We spent Sunday afternoon at the local Steeplechase

a horse race dripping in history

which is run from one point

to another point

over fences and hills

in the raw Irish countryside…

We were in awe of the young, powerful thoroughbreds

crashing over fences woven with willow branches

…leaving dust in their wake,

and struck by such stunning beauty in the strength and condition of maiden horses

As for the spectators,

there were some very serious betters

with some serious bookmakers at their disposal…

Onlookers of the canine variety were welcomed as well.

We admired colourful jockeys

gathered together before each race,

and spotted the lone female rider

all dressed in white.

Cups of hot whiskey

with lemon, sugar and cloves

were sipped by many

for warming protection

from the brisk, stirring wind

that accompanied the afternoon sun.

Unforgettable.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photos by Imen McDonnell 2012.

Tags: country life, farm, farmer, Farming, food, foodie, foodies, Horse, hot whiskey, I Married An Irish Farmer, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish, Irish country living, irish farmer, Irish food photography, married an irishman, Point to Point, Racing, steeplechase

Today is Nollaig na mBan or Women’s Christmas. It’s a holiday celebrated here on the farm with great care and joy. I will never forget the first Little Christmas I celebrated here in Ireland when my father-in-law wore a polka-dot apron and served us a massive roast goose dinner from a heated retro hostess trolley. Let’s just say, I have photos.

The tradition of Little Christmas or Women’s Christmas is still very strong especially in the southwest of Ireland and is so called because Irish men are required to take on all the household duties for the day. Most women hold parties or go out to celebrate the day with their friends, sisters, mothers, and aunts. Bars and restaurants serve mostly women and girls on this night. Children often buy presents for their mothers and grandmothers. We usually have a lovely dinner made at the farm prepared by grandad who he also does all the cleaning for the day as well. While some people think this holiday should be binned, I think it is sweet, but could certainly be “celebrated” more than once a year!

This year, we are having a big ‘ould gorgeous roast duck for dinner complete with walnut stuffing and some beautiful side dishes, all inspired by the cookbook shoot that I styled last Spring.

Are you celebrating Little Christmas?

Roast Duck with Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients

3kg/5-6lb duckling

2 tbsp lemon juice

2 tbsp clear honey

2 tbsp plain flour

300 ml/ 1 cup of chicken stock

Salt & Pepper

Walnut Stuffing

1 tbsp oil

1 onion chopped

125g/1/2 cup chopped roasted walnuts

125g/1/2 cup fresh white breadcrumbs

Grated rind of one lemon

1 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley

1 tsp chopped marjoram

1 egg beaten

Method

Preheat oven to 220c/425F/Gas Mark 7

Prepare stuffing first. Heat oil in pan and fry onion until soft

Stir in walnuts, breadcrumbs, lemon rind, parsley and marjoram. Season to taste.

Lightly beat egg and pour into the mixture to bind the stuffing

Dry the duck with kitchen paper and prick all over with a fine skewer

Fill the cavity of duck with stuffing, truss and set on wire rack in roasting pan

Mix the lemon juice and honey together and smear over duck

Sprinkle with salt and pepper

Place into hot oven for 10 minutes then lower heat to 190c/375f/Gas Mark 5 for a further 2-2.5 hours

Baste the bird several times during cooking

Leave to rest for 15 minutes

Use the duck fat drippings to make a lovely duck gravy

Happy Nollaig bheag na mban!

Imen

Photo by Moya McAllister, styled by Imen McDonnell 2011

Tags: American, farm, farmette, Farming, foodie, Imen McDonnell, irish farmer, Irish food photography, James Whelan Butchers, Little christmas, Moya Mcallister, Nollaig Bheag Na Mban, Pat Whelan, roast duck, women's christmas

We were due to depart from the USA on Sunday, but our flights were cancelled due to Hurricane Irene so we are now scheduled to leave on this coming Sunday the 4th. In the meantime, I thought it would be fun to share some cherry-licious photos from our tour of Door County last week.

Even though it’s late in the season, the trees at Hyland Orchard still had pretty + tart Montgomery cherries ready to be picked by curious little hands.

When you arrive at the orchard you feel like you’ve stepped back in time when you spot this vintage beauty

And these tempting buckets of gorgeous, freshly picked cherries were certainly mouth-watering….

After you grab a your own bucket, you are escorted to the pretty orchard, complete with rows + rows of trees and a big red barn in the distance

Geoffrey enjoyed picking cherries and we brought a little bag home to share with our friends

It was a wonderful way to spend a sunny afternoon in Door County

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Because of the changes in our itinerary, I will sadly not be participating in Electric Picnic this weekend. Hope to see you at GIY Gathering in Waterford on the 10th and 11th. 

Photos by Imen McDonnell. Styled by nature. 

Tags: cherries, DOor County, Farming, food, Hyland Orchard, Imen McDonnell, ireland, irish farmer

For as long as I can remember I have had a crush on caraway. Maybe it’s because growing up there was always a loaf of Rye lying around and as I recall it was also often sprinkled into various suppertime dishes. The distinct anise-y flavour is delicious and always brings back fond memories of home. In researching this post, I discovered that caraway is a member of the Apiaceae plant family, which also includes fennel, anise, cumin, licorice-root (Ligusticum), dill, and coriander (cilantro).  All flavours I fervently love.

When this classic seed cake recipe kept turning up in many of the old Irish cookbooks that I have been collecting, I instantly put it on my must-make list. I simply could not wait to sink my teeth into a slice and see how caraway would fare in a sweet cake.  And lo and behold, it is the perfect balance of sweet and savoury, which makes it remarkably delicious.

Caraway seed cake is a variation of one of the most popular cakes made in Ireland, the Madeira. Similar to our American pound cake, but lighter and flakier-as not a full pound of flour, butter and eggs are used; it is moist and sweet in all the right ways. Madeira is considered a sponge cake and is the base of many traditional Irish cakes, including the traditional “Birthday Cake” which is a Madeira made with citrus peel, stem ginger and sultanas. I made this time-honoured cake for my father-in-law’s birthday in August and he was absolutely over the moon.

Other variations on the Madeira are cherry, sultana, rice (using rice flour), chocolate, sultana, Excelsior (coconut), Athassal (tri-coloured: almond/chocolate/vanilla), Jam sandwich (layered with raspberry jam), Ginger, Genoa (fruit peel with sliced almonds on top), poppy seed and, of course the classic Christmas cake.

According to Darina Allen, Madeira cake was originally made to be nibbled on by the ladies as they sipped their Madeira or port wine. This nibbling has been going here on since the 18^th or 19^th century and it certainly doesn’t look like it’s going anywhere anytime soon. Give this recipe a try and have it on hand when friends call over for a cuppa and some chit- chat on a crisp Autumn afternoon.

As with any recipe, using the best ingredients, organic or free-range and local as much as possible will create the most flavourful result. Of course, we use our own raw milk and eggs from the family farm for any baking or cooking here at home, but if you don’t live on a farm you can easily find these products at your local farmer’s market, cooperative or in most supermarkets. Please support your local farmers.

Caraway Seed Cake

(from Darina Allen’s, “Forgotten Skills of Cooking”)

Serves about 8

175g (6 oz) soft butter

175g (6 oz) caster (granulated) sugar

3 organic eggs

½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

225g (8 oz) plain white flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

about 1 tablespoon milk or water

Round (springform) cake tin 18 cm (7 in) wide 7.5cm (3 in) deep

Preheat oven to 180 C/350 F

Line base of pan with greaseproof paper.

Cream butter in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon, add sugar and whisk until light and fluffy. This will give you a smoother cake than just dumping the sugar in with the butter at the beginning. Whisk the eggs and vanilla extract together and gradually add to the creamed butter and sugar. Whisk well. If preferred the eggs can be whisked into the mixture one at a time. Fold in the flour, adding the baking powder mixed in with the last addition of the flour. Mix in one tablespoon of fresh caraway seeds. Add a little milk or water if needed to make a dropping consistency. Fill into prepared cake tin.

Bake for 50-60 minutes, remove from over and let cool in the tin.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell

Tags: Caraway Seed Cake, darina allen, food, foodie, Forgotten Skills of Cooking, Imen McDonnell, ireland, Irish, irish farmer

“O Oysters,” said the Carpenter. “You’ve had a pleasant run! Shall we be trotting home again?” But answer came there none- And that was scarcely odd, because They’d eaten every one.’  -Lewis Carroll, The Walrus and the Carpenter.

The first time I had an oyster I wanted to try out the “aphrodisiac” quality. Not sure it worked on me, though I must say I did find the flavour and sense of gastronomic adventure very desirable. The native Irish oyster “Ostrea Edulis” can be found throughout the coastal regions of Ireland and would be considered traditional seafood fare dating back to the 13th Century. The best way to enjoy the full flavour of oysters is to eat them raw, served on the half shell to hold their succulent juices. Fresh lemon juice or a drop of Tabasco sauce are often used as condiments and a cold pint of Guinness served on the side makes for a wonderful Summer supper.

Oyster culture is probably one of the most environmentally friendly types of farming as it doesn’t require any entrants to be added from the exterior (neither feed nor medication). It has also an extremely low and often negative carbon footprint. Oysters feed themselves on elements which are naturally found in the seas where they grow. The oyster farmer’s task is to simply accompany the natural growth of oysters by managing stocking densities and thereby naturally influencing shell shape and growth rates.  Irish oysters are coveted and are exported to a huge demand in France as well as the UK, Belgium, Germany and more distant markets such as the Ukraine, China and Japan.

The Galway International Oyster Festival takes place each September and has evolved from very modest beginnings. In September 1954, 34 guests attended the very first “Oyster Festival Banquet”. Now, thousands of people from around the world gather together to eat oysters and drink Guinness each year. The festival takes place this year the 22-26th of September and promises to be filled with loads of fun and frolic.

Perhaps we shall see you there?

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Photo by Imen McDonnell. Assisted by Master Geoffrey McDonnell.

Tags: Farming, food, foodie, Galway Oyster Festival, Guinness, ireland, irish farmer, oyster farming, Oysters

The first time someone saluted me on the road it actually startled me. You see, it was one of those pointy, fingertip salutes whereby the person wags their finger a wee bit as if, in my mind, to say, “hey, you shouldn’t do that”.  I immediately checked to make sure I was driving on the right side of the road, which I was (for a change) and then I tried to mentally devise what I could have possibly been doing wrong. Soon another car came racing by and did the same action, which further boosted my anxiety. After 5 more cars and 4 pointy salutes (btw, I was in Tipperary and I rarely see this type of salute in our neck of the woods…we seem to have a lot of hand waves and head nods) I finally arrived at my destination. I immediately described this strange behaviour to my friends and, after a laugh at my expense, they explained that sure, it was merely a polite way to acknowledge you and say hello.

This is rural hospitality. And I am struck by it. Now, it is not to be mixed up with urban hospitality, i.e. scribbling “wash me please” on a dirty car or graciously keeping your head down on the subway. No, saluting and a few other lovely gestures are a true callback to times past…where being a decent and helpful person was simply a selfless act of kindness. Not saying that city dwellers are inhospitable, I won’t generalize-but I can’t claim to have ever been saluted in this way by a driver in L.A., NYC or MPLS. Unless, of course, you consider flipping a certain centrally located finger or sounding a wailing horn the same thing.

Calling in for a cup of tea unannounced is another one of those courteous gestures. Where we live you will always hear of “so and so” calling over to “so and so’s” for a warm cuppa and a chat to catch up on all the latest gossip (funerals, pregnancies, the priest and the weather, for example). Around here it still is nearly as much a ritual as going to church every Sunday. On the other hand, where I come from in the USA, the door doesn’t get answered unless it is known in advance whom the caller may be and what exactly they want with you. It is practically considered to be rude or perhaps even sneaky to pop by unannounced. You’d have to nearly “book in” at least a day in advance and declare your intentions for the visit with someone even as close as your best girlfriend. These are two extremes and at this stage I fall nicely into the middle.

Give me a ring to make sure I am home, and I will be happy to see you.

And if I drive past you on the road, I will salute.

Slan Abhaile,

Imen

Tags: country, cuppa, farm, hospitality, ireland, irish farmer, LA, marriage, NYC, tea