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Irish Examiner
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Darina Allen: Three recipe highlights from the Ballymaloe Festival of Food
We had the best weekend a few weeks ago at the Ballymaloe Festival of Food. There was so much going on that it's taken until now to fully process the talks, demonstrations, dinners, wine tastings and artisan producer stalls. We were so grateful to the many sponsors including Kerrygold who proudly headline sponsored the event. I've always been a butter fan. As you may know, I was dubbed 'The Butter Queen of Ireland' long before the Simply Delicious series, when the low fat mania was in full swing (hope you know you were duped!). I remember getting a letter from a viewer during my Simply Delicious series accusing me of having no sense of responsibility — didn't I know that butter and fat were detrimental to people's health suggesting that I recommend marge and low fat instead. I don't think so… Needless to say, I stuck to my guns, butter is a truly natural product, the fat of our land. Whereas olive oil is the fat of the Mediterranean, also a super healthy nourishing product. But when I say butter, I mean real butter, that comes in a pound block, I don't think much of the plethora of spreads. If you want spreadable butter, leave it out of the fridge overnight in the time-honoured way! One of the many fun events of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food was the Kerrygold Butter Disco, where we handed out little jars of cream to a bunch of eager butter makers. We shook the jars while we danced to the funky music played by the DJ. Within a few minutes the cream had thickened, then a ball of butter separated from the buttermilk in the jars. Everyone was super excited and amazed — most folks know that butter comes from cream but have no idea how thetransformation occurs — pure magic! Chefs, food writers and activists came from all over these islands and from as far away as New Zealand. Many spoke on the 'Change We Must' stage. They came to cook, share and wax lyrical about the lunches, dinners, chats, exchanging of ideas… Richard Hart, legendary baker and Henrietta Lovell, the Rare Tea Lady, did an afternoon tea with tea pairings in a marquee in the Walled Garden and the sun shone. Other chefs shared their experience and recipes in the Grainstore Cookery Demonstrations. Because of space constraints, I can only share three highlights with you but all the recipes are on Try Jay Rayner's Crispy Duck Salad, Romy Gill's Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani) and Amber Guinness's Pistachio Panna Cotta – enjoy! Romy Gill's Butter Chicken (Murg Makhani) recipe by:Romy Gill There are so many recipes for butter chicken. This is my take. With its silky smooth, gently spiced tomato, cashew and cream gravy, it's a comforting, warming dish that feels decadent. Servings 4 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 50 mins Total Time 1 hours 5 mins Course Main Ingredients 750g skinless, boneless chicken (thighs and breasts), cut into bite-size pieces For the marinade 10g ginger root, peeled and grated (shredded) 3 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated (shredded) 2 tsp tandoori masala 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp ground black pepper 1 tsp salt 2 tbsp yogurt Juice of ½ lemon 30ml sunflower oil For the sauce 500g tomatoes 50g butter 20g ginger root, peeled and grated (shredded) 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and grated (shredded) 1 tsp tomato purée (paste) 1 tsp tandoori masala 1 tsp ground cumin 1 tsp ground coriander 1 tsp chilli powder 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sugar 30g ground cashew nuts 30ml cream 6-8 green cardamom seeds, crushed 2 tsp dried fenugreek leaf your choice of Indian flatbreads or rice, to serve Method To make the marinade, mix all of the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Prick the chicken pieces with a fork to allow the marinade to penetrate the meat. Add the chicken to the bowl and stir well to coat thoroughly. Cover the bowl and set aside in the fridge to marinate for at least a couple of hours. When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4. Spread the marinated chicken out on a baking tray and cook in the hot oven for 15 minutes. While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. If the chicken finishes cooking before you have finished making the sauce, switch the oven off after the 15 minutes and leave the meat to rest in the oven. Blanch the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for a few minutes, then remove their skins. Cut into quarters and remove the seeds, then roughly chop and place in a food processor. Blitz to a smooth purée. Heat the butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the ginger and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the puréed fresh tomatoes as well as the tomato purée and cook for 8-10 minutes until the tomatoes are cooked through, stirring regularly to avoid them sticking and burning. Add all the spices, chilli powder, salt and sugar, mix well and cook for a further 2 minutes until emulsified. Lower the heat, then add the ground cashew nuts and cream, and stir well. Add 500-600ml of water – the quantity you choose to add depends on how runny you want the sauce to be. Bring the mixture to a boil, and when it starts bubbling, add the chicken, lower the heat and cook for a further 8-10 minutes. Sprinkle over the cardamom seeds and dried fenugreek leaves. Stir and leave to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving with rice or any Indian flatbread. Jay Rayner's Crispy Duck Salad recipe by:Jay Rayner A while after I'd come up with my version of this joyous salad, I found Hix's original recipe online. It is what you'd expect of a diligent restaurant chef. My version cuts out about two hours of work Servings 4 Preparation Time 15 mins Cooking Time 25 mins Total Time 40 mins Course Starter Ingredients 2 confit duck legs 4 tbsp hoisin sauce For the salad 100g watercress or rocket, stalks trimmed (You can also add fresh coriander if you fancy) 6 large radishes, sliced 4 spring onions, trimmed andsliced into batons 1 tbsp sesame seeds For the salad dressing 2 tbsp olive oil 1 ½ tbsp sherry vinegar (White wine vinegar is a good alternative) 1 tsp sesame oil sea salt Method Gently toast the sesame seeds in a dry cast-iron frying pan, over a medium heat. Keep watch. They burn easily. When most of them are lightly golden brown, remove to a bowl, add a pinch of table salt, and set aside. Wipe down the pan to remove any stray sesame seeds that are hanging about. They don't taste at all nice when burnt. Separate out the duck legs and place them skin side down in the frying pan over the lowest heat. Do not add any oil. They'll produce more than enough fat of their own. Turn every five minutes or so, as they start to colour. After about 10 or 15 minutes, take the pan off the heat. Using a fork and a sharp knife you should be able to pull the meat away from the bone. Break it up into smaller pieces, with the skin down. Put back onto the heat. Use a spatula to continue breaking up the meat into smaller pieces. Attend to any pieces of skin that come away from the meat. They may look a bit fatty but gently increase the heat and it will crisp up but do keep an eye on it all, so it doesn't burn. Once crisped, remove the leg bones and keep them as a chef's perk. Stand by the stove, chewing off the last bits of meat while no one else is watching. You've earned it. When the duck is broken up and crisped, take the pan off the heat. Put the ingredients for the salad dressing in the bottom of a bowl, including a good pinch of sea salt. Pile the leaves and sliced radishes on the top and then toss and turn to coat in the dressing using your hands or, if you're a little uptight, salad servers. Portion out onto four plates or flat bowls. Put the hoisin sauce in thebottom of a mixing bowl. Add the duck and mix to coat every piece completely. Top each portion of the salad with a quarter of the duck. Sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds and decorate with the batons of spring onion Amber Guinness's Pistachio Panna Cotta recipe by:Amber Guinness Mixing pistachio cream with panna cotta is an indulgent twist on a classic, bringing a nutty sweetness to the cream as well as acting as a second setting agent, meaning you need less gelatine. Servings 4 Preparation Time 3 hours 0 mins Cooking Time 20 mins Total Time 3 hours 20 mins Course Dessert Ingredients 2 x 2g gelatine leaves 400ml double cream 30g caster sugar 1 vanilla pod, split and seeds scraped 80g pistachio cream handful of unsalted pistachios, roughly chopped handful of raspberries (optional) Method To make the panna cotta, using scissors, cut the gelatine sheets into a small bowl and cover with cold water. Leave to soak for 15 minutes or as instructed on the packet. Meanwhile, pour the cream into a medium saucepan and add the sugar, vanilla seeds and pod. Place over a medium heat and gently warm until it almost comes to the boil, then switch off immediately. Squeeze any excess liquid out of the soaked gelatine and stir into the hot cream until it has completely dissolved. Remove the vanilla pod, then transfer to a large bowl and mix in the pistachio cream until smooth. Divide the panna cotta evenly among four cocktail glasses, then chill in the fridge for at least 3 hours or, better still, overnight. When you're ready to serve, top each panna cotta with a teaspoon of roughly chopped pistachios and, if you like, a few raspberries. Serve directly from the glass. Dynamic Vegetarian Cooking Demonstration, June 18 Vegetarian cooking becomes increasingly exciting and innovative. So, whatever the reason whether you, yourself or family members are vegetarian or are reducing meat for health or ecological reasons, or want to entertain vegetarian guests in style, after three hours you will come away with a host of brilliant ideas and mouth-watering recipes. Also enjoy a walk through the kitchen garden and organic farm at Ballymaloe Cookery School. Congratulations to Cork chefs Local Enterprise Office South Cork FoodProducers award winners (also sponsored the Ballymaloe Festival of Food and following awards). Congratulations to: Chefs Choice: Roaring Water Sea Vegetables — Public Choice Winners: Mushrooms and Love —
Yahoo
02-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Military families get another extension to ease Tricare West problems
Military families enrolled in Tricare Prime in the West Region have an extra two months, through June 30, to get specialty care without having to get approval from the contractor, TriWest Healthcare Alliance. It's the second time Defense Health Agency officials have extended their referral approval waiver, which was first announced in late January. The waiver is a move to help ease the problems families have been experiencing since TriWest took over the contract for the West Region at the start of the year. One issue was that Tricare Prime families haven't been able to get referrals approved by TriWest, which is traditionally required before they can get specialty care. 'After assessing the current state of referrals, DHA has decided to extend the referral approval waiver for many beneficiaries,' Richard Hart, division chief of health plan design for Tricare, said in DHA's announcement of the extension. Advocates question how much the extension of the referral approval waiver will help military families and medical providers. Some families aren't able to get specialty care even with a referral from their Tricare Prime primary care manager because of the difficulty finding a specialist who will accept Tricare. 'I don't think [the extension] is going to make a significant difference, because it doesn't address the root problem,' said Dr. Kristi Cabiao, CEO and president of Mission Alpha Advocacy, an organization that works to improve the quality of life for military families within the Exceptional Family Member Program. 'Families are still going to struggle finding providers who will take Tricare.' 'Providers haven't received payment. They don't trust the system. They're either going to minimize the number of Tricare patients they take, or drop Tricare,' she said. 'Families are facing significant barriers.' Many providers still don't have contracts to work with TriWest, Cabiao said. And the lack of payment has caused such financial difficulties that some medical providers have had no choice but to permanently shut down. 'What is the projected timeline for resolution? Have we identified the root of the problem?' Cabiao asked. During a conference March 31, a Defense Health Agency official said he expected the problems would be resolved in a couple of months. In the meantime, Cabiao suggested, one solution would be to have an additional open enrollment period now. 'It's the Tricare Prime people who are really struggling. If [DHA] opened up enrollment so they could switch to Tricare Select, at least they'd get away from this mess. They'd have co-pays, but would have access to specialists,' she said. Tricare snafus cause medical shortfalls for military families Certain military hospitals and clinics have returned to normal referral processing through TriWest, as the company works to improve its referral processing system, DHA officials said. Beneficiaries whose primary care managers are located at these facilities will have their referrals processed by TriWest: California: Naval Medical Center San Diego, Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, Naval Hospital Twentynine Palms, Naval Health Clinic Lemoore and Army Health Clinic Presidio of Monterey Colorado: Air Force Academy clinics, Peterson Air Force Base clinic, Buckley AFB clinic, Fort Carson's Evans Army Community Hospital and Schriever Space Force Base clinic Nebraska: Offutt AFB clinic Nevada: Nellis AFB's Mike O'Callaghan Military Medical Center Texas: Brooke Army Medical Center Washington: Madigan Army Medical Center, Naval Hospital Bremerton and Naval Health Clinic Oak Harbor
Winnipeg Free Press
30-04-2025
- Winnipeg Free Press
First Nation chief believes arson that destroyed new band office was retaliation for community's war on drugs
The chief of a northern Manitoba First Nation believes the fire that destroyed his community's band office was set in retaliation to the 'war on drugs' he and other leaders are waging. The blaze at Bunibonibee Cree Nation's band office was reported shortly after 5 a.m. Sunday. A preliminary investigation determined the cause to be arson, RCMP said Wednesday. Chief Richard Hart said that in the last six weeks, safety officers and councillors have seized an estimated $500,000 in drugs, $150,000 in cash and four or five rifles from 10-20 individuals in the community. MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES Chief Richard Hart said that the community has had 'quite a few' overdose deaths in the last few years owing to drugs laced with fentanyl, which is why he and other leaders are concerned about substance use. Hart and other councillors have been targeted as a result, he said, with Sunday's fire the latest example. Smoke was pouring out of the building when RCMP officers arrived. The brand-new structure was completely engulfed in flames and completely destroyed a short time later, police said. No injuries were reported. 'I think the community as a whole is very disappointed that this happened and very disappointed that there's individuals in our community that want to do things that prevent our community from growing and enjoying new things,' Hart said. Located 950 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg along the eastern shoreline of Oxford Lake, the First Nation has an on-reserve population of approximately 3,000, he said. The community started building its new band office three years ago, Hart said. They were finalizing furniture setup and hoping to move in next week. The community's last band office was decommissioned 10 or 15 years ago, he said. Leaders have been working out of other buildings; an old nursing station has served as the band office for the last eight years. Earlier in April, vandals threw Molotov cocktails into the old nursing station and caused smoke damage, Hart said. He and some councillors have had windows at their homes and vehicles broken, too. Hart said that the community has had 'quite a few' overdose deaths in the last few years owing to drugs laced with fentanyl, which is why he and other leaders are concerned about substance use. 'With the flow of drugs comes the gangster activity and that's where you see these attacks,' he said. 'It's like a war — it's like a little drug war that's being waged against the chief and council.' Oxford House RCMP have spoken to numerous witnesses and have a suspect in Sunday's blaze, said spokesperson Sgt. Paul Manaigre. 'They have some strong beliefs they know who it is, it's just (a matter of) gathering evidence before you can make an arrest,' Manaigre said. Members of the RCMP's Thompson-based Crime Reduction Enforcement Support Team, which assists northern detachments in Manitoba, are investigating several files in the area, including the arson, he said. Manaigre did not have details about the other files. 'There's a fair amount of work left to do up there, so hopefully we'll get an update soon,' he said. Hart said that members of the First Nation are working together in the face of adversity. 'We remain strong and we remain committed to being a community we're all proud to live in,' he said. 'We're committed to overcoming this and not letting the drug dealers dictate life.' The Bunibonibee Cree Nation blaze is the latest fire that has impacted a northern First Nation. During Elections Get campaign news, insight, analysis and commentary delivered to your inbox during Canada's 2025 election. In September 2024, a crisis centre and a public-works building in Shamattawa First Nation were gutted in two fires the RCMP believe were deliberately set. The First Nation is located 750 kilometres north of Winnipeg. Two men were charged after the former band office in Gods Lake Narrows, 550 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg, was set on fire in October 2023. 'Obviously we're concerned with the number of buildings that are intentionally targeted and set on fire,' Manaigre said, adding that it's difficult to say whether the buildings were targeted for a specific reason or if they were crimes of opportunity. Police are asking witnesses or people with information about the fire in Bunibonibee Cree Nation to call Oxford House RCMP at 204-538-2046. Aaron EppReporter Aaron Epp reports on business for the Free Press. After freelancing for the paper for a decade, he joined the staff full-time in 2024. He was previously the associate editor at Canadian Mennonite. Read more about Aaron. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
31-01-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Air traffic controller ‘allowed to leave work early' shortly before crash
An air traffic controller was allowed to leave their post early on the night a helicopter collided with a passenger jet above Washington DC, a report has claimed. The claim has put intense scrutiny on staffing levels at Ronald Reagan National Airport, where an American Airlines flight from Wichita, Kansas, struck a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter at around 8.47pm local time on Wednesday. Both aircraft plunged into the Potomac River, killing all 67 passengers and crew. At the time of the collision, one controller was managing traffic for both helicopters and planes, a job normally handled by two people from 10am until 9.30pm, according to The New York Times. The duties are typically combined at 9.30pm as traffic subsides into the night, but on Wednesday evening a supervisor reportedly clocked off early. The NTSB, the government agency that investigates accidents in the US, has said it is too early to draw conclusions about the cause of the crash. But the Federal Aviation Administration found that staffing levels in the air traffic control tower at the airport were 'not normal for the time of day and the volume of traffic'. A report from The Washington Post gave further details and said that two air traffic controllers were handling the jobs of four at the time of the crash. Doubling up these roles can create 'challenges' because they use different radio frequencies. The dangers of the crowded airspace above Washington were starkly illustrated by federal incident reports from the area which showed a similar near miss happened 24 hours before the crash on Wednesday. On that occasion, another passenger jet coming in to land at Reagan Airport told air traffic control it had to abort because of a risk of colliding with a helicopter. A week before the tragedy, on Jan 23, a flight from Charlotte, North Carolina had to do the same because of another helicopter. Richard Hart, a passenger on one of the planes that had to abort its landing, told The Washington Post: 'They had to circle back around because there was a helicopter in the flight path. 'At the time I found it odd…Now I find it disturbingly tragic.' During a White House press conference, Donald Trump, the US president, blamed DEI policies for the accident and suggested that incompetent air traffic controllers may also have been to blame. It has also been reported that the army helicopter, carrying three 'fairly experienced' soldiers wearing night vision goggles, may have been flying higher than its approved path. Mary Schiavo, an aviation analyst, told CNN that the helicopter pilot may have confused the lights of a different plane with the aircraft it collided with. She said: 'We do see other lights in the area, particularly one bright light from another aircraft. 'The air traffic control tower asked the helicopter, 'Do you have the plane in sight? 'The first time I looked at that video I focused on the moving light, not the stationary light, which actually wasn't stationary. It's just a matter of vantage point. There's a concern that the helicopter pilot may have focused on the brighter, moving light and mistaken it for the plane he was supposed to track.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
