cook's profile


rua
 
Home Town: Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland
Living In: Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands
Member Since: Nov. 2004
Cooking Level: Expert
Cooking Interests: Baking, Stir Frying, Slow Cooking, Asian, Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Gourmet
Hobbies: Gardening, Camping, Biking, Walking, Reading Books, Music, Wine Tasting
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turkey loaf accompanied by stuffed baked pumpkin
Turkey Loaf
macaroni cheese
Stuffed baked pumpkin accompanied by turkey loaf
About this Cook
Grew up in south Kilkenny, in the south east of Ireland, but moved to Amsterdam, The Netherlands when I was 22. Been living and working there since. I love to travel, and especially like sampling the food (and wine) of the area I'm visiting. :)
My favorite things to cook
Indian curries, stews, and casseroles. Favourite meats would be lamb and all kinds of game, but also love beef and chicken. I'm a carnivore! :) Just recently discovered slow cookers/crock pots - unheard of in The Netherlands. :) I don't like using tins of soups and other processed foods when cooking, I prefer the 'authentic' method. ;)
My favorite family cooking traditions
Although cooking complex recipes isn't necessary a challange and definitely not avoided, my mother always cooked straight-forward dishes with subtle flavours, so I actually love the taste of vegetables without any added garnish or sauces too. A recipe doesn't need to have lots of herbs and spices to be delicious. :)
My cooking triumphs
Making soup and main courses for a family weekend of 24 people. There were very few leftovers. :)
My cooking tragedies
Haven't had any so far. ;)
Recipe Reviews 33 reviews
Beef Barley Lentil Soup
very tasty, hearty, filling meal-time soup. i scaled down the recipe for 4-5 people. based on other reviews, i made a few minor changes: added some crushed garlic, worcestershire sauce and bay leaf. used instant barley, so added that towards the end with the tomatoes. the total liquid i used consisted of 1/2 beef stock, 1/4 red wine and 1/4 water. didn't have lemon-pepper seasoning to hand unfortunately, but seasoned well with freshly ground black pepper. recommended. :)

3 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Apr. 28, 2010
Beef Pot Pie I
this was nice, but i've had better. i found i had to season it well before i put it in the oven, and even the end result was missing 'something'. we enjoyed it, but i won't be in a rush to make it again.

5 users found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Apr. 11, 2010
Beaker's Vegetable Barley Soup
i used chicken stock instead of veggie, didn't have zucchini so substituted more celery in place, doubled the tinned tomatoes, used barlotti beans instead of chickpeas, added fresh garlic instead of powdered, didn't need any extra salt (the stock was salty enough), and i doubled the worcestershire sauce. i also sauted the veggies first to bring out their sweetness a bit, then simmered the lot for an hour, adding instant barley for the last 15 mins. served with baguette & herb butter, and sprinkled with parmesan. tasty soup, but i think i'll up the spices a bit more next time to suit my taste.

1 user found this review helpful
Reviewed On: Jul. 11, 2009
 
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