The Menu: Put it on a plate for the people of Palestine
It is a pleasure to earn a crust celebrating my passion for finest Irish food and hospitality, an especial privilege to share that passion in these pages.
I also appreciate the food and drink section of the Irish Examiner can be a 'safe space', a sanctuary for readers in an increasingly batshit world where the grotesqueries of the daily news cycle become more outlandishly unfathomable by the day.
Compounding that is an overwhelming sense of powerlessness most of us feel in the face of obscene wealth and populist power being wielded with hideous disregard for humanity and the planet.
Currently, the Israeli State-directed genocide in Gaza is the most egregious example of such inhumanity in action.
So, I have found it increasingly difficult to wax lyrical about delicious dishes and magnificent meals while a 'first world' state weaponises hunger as part of its ethnic cleansing of its own population. Is it any wonder there is such a thing as 'comfort food'?
Any means of making a difference, however small, is invaluable beyond belief. One Plate for Palestine (July 22-27), is a wonderful fundraising initiative from Barbara Nealon (Kinsale's St Francis Provisions) and Beverley Mathews (L'Atitude 51, in Cork City) to support charities working in Gaza to combat starvation, and to raise awareness of, and maintain focus on, the genocidal actions of the Israelis.
One Plate for Palestine is inviting Irish food and hospitality businesses — restaurants, cafés, bars, food trucks, market stalls, etc — from all over Ireland to add a special Palestinian-themed dish to their menus, with all proceeds from the sale of that dish going directly to Gaza.
Food businesses can either create a Palestinian-themed dish (or drink) of their own or follow an existing recipe, using any or all of the following ingredients: Palestinian za'atar, sumac, labneh, hummus, Palestinian olive oil, and Palestinian olives.
If you wanted, you could even serve up those gorgeous Palestinian goodies with good sourdough bread and a little salt, a super supper I've enjoyed many times in the past.
Better again, restaurants can serve up One Plate for Palestine's suggested dish, Prátaí do Phalaistín/Potatoes for Palestine, a simple yet delicious combination which brings together the two food cultures in a symbolic nod to the historical ties that bind Palestine and Ireland, in particular a shared history of hunger and starvation as a result of colonial oppression.
The dish comprises new season potatoes served up with any or all of the aforementioned traditional Palestinian foodstuffs and, if you've only ever eaten new spuds with too much butter — no crime there! — I think you'll be blown away by how well they work with the Palestinian additions.
The goal is to raise at least €25,000 for charities working on the ground in Gaza, such as Gaza Go Bragh and World Central Kitchen, reputable charities that have been doing incredible work to bring fresh water and meals to the people in extremely challenging conditions.
So, come on, Irish food world, let's see you stepping up, not only to feature a One Plate for Palestine on your menus, but also to spread the word amongst friends, colleagues and comrades in the industry and beyond, to reach as wide an audience as possible.
This initiative is not just aimed at the hospitality sector because the other side of the equation involves Irish diners who are invited to also join in by supporting local restaurants participating in One Plate for Palestine.
Or you could even run your own One Plate for Palestine fundraising supper evening at home for family and friends? After all, what finer seasoning could such a dish, any shared dish, have than to be sprinkled with love, hope and humanity.
Instagram: @oneplateforpalestine
FOODIE FARE
Happy 10th birthday to Lott's & Co and, what's more, this birthday belle is the one dishing out the gifts with all manner of titbits, treats, giveaways and promotions for customers, across their three Dublin stores including a Beggar's Bush Birthday Bash (July 10) with prizes including hampers, dining vouchers, and the chance to win free catering delivered to your door.
Instagram: @lottsandco
Fans of Julia's Lobster Truck, in the Burren, will be delighted to hear that she is very close to securing a new pitch for one of Ireland's finest food trucks but the enforced absence saw Julia Hemingway take a serendipitous turn to teaching at home, where she now offers wonderful Seafood Cookery Experiences for 2-8 people in her own Burren kitchen, near Carron, Co Clare, including hands-on cooking (poaching and preparing lobster or crab, mussels and clams), followed by a delicious seafood feast at the kitchen table.
Instagram: @JuliasLobsterTruck
TODAY'S SPECIAL
Ogam sauces
South Korean food is most certainly catching the global imagination with Korean chicken set to be come as ubiquitous on Irish menus as Thai curry or lasagne.
But when a cuisine and a dish in particular dish suddenly trends to that extent, quality can vary wildly which is why I am so delighted to have Korean Jay Choi as a near neighbour in Cork, not least because of I get to sample her new sauces/marinades.
With the tagline, 'Born in South Korea, Made in Ireland', Jay's Korean BBQ Spicy Gochujang and Korean BBQ Original are not only stunning, but are real workhorses in the kitchen.
Sweet and savoury in equal measures, with funky, fruity flavours, they have myriad applications in the kitchen once combined with a little imagination.
A quick drizzle over rice vermicelli salad, with thinly sliced carrot, cucumber and peppers, was quite transformational; a dollop in homemade garlic aioli is my new BBQ burger sauce of choice; and, yeah, it makes for sublime Korean chicken wings, when cooked over charcoal.
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