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 .......   

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