Indian food classes
The first date in his diary is their Pongal Supper Club (Jan 24), celebrating the traditional Tamil Harvest Festival, Thai Tamil. And while the cuisine from the Tamil Nadu province is typically vegetarian, even vegan, there will also be plenty of meat options for the more bloody-minded. www.annam.ie
The Menu lays out the welcome mat once more to Paul ‘Calso’ Callaghan, the plasterer-turned-cookbook author whose new book, Calso Cooks (Mercier Press) has just hit the shops. Calso, who in his own words, crawled from quite a dark hole after the collapse of his plastering business following the crash, attributes his rebirth to discovering the world of cooking and food. With no training whatsoever, his new book should be an inspiration to all and sundry. thesustainablelarder.blogspot.ie
The Menu is hardpressed to recall when he last had as much fun as he put down at the inaugural Ballymaloe Litfest, last year, so urges all to begin (virtual) queuing for tickets for this year’s return match which have just gone on sale (www.litfest.ie). He also plans to be high above his beloved city on the Lee up in the Cotton Ball, in Mayfield, for the official launch (Jan 25) of the venerable hostelry’s new range of craft beers. The beers gorgeously-labelled Kerry Lane Pale Ale, Mayfield Golden Lager and Lynch’s Pure Cork Stout are already flying down local gullets to great acclaim and The Menu is looking forward to doing similar. But first he will be pointing the ear trumpet in the general direction of the wireless each Friday from now on to hear his good friend, Elke of Bia Sasta, and her new food programme on Cork Community Radio. (100.5FM)corkfm.wordpress.com
During the power cuts back in the dark days of the 1970s and ’80s while struggling to see the homework, Mother Menu would hold a single buttercup under the chin of her most beloved of all her many sons, as it is well known that if the chin in question belongs to a butter fan, a great light will subsequently emanate from the aforementioned chin. A single buttercup and no more, mark you, was all she employed for The Menu was and remains to this day something of a maniac for the byproduct of finest churned Irish cream which is why he has taken such a shine to the Improper Butter range of compound butters. He has greatly enjoyed their herbed concoctions but it is the Cashel Blue Butter that has him dizzy with delight, most especially stirred into a fine potato and celeriac mash. www.improperbutter.com
Send Irish food news/events/products to themenu@examiner.ie
Galway Bay Full Sail Ale, 5.8% ABV, 500ml — €2.99-€3.49
Bradleys, McHughs, Deveneys Dundrum, Vintry Rathgar, McCambridges Galway Galway
Bay’s generally excellent beers are mostly sold through their pubs in Galway and Dublin, but in recent months they have become increasingly available in bottled format from off-licences.
Full Sail is an India Pale Ale brewed with American hops — Colombus, El Dorado and Cascade. There is significant dry-hop-ping leading to a bright fruity aroma and strong hop flavours.
— Leslie Williams
