DIY: Self made firestarters

Why buying expensive fire starters if you can make some yourself ?
Using a Egg carton and some old candles which you melt in a jar in a water bath you make your own fire starters within 10 Minutes.

After cut the carton into pieces and use 2-3 pieces to start your fire.
They actually work better than the ones from the shop. Now even the girls at home who never made a good fire make a great one with these starters.

How much Beef cuts are there ?

Because of the recent scandal in processed beef in Europe I had a discussion with my friend Bas about what food is being presented to us in a whole piece, what is minced up, or thrown away.

Well I am not a butcher, but I did some research on the topic, as did my friend Bas, and Board Bia here in Ireland for example promotes on their website 14 beef cuts, as shown above. On their website you can learn more about each cut and how its used in cooking.

Looking a bit further, to France for example, they promote 33 cuts, not counting the tongue and cheeks (thanks for pointing that out Bas). In my old home Austria, the Austrian Meat Marketing agency promotes the Viennese style of cuts which adds up to 25 cuts.

I wonder, how come there is not more on offer in Ireland, what happens to the rest, is it all just minced up ?
Maybe an expert can let me know ?

Salmon Avocado Salad

Everybody who knows me know I love fish. Since I cant go out there myself catching some right now I cook my favourite, I wouldnt catch anyway out at the Atlantic. Salmon. Everybody who knows me closer knows I have a personal problem with Salmon, yes, when I say the word I pronounce the L.
I believe that's the fault of my English teacher, 20 years ago, anyway, my good friends here correct me on each occasion, its getting better.

The salad in this recipe is quickly made, just cook the salmon in the pan, arrange the salad nicely in a bowl. With a peeler slice nice thin chippings of a carrot. Boil that chippings in water for about 3 minutes or until they are softer. Place that on the salad, also with the cubes of avocado. Before serving sprinkle the oil and vinegar on the salad, spice it a bit with Salt and Pepper and place the salmon pieces on top.
Bon appetit !

Ingredients for 2 servings

Ingredient	Quantity	Comments
Salmon	200	gram
Vegetable Oil	20	ml
Avocado	1	piece
Carrots	100	gram
Salt	1	pinch
Pepper	1	pinch
Lettuce	1	piece
Balsamic vinegar	10	ml

Pear Cake - Tarte tartin

This is a great recipe I learned last year in one of Richys Cooking classes here in Clon, its so simple but yet so tasty.

Ingredients for 1 cake:

Ingredient	Quantity	Comments
Puff sheet	1	Pastry Sheet
Pear	3	pieces
Butter	150	gram
Brown Sugar	100	gram

You need a oven proof pan, add a bit of oil and the butter to the pan and let it melt. add the sugar and let it caramelize, but don't burn it. Split the pears in halfs and take out the core. Once the sugar caramelized place the pears in the pan in a circle. Cover all tighly with the puff sheet and place the pan in the oven at 180 C for 20 Minutes.  Once the puff sheet is golden brown and solid, remove the pan from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes and than place it up side down on a plate, Voila

Thanks to Richy for showing me this simple but so yummi recipe,
you should book a class if you are in town !

Schnitzel with Veal

I am a made Schnitzel person and I admit at least once a month I have one. Recently I found a source for veal here in Ireland, and let me tell you its nothing better than to have a Schnitzel made with veal.
most people here only know the chicken or pork version, but if they would ever try it with veal they wouldn't eat anything else any more...  here the recipe I posted last year, Ingredients you need:

for 4 Servings

Ingredient	Quantity	Comments
Pork chops	4	pieces
Egg	1	piece
Flour Plain	50	gram
Potato	0.5	kg
Parsley	1	pinch
Salt	1	pinch
Pepper	1	pinch
Breadcrumbs	200	gram
Butter	50	gram

Happy Valentines !

Some romantic stuff already prepared, Candle, Romantic music and a rose. Are you going to the Restaurant or do you celebrate your love at home ?

Semmel and Salzstangerl

Measure and mix all ingredients. Water and milk should be cold, make sure that yeast, salt and butter do not get into direct contact before mixing all ingredients into a doug. Salt kristals do kill the yeast, also the butter would lock in the yeast and the dough wouldn’t develop proper.

Mix for 5 minutes slowly, than an other 10 Minutes more intensive. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes, than form little rolls as shown in the picture. I will post a video for that shortly if you dont know how to fold/roll them.

Put the rolls upside down on the tray, and let them rest a further 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 210 C and also place water in the oven. Bake for 17 minutes at 180 C or until golden brown.

If you pour a shot of hot water into the oven right after placing the tray in it produces steam (careful) and the bread will raise a bit more.

for 8 servings:

Ingredient	Quantity	Unit
Flour Plain	500	gram
Yeast	7	gram
Sugar	10	gram
Butter	20	gram
Milk	60	ml
Water	220	ml
Salt	10	gram

Lentils Soup

This is a really easy and great recipe for a tasty soup and you need only the following ingredients:
1 onion
1 carrot
half a teaspoon curry powder
400 ml (can of) coconut milk
400 ml (can of) chopped tomatoes
200 gram red Lentils
600 ml chicken stock
1 spoon olive oil
salt and pepper

heat the oil and add the chopped onion and the carrot and let them brown a bit. Add the tomatoes and the coconut milk, bring to boil. Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for about 20 minutes. Use a blender to give it a creamy texture. If you made it rather spicy I suggest to serve a bread roll with it.

Some thoughts

A bit off topic from my blog, but you might know in my dayjob I am a Key Account Manager and I noted down what I expect and think about Customer Service.


What is great Customer Service ?

In opinion good customer service is like a good homemade and healthy soup.
If you go to a professional, a restaurant in my example, you wouldn't like to be served a instant soup,made quickly, with no love ?

Thats the same if you call somewhere, or send an email with a problem, seeking for proper customer service and help.. You wouldn't like to get a canned response, an instant answer, fast food.

It takes time, and special ingredients to serve the right product. You need to source your ingredients carefully, prepare them,get  them into the right shape to face the customer.
You need to use proper tools, and add the right spices to get the best results.

Like composing a tasty home made soup, it's also a composition how your company is preparing and presenting its customer service team. Do you want to use an “Instant” product, an outsourced team with canned responses ?
Or does your organisation decide to grow the ingredients themselves, hire great individuals, train them, and prepare them so that the clients are happy to be in touch with the finished product.

Individual Service, the feeling to be looked after, the experience to be served something, made with love.

I am happy that my clients get served the homemade soup, and they love it !

Buyersclub.ie - a local Online Shop for Ireland

Shop local, well as local as possible. I usually shop at the local market on Fridays, spend my money in the local supermarkets, restaurant and pubs.
Instead of shopping at Aldi and Lidl I discovered a Irish on-line shop Company, which created last year 40 new jobs in Dublin.
buyersclub.ie  Actually its not a club, everybody can shop there and at a spending of 50 Euro the delivery is free.

I compared the prices between leading supermarkets and that website, and have to say they got really good deals on nappies, cleaning products, and to fill the kitchen cupboard.

I used them now 3 times so far, and I made huge savings. Its pretty convenient too to get the stuff, most of the time the next day if you order early in the morning delivered to your doorstep.

This wont replace my usual shopping in town, but its a good alternative. I think especially people without a car who cant make their way to a discounter might like the offers of that shop.

have a good start in the week !

(and no, I didnt got paid for that story)

Dexter Beef - Great Irish beef from farm to fork

A special treat for my family is to have once in a while a great steak. We are lucky to life in an area where great food it produced on small farms right at our doorstep.

On a Friday morning, its family tradition if the weather is not too bad to go to the Clonakilty Farmers Market. Every so often we meet Vic from the Camus farm who is selling steaks from his dexter cattle he is breeding up the road from us.

We love this meat, its aged 21 days, and if you cook it right, I like it medium rare it develops its full taste. Its a very rare type of cattle, and there is only a few farms in Ireland raising this breed. 
If you want to learn more about dexter beef visit the following website for more information www.dextercattle.ie.