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Archive for July, 2009

Jon’s Jambalaya

Thursday, July 30th, 2009

For this recipe you will, preferably, need a wok, but it can also be done in a normal frying pan.

This recipe serves 4 people

Ingredients

  • 3 cups of basmati or jasmine rice
  • 3 chicken fillets cut in strips lengthways
  • 100g of bacon or rashers, cut thinly
  • 100g of small prawns, cooked and peeled
  • 1 clove of fresh garlic, finely chopped
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 tablespoon fresh coriander, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of maple syrup or honey
  • ½ a red chilli, finely chopped (if you do not like it too spicy, remove the seeds)
  • 1 -2 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
  • 1 tablespoon of paprika
  • 1 tablespoon of Cajun spice mix
  • 1 slice of fresh pineapple finely chopped
  • 1 mango, peeled and finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of mango chutney

How to prepare the Jambalaya

Use a large pot to boil some water, add about 1 tablespoon of salt or if you prefer, 2 tablespoons of vegetable stock, which gives a softer and more delicate taste. Add rice and simmer until cooked to your liking. Drain the water through a fine sieve and put the aside.

Season the chicken with salt and pepper and a little Cajun spice mix. Take the wok and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Heat it on high heat until it slightly steams. Reduce the heat and add the chicken strips, garlic, ginger, and chilli. Stir the chicken constantly until it is light golden brown. Then add the bacon and stir for a further 2-3 minutes.

Add the rice, spices, pineapples, mangoes, coriander, and fish sauce and stir for another 2 minutes. Add the maple syrup and the mango chutney. Stir it in until fully infused into the mixture. Finally, add the prawns and give it a good stir.

Before serving, try the Jambalaya. If it is too spicy for you, add a  little milk, or, if it is not spicy enough, you can add a small amount of the above-mentioned spices. If it needs some more saltiness add a little more fish sauce.

Tip: Do not use salt and pepper as it might spoil the delicate flavours of the jambalaya.

Jon's JambalayaDownload the recipe ‘Jon’s Jambalaya’

Upcoming 3rd Newsletter

Wednesday, July 29th, 2009

Tomorrow we are sending out our 3rd Newsletter. Make sure you are on the mailing list, as we have some interesting things to tell you. There are rumours of very special autumn cookery courses to be announced. There will be a yummy recipe and a wine recommendation. But maybe you will just get some insiration on where to go and have a nice evening dinner on the upcoming August Bank Holiday Weekend.

What is the difference between a B&B and a Guest House? (Part 4)

Monday, July 27th, 2009

Hotels

Hotels are commercial places to stay, with as many different amenities as standard. Hotels are given one to five stars. The stars are awarded – (and this is the basic of properly categorising a place) – for certain acceptable standards.

  • One star is for excellency of food.
  • Two stars are for an extraordinary wine cellar, in addition to the excellent food.
  • Three stars add the feature “house with a view”.
  • Four stars are awarded, if there is a leisure centre connected to the hotel.
  • Five stars are for overall excellency and luxury rooms.

Sometimes it appears that a hotel should only be a three star hotel, as it has, for example, no leisure centre. In some cases there is the possibility to be awarded a star for a hotel even without a leisure centre, if the place otherwise reflects a four star standard.

The rates for hotel rooms are not bound to the category the hotel is in, but for to what it actually offers. So the rates can go from €5 for a two star hotel somewhere in the pampa of South America to thousands of euros per night, in somewhere like Dubai.

What is the difference between a B&B and a Guest House? (Part 3)

Thursday, July 23rd, 2009

Restaurant with Rooms

This is the category The Ferndale Guest House & Restaurant is in. In this category the accommodation usually reflect the restaurants standard, if the restaurant is high class the rooms are as well. It comes in one package.

Those premises are normally not categorised, unless there is Michelin stars given to it. The Michelin star is a private award, given to reflect extraordinary culinary food. The maximum stars a restaurant can get is three. But of course there are plenty of restaurants in Ireland, which serve delicious food without having any Michelin star.

Prices for Rooms in this category can vary between €35 and €200 per night, depending on the quality of the place.

What is the difference between a B&B and a Guest House? (Part 2)

Monday, July 20th, 2009

Guest House

A guest house is basically a small hotel or a hotel with limited services in catering. Guest houses do not need a bar or a fully licensed premises and normally needs to have six or more bedrooms to be in accordance with Bord Failte regulations.

Rating

Guest Houses have ratings from one to four stars, depending on the comfort and services they provide. One star means standard simple accommodation. Bathrooms can sometimes be on the floor, or a certain amount of rooms would be non en-suite. The more stars a guest house has, the more comfortable the rooms are. A four star guest house usually has the standard of a four star hotel, but the surroundings would be much more intimate.

Guest houses do not have all the amenities of a hotel and do not need to have a restaurant or bar. The rates for guesthouses vary between €35 and €100 and are up to €200 per night for outstanding places.