Save Our Bees

Goal: 400,000

366,009

Wow. Bayer has just sued the European Commission to overturn a ban on the pesticides that are killing millions of bees around the world. A huge public push won this landmark ban only months ago -- and we can't sit back and let Big Pesticide overturn it while the bees vanish.

Bayer and Syngenta, two of the world's largest chemical corporations, claim that the ban is "unjustified" and "disproportionate." But clear scientific evidence shows their products are behind the massive bee die-off that puts our entire food chain in peril. 

Just last month, 37 million bees were discovered dead on a single Canadian farm. And unless we act now, the bees will keep dying. We have to show Bayer now that we won't tolerate it putting its profits ahead of our planet's health. If this giant corporation manages to bully Europe into submission, it would spell disaster for the bees.

Sign the petition to tell Bayer and Syngenta to drop their bee-killing lawsuits now.

Sign our petition to Bayer and Syngenta

Petition Text:

Bayer and Syngenta: Drop your lawsuits against the European Commission immediately."

FULL NAMEEMAIL ADDRESS

COUNTRY      -- Select --   Australia   Canada   Germany   United Kingdom   United States of America   ----   Afghanistan   Albania   Algeria   American Samoa   Andorra   Angola   Anguilla   Antigua and Barbuda   Argentina   Armenia   Aruba   Australia   Austria   Azerbaijan   Bahamas   Bahrain   Bangladesh   Barbados   Belarus   Belgium   Belize   Benin   Bermuda   Bhutan   Bolivia   Bosnia and Herzegovina   Botswana   Brazil   British Virgin Islands   Brunei   Bulgaria   Burkina Faso   Burundi   Cambodia   Cameroon   Canada   Cape Verde   Cayman Islands   Central African Republic   Chad   Chile   China   Colombia   Comoros   Congo, DPR   Congo, PR   Cook Islands   Costa Rica   Cote d'Ivoire   Croatia   Cuba   Cyprus   Czech Republic   Denmark   Djibouti   Dominica   Dominican Republic   East Timor   Ecuador   Egypt   El Salvador   Equatorial Guinea   Eritrea   Estonia   Ethiopia   Falkland Islands   Faroe Islands   Fiji   Finland   France   French Guiana   French Polynesia   Gabon   Gambia   Georgia   Germany   Ghana   Gibraltar   Greece   Greenland   Grenada   Guadeloupe   Guam   Guatemala   Guinea   Guinea-Bissau   Guyana   Haiti   Honduras   Hong Kong   Hungary   Iceland   India   Indonesia   Iran   Iraq   Ireland   Israel   Italy   Jamaica   Japan   Jordan   Kazakhstan   Kenya   Kiribati   Kosovo   Kuwait   Kyrgistan   Laos   Latvia   Lebanon   Lesotho   Liberia   Libya   Liechtenstein   Lithuania   Luxembourg   Macau   Macedonia   Madagascar   Malawi   Malaysia   Maldives   Mali   Malta   Marshall Islands   Martinique   Mauritania   Mauritius   Mexico   Micronesia   Moldova   Monaco   Mongolia   Montenegro   Montserrat   Morocco   Mozambique   Myanmar   Namibia   Nauru   Nepal   Netherlands   Netherlands Antilles   New Caledonia   New Zealand   Nicaragua   Niger   Nigeria   North Korea   Northern Mariana Islands   Norway   Oman   Pakistan   Palau   Palestine   Panama   Papua New Guinea   Paraguay   Peru   Puerto Rico   Philippines   Poland   Portugal   Qatar   Reunion   Romania   Russia   Rwanda   Samoa   San Marino   Sao Tome and Principe   Saudi Arabia   Senegal   Serbia   Seychelles   Sierra Leone   Singapore   Slovakia   Slovenia   Solomon Islands   Somalia   South Africa   South Korea   South Sudan   Spain   Sri Lanka   St. Helena   St. Kitts-Nevis   St. Lucia   St. Pierre and Miquelon   St. Vincent and the Grenadines   Sudan   Suriname   Swaziland   Sweden   Switzerland   Syria   Taiwan   Tajikistan   Tanzania   Thailand   Togo   Tonga   Trinidad and Tobago   Tunisia   Turkey   Turkmenistan   Turks and Caicos Islands   Tuvalu   Uganda   Ukraine   United Arab Emirates   United Kingdom   United States of America   Uruguay   US Virgin Islands   Uzbekistan   Vanuatu   Vatican   Venezuela   Vietnam   Wallis and Futuna   Western Sahara   Yemen   Zambia   Zimbabwe    

POSTAL / ZIP CODE

Urban Farm Project

---

URBANFARM PROJECT : DETAILS

Urban Farm is growing food on a Dublin city center rooftop with an indoor aquaponic allotment for all season growing,practicing new innovative urban food growing methods and sustainable principals.

The idea is to convert a negative space into one that creates a tangible benefit for the community  

In 2012 the new  " UrbanFarm not-for-profit Group " secured workshop studios & rooftop space at 
The Chocolate Factory, a new creative community developing in an old factory in the heart of Dublin.

We are researching and demonstrating intensive urban growing techniques, growing food, keeping fowl, fish and bees. 

We have begun to host events & community groups and provide hands-on workshops that teach responsible food production, carpentry, energy-saving systems, ecological cycles, and community self-sufficiency  observing organic & pesticide free practices. 
We go beyond the normal timber yards and builders suppliers, all materials used are salvaged from waste, meaning most supplies used in the production of the farm have been diverted from landfill, de-constructed & up-cycled on site.

• Working with other local businesses to install and maintain rooftop gardens, composting and other creative urban  growing projects for the purpose of healthy food production, neighborhood revitalization, and community engagement.
  
  
  We also partner with local sustainable organizations for training communities in growing food-- 
• Our rooftop farm offers the necessary space for students and teachers to practice their skills while maintaining the garden at the same time. 
  Through cultivating a network of urban farmers, we hope to catalyse social changes that will improve the livelihood and livability of our city spaces.
  
  
  URBAN FARM is Devised & Founded by Andrew Douglas 
  Construction Team Leader : Paddy O'Kearney

• Joe Duffy's Local Heroes TV Programme,
• Filmed over 8 weeks as we built the rooftop space & indoor growing centre.
• " Two young Dublin men who don’t want to emigrate are attempting to turn a rooftop in the north inner city into Ireland’s first Urban Rooftop Farm." 
• RTE : Wednesday 29th May 2013RTÉ Local Heroes, in association with MACE, is about celebrating individuals who are doing or plan to do something visionary to create jobs.

                                                                                                                                                           WATCH URBAN FARMVideos Here

---

Knockmeelmore Honey

Every so often you get the pleasure of meeting people who are completely honest and true to themselves. Robert Anthony is one of those people , a bee keeper from Knockmeelmore Co Waterford , a couple of miles on the Waterford side of Youghal. I first met Robert & his wife Marie at a farmers Market in the Blackwater Garden Centre a couple of years back and often ended up having long chats about this and that and this is where I had my first taste of their honey and my God is this stuff good, so when I say that Robert is honest and true to himself well what I mean is that he's doing something that he truly loves. He's a very modest man. I later found out that he has a masters in criminal justice and has lectured in many collages, but he'd never tell you this himself , Marie , his wife filled me in on this, she also told me that he calls the bees his girls but I don't want to embaress him any further or he might not let me publish this.

                                  When I pulled up the bohereen that leeds up to Roberts yard he was there waiting for me just opposite the entrance to his bee hives, so I got out and said hello and he brought me over to the gate and told me to look at the closest hive and observe the bees going in and out and to pay particular attention to the bees with large clumps of yellow stuff stuck to their back legs and sure enough there was plenty of activity. He explained that this was pollen and that even at this time of year given the right weather conditions the bees will be hard at work trying to keep their Queen happy.                                  

I was fascinated to find out that each bee has a particular job description. All of the bees we saw going in and out of the hive were female and are called workers. They do all the work of the colony.In summer time they only live about 6 weeks. For the first three weeks they are what we call "house bees" They start their duties cleaning and polishing cells for the Queen to lay in, and later feed the larvae and pack and process the nectar/honey that is brought in. Older house bees would be on undertaker duties and their job is to remove any dead bees from the hive, this is quite remarkable when you think that they can carry their own weight in flight. When their stings are developed they take up duties as guard bees mainly at the entrance to the hive where they can be seen stopping and checking out intruders , workers from other hives may be admitted but only if they are carrying pollen or nectar. At about three weeks of age, the workers go on trial flights to orientate themselves to the hive, and then go foraging, usually to locations passed onto them by older bees using a unique form of sign language known as dancing. 
In one colony it is normal for there to be one queen whose only duty is to lay eggs , about a thousand per day at the height of the season , about 60,000 workers and 200 drones. The drones are male bees whose only function is to mate with the virgin queens. At the end of the summer, if a colony has a laying queen and the workers feel that they have no further need of drones, any remaining at that time are evicted from the hive to perish from cold and starvation. As Robert put it "they did have a wonderful life up till that point".   
Even though the life expectancy of a honey bee is only a couple of weeks especially the summer born ones. The bees born later in the year live much longer, the reason for this is that the summer bee works a lot harder than the winter one and simply works themselves to death. You see the honey bee only works in daylight and in good enough weather conditions so a combination of long days and good weather means the summer bee will end up working themselves into an early grave, unlike the winter bee , who hasn't as much work to do because of shorter days and unkind weather which means she spends more time relaxing then her summer counter part. 

I was saddened to hear that there are no natural wild honey bees left in Ireland with the last nine years. They were wiped out by diseases and parasites brought in from abroad. The main culprit was the infamous varroa mite. The only Irish honey bee left in the country are the ones in bee hives such as Robert and other bee keepers around the country. Thank God for people like Robert, if not for them the native Irish honey bee would be extinct from our beautiful island altogether. Robert lives in hope that some day someone will breed a batch of bees that are resistant to the varroa mite and that once again the native bee will flourish.

We can all do our bit to help the bee keeper by thinking about the plants we set in our gardens. Think bee friendly gardening . They love willow, black thorn, white thorn, sycamore, dandelions, ivy, black berry, white clover and the list goes on and on.                                        

This is Robert at his stall at the Lismore Farmers Market where he sells his honey and a selection of delicious cheeses. Nothing is better than buying food off the very person that produces it and now that I know how much work goes into a jar of honey it makes me appreciate every drop that bit more. I feel as though Roberts love of bees has rubbed off on me , I went for a walk today and found myself scanning the ditch lines for honey bees and getting excited by the idea of spotting one. I highly recommend to anyone who has even the smallest interest in honey or cheese for that matter to go to Roberts stall and quiz him about his honey, he's like an encyclopedia of information.

KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK .

Catch It & Cook It .......... Mackerel Pate .

Mackerel are coming to the end of their season about now, I was lucking enough to catch a few during the summer off Ardmore Bay but this week will probably see the end of them until next summer. Normally they'd be gone by now but lads were still catching them Monday night off the pier probably due to the extraordinary summer we had. My favourite way to catch them is off my kayak with a simple rig that consists of a light spinning rod & one lure called a German Sprat , I recommend not using any more than one lure while in a kayak , space is limited & if your using a string of 6 feathers & happen to catch a few in the one go you'll probably end up with a hook stuck in yourself, trust me , its very painful. I took a few photos the last time I went out & you can see for yourself, its worth every second . I honestly can't think of a better way to relax.                                                                                                                                                                              Lets Make The Pate

Ingredients : 200g mackerel
                     zest & juice of half lemon
                     100g cream Frisch 
                     Black pepper to season
                     1tsp horseradish sauce

               Method 

1: place the mackerel in a oven proof dish, cover & bake @180 degrees for 10 to 15 mins .
2:when cooked place on a chopping board, spilt the fish in two and simply remove the whole bone in one go using your fingers .                                                                                                

 3: place all the ingredients in a bowl & mix well using a fork . Simple as that , I choose to serve it on home made brown bread , yummy !!!!                                                                   This recipe also works very well with smoked mackerel, I might put a smoker on my wish list for Christmas . Hint hint to my wife.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

                                                As the saying goes ........       "Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day, teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime" ....The Happy Fisherman .

Waste Not Want Not .

870 million people go hungry each year around the world & yet we throw out , globally , 1.3 billion tonnes of food. As organisations like the United Nations , The Environmental Protection Agency & Safe Food here at home battle to reduce our food waste levels , nationally & further afield , lets look at what we can do to help the cause . 

Last month the UN published a damming report on food waste. It revealed that as much as one third of the food we produce world wide never makes it from farm to fork & ends up in food waste landfills around the world.

What is this actually costing. Food costs money to produce, if we're wasting food we're also wasting money, almost 600 billion a year according to the UN report, & if we're wasting money we're wasting resources, energy & land, in terms of water alone over half the annual average flow rate of the river Shannon is wasted each year producing food that is never eaten. It also contributes over 3 billion tonnes of greenhouse gasses to the atmosphere & takes up 30% of the world's farmland. 
One of the main reasons for this level of unused food is due to the fact that people simply don't understand the difference between the use by date and sell by date . But its really very simple. "A use by date means just that , it must be used by a certain date & should not be consumed after that date. Best before is a bit more flexible, more of a guidance . It's an indication of quality. While the quality of the product may drop after the sell by date it is by no means unsafe to eat & should not be thrown out until its passed its use by date. It all comes down to common sense . Most manufactures leave leeway room in their dates anyway as consumers fridges vary by up to ten degrees, so all dates need a safety margin . 

In the case of frozen products , meat in particular, where you might have frozen them close to the use by date , it is very important to put a label on the food to clearly mark how long you have before you have to cook it. Always defrost meat slowly in the fridge so that it doesn't reach a high enough temperature for bugs to grow.When it thawed cook immediately , Never Refreeze.

A Confused Nation Of Food Lovers .

I grew up on a farm in Ballymacoda , Co Cork where animals were always treated with respect and now as a trainee chef  it seems to have come full circle . Rare it in comfort , in natural surroundings , kill it humanly and celebrate the animals life by giving it justice on a plate .
It seems hard to believe that in this so called civilised age a most vicious & cruel spectacle of blood continues to flourish in Spain & certain other countries . Bullfighting is barbaric & should have been banned long ago . Its difficult to understand how crowds of people will pay & take pleasure in watching one lone creature , who has never done them any harm , getting hacked to death . How can anyone with an once of compassion , cheer & chant ole as a banderilla or lance is thrust into the animals pain racked body ? 

Behind The Scenes  :

The bull is normally not an aggressive animal & the reason he's angry & attempts to charge at the matador whilst in the bullring is mainly because he has been horrendously abused for the previous two days . In fact what spectators see is not a normal healthy bull , but a weakened half blinded & mentally destroyed version of itself . The bull has wet news papers stuffed in his ears , vaseline is rubbed into his eyes to blur his vision , cotton is stuffed up his nostrils to cut off his respiration & a needle is stuck into his genitals . Also a strong caustic solution is rubbed onto his legs which throws him off balance . This also keeps him from lying down on the ground . In addition to this strong laxatives are used to further incapacitate him . He is kept in a dark box for a couple of days before he faces the ring , the purpose of this is to disorient him . When he is let out of the box he runs desperately towards the light at the end of the tunnel . He thinks that at last his suffering is over & he is being set free , instead he runs into the bullring to face his killers & a jeering mob . 

The sequence of events begins when the bull faces the picadors , these are men on horse back , who's purpose is to exhaust the bull . They cut into his neck muscles with a pica . This a weapon of about 6 to 8 inches long & 2 inches thick . Once it is thrust into the bull it is twisted around & a large gaping wound appears.The bull then starts bleeding to death . 

After the picador has finished his sordid business , the assistant matadors then get to work with the banderillas ( sharp , harpoon like barbed instruments ) . These are plunged into the bulls body & he may also be taunted by capes . Up to six banderillas may be used . When the banderillas strike , the bull stops in his tracks & bellows madly   .

The kill should last 6 minutes & is done by the main matador . If he has any difficulties , the others immediately rush in to his aid & finish off the bull . The matador is supposed to sever the artery near the heart with one thrust of his sword , in fact this rarely happens . It oftens takes 2 to 3 minutes before the animal is released by death . By this time the bulls lungs will be punctured & he always vomits blood . Miraculously , he sometimes attempts to rise again only to be further mutilated . He finally gives up , goes to his knees & lies down . Even then he is allowed little dignity , his ears & tail are cut off & his broken , bleeding body is dragged around the ring by mules as the crowds jeer .

The bull isn't the only animal to suffer in the ring , hundreds of horses die agonising deaths as they are gored by the pain crazed bull . Horses have their ears stuffed with wet news paper so they don't get spooked & their vocal cords are cut to keep them silent in case they get hurt so as not to upset the spectators . Theses horses are generally working horses that have come to the end of their careers . Their reward for serving mankind faithfully is to end their days in the bullring . 

To say its part of their culture is a weak defence , this argument is also used to defend female circumcision . Once upon a time certain cultures believed in decapitating people in order to please their Gods , but that doesn't happen anymore . To say its part of their culture doesn't make it any more right . 

It makes me sad to think that a nation of food lovers could endorse such activities . I for one won't be holidaying in Spain anytime soon .

Tom Crean's Premium Irish Lager

I had the pleasure of visiting Dingle for a few days lately & I made what can only be described as a monumental discovery . A pint without the hangover . Now this might be a slight exaggeration but not totally . You see Crean's Lager is known as a fresh lager which means it has no artificial preservatives which also means less of a headache in the morning . If the pub hasn't sold the keg within 10 days after receiving it , the brewery replaces it with a fresh one . Happy days , & to make things even better its 100% Irish , using Irish ingredients & brewed in Dingle by the Dingle Brewing Company , but most importantly , its tastes great . There's a taste of more off it as they say . I think it could even replace Heineken in many pubs in Ireland in the near future if the Dingle lads can coupe with the demand . Crean's is already out selling most other beer & larger in many pubs in Dingle & is a big seller in the Kerry region in general . You can get it in some pubs outside Kerry , but not enough for my liking . There is a full list of pubs where its available on their web site www.dinglebrewingcompany.com . 
The lager is named after the great Tom Crean . A local man who as a member of the British Navy went on to take part in 3 of the 4 Antartcic Expeditions . It was during the Tera Nova expedition that he undertook the 18 hr 35 mile solo trek to save the life of his two companions . Tom was a modest man & when he retired he came home to Annascaul & ran the " South pole Inn " which still remains a pub to this day , so its only fair we celerbrate his good name in such a manor . 
The brewery is open for tours 7 days a week & brewing takes place most days so if your lucky you'll get to see the whole process from start to finish . The finish being able to sit down and enjoy a pint of this magical sauce .    

Wild Mushroom Soup

                   

Ingredients :

2lb mushrooms
1 large onion chopped
2 oz butter
1tbsp oil
2 oz flour
3 Cloves of Garlic crushed 
800ml Chicken stock 
250ml Milk 
salt , Pepper & cream to taste

Method :

1 : Melt the butter in a pot & then add the oil & onions then fry them off .
2 : Stir in the chopped mushrooms & crushed garlic
3 : Reduce .
4: Add the flour and cook it off 
5 : Add the stock and milk and bring to the boil .
6 : Simmer for 20 mins .
7 : Blitz & serve . 

Did you know that mushrooms are full of vitamin B , which help to relieve stress , depression & fatigue & if you forage them yourself then you'll be twice as happy .

Foraging For Wild Field Mushrooms In Ardmore .

This is the perfect time of year to go foraging for mushrooms . The weather at the moment is ideal , warm and damp , perfect for fungi . I went looking this morning in the fields around Ardmore and I wasn't disappointed . I brought my little girl Ella with me and her Nanny  , Marie Power led the way . She said for as long as she's living in Ardmore there has been mushrooms growing in this particular field , so off we went , eyes pealed & a bucket in hand . 
The pictures below will give you an idea how we got on . In my next post I'll be making Wild Mushroom Soup .  

Ireland Against Salmon Farms: Potentially Disastrous Situation on IrishShores

Ireland Against Salmon Farms: Potentially Disastrous Situation on Irish Shores: The shocking image below was sent to us today and it really calls into question the Irish governments so called monitoring regime carried out by the Marine Institute .

A FEW FACTS

1. Farmed Salmon have 5 times the level of polychlorinated biphenil  (PCB) . 
2. They're fed chemicals to give them colour & unnatural growth , a farmed salmon is naturally grey in colour , so a pink dye is introduced into their diet to make it more appealing to the consumer . 
3. Are fed pellets of chicken feces .
4. Are administered antibiotics at higher levels than any other live stock , due to disease such as sea lice . 
5. Has less omega 3 due to lack of a wild diet .
6. Are crowded into small areas inhibiting movement & causing disease .
7. Salmon Farms at sea create a surge of up to 10,000% the population of sea lice around the cages  , any wild salmon or sea trout that pass by these cages and become infected will eventually die from the effects of sea lice . 
8. The majority of salmon on supermarket shelves & in restaurants is labeled as organic even though there is nothing truly organic about it . It is in fact farmed salmon & should not be bought . They have used the word organic salmon on the packaging to manipulate & confuse consumers into buying their toxic farmed salmon . 
9. It has been revealed in scientific studies that farmed salmon is so carcinogenic that it is advised not to have more than 2 portions a week .
10. According to the authorities only farmed salmon can be labeled organic , due to the fact a wild salmons diet can not be tracked .        

Today's Masterpiece

Smoked Haddock With Eggs Benedict .

Todays Quote : Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall

" The fact we simply can't have any meat without taking the life of an animal , to me means meat will always be the most precious of foods , and the way I see it ,we owe it to the animals we kill not only to give them the best possible lives but also to ensure we use every last scrap of meat they give us " . 

This Is Where I Get My Eggs , The Way Nature Intended , Happy & Free .

From Farm To Fork

                                                                 Its my opinion that the best tasting beef in the world is an Irish bred Angus , nothing else compares and if anyone says otherwise their just telling lies. My father John O Brien , now retired , bred them for years in Ballymacoda Co Cork , he even won the All Ireland Angus Male Championship 1993 with a super looking bull named Pavarotti . He believed in healthy , humane , grass fed beef .   He had a way with animals thats hard to describe , a natural understanding and the utmost respect for his cattle and it showed when it came to the final product , top class beef , some of the best in the country . 

My brother's Patrick & Johnny have since taken the reins and like the saying goes " like father like son " or son's in this case , they too have the same respect for their cattle so its only fair I do them justice and cook a fillet of angus beef , born and bred in the green pastures of Ballymacoda . So here we go .........

Fillet Steak Of Angus Beef With Hollandaise Mash , Parsnip Puree , Honey Roast Carrot & Bearnaise Sauce .

Serves 2 

Ingredients : 

2 angus fillet steaks

3 large potatoes

2 medium carrots cut into batonnette of equal size

2 parsnips peeled and roughly chopped

Drop of honey

Drop of Olive oil  

Half pint of water

Half pint of milk

Method :

• First of all take the steaks out of the fridge and allow to come to room temp.
•  Then peel the potatoes and steam them until fully cooked , remember these's are for mash , we don't want any lumps so cook thoroughly . 
•  Meanwhile put the parsnips in a saucepan with the milk & water and bring to the boil and then let simmer for 15 mins or until fully cooked . They should be really soft , so as to puree .
• Coat the carrots in olive oil & honey & a pinch of salt . Place in the oven at around 180 degrees celcius for 10 mins or until golden . 
• 
  

For The Hollandaise Sauce         Takes 5 mins

2 egg yolks

110g of good Irish butter diced

1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Drop of cream

• Put all the ingredients except the butter in a round bottomed bowl and whisk thoroughly .
•  Melt the butter in a sauce pan over a low heat , bring to the boil but don't burn . 
• Whisk the hot butter into the egg yolk mixture a little at a time , you may have to return the butter to the heat every now and then during the whisking period , continue to do this until the sauce is of coating consistency .

                                                   

Cooking Of The Fillets . 

• The best way to cook steak is in a frying pan , so get a good heavy frying pan on the hob and add some oil and get it as hot as you dare before adding your fillets . The idea of this is to seal in all that precious flavour , so lets do this .....
• Season the steak on both sides with freshly milled black pepper but no salt yet as this encourages juices to come out .
• Drop the meat into the pan .Cooking times vary depending on the cut , but the following is a good guide line :
• 
  
• For 1Inch Steak( 2.5cm) 
• 1 and a half to 2 minutes each side for rare
• 3 minutes each side for medium 
• 4 minutes each side for well done
• 
  
• For 1 and a Half Inch Steak (4cm)
• 4 minutes each side for rare 
• 5 minutes each side for medium
• 6 minutes each side for well done 

NB... STEAK SHOULD BE LEFT TO REST FOR ABOUT 5 MINUTES BEFORE SERVING .

For The Bearnaise Sauce    Takes 10 minutes  

4 tablespoons of white wine vinegar

4 tablespoons of white wine 

3 peppercorns crushed

2 teaspoons of finely chopped shallots 

1 tablespoon of water

2 egg yolks

150g of butter

1 tablespoon of chopped tarragon 

• Combine the vinegar , half the tarragon , the shallots , white wine and peppercorns in a small , heavy bottomed saucepan and reduce by half over a low heat .
• When the vinegar reduction has cooled , add the cold water and egg yolks , set the pan over a low heat and whisk continuously.
• Now add the butter bit by bit until the sauce becomes thick and finish the sauce with the rest of the tarragon . 

To Make The Mash And Parsnip Puree

• Drain the potatoes and mash them , then simply add some hollandaise sauce , mash some more and season to taste .
• To make the puree , place the parsnips in a food processor with a little butter and a drop of the milk and water from the saucepan and blitz . Season to taste .

Lets Plate It Up 

• Place some mash in the center of the plate and place the steak on top , slightly to one side . 
• Put a dollop of the puree on one side of the plate and run a spoon through it for that classy look .
• Stack the roast carrots on the other side .
• Pour some of the bearnaise sauce over the steak and serve the rest in a small jug on the side .
• Garnish with a sprig of parsley and serve . 

The Ardmore School Cookbook

I came across this little gem in my local shop " Quinns" in Ardmore yesterday evening while doing the euro millions , fat chance , but my luck did come in when I found this book of tasty recipes but as it says in the introduction " these weren't just recipes that had been quickly copied from the pages of the latest Jamie Oliver book . They were in fact real , genuine family favourite - made by the children , written by the children and most importantly eaten and enjoyed by the children " .

I can't think of a better way to inspire children and maybe even light the spark that might see one or two of them go on to become the next Paul Flynn in the future . What an imaginative way to raise a few bob for the  school and it only cost 7.50 in the local shops and resturants , you can also get it in the Ardmore national school or in the village post office or just email ardmorenationalschoolpa@gmail.com to arrange a copy by post .

The first recipe I'm going to try is by Brona Keevers in 4th class , a " Parfait au Chocolat " . I can see where she gets her talent from . Brona's mother , Marie Pier Keevers is one of the best bakers in the area and has a stall in the Ardmore Farmers Market and even managed to get some of her delights into the Ardkeen Foodstore in Waterford city , need I say more .

The Ardmore School Cook Book will surely take pride of place in my kitchen and I can't wait to blog about Brona's Parfait au Chocolat .

Dish Of The Week : Salad Nicoise .

This is a delicious and light classic French salad , normally done with tinned tuna but we're not having any of that here , this one is done with a seared fittet of fresh tuna with the salad tossed in a vinaigrette . Yummy !!!

For the vinaigrette ;

40ml white wine vinegar

2 cloves of lightly crushed garlic

Coarse sea salt & ground black pepper to taste 

100ml olive oil

Method :

1:Except for the oil , add all the above ingredients in a bowl & whisk vigorously then let stand for 2 mins 

2: Gently whisk in the oil , a little at a time . Taste and season if needed . 

Ingredients for the salad 

300g waxy potatoes

4 medium tomatoes

100g green bell peppers

Half a head boston lettuce , pulled into leaves washed & dried .

200g haircots verts or very thin string beans cut into 5inch pieces& cooked crisp tender . 

2 hard boiled eggs .

4 anchovy fillets

5g of chopped fresh parsley or chervil 

20 pitted nicose olives 

Method for the salad

1: Clean potatoes & boil on a high heat until cooked . Do not over cook , you want them firm so you can cut them later into slices . Set aside & allow to cool slightly .

2: Hard boil the eggs for 10 mins .

3: Peel and slice into 3mm slices  

4: Place the potatoe slices in a bowl and lightly toss in the vinaigrette

5: Cut the tomatoes into wedges and remove the seeds . Place them in a colander lightly salt and allow to drain for 5 mins

6: Using a peeler , peel the green pepper , remove the core & cut into 2x50ml strips  

7: Sear the tuna in a griddle pan . The tuna be cooked rare .

8: Meanwhile toss the lettuce in the vinaigrette .

9: In a seperate bowl toss the green beans , peppers & tomatoes in the vinaigrette  .

10: Place the tuna in the centre of the lettuce & arrange the potatoes  , tomatoes , green beans ,  peppers & hard boiled eggs around the tuna  .Criss cross the anchovys over the tuna . Sprinkle with fresh herbs & place the olives around the edge . 

Serve immediately .

Happy Days .......   

   .