Connemara Adventures

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The Wild West

False Bay

The world of Lola-lu’s Kitchen has been quiet online of late, but having been busy this summer with work (both of us) we’ve been taking our holidays late. Lola was off on a Las Vegas California adventure - while I headed to the Wild West (of Ireland!)

Here’a few food highlights from my travels in the van with Delo from around Connemara and Mayo. We’d the most amazing time, staying in some beautiful remote spots with the most incredible views. Travelling in September found some of the more popular spots quite deserted.

We caught and cooked some fish (not the tastiest fish, but we caught it, so by god we ate it!) We gained some fishing advice from an old fisherman on the pier, which gave us the boost we needed after fishing fruitlessly for several hours.

The Old Fishing Hole

Success!

Getting accustomed to cooking in the dark!

The Connemara Smokehouse  - sitting on the farthest reaches of Ballyconnelly. Populated with a healthy population of seagulls. They run tasting tours with advance notice. The place has a puzzling small chimney for a 'smoke' house! We just called in on Monday morning and bought some fresh organic smoked salmon, which we had for breakfast on brown bread with coffee. It was divine – a lovely subtle smoked salmon that melts in the mouth. They also have a special smoked tuna – maybe not ideal for breakfast but I’ll pick some up next time I’m there.

Breakfast is served

Smokehouse View and the Sea

After a long cycle the following day we bumped into the old fisherman unloading a small currach on the pier, having spent several hours at sea that morning.  I asked him if he’s had a good day and his response was “ah everyday is a good day for me now’ which was just such a wonderful sentiment – expressed so genuinely. After a little chat he asked would we like some crab claws. Of course we said yes and he produced a large crate of crabs and gave us a huge pot full of claws for our dinner, and looked for nothing in return. So happily we set off from the pier and off to False Bay – a spot where my mum used to take us to play in the waves, with huge basket of tuna and egg sandwiches!

False Bay - Ballyconnelly

We parked up for the night in beautiful sunny solitude. After  a swim in the waves we settled down for the night. We had ‘Chilli con Sausage’ for dinner. Like chilli con carne – but with sausages instead of mince.

Van Cooking

Van Cooking

Van Drinking

Cooking

Long Distance Cooking

Chilli Con Sausage

After a nice long evening with a fire and a clear sky. We set a pot of crab claws boiling on the fire. After boiling for about 15 minutes, we set about the them. Words will fail me when I try to describe how amazing these were. Wonderful and tender and buttery, melt in your mouth. We added not a thing to these, and I’m pretty sure they couldn’t be improved on in any way. Thank you lovely fisherman, I’m pretty sure this is a food experience I’ll never forget.

Clab Claws by Day

Clab Claws by Night

We stayed with Delo's relations on their farm in Moycullen in  Galway. They have tons of chickens and we ate some of the most delicious eggs, bright orange yokes, and tasted incredible. Renewed my ambition to own my own chickens asap - they'll love my little balcony honestly!

Freshest Scrambled Eggs

Omie Island - Access via sandbank. Minutes later up to our axels in sand with the tide rising! Not funny, got towed out by some friendly druids, not a happy 20 minutes of my life

After nearly loosing Mister (the van) in the sea – we wished him a happy 40th birthday with  a lovely apple cake from Walsh’s Bakery in Cliften, Galway. This is an incredible shop with a huge variety of breads and cakes. We sampled some great bread rolls, a baileys éclair (amazing!) this cake and a good hearty farmhouse loaf. I would highly recommend a visit if you’re in the area, a really top class bakery. 

Spiddal

Front View - Spiddal

Killary Harbour View Mayo - nice spot!

View from Diamond Hill - Connemara National Park

Then as part of Cliften Arts week there was a performance, with glass seahorses suspended from a crane, and about a hundred kids all dressed in costumes of lights. There was dancing, fire juggling, fire hula-hooping, a fire breathing horse, and then a parade of multi-coloured castle towers! An amazing night for a birthday. 

Cliften Arts Week

Detail of Glowing Castle Tower

Master of Ceremonies

Saffron Spiced Bulgur Pilaf with Pomegranate

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Anti-oxidant Rich and Quick

So I have a quick hour to prepare some dinner after work before nipping off to rehearsal. I’d also like some food for my lunch tomorrow, so decide to make up a kind of fancy bulgur pilaf. Something full on flavour and light on time. You can substitute the bulgur for cous-cous, quinoa or rice if you have them handy.

Ingredients
2 as a main - 3 as a side
1 cup of bulgur wheat
5 strands of saffron
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 small red onion - finely diced
2 small cloves of garlic crushed
2 teaspoons of poppy seeds
1 large handful of cashews
1 handful of raisins
1/2 pomegranate - seeds
big pinch of garam masala

In a pan - add one cupful of hot water to the saffron strands, crush the strands gently with a wooden spoon to release the colour. Leave to steep while you prepare the rest of your dinner.

Fry the onion, in a non-stick pan, for two minutes over a medium heat for a few minutes before adding in the garlic. Cook until the onion is translucent. Stir in the garam masala and cook for another minute. Stir in the bulgur wheat until coated with oil, then add in the saffron water, and then another cup of water. Bring to a simmer and cook for three minutes, add a little more water if this begins to stick.

Stir in the seeds, raisins and cashew nuts when you think it’s cooked. A big bunch of freshly chopped parsley would be great stirred in here, or some fresh coriander if you have some. Stir in the pomegranate seeds when off the heat, reserve a few more for garnish.

This makes a great side to serve alongside baked sweet potatoe falafel or hummus, or alongside some sticky ginger roast chicken legs. It would be a great little dish to bring along to a picnic or buffet lunch. The yellow from the saffron and the red little jewels of pomegranate seeds make it a very pretty side dish. I served it with some carrots that I parboiled and then glazed with honey and balsamic vinegar and popped under the grill to get rich and brown.

Barbequed Salmon Parcels with Fresh Peas, Tarragon & Cream

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Postman Pat would be proud!

Oooooh fresh peas in a pod - I just love these, reminds me of visiting my granny as a kid in the peak district in England. We go to a 'Pick Your Own' where we would pick our own raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries and peas. Mum used to joke that they should weigh us on the way out, and charge us for all we'd eaten while there....

I digress, because I'm in France not England

Here's a recipe

2 pieces of salmon
2 sprigs of tarragon
A good dash of cream
Salt & Pepper
Peas in a pod - 20 pods or so

Make a square of tinfoil, make it pretty large. Place on your salmon, tarragon - and season. Sprinkle over your peas - fresh from the pod, add a dash of cream. Fold up the tinfoil to allow some air to circulate in and around the top of the fish. Barbeque for 10 mins. Carefully open the parcels.

This would also work wonderfully in a nice hot oven. Eat with spuds, or bread and preferably sun, and some nice white wine or Brittany speciality - cider, think less Bulmers and more sparkling apple wine

Barbequed Potatoes

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A La Delahunty

Get a square of tinfoil, pop a little spud in there. Drizzle with olive oil, a grind of black pepper, and a dash of salt. Don't forget to prick the potatoes first. Wrap in tinfoil, and pop on the barbeque for 15-20 mins, till soft and delicious, serve with a little nob of butter.... so very, very good!

Ingredients Potatoes Salt Pepper Olive Oil Tinfoil

see the clever colour connection between the two pictures there.....?

Mustard & Brandy Scallops

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Get Scallops - throw in some brandy and some Dijon mustard onto the square of tinfoil, as well as some salt and pepper. Seal up your parcel and barbeque for ten mins on an medium heat. Dust in a little flour towards the end and mix around to make a super delicious gravy to dip your bread in. I have no idea how to cook scallops but this tasted pretty damn good These photos are terrible but I'll throw in one of sunflowers from the trip too to make up for it!

Artichokes al Fresco

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We bought and artichoke and looked at it in confusion for several days, being in a field with no internet - how would we ever know what to do with it.

So I went for an easy option of wrapping it in tinfoil, throwing in some butter and garlic and throwing it on the barbeque. After cutting away the stalk and the tops of the leaves, we cooked it for about 15-20 minutes. Then peeled ff the outside leaves, and nibbled the ends covered in butter, then took away the flowery parts in the centre to reveal a nicely cooked heart

Good guess work, now to find out how you're really supposed to cook them....

Lemon & Tarragon Barbecued Whiting

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Fish in a Box

This is a quick and delicious way to prepare fish, the tarragon lightly infuses the meat as it cooks gently over a medium heat barbecue. The slices of lemon lend a subtle flavour, whilst preventing the fish from sticking to your grill or 'fish box'.
Gut your whiting, fill the cavity with some fresh tarragon and some slices of lemon - salt and pepper gently. Then place some other slices of lemon on either side and place into your 'fish box' This makes it so much easier to turn the fish and prevents fall apart.

Cooks in 10 -12 minutes.

Barbequed Shrimp

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Throw some Shrimp on the Barbie!

After a lovely sunny walk in Howth, me

and Colm went to Dorans on the Pier and bought a big bag of shrimp for hardly any money. Then we went home and cooked them on the barbeque like this:

Ingredients

enough shrimp for everyone

bunch coriander

1 red chili

1 lime

Olive oil

salt & pepper

De-seed and finely chop the chili. Tear up the coriander. squeeze the lime. mix everything together and leave to marinade for a half an hour (or longer if you can). throw everything onto a hot BBQ and cook until the shrimp turns pink (about 3 mins each side)

They were so good! As you can see from the top photo, we also did some Dublin Bay prawns, but they freaked me out a bit as there were so big. I also think I overcooked them... anyway, the shrimp was great!

Lovely Lovely Howth