Nenaghgal Makes Sushi at Home

I'm a huge fan of sushi and I'd have to say it is probably the main food I miss most from when we lived in New York. So a couple of weeks ago, on a new mission to try and get my family to eat more fish - I decided I was jolly well going to figure out how to make it myself.

I picked up key ingredients in Kilkenny City - the Sushi rice, Wasabi and Nori but surprisingly found the sushi mat in Tesco along with the rice vinegar. It's a really simple process I assure you and you don't have to use fish - I just used smoked salmon some thin cucumber and red pepper slices.

 First make the rice - I got my husband to make it ahead of time so it had chilled. Lay a piece of nori out on your matt. Dap your fingers into some rice vinegar and spread lightly over the nori. Then take your sushi rice - which is super sticky! and spread out on a thin layer - leave a bit of room at the top.

 Add the extra ingredients such as salmon and red pepper - I also put a think layer of wasabi paste in as well which gives it a fabulous kick! Personally I don't think I'd be quite comfortable doing the fully raw fish sushi -I'd prefer to buy that in a sushi restaurant.

 And then you slowly roll working the nori around the rice - it worked!!

 And then slice.

A little messy but delicious - we dunked our in dark soy sauce - the only thing I did not have was pickled ginger to lay on top and something that I find particularly delicious!.
My daughter Sophia took all the photos of me preparing it - she's hoping to have her own blog some day soon too!
Coming up soon - my monkfish dishes.....
Have you tried making sushi? If so, what did you put in?

Nenaghgal Visits the Galway Aquarium

Sophia and I went to the National Aquarium in Galway back in January for the day and as always it was such a nice place to visit. It's just over an hour from Nenagh these days and on a cold wintery day, an ideal to kill an hour or so. The big tank has a wonderful mural on the wall behind it which really makes it so much more interesting and inviting.

We so enjoyed watching all the skates and sharks swimming along and trying to find the other flat fish.

There's a whale skeleton hanging from the ceiling upstairs.

And this was the "skate nursery" - you could see the baby skates moving inside their egg cases. So amazing!

The Aquarium is open 7 days a week and kids under 16 only cost €6.25 to go in, adults €10.25. We took a tour around which was worth while as you always find out some interesting fact about something. Plus, it's not a huge spot - you can easily get through in an hour and it's literally right on the beach so if the weather is nice you can stroll along the promenade.

In the Octopus Garden the octopus was eating a crab.

More lovely murals.

A submarine that you can go inside and imagine you are deep under the sea.

Upstairs we were able to hear about the crabs and Sophia got to hold one.

She also got to hold a starfish as well.

This is the hallway leading from the car park - I loved the bright blue walls and the vivid colour images of sea life.

The shop is quite good too with a nice mix of trinkets and postcards.

Sophia posing outside before we got back in the car.

Put the Aquarium on your list of place to go this year - a great spot for the whole family.

Nenaghgal and the Charity Event - "Vintage Graduation"

I always like to meet people who think outside of the box, being a "thinking outside of the box" kind of person" myself - I'm highly receptive to innovative ideas. And that's exactly what I felt meeting James and Kismet Noonan who have come up with a fun and unusual way to do a charity fundraiser. On the 10th of March, right here in good old Nenagh, they are hosting a "Vintage Graduation" in the Abbey Court Hotel to raise money not only for Relay for Life/Irish Cancer Society but also for Suaimhneas Care Centre - The North Tipperary Cancer Support Centre.

I myself took part in Relay for Life last year and thoroughly enjoyed it. 24 hours walking and chatting and meeting new people and fully immersing yourself in the magic of raising money for people you know, in the memory of those you've lost or in the hopes of saving others around you. 

So, James and Kismet have a team called Team Cando for Relay for Life this year and the Vintage Graduation event is a fundraising event for them.The proceeds will be split between the two.

For those of you not familiar with Suaimhneas, it is a support centre located here in Nenagh for people living with cancer and their carers.Their mission is to extend a "helping hand" to all those affected by cancer by creating a supportive, safe, confidential and warm environment. Located in Clonaslee, Gortlandroe it is a completely volunteer organization

I sat down with them in their kitchen the other night and let me tell you it brought back lots of memories. Of course in American it's your prom. You have the Prom King and Queen - which you'll have on the 10th of March. You have the wild and wacky dresses and pale blue tuxedos' - you'll have those on the 10th of March and if you didn't go to your Grad or Prom all those years ago - well, here's your chance to capture some magical memories!!

Tickets cost €45 Euro but that includes your meal and great Music from the 70's, 80's and 90's.

Tables will each have a movie theme to them and there will be a list of questions at each to get everyone talking !!They even worked with head chef David Oulton at the Abbey Court Hotel to come up with a special menu on the night (see below) and the hotel is also offering a special deal on rooms for the night €89 per couple including breakfast. What a deal! And all for such a good cause.

I talked to Ray Lynch, Deputy Manager at the Abbey Court about putting this event together and he told me,

" I suppose what makes this event quiet unique is that it is a “second chance” to attend your debs night.

The menu for that night is somewhat designed on the old menus from years ago,when we were younger and debs menu’s would’ve had this type of food on it.

It needed quiet rightly a open mind from our Executive Chef David Oulton,who in consultation with Kismet and Jim came up with this menu.

I also didn’t attend my own debs years ago,and understand if I didn’t there would be more people like me.

Its going to be incredibly fun and enjoyable and more importantly for a good cause.

The tables themselves are going to be dressed a little different also with old style colours"

Intrigued to find out what Chef Oulton came up with?
Melody of the 80's - Egg Mayonnaise, mini-Florida cocktail, mini prawn cocktails with avocado vinaigrette.
Retro Chicken - Roast half Spring chicken with tomato and thyme gravy
or
Salmon En Croute - with spinach, marscapone cheese and herb cream
or
Nut Cutlet (Vegetarian Option) - hazelnut and date cutlet with rosemary hollandaise

Finally, Grannies Lethal Cork Sherry Trifle with Ice Cream

If you've been through Nenagh lately, you might also see that some of the charity shops have dressed their windows for the occasion. Tuxedo's and dresses graced one I walked by the other day- they are just waiting for a couple to come in and get them for this unique evening out. Kismet has approached many local businesses such as the hair salons, beauticians, dress hire and charity shops to do up their windows. Many will offer discounts.

So kick off your charitable side this year and put the Vintage Graduation on your event schedule. It's guaranteed to be a fun night out and you can feel good about giving towards two important causes that seem to affect pretty much everyone these days.

Take a Step Toward Fighting Cancer.

Tickets are Available at The Abbey Court Hotel at 067-41111 or from James Noonan at 086-8873986.

Nenaghgal Enjoys Lunch at Homemade with Clodagh McKenna

Last week I was lucky enough to be in Arnott's on Henry Street, Dublin on the day Clodagh McKenna was launching her new sandwich selection at Homemade Express. So on my lunch break I headed up to the first floor where Homemade is located and was able to have a rare moment with Clodagh as she juggled her duties behind the counter. Wendy Kavanagh from the website My Chef at Home also joined us which was great as I follower her on Twitter - always nice to chat in person with "virtual" friends.

 The selection at Homemade Express was impressive - fresh and locally sourced ingredients filled sandwiches and salads. Even though I captured some shots free of people, there was a steady stream of people throughout the hour.

 Both Wendy and I commented on how refreshing it was to see Clodagh herself there - toasting sandwiches and serving customers. So often a brand is created and the face of the brand disappears from view - suddenly too busy or "important" to be there for the day to day stuff.  Thankfully, not in this case. Clodagh told us that she's in Homemade at least 3 days a week. On weekends she's busy at her cooking school at the Village at Lyons in Kildare.

 I had the Farmhouse sandwich which was simple but filling. It had Gubbeen cheese, honey roasted ham and a spicy apple chutney served on a hearty slices of fresh bread toasted.

 The selection of foods to take home was impressive - I pulled together a sample of the range above. From soups, salad and full meals to gorgeous homemade pesto (which Clodagh makes herself), fresh breads, olives, a selection of Irish made drinks such as apple juice, lemonades and 8 Degrees ales. All to be finished off with a fantastic selection of cakes and cupcakes - I'm partial to red-velvet myself.

 After lunch I had a cappuccino which arrived to my delight and surprise in a vintage tea cup.

 Wendy and I split a red velvet and carrot cupcake - they were gone in a flash!

Next time you are in Arnotts - and need a place to stop for lunch or a cuppa - Homemade is the ideal spot. They have the express option (choices above) but you can also sit down and pick from several hot meals, pates and salads. 

For more on Clodagh -visit her own website, Clodagh McKenna. It appears there's not much Clodagh isn't doing - she's got 3 cookbooks under her belt - a new television series called Homemade coming up, expansion beyond Ireland and much much more. And to top it all of, she was delightful company -down to earth and real. I wish her continued success!

Nenaghgal Captures Winter in Nenagh

 My husband gave me a new camera for Christmas. It was a lovely surprise but  I only had the proper chance to start trying it out about two weeks ago when it arrived from America with my mother. Late afternoon one day just as dusk was falling I had to go into town and took my camera with me. Above is the beautifully restored Nenagh Castle which should be officially opened in the next few months. It has a striking presence in the town and it situated very close to the main Church, St. Mary's of the Rosary (you can see the spire behind). So today I just thought I'd do a very simple post on the photographs I took.

 St. Mary's through the trees.

 Sunset through the branches.

 The gate at the entrance to St. Mary's.

 Nenagh Castle with a jet trail high above it.

 Cold but beautiful.

I'm sure there will be many more images to come as I'm loving the new camera!

Nenaghgal Relishes Parisian Food

A few weeks ago I was lucky enough to go to Paris for my job for two nights. The main reason reason for going was to visit the trade show Maison et Objet - a huge show for retailers with the latest and greatest in interior design, accessories, fabrics, fragrances, gardening, children's toys, jewellery and much more. Unfortunately it is forbidden to take photographs although I did sneak a few in but in my free time I really wanted to see some of the shops of Paris. I had 2 hours free on the Friday and went directly to Galeries Lafayette as I'd heard amazing things about the food hall. 

Galeries Lafayette was buzzing with shoppers taking advantage of the 70% off in the sales and the massive store has loads of fashion under it's domed roof but I was there this time to see the food.

 And I was not disappointed. The displays were amazing and as I walked through it more and more rooms open up to different areas - seafood, poultry, spices, take away foods, cheeses, breads and pastries...you name it.

 The seafood display was laden with a wonderful assortment of fish and shell fish even urchins.

 I've always loved food packaging and these did not let me down.

 Gorgeous displays of fresh vegetables and amazing pastries - I thought these resembled the Irish flag.

 Stacks of beautiful tins of caviar.

 Dim sum and other Asian goodies for take away.

 An amazing array of sardines - I loved all the tins.

Fauchon located close by on Place De La Madeleine did not disappoint either. The impeccable displays were awe- inspiring. I couldn't stop taking photographs of the colours and the packaging. Unfortunately I could not buy as much as I would have liked to but did get some Fauchon chocolates and biscuits and some delicious mini-salami's and lavender honey. Next time we must stay in an apartment so we can actually cook with all this amazing food.
Hope you enjoy as much as I did.