Earlier this year I had the opportunity to meet Catherine Fulvio and have a quick chat, she mentioned she was filming a new tv series for RTE, but never mentioned the fact that she had a brand new fantastic book hitting book shops this month. I got a copy from the folks at Gill and MacMillan to flick my way through and it is packed with great Italian recipes and lots of lovely food shots. I have three copies to give away this week so you can try and grab a copy via twitter, facebook or on the entry form below. I'll be posting a few of Catherine's recipe here on the blog this week and remember to check out her RTE show Friday's at 8.30pm!
Beef Carpaccio (Carpaccio di manzo) Of all the delicious things to come out of Harry’s Bar in Venice, including the Bellini cocktail, carpaccio tops the list for me. Generally, carpaccio refers to very thinly sliced raw beef, but nowadays the term is widely used, from swordfish carpaccio to pineapple.
300g fillet steak, cut into wafer-thin slicesextra virgin olive oil 1 tbsp lemon juice salt and freshly ground black pepper rocket, to garnish Parmesan shavings
Spread the slices of steak on a serving platter. Drizzle with olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Garnish with rocket, sprinkle over the Parmesan shavings and serve. It’s possible to buy beef carpaccio precut and prepacked, but I always buy it fresh and ask my butcher to slice the beef. That way, I’m assured of freshness and provenance.
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on a copy of Catherine's book, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
What is the name of Catherine Fulvio's Cookery School? A: Ballymaloe Cookery School B: Ballyknocken House Cookery School C: Cooks Academy Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (2nd Sept) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
While I know there has been very little recipes on the blog recently, hopefully I can keep you going with another tasty competition! The lovely folks at Lindt, have tickets to give away for the Taste of Dublin Festival to celebrate the launch of their brand new range of excellence milk chocolate varieties, the lucky winner will also get a big bloody hamper of chocolate, the kind of prize that will brighten up the most miserable Irish summer day! Lindt will also be down at the festival itself, so if you really get hooked after eating all the chocolate in the hamper, you can pick up more when you attend Taste with your free tix!
Check out some of the great new varieties of Lindt now on offer: Excellence Extra Creamy - A smooth and creamy milk chocolate with a velvety texture that melts in the mouth.
Excellence Crunchy Caramel - Creamy milk chocolate blended with delicate pieces of crunchy caramel.
Excellence Caramelised Hazelnuts - Milk chocolate with caramelised pieces of roasted hazelnuts.
Excelence Roasted Almonds - A delightful contrast of creamy milk chocolate with slivers of gently roasted almonds
For all passionate Lindt followers, and chocoholics in general, dying to get their hands on the new Lindt Excellence Milk chocolate bars and the rest of the Lindt Excellence range, head down to Taste of Dublin in the Iveagh Gardens, June 10th-13th, where the new varieties will be available to try and to buy with a special offer of 3 bars for 5 Florins (1 Florin = €1.00 – normal RSP in retailers nationwide is €2.19). To buy tickets for taste of Dublin log on to www.tastefestivals.ie
The winner of the competition is Sarah Traynor! Congrats and thanks a million for all the entries- lots of fantastic chocolate desserts! :)
A few weeks ago I got the opportunity to visit Saba restaurant in Dublin. As you might already know I absolutely love Asian food so jumped at the opportunity to go down and film a quick demonstration from the head chef! I can't believe I had missed this little gem of a restaurant in all my trips to town, the atmosphere is really chilled and the food looks and tastes absolutely amazing. But for me the most exciting part was going into the kitchen which is ran meticulously by head chef Taweesak Trakoolwattana.
The first thing I noticed was the giant wok burners which were blazing hot, perfect for speedy cooking and the amazing aromas of fresh spices and herbs wafting around the kitchen. The second thing was the sheer amount of fresh ingredients expertly prepared and ready for use in the lunchtime dishes. Chef Taw prepared a fantastic stir fried beef curry with fresh peppercorns, which I had never seen before, but if you take a look at the video, they really add something special to the visuals of the dish! After the filming I got the chance to try some of the dishes cooked up, which were all truly delicious and I will definitely be repeating the experience, next time with a few cocktails thrown into the mix!
The winner of the voucher is the lovely @urmomcooks from likemotherlikedaughters.com/
I hope you enjoyed Gizzi's recipes on the blog the week before last, I managed to grab Gizzi for a quick interview, this girl is busy! :)
So people will probably know you as one of the cook yourself thin girls, but "Gizzi's Kitchen Magic" is your first solo cookbook, are you the Geri Halliwell of the group? What do the rest of the girls think of the book? Haha! God, I hope not. Cook yourself thin came to a mutual end as the 4 of us. Both Harry and Sophie have been super supportive of it. I loved both of their books too. I am actually the last one to bring a book out, not the first!
I love the way the book is full of such great tips at the start of each chapter, but as we all know cooking in the kitchen doesn't always go to plan, what was the worst kitchen disaster you have come across? Oh Man, too many for words. In fact it was stressing out at skills and the way I was taught to be such a perfectionist at catering school that made me rebel and want to write a technical book that would be understood by everyone and take pressure of cooks. You see, my nemesis was pastry and this was because your told that the best pastry is short, and to be short it is not that wet and a pain to work with. After too many times of my pastry falling apart when trying to line a tart dish, I thought sod it, I want to make a pastry that I can handle and Gizzi's kitchen magic was born. A techniques book, where the techniques have been rewritten for the modern person. Someone who wants to cook, but wants to avoid disasters. At the beginning of each chapter there is a lowdown of how not to balls things up and then it turns into inspiring recipes in the way most of us are used to in other cook books.
There are a lot of family inspired dishes in the book but what was the selection process for the recipes in the book like? Well, the great thing about doing a book based around techniques is that it gives you quite a lot of scope for different types of food. Your right about family inspired dishes. I have a bonkers Mother who was always experimenting in the kitchen so our childhood favs were a bit more original. I think that has stayed with me in my food. I love the classics but like a bit of a spin on them.
Do you have a favourite meal from childhood that you love to recreate today with your own little twist? My favourite is 'Chicken in weeds'. Its a really light fragrant curry that is spiked with ginger and lemon and the weeds part comes in from bounds of fresh coriander. It kicks arse!
As the summer is nearly upon on us, what sort of dishes are you looking forward to cooking? I am looking forward to doing some slow roasting on the barbeque. The Brits are hopeless at barbeques. I have worked on so many American barbeque books I am pretty damn nifty with some hot coals and a pair of tongs. We tend to use a barbeque as a grill, but in the states they make use of the lid and use it as a smoking oven. I have slow cooked shoulders of pork and legs of lamb and they are just exceptional. The tip is to get the coals white hot and then move them to the edge of the BBQ. Brown the meat all over with the lid off, then put the lid on and it'll slow roast for about 5-6 hours. Beyond amaze. also grill some bread dough on a barbeque and drizzle it with barbequed garlic oil.
There seems to be quite a lot competition in terms of lovely ladies in the cooking department, what sets you apart from the Nigella's and Rachel Allen's of world? Apart from my age, style (being heavily tattooed and into 60s music and punk) and way of cooking, I am much more immersive. I want to get mucky and learn stuff as I go.
Every foodie has a favourite place to visit in the world for inspiration and delicious dishes, where is yours and why? Well I spent loads of time in Thailand as a teen and have an affinity with Thai food, but am desperate to get to Japan and Vietnam, neither of which I have seen, but both producing some of my favourite food. I tell you what though. New York has some stupendous restaurants and a fabulous way of eating. I love the whole raw bar: oysters, clams, sashimi ect followed by really indulgent classics like a truffled fois gras burger.
What are the plans for "Kitchen Magic" will you be recording a TV series? Were in talks, but I am currently filming my own show with Channel 4 which comes out in June and on Iron chef for a week in May as well as being a regular on This morning, so its all going tickity boo!
Thanks for the interview Gizzi, is there anything you'd like to say to the readers of the blog? Just that I hope you like the book and a mega thank you to all that have supported me, including your fine self Donal.
I have three copies of Gizzi's fantastic new book "Kitchen Magic" up for grabs and you can enter over on twitter by tweeting about your best kitchen tip followed by the hash tag #gizzierskine and on "The Good Mood Food Blog" facebook page by telling me your favourite kitchen tip!
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on the book right here on the blog, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
Gizzi is best know from which Channel 4 TV show? A: Eat Yourself Thin B: Cook Yourself Thin C: You Are What You Eat
*COMPETITION NOW CLOSED!*
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close this evening (27th of April) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
I am going to be judging a competition on Truvo.ie to win a trip to lisbon! How exciting! Truvo is basically a review website, which you can pretty much review anything on, but what is particularly interesting for me, is the restaurant reviews. I have stuck up a few reviews of some of my favourite places to eat in Dublin which you can check out and if you are interested in entering and winning, sign up for a profile on Truvo.ie, check out the video below of me hamming it up in Fallon and Byrne and then head over to the competition website for more details!
So I guess you are totally intrigued by Kooky Dough at this stage! How about getting your hands on some? Yes? Ok well Sophie has promised me 3 of these super cute cookie jars filled with the 3 rolls of Kooky Dough!
You can enter over on twitter by tweeting the most inventive use of Kooky Dough followed by the hash tag #kookydoughrocks and on "The Good Mood Food Blog" facebook page by telling me your inventive way to use Kooky Dough!
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize right here on the blog, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
Which of these is not Kooky Dough flavour? A: Mint Chocolate B: Triple Chocolate C: Blueberry and White Chocolate
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Wednesday evening (18th of March) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
I hope you have been encouraged to get your hands on this book after all the fab recipes, I have been posting this week. If you are looking for a great baking book this is it! It's filled with delicious recipes for everything from biscuits, pastries and cakes to breads, crisp breads and accompanying jams and sauces. Leila explores new exciting flavor combinations, such as chocolate cupcakes and toffee and pecan pie which are featured alongside classics like muffins, meringues and cheesecake as well as nine different flavorings for basic sponge cakes. Recipes for brioche, fougasse from Provence, sourdough baguette and nine types of scones are mixed with healthy rolls, Danish rye bread, Leila's delicious lingonberry loaf and a whole range of tempting little cakes. Are you convinced yet? :)
Well the exciting news is I have 3 copies to giveaway! You can enter over on twitter by tweeting your favourite thing to bake followed by the hash tag #iloveleila and on "The Good Mood Food Blog" facebook page by telling me your favourite thing to bake! To be in with a chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize here on the blog, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
Where is Leila Lindholm from? A: Sweden B: Norway C: Denmark
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Monday evening (1st of March) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
A big thank you to everyone who entered the juicer competition, there was over 350 entries! However I can announce we do have a winner! The lucky winner of the Good4U juicer and goodie bag filled with healthy seeds and sprouts is Trish Patton! Congrats Trish, let me know how you get on with your juicer! :)
As I have mentioned, I am big a fan of Good4U shoots and seeds, so I asked the lovely Laura, if she could provide a prize for the blog. I am very excited to tell you that I have a great goodie bag of Good4U shoots and seeds and a fantastic Good4U juicer worth €320 to give away on the blog this week!
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on this fantastic prize, all you gotta do is answer this simple question.
Which of these seeds are not in the Good4U product range? A: Pumpkin Seeds B: Sunflower Seeds C: Melon Seeds Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, but if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (11th of Feb) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
Thank you all for entering the competition via twitter, facebook and right here on the blog. But the wait is over, I can now announce that the lucky winners, chosen at random, are....
Twitter: @lottiegirlx Facebook: Barbara Scully Blog: Deirdre Walsh
Stay tuned more exciting competitions coming up very very soon! :)
I hope you enjoyed the recipe from Sally's book, The Secret Ingredient, last week, I'm really loving the book so far and the good news is, thanks to the lovely folks over at Harper Collins, I have a copy to give away right here on the blog! I will also be offering the chance to win a copy over on Facebook (Tag the photo) and Twitter (post your favourite healthy dish with the hash tag #sallybee) so head over there to increase you chances of winning! :)
To be in with a chance of getting your hands on copy of "The Secret Ingredient" simply answer the following question:
What was the title of the Sally Bee recipe I posted on this blog? A: Crunchie Sticky Banoffee Pie B: Prawn, Avocado and Pecan Herb Salad C: Crunchy Hasselback Potatoes
Please note that by entering this competition, you will be signing up for The Good Mood Food Blog newsletter, if you don't wish to subscribe, please put "NS" after your answer. The competition will close on Thursday evening (28th of Jan) at 9.30pm. Only one entry per person please!
The fourth and final apron from Clodagh's Apron range is now up for grabs! It's the brand new half pinnie apron in the photo above and it's pretty darn cool!
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online, they would make a really great Christmas pressie for the favourite foodie in your life!
So to be in with a chance of winning the apron in the photo above simply answer the following question, it's a simple one:
What did Clodagh McKenna launch this week? A: Range Of Sauces B: A Magazine C: Range Of Cutlery A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 14th of December at 9pm! Best of luck! :)
Another fab apron up for grabs today! It's the lovely green one in the photo above and I think you'll agree it pretty cute! :)
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online, they would make a really great Christmas pressie for the favourite foodie in your life!
So to be in with a chance of winning the green apron in the photo above simply answer the following question:
What is the name of Clodagh's most recent cookbook? A: Supper For A Song B: Forgotten Skills Of Cooking C: Fresh From The Sea A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 4th of December at 9pm! Check back on Saturday to see if you've won and for a chance of winning Clodagh's brand new apron! Best of luck! :)
Thanks for the 144 entries in to the competition but a big congrats to Sara who has won herself one of Clodagh's lovely red aprons! If you weren't lucky enought to win, you can purchase the aprons online via www.clodaghmckenna.com or in selected shops across Ireland!
Today we have one of the aprons from Clodagh's fantastic evening range of aprons, and probably my favourite of all the aprons in her range, up for grabs!
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online, they would make a really great Christmas pressie for the favourite foodie in your life!
So to be in with a chance of winning the black apron in the photo above simply answer the following question:
What TV programme did Clodagh become famous for in Ireland? A: Barefoot Contessa B: Fresh From The Farmers Market C: Economy Gastronomy A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 1st of December at 9pm! Check back on Tuesday to see if you've won and for a chance of winning Clodagh's green apron! Best of luck! :)
Big congrats to Gerardine O'Driscoll who has won herself one of Clodagh's lovely red aprons! If you weren't lucky enought to win, you can purchase the aprons online via www.clodaghmckenna.com or in selected shops across Ireland!
I have a really exciting competition for you today! Starting today and running right through to next week I have beautiful kitchen aprons from the Clodagh Mckenna "Love Aprons" range. I'm a big fan of them and have already bought a few for the domestic goddess in my life, but I'm not sure I would get away with wearing one myself, well not in public anyway! So Clodagh get busy designing a good manly one for me!
Clodagh Mckenna is one of Ireland's most well known TV food personalities. She trained as a chef at the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School and then went on to work as a chef in Ballymaloe House for 3 years. After an inspiring visit to the Midleton Market, Clodagh decided to leave the kitchen and set up her own stall at the local market. Clodagh is now known across the country from her highly successful TV show "Fresh From The Farmers Market". But all that aside, more importantly she has recently launched her very own range of gorgeous aprons!
Clodagh's aprons are stocked in selected Irish shops, a list of which can be found at www.clodaghmckenna.com, where you can also purchase aprons online!
So to be in with a chance of winning the first apron up for grabs in the photo above simply answer the following question:
Where did Clodagh Mckenna train to become a chef? A: Ireland B: Italy C: Spain A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 27th of November at 9am! Check back on Friday to see if you have won and for a chance of winning Clodagh's Evening Apron! Best of luck! :)
Great response to the Harumi competition with 179 entries! Big congrats to Katie who won herself a copy of the Harumi cookbook!
If you weren't lucky, head over to my twitter @donalskehan and follow me, then tweet the following message: "Win a copy of Everyday Harumi with @donalskehan and http://www.thegoodmoodfoodblog.com by RT'ing this msg" I'll pick a winner tomorrow! Good luck!
Harumi Kurihara is one of Japan's most popular cookery writer, you may not have heard of her but she is already being dubbed the Japanese Martha Stewart! Her new book "Everyday Harumi" focuses on Japenese homecooking with simple recipes which are easy to read and even easier to prepare!
Thanks to the lovely folks over at Octopus Books I have a copy of "Everyday Harumi" to give away on the blog! To be in with a chance of winning, enter your details below and submit your answer to the following question:
What is Harumi's surname? A: Kurihara B: Takahashi C: Suzuki
A winner will be chosen at random from all the entries, one entry per person, and the competition closes 13th of November at 9am! Best of luck! :)
Big Congrats to Mary Donnelly who won the signed copy of Good Mood Food! The competition had a huge 264 entries so thanks a million if you entered. Due to the success of this competition I may just have to put another one up for grabs next month, so if you weren't successful make sure to check back to try again!
If you just can't wait to get your hands on a copy, the book is in all good Irish bookshops and for international readers you can purchase online via Mercier Press, Amazon UK, Amazon US, and Play.com Europe.
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