Escape to The Hares Corner

After four days of being snowbound we finally managed to escape from the weather enforced confinement of our bijou home. Last night, the end of the fourth day, a mammoth tractor whose size very nearly filled the width of the road cleared away the mounds of accumulated snow drifts and our car was freed.

Our first call was to our nearest store, 6km away, to top up on essential supplies like fuel for the Bentley look-a-like, turf briquettes for the stove and an essential packet of MacVitie's digestive biscuits that most cuppa's need. We turned for home when a sudden idea came to me, 

"How's about we go for lunch in The Hare's Corner ?" 

Agreement from Mrs H came very swiftly and without hesitation.

No better place for good wholesome food !

In warm weather you can sit outside on the terrace and enjoy the warmth of the day.

The great man himself, Declan Furlong,

the Owner and Chef of Hare's Corner.

Hares abound at every turn. 

I have an idea that hares might be Declan's totem animal.

I believe that this building was once an Irish grain mill belonging to Odlum's Flour, 

hence the industrial steel columns, heavy beams and stone walls. 

As a restaurant it is a comfortable and an almost homely space to dine  

whether that be for a breakfast or lunch.

We do indeed need the 'Tonic of Wildness', especially after eating one 

of Declan's meals, then a good walk in the nearby Slieve Blooms provides 

the tonic of fresh air and exercise.

Alternatively you might do as I did and have a snooze in the chair alongside

a cosy turf fire and dream of walking in the wilds !

A Melding of Thoughts

The other day we returned to Slieve na Cailleach especially to meet up with the artist Lar Dooley who had traveled there from the Dublin area.

Sometimes when meeting people for the first time it can be a bit nerve wracking, not though this time for we met with ease. We felt that we were linking up with an old friend and at the end of our discussions, we all knew, that we shall meet up to talk again. 

Neither of us practise religion in any shape or form. There is nothing that we can give, take or receive from any belief system and thus no intermediary is required to advise or intercede on our behalf. Lar uses the word ‘spirit’, I use the word ‘energy’ for what we both know as life-force.

We had a very interesting conversation where each of us expressed a mutual understanding about the existence and continuance of life. Each of us, in our own way, had met The Cailleach (the ancient crone) experiencing her presence in an indelible and unforgettable way. 

The artists Lar Dooley beneath his work with Mrs H.

The Café

The hosts Niall and Sarah who created the best BLT Panini 

that I have ever eaten.

Mary Heaney's Cottage.

Mary's hearth in her kitchen.

Mary's bedroom with a cradle alongside the bed

A visitor from the USA finds her way

On leaving the café, I trotted around to take more photos and to talk with some of the people from the USA who were on a day tour of the area. It was a day of pleasant exchanges and a certain president did not come out well - ah such is life.

SLUGS FOR SUPPER

Our supper this evening contained, in amongst the crispy green salad leaves, that not so rare a specimen known as  Arion distinctus Eire or the Irish green slug and yet when treated with the culinary skills that

the dearly loved Mrs H possesses, are also known as Dolmades. 

There were as you can see five of them on my plate, wrapped in giant Irish shamrock leaves, which were grown in our own garden. They were then cooked and pickled gently in white Guinness for seventy two hours, drained and finally stored in a cool place for four weeks ‘till matured.

The Arion distinctus Eire were utterly delicious, very filling as you can no doubt imagine and put the rest of the meal’s ingredients as nice as they were, in the shade.
Mrs H’s skills as a dedicated nocturnal Slug hunter are renowned for miles around. Neighbours have been known to drive to our boundaries with their night glasses and notebooks following her at a safe distance as she makes her selection from a large herd of well fed slithering Irish slugs.

A Slug Supper

And so I wish you bon appétit!

For further information and recipes -
http://www.eattheweeds.com/are-slugs-edible-what-about-snails-2/

A GAS TIME !

About month ago our twenty-three year old gas cooker finally gave up the ghost and died. It was no real surprise to us for the grill stopped working last year. We were not too bothered at the time because the oven and the top burners were still working efficiently. 

Sooner or later we would need a new cooker so we visited various retailers to find a good replacement.

In the middle of January we made our choice.

I particularly told the shop to ensure that the cooker was fitted with burner jets suitable for LPG  bottled gas (Butane) which is used here in the countryside as there is no piped gas supply.

I was informed that all of their cookers ran on ‘country gas’ and we arranged the delivery date.

The New Gas COOKER

The new cooker arrived, the defunct cooker was taken away to be scrapped and all that remained was to make the connection to the gas bottle. I had done this a great many times in the past and it had not been an obstacle.  I intended to do the same again, to the chagrin of the retailer, who said I needed a gas fitter to obtain a certificate. 

I competently made the connection without any leaks. Next job was to  the plug cooker into the electricity supply for the oven illumination and the six igniters.

Then came the first test, igniting the rings.

There were long yellow tips to the flames and the same phenomena also occurred in the oven.

Very clearly there was a problem. The burner jets were for the piped natural gas which is supplied to cities and towns.

Next morning I rang my supplier and informed him of my discovery. 

As I listened to his utter nonsense he tried to blind me with suggestions such as having fitted a bottle of ‘dirty gas’ which I totally refuted. Finally I was informed that the cooker had a kit with alternative burner jets, so I agreed to engage a Gas Fitter to replace them. 

 TOP OFF

The fitter arrived and then the real fun started. I don’t think he had ever changed burner jets before or even remove the various cooker parts, such as the top and front access panels. I ended up working alongside him, sometimes advising him on how to do his job. 

FRONT PANEL - OFF

Re-assembly was even more humorous than taking it apart. We did achieve a sense of order eventually and used all of the screws that we had removed without having any left over. 

Then came the first test. Yes, the four top rings had blue coloured flames, as did the oven.

BACK PANEL - OFF

We then ignited the grill. Damn and blast! 

The igniter worked, we could see it sparking. The gas was coming through, we could smell it. But no ignition, we had a banjaxed grill.

I said “ Xxxk it !..... Disconnect the xxxxing thing! ........ The retailer can have it back.”

Our gas fitter was with us for three and half hours, a job that should only have taken an hour.

One week later (last week) a replacement stove arrived along with the Gas Fitter.

More fun ensued, a lot more fun this time. There were gas leaks at the connection and he was mystified. I explained that at the pipe connection union, where there was a fibre washer it had a tapered thread and that it did not need any PTFE tape. So he stripped off the tape and guess what ?  No leakage of gas - Heron was right. I did though ask him for a certificate of worthiness and it is my belief that I had earned it!

My Nut Roast

I rarely bake much these days, though there have been times when I was very active practising my culinary skills by throwing together a Soda bread every two days for years on end and some nights making Salmon Mornay or a red wine laced Bolognese for supper. 

For desserts I made a rich bread and butter pudding with a teaspoonful brandy and enriched the milk with a tub of double cream. Then there were other favourites like egg custards and semolina puddings that I thoroughly enjoyed for they were so delicious even when eaten cold. 

I even discovered how to make my own clotted cream from Irish milk

that tasted exactly the same as the Cornish and all through those years I never realised that it would bring about my Waterloo and that a new eating habit would have to be introduced.

All was not lost. One recipe remained, one dish that has proved to be as viable now as it was then. The Nut Roast and I have made so many that I am able to adjust the recipe to suit myself. 

Ingredients:

Walnut halves two handfuls roughly crushed.

Cashews two handfuls some crushed others halved.

2 large onions chopped up and sauté in Olive Oil.

Tomato puree about a tablespoon.

2 packets of Stuffing - I use Lidl’s deluxe range.

5 or 6 cloves of Garlic chopped. 

Baked Beans - 1 large tin of Heinz.

Black Pepper - lots of it.

Herbes de Provence - 1 tablespoonful.

NUT ROAST

First peel and chop the onions and try not to cry. Warm the cast iron pan, add oil and chopped onions. While they are cooking bring to life the stuffing in the mixing bowl. Crush the nuts, I use a roller on a bread board and when satisfied throw them into the stuffing. Add the baked beans and their liquid, plus tomato puree. The onions, if soft can now be added. Stir them into the stuffing, now peel and chop the garlic and add to mix along with Herbs de Provence and black pepper.

Finally I taste the mixture to determine the texture and flavour prior to cooking. Spoon mixture into a nonstick baking tin and level the top gently. Cook in a pre-heated oven Gas mark 4 for approx 40 minutes. Test the same as a cake - if the blade comes out clean it is done, if not leave for a few minutes longer.

Place finished nut roast on a wire rack and allow to cool before removing from the tin. Consume with fresh vegetables and enjoy.