The first events for 2012

SPRING GATHERING
AGM and Planning Meeting followed by

SLOW FOOD DINNER

The Kitchen Café & Restaurant
at Galway City Museum
Monday 30th January, 7:00pm

Slow Cooked Shoulder of Pork with Fennel, Orange and Honey
*****
Stuffed Butternut Bottoms with Roasted Beetroot,
Barley and Killeen Goats' Cheese
*****
Local Seasonal Vegetables
*****
Dessert

€14 members, €22 non-members

RSVP by Saturday 28th January
Kate at 087-9312333 or Deirdre 086-6484147

Mushroom Forage in Wicklow - Irish Times article

A really interesting article in the Irish Times today about foraging for mushrooms with Louis Smith as the forage leader. Louis has led past Slow Food Galway mushroom hunts;

http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/property/2011/0922/1224304514975.html

Petersburg Forage

Wind and rain failed to dampen the spirits at the most recent and one of the most ambitious outings of Slow Food Galway.

On Sunday, 11 September 2011, Slow Food Galway had its annual forage at the Petersburg Outdoor Centre near Clonbur, Co Galway. The event ran between 11am and 5pm and included demonstrations on cooking mushrooms (thanks Maria), making cider vinegar (thanks Ciara), preparing jams and preserves (thanks Barbara) smoking mackerel (thanks Kobi), barbecuing lamb (thanks Richard) making fruit alcohol drinks (thanks Cait) and mushroom gathering (thanks to Lenke and Stan).

One of the highlights of the day was the lamb on the spit and indeed the talk on the rearing of Connemara lamb and how it achieved its European Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status. For more information check out their website http://www.connemarahilllamb.ie/ - the lamb is available from Joyce’s supermarket in Knocknacarra and Athenry.

Towards the end of the day the group split up into wild fruit foragers, mushroom foragers and the non-foragers who were content to watch the sheep dog demonstration by Joe Joyce from Joyce country sheep dog. Thanks to Roy the border collie and the second border collie whose name escapes me (sorry “Lassie”) for showing the sheep who is boss. Check out their website at:

http://www.joycecountrysheepdogs.ie/index.html

Big thanks to Padraic who led one walk and Sarah Hughes who led another herbal walk. Dolores also deserves a shout out for devising the scavenger hunt.

A really superb day with an overwhelming array on food and drink on offer with a special mention for the smoked mackerel, spit roasted lamb and clay oven pizza (thanks Geraldina and her team) in no particular order.

Big thank you to Kate, Deirdre, Barbara and all others who organised the day, all who brought along bread, desserts and chutneys and everyone who braved the elements to turn out on the day.

Check out our facebook page for photos from the day

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.258191494213574.68847.221844304514960&type=1

and if anyone has any recipes from the day feel free to post on our facebook page.

http://www.facebook.com/pages/Slow-Food-Galway/221844304514960

See you all at the next event!

Recipes from Clam Bake

Thanks to Mattie for a great Black Pudding tasting and here are the 4 different recipes he made. From my memory Recipe 2 and 4 were the tastiest . Be sure to use lots of seasoning  and herbs

Black Pudding Recipes

Black Pudding 1 Black Pudding 2

1 Pint sheeps blood 1 Pint sheeps blood
4oz oatmeal      3 slices brown bread cubed soaked in milk
2 cloves garlic crushed 4oz suet
4oz suet                   1 teaspoon corriander
1 teaspoon Rosemary salt and pepper
salt and pepper





Black Pudding 3 Black Pudding 4

1 pint sheeps blood 1 pint sheeps blood
3oz pinehead       4 slices brown bread cubed soaked in milk
4oz suet                4oz suet
2 onions chopped 1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon thyme 1 cup of oatmeal
salt and pepper 4 cloves garlic crushed
                       1 red onion chopped
                       salt and pepper
                      2oz pinehead






Method

Mix ingredients together and place mixture in cups or sasuage skin.
Place cups in water and cook or steam for 2 hours.

Forage Sunday - Sunday, 11th September

FORAGE SUNDAY

Petersburg Outdoor Adventure Centre

Clonbur, Co Galway

Sunday 11th September, 2011 :: 11am - 5pm

Nature / Herbal / Forage Walks

Demonstrations / Talks

Meet our Mushroom Expert

Sheepdog Trials

Tea/Coffee/Cake

Free Recipes Booklet

Learn how to Smoke your Catch - Mackerel, Trout, etc.

Learn how to make your own Jams, Jellies, Cordials and more

New Season Connemara Hill Lamb Roasted on a Spit

Pizza from our Clay Oven

Everyone Welcome!

Booking Necessary: Contact Deirdre at 087-6484147 or Kate at 087-9312333 at Slow Food Galway by Friday 9th Sept. :: Adults €15 (includes food) Children Free

Elderflower champagne recipe

I know a lot of people at the clam bake were look for the recipe for elderflower champagne so here you go with thanks to Barbara.

Elderflower champagne recipe

(adapted from Andy McKee www.farminmypocket.co.uk )

5/6 Elderflower flowerheads. (Christophe@ Clare Island Eco Farm suggests you pick them on a sunny day- when sugar levels in the plant are up). Flowers are not scalded or sterilised. That would kill the wild yeasts.

4.5 L filtered water

2 lemons (unwaxed)

750 g sugar

2 tbsp cider vinegar

Plastic fizzy drink bottles – squeezable- to check for pressure. Also they will not explode so quickly!.

Method:

Pick young flower heads - where the flowers have not yet started to drop petals or turn brown. Use promptly or the aroma will change.

Put 4.5 l water in large lidded saucepan.

Add the elderflowers (shake to get rid of hidden insects !) and the sliced lemons. Put the lid on and leave for 24 – 36 hours. Make sure you submerge them. Do not leave for longer or wild moulds will grow on top.

Strain the liquid through muslin. A fine sieve will do if you don’t mind some petals or pollen sacs in your drink.

Add 750g sugar and 2 tbsp cider vinegar and stir till all the sugar is dissolved.

Pour into plastic bottles. Put tops on to keep fruit flies out but don’t screw them on tight yet. Stand them in a warmish corner (approx 20º is needed for active fermentation. I put them on my heated windowsill seed germinator!) After a few days they will start to fizz.

After one or two weeks the fizzing will slow down. Screw down tops and place bottles in someplace cool. Give them a few days to generate enough gas to carbonate themselves.

Refrigerate before serving over ice and a slice of lemon.

The “champagne” is still live and continuing to ferment so the longer you keep it the more alcoholic it gets. But after 3 months or so it will become too dry for most tastes.

Check occasionally for pressure. If any bottle is unsqueezable release its pressure by loosening top slightly. Let fizzing die down before you tighten top again.

CLAM/FISH BAKE SUN 21ST AUGUST 12 NOON

Our August Slow Food event will be held at the home of Mairéad and Mattie O’Domhnaill, Leitir Mucú, Camus, Galway.

We will be having a fish/clam bake in an outdoor underground oven with shellfish, vegetables, roast potatoes and fish. If we’re lucky, we might even have some lobster!

There will also be a herb talk with herbalist and Slow Food Galway member, Sarah Hughes. And Mattie will be giving a demonstration and talk on traditional black pudding making.

Just bring a small! side dish or dessert.

Location

Leitir Mucú, Camus, Co na Gaillimhe

members €5  non-members €10

RSVP Deirdre at  087-6484147 or Kate at  087-9312333 by Friday 19th of August