Irlandiamo

We landed late last night near the new wing dell'aereporto Dublin International Airport. The flight was pleasant so that gave us the spectacular night view of a capital city in all its splendor.

Retrieved our luggage we take possession of the Zafira hire and after some misunderstanding with the handbrake we head towards Swords. The sky is cloudless and the air is fresh. We in Ireland.

I confess: my recent trip to Sweden has shaken my traditional preference for the most beautiful island in the world. Although Sweden is wonderful as a tourist and I was fine. I was thinking about this today as I drove from Dublin to Kinsale time.

We decide for a small deviation and a necessary ritual to break the old Jameson Distillery in Midleton. We lunch at the distillery and allow ourselves to be convolgere atmosphere full of malt flavors and colors.

In early afternoon we reach Kinsale while the sky still seems to have taken a final decision for the day. In any case it does not rain and it is known in these parts is no small thing. The founder and director of B & B we have booked for this night is absent and we are forced to come back later.

We go back to driving and we head towards Charles Fort. From the strong and the road running along you can enjoy the best view of Kinsale and the bay. Just a little stroll, to reach the rocks below the fort, and finally I'm in Ireland. Not that I was not the first but that feeling of tranquility savage, the strong smell of the sea, the sound of seagulls and the incessant roar of the wind can proiettarti in a dimension that can not be explained otherwise than by calling His real name wrong in Ireland.

Let's go back to where we B6B welcomes the gentle Mrs Abbey that tells us how he dreams of spending a summer on Lake Garda in the sun and delighting with Italian cuisine. It 's true that nobody in the world can enjoy what has up and down, as it should be, feels always looking for something that is missing ... it's just different.

We go out for a walk along the sea. The evening was wonderful. The sun plays hide and seek with the clouds that run fast on the water pushed by the wind. The colors leave us speechless.

Christmas is still far away but I want to talk about the experiment that I conducted last year and that is reglare to all our friends a 3 pack of mince pies, or one of the most traditional Irish Christmas docletti.

Here is the original recipe that involves preparation of Mince Meat (filling) and Mince Pies (small pies).

Recipe for Mince Meat

Ingredients:

• 225 g raisins
• 225 g currants
• 125 g sultanas
• 125 g apples, peeled
• 125 g mixed candied fruit
• 50 g margarine
• 1 lemon, juice and grated rind
• 125 g brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of molasses
• 1 tablespoon chopped mixed spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger)
• 1 tablespoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon of brandy or whiskey
• 15 g butter

Procedure:
Finely chop the apples.
Melt the butter in a pan and put to dry apples.
Add remaining ingredients and mix well.
Put the mixture into sterilized jars without filling up the board.
Cover with waxed paper discs and seal.
Keep in cool, dark place, preferably not more than three months.

Recipe for Mince Pies

Ingredients:

• 275 g of flour
• 25 g of finely chopped almonds
• 175 g of butter
• 75 g of sugar
• finely grated zest of 1/2 lemon
• Turlo 1 egg
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 450 g of mincemeat mixed with 1 or 2 tablespoons of brandy

Procedure:
Mix the flour with ground almonds and butter in small pieces and mix well.
Add sugar, lemon zest, egg yolk beaten with milk and mix well until mixture is homogeneous and then refrigerate for about half an hour. Roll out the dough on a floured board and cut 24 rounds with a diameter of 7.5 cm and the other 24 with a diameter of 5 cm.
24 lined or greased molds tartelette a special non-stick baking tray with 12 holes (in this case, they will cook in two turns) with the circles of dough larger, Fill the center with a teaspoon of mincemeat being careful not to put too much.
Wet edges of dough, cover with the smaller circle, a good seal by pressing with your fingers and bake at 200 degrees for about 15 minutes when the dough will become golden.
Dust with icing sugar and serve warm.

Related to the tradition of Mince Pies are numerous legends. I have collected some for the more superstitious

• The mince pie is the favorite dessert of Santa Claus, so children should leave a plate at the foot of the chimney.
• Mix the mincemeat mix clockwise as counterclockwise brings bad luck for the coming year.
• While eating the first mince pie of the season, the tradition is that it expresses a wish.
• The mince pies are eaten in silence.
• Eating a mince pie each of the twelve days of Christmas brings luck for the coming year.
• The mince pies should have a star above, depicting the Christmas star that led the Magi to the baby Jesus
• Mince pies, "mincers" or "minces" is rhyming slang for "eyes".

No, no love for what you got?! Do not mean to talk about the pop star, but the greatest connoisseur of beer and whiskey in the world in spite of its namesake musical celebrity discussed.

M. Jackson has really drunk everything and everywhere. Wrote real bibles reference for connoisseurs. It 'a writer as much as refined his taste for malt and hops. I discovered through a friend and the feeling was immediate.

If you like beer and / or whiskey, or even if you only read the memorable pages where the topic is the perfect drink Jackson is the author. His descriptions of the condition of "drunkenness" are amazing and its definition of "thirsty" is the most witty and sincere I have ever read.

Obviously there are pages in his praise to the Irish whiskeys and beers.

Following are a brief bibliography, which I possess with pride ... in a glass and the other

Title: Altante World of Whisky
Year: 2005
Publisher: Mondadori
In brief: Michael Jackson, internationally renowned expert, leads the reader on a long journey to discover the whiskey. Tracing its history from its ancient origins, the most prestigious distilleries describes and analyzes the different types: single malt scotch from the blend, from American bourbon to the varieties produced in Japan. The book also discusses all phases of whiskey, from the cultivation of cereals to their maceration, distillation to aging, not to mention news and information relating to people and places that made history. The final section is devoted to whiskey tasting, its use in recipes and in the preparation of cocktails.

Title: Stories in the glass of beer, whiskey, life
Year: 2005
Publisher: Slow Food
In short: Maximum connoisseur of beer in the world and effective writer, English Michael Jackson works closely (as well as magazines such as Decanter and Wine) at the international quarterly Slow and publisher of the dome has published, in 1999, the Italian translation of a seminal text for understanding the universe beer (Guide to the beers of the world), complete with all the addresses of places where you can drink a good pint. Including but not limited to his experiences as a taster and expert in this drink are dedicated to the stories in this book. This is a series of reports divided into three sections: memories of life, travel impressions, experiences relating to the job-passion of beer expert.

Title: Beer. The top 500
Year: 2005
Publisher: New Techniques
In short: What are the best beers? In these pages you will discover the true story of Czech lagers and German ones, and the Trappist Belgian wheat beers, the classic British ale, stout of Irish and American microbreweries. The supermarket shelves are stocked with beers from around the world. The maps of beer bars, pubs and restaurants contain more extensive lists. But what is your beer? Michael Jackson, the world's leading beer experts, introduces you to the best beers and bottle shows, and label the right way to pour into the glass more appropriate.

We go out and we are invaded by the light of the sunset and the Connemara is almost unnatural colors of a thousand warm colors. We head to Letterfrack Pangur Ban , the restaurant that we have booked for this evening.

Once near the Connemara National Park in the distance we see a rainbow unusual oriented downward overlooking one of twelve peaks of Connemara.

We arrive at Ban Pangur where she awaits a special atmosphere. The restaurant is housed in a cottage very old and has been furnished in a style typical Irish very welcoming and full of particolari.Ordino an appetizer of red onion jam and goat cheese and then I rush to the manufacturer or entity on the house specialty: duck red onions, I eat taste and I send my compliments to the chef ... but really the best duck I've ever eaten.

Sated and happy return to Clifden and we go into a pub where a spirited and lively trio entertains the guests. I order a glass of Powers hoping to help the digiestione.

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I do not know if no one has ever written a very capable, but if I had I definitely would do it. As is traditional in all my stay in Doolin we allow ourselves a dinner at Lazy Lobster .

The restaurant is extremely simple yet very refined. Owen (the owner and his wife Sarah) welcomed us with warmth and always assures us that he booked us two of the best lobster of the day. The mouth watering encourages us to order a couple of starters and here comes a plate of mussels and crab cakes. To hell and I'm on holiday in Ireland: Portuguese white from 14.5 degrees.

Here come the lobster accompanied by melted butter, chili and lime. Good, very good indeed divine. A half hour of absolute food heaven. I finish the bottle of white and mumbled the little that I can ask for the bill. Owen tells me to be the best customer of the restaurant and considering that I come from Italy I think it's something really special. Having said that grants us a generous discount. The night is wonderful. Above us a clear blue sky dotted with millions of stars. Given the almost total absence of artificial lights the show is perfect. Damn that's nice to be in Ireland!

Wrapped and affected by more typical irish weather (rain almost imperceptible) decide to take a walk in the center of Kinsale. The real goal is to choose the restaurant for this evening because we are in the gourmet capital of Ireland, and dinner here we must take it very seriously.

We remain undecided between Crackpots (where we delighted in the past with a plateful of prawns hardly forget) or by Jolas (a very charming restaurant that offers cuisine from the border of Ireland and Eastern Europe). At worst we can opt for a cheaper buffalo burgers from Muddy who will know how to worthily fill our appetite.

If you happen to come to Doolin (Co. Clare), remember that in addition to the music and the perfect pint can happen to also find some excellent restaurants. My absolute favorite is the Lazy Lobster. The restaurant is EXTREMELY warm and welcoming, and despite several changes in management has maintained good quality food.

Do not miss the best dish:
The Very Lazy Lobster lobster of the day or at a reasonable price, served with butter flavored with chili, lime and spices Irish.

The restaurant is located immediately in front of pubs McDermotts. If you are familiar with the village of Doolin McDermotts the alternative is the most worthy of the O'Connors pub and is located by following signs from the intersection of tapezzato left the main road.

Bon appetit!