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I developed and styled three recipes for Shines Tuna for Irish Country Living Summer 2023 Food supplement photographed by Phil Doyle https://www.farmersjournal.ie/producer-s-plate-seafood-with-a-side-of-sustainability-767475

Delighted that my recipe was featured in the Kitchen Cabinet of the Irish Times! https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/food-and-drink/fish-pie-with-a-delicious-spanish-irish-twist-1.4305149

Morocco’s gastronomic jewels are easy to conjure up by merely walking into any spice shop or on occasion by perfumes with notes of orange blossom or rose water. Whereas some cultures gastronomies are more visual, and others rely strongly on taste, Morocco is all about the nose. Walk around Marrakesh with its hidden riads or small palaces and all you get are the smells of lamb tagines, a sort of light stew, of harira, a chickpea and lentil soup and of mint tea.The charm of the riad is that the opulence is never on the exterior. Behind a white simple wall with a door lie patios with exquisite tiling and fountains and gardens scented with jasmine and orange blossom. Moroccan food is sweet and colourful with a lot of spices. They use dried fruits and nuts to great effect and introduce a fresh and acidic note in some dishes by using preserved lemons in salt. Moroccan lamb is delicious and much lighter than European. Because of its Muslim heritage there is no pork or alcohol in Morocco. Undoubtedly Morocco’s national dish is couscous, miniature granules of durum wheat steamed  and served with meat stew. Due to their long-standing relationship couscous is a firm favortite of the French. Chicken B’stilla, a meat pie, is a royal dish from the courts of Al-Andalus, the Arab kingdom in Southern Spain. Sweet and salty meat is wrapped in a delicate pastry called werka and baked. Moroccan salads are delicious and varied and make the sweltering heat a little more palatable. Djeema el Fna in Marrakesh with its fantastic food stalls is a great place to watch and eat all that Morocco has to offer. Tagine of Lamb with Almonds and Raisins Serves 6-8 Ingredients 3 lb. of shoulder of lamb, cut into ½ inch cubes 1/2 tbsp ground cinnamon 1 tsp ground ginger 1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground generous pinch saffron 4 tbsp butter 2 large onions, chopped 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped salt to taste 6 ounces raisins, soaked in water and drained 2 tablespoons honey 1 cup peeled almonds preferably Marcona a small handful of coriander, chopped Mix the cinnamon, ginger, pepper and saffron with 4 tablespoons of water. Toss the lamb in this mixture. Melt the butter in a pan. Add the lamb, onions, garlic, salt and enough water to come halfway up the meat. Bring up to the boil, cover and reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Cook for about 1 hour, turning the lamb occasionally, until the meat tender. Add the drained raisins, honey, the almonds and half the coriander. Continue simmering for a further 30 minutes or so, uncovered until the sauce is thick and unctuous. Taste and adjust seasoning. Sprinkle with the rest of the coriander. Serve with couscous.

The wonderful Galician cow's cheese Tetilla with quince paste is delicious with Rías Baixas wine. This famous cheese shaped like a woman's breast is linked to a legend about the construction of the cathedral of Santiago's Portico of Glory. Add some apples, crackers and nuts for a simple cheeseboard. Feel free to get a sheep's milk Manchego too! Or a gorgeous Irish cheese. Slice the quince paste and put over sliced cheese. Recipe and photo developed for DO Rias Baixas Ireland campaign

Every so often you find that your cooking is in a rut and that you regurgitate the same recipes again and again. If you need a change of pace or are looking for healthier food alternatives I would, without a doubt, recommend Japanese food. There is no sense in me going on about its health benefits. The beauty of Japanese women speaks for itself. Their delicious ultra healthy diet bestows them with lustrous hair, perfect skin and thin frames. In Asian hotels I do try and catch a glimpse of what they eat for breakfast: miso soup, fish or omelettes and am quick to hide my naughty pain-au-chocolat and bacon. Dalian has a population of about 6,000 Japanese people so you are always bound to find good Japanese restaurants and ingredients. Jiu Guang has a great selection of Japanese style meats and ingredients. It’s pricey, but worth it unless you are an ace at meat chopping and slicing. My Japanese pantry contains the following: miso paste of various colors and flavors, sake, mirin, wasabi, pickled ginger, soba, tofu, ichimi togarashi and seaweeds like hijiki and wakame. With great speed and little equipment you can prepare most Japanese dishes. A bowl of miso with clams or tofu and seaweed is never more than 10 minutes away. Chicken teriyaki, a dish adored by children the world over, can be made in a flash. In Japan, fish is revered and eaten in many ways from baked in salt to sushi. Rice, like in China, is a staple and vegetables accompany every meal. What makes Japan distinct is an emphasis on aesthetic harmony that compared to other countries is a critical part of food culture. The food is presented in a myriad of plates in all shapes, colors and sizes. Meals are also balanced by containing the five flavors: sour, salty, sweet, bitter and spicy. If you fall in love with Japanese food like me do rush to the top of floor of theTea Market and get yourself cheap Japanese bowls and dishes from the dusty and messy restaurant supply store there. Japanese cold dishes are easy, beautiful and can be made ahead. Tofu with bonito flakes and green onion Ingredients 1 block of silken tofu 1 green onion thinly sliced ½ cup of bonito flakes 2 tsp. grated ginger soy sauce Cut the tofu into 4 portions or smaller if you desire. Put in individual plates and sprinkle with the ginger, green onion and bonito flakes. Drizzle with the soy sauce. Hijiki with carrots 1 cup of dried hijiki 2 tbsp of vegetable oil 2 small carrots, julienned 1 cup of dashi (bonito stock) 3 tbsp soy sauce 3 tbsp mirin 1 tsp sugar Soak the hijiki for about 5 minutes. Drain and rinse. In a wok add vegetable oil and stir fry hijiki until soft. Add carrots and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add bonito stock and simmer until carrots are tender for about 10 minutes depending on size of carrots. Add mirin, sugar and soy sauce. Spinach with sesame paste Ingredients 300 grs of spinach 3 tablespoons of sesame paste ½ tsp of sugar 2 tbsp of dash (bonito stock) 1 tbsp soy sauce 1 tbsp sesame seeds Bring salted water to a boil and add the spinach. Boil for a minute. Rinse with cold water and squeeze firmly and cut into small sections. Mix sesame paste, sugar, dash and soy sauce to make dressing. Mix with spinach and serve. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

El valenciano que no sabía hacer paellas, anuncio 2016. Arroz Dacsa In the same way that novels, songs, presidential speeches, and social network messages can be used to get insight and understand the mood of generations, countries, and people, Spanish food advertising can give us a powerful insight into the prevailing mood and our relationship with food.The biggest budgets in Spanish advertising are often reserved for food and drink, given our obsession, especially with embutidos or charcuterie, of which we are the largest consumers in the world. Every Christmas, it is customary for companies like Navidul and Campofrio, manufacturers of embutidos (charcuteries) to produce commercials to reflect on the issues of the moment so this year the effects of the pandemic were on the plate. In the past ads have concentrated on the economic crisis, the nationalists spats and fake news. The Campofrio ad for 2013 titled “The Curriculum of All of Us” featured famous clown Fofito aided by comedians, journalist and other famous people create the CV of all Spaniards as a remedy to the nefarious psychological effects of the crisis and sending Spanish embutidos along with the CV in packages to the International Monetary Fund, Angela Merkel and Moody’s among others. The part about the elderly lady that shares her small pension with her children and grandchildren inevitably always brings tears to my eyes. One of the most popular ads this past Christmas was a fun take (parody) on all the cooking experiments people have done over the pandemic lockdowns as Spaniards have become more “cocinillas” or little cooks and asking them to simplify this Christmas by serving (of course!) iberico products #SaboreemosLoSencillo (taste the simplicity). These were based on the summer ads “Chef Pro’’ which poked fun at all the Ferran Adrià disciples making spherifications and other culinary experiments with disastrous results. The December ad shows cooks attempting impossible recreations of avant-garde recipes, cook’s and kitchens covered with baking flour, burning ovens and exploding roasted peppers, scenes where some of us will surely see ourselves reflected. The cooking mania that has taken over us as a result of COVID is felt across the world but the response to its woes is 100% Spanish: iberico ham, rest and enjoyment. Iberico pig – an autochthonous breed of pigs native to Spain – is the pinnacle of gastronomic experiences for any us Spaniards, irrespective of region, football team, gender, age or economic situation. A kilo of prime iberico ham can set you back 100 euro. Where else in the world can you really celebrate anything memorable with a plate of iberico ham and a glass of fino sherry? A plate of iberico or serrano ham is traditionally a prelude to the traditional Christmas Eve dinner of every Spaniard. This January and February 2021 we will be presenting a series of online workshops on Spanish Food culture through art, TV ads, sayings and expressions ( dichos y refranes ) and movies. We will analyze paintings from El Prado museum, perplexing expressions about food like “que te den morcilla!”  (may you be given black pudding but in reality get lost!) and why the Basque terrorists in the TV show Fe de Etarras (Bomb Scared) fight about the type of almond used in the traditionally Basque pantxineta tart (nibbed vs. sliced) among many other topics. --------- Lo mismo que las novelas, canciones, discursos presidenciales y los mensajes en redes sociales se pueden utilizar para entender el estado anímico de las distintas generaciones, países y gentes, los anuncios de televisión sobre alimentos y bebidas nos dan las claves del estado de la cultura gastronómica y nuestra relación con la comida. Los mayores presupuestos en el mundo de la publicidad se reservan a menudo para los anuncios de alimentos y bebidas, dada nuestra obsesión por ellos; en especial, los embutidos de los que los españoles somos los mayores consumidores del mundo. Cada Navidad es usual que Navidul y Campofrío —dos empresas de embutidos— realicen anuncios que reflejan las inquietudes del momento, por eso este año los efectos de la pandemia están sobre el plato. En el pasado, los anuncios se han concentrado en la crisis económica del 2013, las peleas de los nacionalismos y las noticias falsas. El anuncio de Campofrío de 2013, titulado “El curriculum de todos”, fue protagonizado por el payaso Fofito, que ayudado por comediantes, periodistas y otros famosos decide escribir el curriculum de todos los españoles como remedio a los efectos psicológicos de la crisis y enviarlos, acompañados de embutidos españoles, en paquetes al Fondo Monetario Internacional, a Angela Merkel y a Moody’s, entre otros. La parte sobre la señora mayor que comparte su pensión con sus hijos y sus nietos siempre, inevitablemente, me obliga a contener las lágrimas. Unos de los anuncios más populares de esta pasada Navidad fue una parodia de los experimentos culinarios realizados en casa durante los confinamientos por la pandemia, en la cual, los españoles se han vuelto más “cocinillas” con el objeto de simplificar las Navidades sirviendo (por supuesto) embutidos Ibéricos (#SaboreemosLoSencillo). Este anuncio estaba basado en otros, emitidos el verano pasado y titulados “Chef Pro”, que bromeaban sobre los discípulos de Ferran Adrià haciendo esferificaciones y otros experimentos culinarios con resultados desastrosos. El anuncio del pasado diciembre muestra cocinillas intentando realizar platos imposibles de la alta cocina: cocinas cubiertas de harina, hornos incendiados y pimientos que explotan; escenas en las que algunos de nosotros nos vemos reflejados. La manía culinaria que se ha apoderado de España —como resultado de la COVID-19— se ha sentido en todo el mundo, pero la solución es jamón ibérico, descanso y disfrute 100% español. El embutido del cerdo ibérico —una raza autóctona de España— es la cumbre de las experiencias gastronómicas para cualquiera español, sin tener en cuenta región, equipo de fútbol, sexo, edad o situación económica. Un kilo de jamón ibérico de primera calidad te puede costar hasta 100 euros. ¿En qué otro sitio del mundo se celebra un evento memorable con un plato de jamón y un fino? Un plato de jamón ibérico o serrano es un preludio de la tradicional cena de Nochebuena para la mayoría de los españoles. Este enero y febrero presentaremos unos talleres en línea sobre la cultura gastronómica española a través del arte, los anuncios, los dichos y refranes, y las películas. Analizaremos las pinturas gastronómicas del Museo del Prado, dichos confusos como “¡Que te den morcilla!” y porqué los terroristas vascos en Fe de Etarras —una serie de TV— se pelean al discutir sobre el tipo de almendra que se utiliza en la pantxineta vasca, entre otros muchos temas. Blog written for the Cervantes Institute.