth!

Howth is a really pretty part of Dublin. And it smells like fish. That is actually a good thing! It is an amazing place to come for seafood. Today we went for a really nice walk along the pier. It was a beautiful day. Normally I wrap up really well to come here but today I had to remove layers.

We ate a late lunch at Octopussy's Seafood Tapas. We ate outside!!! In the sun!!! The food was good but the portions were small for the price. I know that they are tapas but I just felt that it was a bit miserly. I got moules frites, which were not a tapa, and it was small.

We had gambas al pil pil, scallops in a tomato and chorizo sauce (delicious) and calamari in addition to the mussels. They were very tasty.

I always like to purchase fish here for my dinner. I really feel that it is quite difficult to source good quality fish in Dublin. Dublin is a port so there is really no excuse. Howth has many fishmongers and I am usually happy with the selection. I like to buy all the ingredients to make a really good paella when I get home. Squid, mussels, prawns, clams... I often buy more clams than I need and bake up clams the following day. Served with crusty bread they are delicious.

Kale Slaw

This is so fresh in the darkest days of winter! I use my Magimix food processor to make a big batch of this quickly. It lasts four days in the fridge and is a great side for dinner or a delicious lunch with bread. I grind up the kale. I use the grating attachment to grate a few carrots. I don't measure I just see what looks right.

I then make a dressing. I juice an orange and a lemon. I whisk the juice with a tablespoon of olive oil and a good pinch of salt. I put this on just before serving. If you intend keeping the kale slaw for a few days keep the dressing separate until you intend to eat it.

A review of Farmleigh Market

My experience with Farmleigh Market has ranged from middling to disappointing. My biggest criticism is that it is not possible to buy the ingredients to make your dinner there. There is no meat or fish stall. Today was a better day than most. It was a rainy day which meant that we weren't battling throngs of people.

Brian and I are from Cork where we were spoiled by The English Market. There is nothing like it in Dublin. In Farmleigh there was a small vegetable stall and a bread stall which weren't there previously. I bought some homemade apple juice, some kale and an unpasteurised nettle and onion cheese. The cheese stall is excellent. The man has samples laid out for each of his cheeses. He produces the cheese himself and only works with raw milk. We were quite hungry and got hot dogs. They were quite nice but not exactly artisinal.

There was also an exhibition of photographs from Nepal. Some handicrafts were also on sale. It was nice to be able to go in to this.

Afterwards we strolled down to the cafe by the duck pond in the grounds of Farmleigh. I love this cafe. I just really like that you are looking out onto the duck pond and ducks are taking off and landing all around you.

There is really nice planting around the outdoor seats. The staff have always been really helpful here too. I had a hot chocolate. One of Brian and I's favourite things is to go walking with our dog when it is really cold and rainy and to warm up with a hot chocolate before heading home. It wasn't that cold today but we said we should get a few practice runs in before the cold hits!

Although the market was disappointing we had a lovely walk and enjoyed pottering about. It was a relaxing addition to watching an episode of Marple with cups of tea.

Lamb Tagine with Sweet Tomato Jam

This was incredibly delicious. I played around with the quantities a good bit. This is because I became confused trying to convert measurements and gave up. I used a pack of stewing lamb, 9 tomatoes, an onion, two cloves of garlic, two tablespoons of olive oil, one teaspoon of ground ginger, a quarter teaspoon of black pepper, a cinnamon stick, a pinch of saffron, three tablespoons of tomato paste, two tablespoons of honey, one and a half teaspoons of ground cinnamon, and a handful of almonds.

I used a cast iron Le Creuset pot on the stove. I don't actually own a tagine dish although I am always making tagines. I find that they are bulky to store and would require me moving shelves in my oven. I browned the lamb and removed it from the pot. I ground up the onion in the food processor and then fried it for ten minutes in the pot. The recipe called for the onion and tomatoes to be grated by hand. There was no way I was going to do that so I just did it all in the food processor. I finely chopped the garlic and added that to the pot with a teaspoon of ground ginger, a quarter teaspoon of black pepper and a cinnamon stick. After a minute I added a pinch of saffron and three tablespoons of tomato paste. After a further minute I put the lamb back into the pan. I had previously deseeded the tomatoes and remove their juice. I was supposed to remove the tomato peel but I didn't bother. After food processing them I added them to the pot. I covered the pot and let it cook for an hour and a quarter. I then uncovered the pot for fifteen minutes. It should be nice and thick at this point. I stirred in one and a half teaspoons of powdered cinnamon and two tablespoons of honey. After a minute it was ready to serve. I toasted almonds in the oven for ten minutes at 200 degrees to sprinkle on top.

My verdict: This was my first time making this recipe and, as such, it was quite time consuming. However, I know that it will be much faster the next time. It tasted amazing. I had wanted to make Moroccan bread to eat with it but, due to time constraints, I served it with couscous instead which was also delicious. I will definitely make this again.

Doing it Moroccan Style!

We were supposed to go on holidays this week. Unfortunately, the universe worked against us and our last minute deals. We had been hoping to go to Malaga. We had everything picked out. Booking last minute is hazardous when you know exactly what you want! We are postponing our trip until October. I don't really mind what the weather is like so the month doesn't make a difference to me. We now have a week to enjoy in Dublin. I have decided to theme it. Our theme is Morocco (my spiritual home!). Each day I will try to make new Moroccan recipes for lunch and dinner. At the moment I have a lamb in tomato jam tagine bubbling away on my cooker. I also made sure to wear a Moroccan-inspired outfit today. I have to do as much as possible to immerse myself in the spirit of the week! I also have A LOT of Moroccan-inspired clothes. Tomorrow I intend to preserve lemons. I'll post my recipes here along with any amendments I make. I made quite a few to the method of lamb in tomato jam tagine. I'm really looking forward to my Moroccan holiday in Dublin! :)

Natural Deodorant

I

have been an advocate for natural deodorant for the past fifteen years. I did fall off the wagon for a while and go mainstream again. I had become immune to the deodorant I had been using and just gave up. I have since discovered that the secret to natural sweat suppressant is...variety! You need to have two to three natural deodorants in your rotation so that your body doesn't get used to one and start to ignore it. I had used Tom's of Maine stick deodorant before but I can't find it anywhere anymore. The selection of natural deodorants is pretty dismal in Ireland. At the moment I am rotating a Weleda sage spray deodorant and a Jason lavender stick deodorant. They both smell fantastic. I had been looking for the Weleda one in lemon but, alas, it was nowhere to be found. The secret to success going natural is a daily shower and knowing its limitations. For example, I use a mainstream deodorant to go to my Zumba class. It is the only time in the week that I use it but I feel it is necessary in that situation.

Sorry

Sorry I haven't posted in a while. Things got a bit crazy for a few weeks but I'm back again! I have a good few posts lined up over the next few days.

Coconut Oil

Coconut has been raved about on the internet for some time now. People treat it like it has magical powers in some cases. I am not going to go into the nutritional aspect of coconut oil as I don't feel qualified to give an opinion regarding that. I do use coconut oil regularly in my cooking. I don't use it for everything. I could never give up olive oil as my staple oil. However, I will use coconut oil in a curry, stir fry or granola. It has to match with the meal in my opinion.

This is the brand of coconut oil that I use. It is organic and raw. I found that it was really expensive in the health food shops. I buy it in the oil aisle of my local Supervalu and it costs aproximately six euro. I keep a tub in the kitchen, one in the bathroom and one in the baby's bedroom.

When it comes to cosmetic uses of coconut oil I am OBSESSED. I have used it for fifteen years in my hair. I have very coarse, rough hair so I put a good handful in when my hair is wet. I also top up throughout the week with a small amount of coconut oil on dry hair. If you have regular hair it could be used as a treatment but may be too heavy to leave in. I also love to use it as a body moisturiser. I usually fill my bathroom sink with hot water and submerge the tub while I shower. After my shower the oil has melted to a liquid consistency and is easy to apply. It is great for getting rid of keratosis pilaris (or, annoying arm bumps as I call them).For baby I dissove a handful of oil into his bath water. I also use it as a massage oil for him and as a barrier cream during nappy changes. I like knowing that it is completely natural.