Whats been happening, well the garden at Rosquil has come to a stand still there is no hedging available, seems like even the nurseries had a bad winter. We pulled out all the dead plants and I am quite liking the clean look. Valerie & Jenny say I am obsessive compulsive with neat, tidy and especially clean but I think it stems for all the years as Estate Managers in America. Our employers had beautiful homes but mostly they looked like pictures from magazines. Nothing out of place, a non lived in look. When we worked in Aspen the kitchen was a nightmare as it was circular and open plan onto the living & dining room. You had cupboards that nothing fitted in because of the shape. Anyhow we catered a party, which always involved a massive clean up and I thought the place was spick & span. The next morning my employer said he found a blueberry on the floor and wanted to show me. OK, down on my hands & knees under the fridge was a single blueberry. He must have spent half the night looking for it. The girls think I am crazy! He defiantly was, ended up in jail but that's a whole other story.
Jason from Kilkenny Cycling Cours & I are setting up packages where you hire bikes for the day €15 per Adult €10 per child under 16 and off you go following the Kilkenny Food Trail many of whom belong to Good Food Ireland. You stay 2 nights with us and a double room is €160 including breakfast sourced from local producers or baked by me!There are also triple & family rooms available price upon request If there is a group of 6 or or more Phil & I will cook dinner using the produce bought along the trail as the basic ingredients and arrange for matching wines etc. You can also have a 2.5 hr guided tour of the city with Jason for €17 per person.
If you would like to self cater the apartment that sleeps 4 will be available sarting from €180 minimum booking 3 nights.
These packages are subject to availability & conditions, at the moment email me on info@rosquilhouse.com until I can get the web site updated if you are interested.
There is also the Craft Trail and several cycling routes around the county all mapped out & easy to follow.
The bikes are brand new & Jason supplies all the safety equipment. We will store that bikes in the garage (that will involve a major tidy up because it is Phil's domain!) Bikes are delivered to the door so no hassle getting them.
Jason now has a mad idea that I should go on a bike ride with him. The last time I rode a bike was in the Bois du Boulgne in Paris 20 years ago!! I think I will need an oxygen tank.
By the way still no chicken coop time is running out the - chicks will be free range, Lottie will think she has a whole lot of fluffy balls to play with!!
Tuesday, May 17, 2011
Wednesday, May 11, 2011
The B B Q part one
The weather would make a massive change when I decide to write about BBQ'S, but for us Nolans it is an all year round way to cook! I remember when we lived in the Hamptons Phil digging a path to the bbq thru at least 9" of snow! There is no taste for a simple dinner like a pure Irish beef or turkey burger, Lavistown sausages & grilled veggies all year round!
My biggest piece of advice is keep it simple, so I am going to give a few "cheating" ideas & then for the purist in us regular recipes. There is always a debate over charcoal or gas. At Rosquil we are fully converted to gas having struggled with charcoal for years.
Phil & I catered a party where we nearly had to call the Larchmont fire brigade The butterfly leg of lamb caught fire - the charcoal was too hot. The most hilarious thing was not the black smoke that rose over the back of the house but that many guests said it was the best lamb they had ever tasted, after we cut off the incinerated part!!
Rhoda's quick marinaded chicken pieces
250m bottled of Italian dressing
I large lemon
Irish chicken pieces (6 drumsticks, 6 thighs, 3 breast on the bone cut in half)
Cut any excess fat & skin from the chicken pieces, but do not skin it completely.
Place in a large bowl that will fit in your fridge if you intend to marinade overnight.
In a jug mix the Italian dressing with the juice of the lemon, cut the peel in to quarters, this should make 8 pieces of lemon as you have 2 halves put this in with the chicken
Whisk the Italian dressing and lemon juice together and pour over chicken & lemon pieces, Give it a good stir about. Turn the chicken in the marinade a couple of times before cooking. If you are marinading the chicken on the day, do it a couple of hours before your planned meal time and leave to come to room temp but obviously not in a sunny window or right beside the cooker!
That's it!
You can do this the day before, remove from the fridge a couple of hours before you intend to cook. The biggest mistake made is cooking straight from the fridge, All foods for the BBQ need to start at room temp to ensure they cook all the way thru.
Drain the chicken pieces and cook over a medium grill turning regularly. Check for doneness by cutting into one of the pieces the juice must run clear allow 20-25minutes to cook.
Turkey Burgers (makes 8)
1 kilo minced turkey
2 tbs grated onion,
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper
8 sesame burger buns
8 slices of cheese
Mayo, lettuce & tomato slices.
I mince my own turkey in the food processor, a mixture of dark & white meat because just breast makes a much tougher drier burger. You can buy ready minced at you local butcher.
Mix all the ingredients together and form into 8 burgers.
Cook like regular burgers over medium grill, cut one in the centre to make sure they are cooked thru. Usually takes 5 mins per side, add a slice of your favourite cheese on the top this melts in seconds and serve on a toasted sesame bun with mayo lettuce & tomato
The raw burgers freeze very well my advice is to wrap individually, having been faced with a block of burgers when I only wanted one.
To make beef burgers substitute organic Irish beef for the turkey 90% lean, a little fat is needed in the mince to keep them juicy, and omit the olive oil. Guys, don't keep prodding them and squashing the burger as they cook, this dries them out, cooking time depends on how you like your beef
NewPotato Salad
1k of new potatoes
4 tbs of Italian dressing
2 boiled eggs chopped
2 scallions chopped
Mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes until cooked, drain & cut in half mix in the Italian dressing whilst hot. Allow to cool and then add the rest of the ingredients giving it a good stir, cover & fridge until need
If you want to serve with baked potatoes, wash & prod them all over with a fork and semi cook in the microwaive. Cut an individual square of foil for every potato, place a semi cooked potato on each square liberally salt & pepper & dribble a little olive oil. Now rub this all over the skin, you have to be quick as they are hot! Wrap the foil tightly around the potato and put on the hot bbq at the same time as the chicken turn a couple of times.
My biggest piece of advice is keep it simple, so I am going to give a few "cheating" ideas & then for the purist in us regular recipes. There is always a debate over charcoal or gas. At Rosquil we are fully converted to gas having struggled with charcoal for years.
Phil & I catered a party where we nearly had to call the Larchmont fire brigade The butterfly leg of lamb caught fire - the charcoal was too hot. The most hilarious thing was not the black smoke that rose over the back of the house but that many guests said it was the best lamb they had ever tasted, after we cut off the incinerated part!!
Rhoda's quick marinaded chicken pieces
250m bottled of Italian dressing
I large lemon
Irish chicken pieces (6 drumsticks, 6 thighs, 3 breast on the bone cut in half)
Cut any excess fat & skin from the chicken pieces, but do not skin it completely.
Place in a large bowl that will fit in your fridge if you intend to marinade overnight.
In a jug mix the Italian dressing with the juice of the lemon, cut the peel in to quarters, this should make 8 pieces of lemon as you have 2 halves put this in with the chicken
Whisk the Italian dressing and lemon juice together and pour over chicken & lemon pieces, Give it a good stir about. Turn the chicken in the marinade a couple of times before cooking. If you are marinading the chicken on the day, do it a couple of hours before your planned meal time and leave to come to room temp but obviously not in a sunny window or right beside the cooker!
That's it!
You can do this the day before, remove from the fridge a couple of hours before you intend to cook. The biggest mistake made is cooking straight from the fridge, All foods for the BBQ need to start at room temp to ensure they cook all the way thru.
Drain the chicken pieces and cook over a medium grill turning regularly. Check for doneness by cutting into one of the pieces the juice must run clear allow 20-25minutes to cook.
Turkey Burgers (makes 8)
1 kilo minced turkey
2 tbs grated onion,
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper
8 sesame burger buns
8 slices of cheese
Mayo, lettuce & tomato slices.
I mince my own turkey in the food processor, a mixture of dark & white meat because just breast makes a much tougher drier burger. You can buy ready minced at you local butcher.
Mix all the ingredients together and form into 8 burgers.
Cook like regular burgers over medium grill, cut one in the centre to make sure they are cooked thru. Usually takes 5 mins per side, add a slice of your favourite cheese on the top this melts in seconds and serve on a toasted sesame bun with mayo lettuce & tomato
The raw burgers freeze very well my advice is to wrap individually, having been faced with a block of burgers when I only wanted one.
To make beef burgers substitute organic Irish beef for the turkey 90% lean, a little fat is needed in the mince to keep them juicy, and omit the olive oil. Guys, don't keep prodding them and squashing the burger as they cook, this dries them out, cooking time depends on how you like your beef
NewPotato Salad
1k of new potatoes
4 tbs of Italian dressing
2 boiled eggs chopped
2 scallions chopped
Mayo
1 tsp Dijon mustard
Salt & pepper to taste
Boil the potatoes until cooked, drain & cut in half mix in the Italian dressing whilst hot. Allow to cool and then add the rest of the ingredients giving it a good stir, cover & fridge until need
If you want to serve with baked potatoes, wash & prod them all over with a fork and semi cook in the microwaive. Cut an individual square of foil for every potato, place a semi cooked potato on each square liberally salt & pepper & dribble a little olive oil. Now rub this all over the skin, you have to be quick as they are hot! Wrap the foil tightly around the potato and put on the hot bbq at the same time as the chicken turn a couple of times.
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