CheapEats.ie

Recipe: Sweet celery salad

jacqueline — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 14:03:28 +0000

Surplus celery for a sweet salad

At the weekend, my partner and I catered for a friend’s christening. We had the camera ready to fondly take pictures of our food, and exclaim over how great it all looked, but we seriously misjudged our timings. We didn’t have time to lift a camera, we barely had time to breathe - the evening before and the day were spent running (literally, running) around the kitchen and garden prepping and serving our fine food.

We made a sort of ‘umbrella’ plan, handing our pregnant and not-rich friend a list of ingredients to buy. She forgot to bring the list while shopping and ‘worked from memory’. Now she did well, but the catering turned into a let’s work with what we’ve got event, as opposed to a precision party. I’ll post up more recipes from the day (we did good!), but for now, here’s a celery salad that the christening crowd loved.

An hour before everyone arrived, I had a serious amount of celery and no clues about what to do with it. Desperation drove me to the following concoction, and it was a taste sensation. I had a good nosy in their store cupboard, and they had some excellent spices, plus apricots and pecans to hand.

Ingredients

A hell of a lot of celery (judge it yourself)

A half a bag of dried apricots

A large handful of raisins

A good scoop of pecan nuts

Heaped tsp of cumin

Heaped tsp of dried coriander

1 tbsp of sesame oil

For the dressing

2 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp of sesame oil

Method

Put the pecan nuts into the oven to roast for 15mins. Cut up the celery into attractive little 1cm pieces. In a pan, heat up the sesame oil, and throw in the raisins, cumin and coriander. Heat for a few minutes to release the aromas of those delightful spices, then throw it over the celery. Cut up the dried apricots, and put them in too. Chop the roasted pecans finely, then put them into your salad, along with the maple syrup and sesame oil dressing.

Watch this space for a luscious butterflied lamb recipe, a green bean zesty salad, pasta salads with a twist, some cunning cous cous and some seriously divine meatballs: all part of the christening fare. And post any lovely salad recipes you have!

Rubbish offers: read the small print

peter — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 12:31:59 +0000

Yesterday’s Liveline was buzzing with angry callers complaining about an offer from petrol station Applegreen.

Since last year, customers who spend €10 in Applegreen get a stamp on their loyalty card. Once they accumulate 50 stamps, they can get a three night stay for two people for €19.99 in a choice of hotels around Ireland. I nonchalantly picked up my loyalty card when it was offered by the cashier last month, but quickly realised it’s a rubbish offer.

Firstly, the loyalty card uses large fonts and many terms and conditions asterisks to tell you that you have to pay for meals in your chosen hotel. In the terms and conditions on the back of the card: “The Leisure Break voucher entitles 2 adults (children can also travel), up to 3 nights hotel accommodation and full use of all hotel facilities. In order to claim your 1, 2, or 3 nights using the voucher, you simply eat breakfast and dinner in your chosen hotel, each day you stay - remember you have to eat somewhere.” Who wants to be tied to their hotel for a three day stay, especially when many hotel restaurants are notoriously average?

Secondly, to redeem my voucher, I would have to spend €500 on petrol before the card expires on March 31 this month. I only picked it up a few weeks ago. Who spends €500 on petrol in a month and a half?

These were the issues riling callers to Damian O’Reilly yesterday. Anyone would think they’d been conned. But the loyalty card itself does an excellent job of advertising how rubbish the offer is on its own cover, while the terms and conditions on the back of the card - it’s only a paragraph or two, not pages and pages, which would be inexcusable - are also quite clear. But callers argued that this information was hidden away and only just discovered in some impossibly legalistic terms and conditions. Surely we should read through a few terms and conditions before we decide to throw €500 at one particular company?

If you don’t like this deal - and I absolutely don’t - simply get your petrol elsewhere, politely decline the card, or get your special offers for hotels on the Discover Ireland website, through SuperValu’s Getaway breaks scheme, or on the back of your receipts. Otherwise, in this instance, I think you’ve only got yourself to blame.

Have you poo-poohed any bad offers, or picked up any good deals? And do you ever get sucked in by not reading the terms and conditions?

€5 Fish and Chips in Burdock’s

jean — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:35:30 +0000

Peter has pronounced Burdock’s to be the best chipper in Ireland a number of times here, which means that it has now passed into empirical fact. Burdock’s is the best chipper in Ireland, and dissent will not be tolerated.

The Burdock’s outlet in the Epicurean Food Hall on Abbey Street is currently running a pretty sweet lunch offer - Haddock and Chips for €4.99. They were previously running an offer of Buy One, Get One Free on the same haddock meal, and charging around a tenner for it - so the deal is essentially the same, with the added bonus that you can go get it even if you’re feeling antisocial.

Even though the first deal has now expired, I have to include the picture of the Viking who was advertising it outside the shop, because he was so smiley and friendly, and well, it’s always nice to see a Viking, isn’t it?

Win! One of three Mother’s Day dinners at the M&S restaurant

peter — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 11:19:22 +0000

Treat your Mum to something Special this Mother’s Day

Mother’s Day is fast approaching and sometimes it’s hard to know what to get that special lady in your life. Lucky for you, cheapeats.ie and Marks & Spencer are here to help. We’re giving you the chance to win one of three delicious meals for four this Mother’s Day in the Marks & Spencer Rooftop restaurant on Grafton Street.

Mums are always so busy looking after everyone else, so why not let your mum have a day of pampering and relaxation and treat her to a delicious meal this Mother’s Day, compliments of Marks & Spencer and Cheapeats.ie.

Also this weekend, the fantastic M&S dine-in for two offer will be back. It’s perfect for a family dinner this Mother’s Day.

To Win

To be in with a chance to win one of these three prizes, simply click into this post and answer the the following question:

Q. On which day does Mother’s Day fall?

1. Friday
2. Saturday
3. Sunday

Remember, enter once and you’ll have three chances to win!

About M&S Restaurant

A recently renovated part-glass extension hosts M&S’s first table service restaurant in the Republic of Ireland. Boasting views onto Grafton Street, the 150-seat restaurant offers a selection of M&S food and wine as well as alfresco dining from its 30-seat roof top terrace.

Customers can choose from a range of delicious menu options throughout the day. For breakfast, choices range from a full Irish breakfast to porridge made with organic milk. Lunchtime diners can enjoy light bites such as soups, salads and sandwiches or choose one of a wide range of main meals - from a succulent roast of the day to fresh seafood linguine. Customers can also enjoy a glass of wine with their meal.

A range of gourmet desserts are on offer for those who want to indulge, from warm berry pancake stacks to melting middle chocolate puddings, or a selection of Irish cheeses. Traditional afternoon tea is available from 2pm onwards.

Terms

Don’t email in your answer. Leave a comment on this post using the form below. Emailed answers will not be included in the draw.
Please make sure you leave a working email address with your comment (email addresses will not be publicly displayed) so we can contact you for your details.
This offer is only open to readers in the Republic of Ireland. Please do not enter this competition if you are outside the Republic of Ireland.
Please do not comment more than once, if we see more than one comment from the same address we will delete all your comments and you will no longer be eligible for the competition. If you have questions about the competition, use our contact form.
The competition will close at 1pm on Friday March 12, and the winner will be announced the same day: be sure to check your email to see if you have won.
There is no cash alternative for this prize.

Snack Box’s Mississippi Missive

snackbox — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:28:53 +0000

Taqueria El Milagro

This Monday, SnackBox tests out the deep south’s Mexican treats.

There are quite a few Mexican food options in Dublin. Round these parts we have Acapulco, Cactus Jack, Mexico to Rome, The Alamo and El Paso, to name but a few in the capital. I’ve only ever eaten in Acapulco and The Alamo and enjoyed both but am always a bit miffed by the price, as Mexican food has to be one of the cheapest cuisines in terms of ingredients used.

In the US, Mexican food is more widespread. It is also unbelievably cheap. In the small town of Oxford, for example, there were at least five Mexican restaurants. We were told by everyone that Taqueria El Milagro was the best. You couldn’t miss it. With a bright orange façade, the only place more colourful in Mississippi is its interior. Greens, blues, reds cover the walls and each table harboured its own individual and beautiful Mexican folklore mural. I’ve always liked the idea of eating a fajita off the chest of a native American Strongman with a load of feathers in his hair, a spear, and a broad in a torn dress by his knee. Finally my chance had come.
Our waitress was about 11 months pregnant which was slightly off putting. You just felt bad asking for anything as she was clearly in some pain.

But she took it in her stride. The food came in huge portions and was really cheap. We had a selection of fajitas, tacos, soft and hard corn tortillas with a mixture of pork, beef, chicken, refried beans, hot sauce, rice, guacamole, oh Jesus I’m starving now. The beef fajitas were the favourite with my associate getting quite irate at the amount we were stealing from his plato. We tried to eat it all because we’re Irish and don’t know where our next meal may be coming from. But we couldn’t finish and now strange male digestion noises were the order of the day with a lot of ‘oohs’, ‘aahs’, ‘jesus’, and ‘bleedin stuffed’ sounds being made at our table.

It doesn’t seem to matter how long I spend in the US. I forget that its perfectly acceptable to take your food home if you cant finish it. It’s one of the few areas where the Yanks beat us in terms of being economical. It’s not that a restaurant in Ireland would refuse if you asked to bring some of your food home but it’s certainly not part of our culture.

Each of our three main courses ranged from $7 to $9 and in total our bill came to $35 dollars. This price, which may seem cheap, makes sense to me. You are dealing with a lot of flour, beans, salad and I imagine, cheap cuts of meat. So it should be cheap.

1420 West Jackson Avenue, Oxford, MS 38655
662-236-1717

Special offers at Dunnes

peter — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:21:23 +0000

Over at Dunnes, special offers this week include:

Bold 2 in 1 washing powder (50 scoops) - reduced from €16.92 to €10
Dunnes fresh Irish minced beef (1kg) - €5
Flora omega-3 plus spread - half price - now 99c

As usual with Dunnes, the offer expiry dates vary - some offers are valid until March 13 and others until March 21. Click here for details.

Special offers at Tesco

peter — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:43:44 +0000

Special offers this week at Tesco include:

Bacon, cabbage and potatoes - all half price
Cadbury Roses/ Milk Tray and Terry’s All Gold - all half price
Blueberries, strawberries, grapes, and blackberries - all reduced by 33%

Tesco’s special offer leaflet - which may have fallen out of your newspaper this weekend - provides a comprehensive overview of all their current specials, which are valid until Sunday April 14. You can view it online here.

In fairness, there’s a lot on offer there at the moment, although I’m always slightly suspicious of Tesco: sometimes the prices are quietly raised before they fall for promotional offers. Still, if you make your shopping list and put on your blinkers - only buy the specials - you just might beat this retail giant.

Have you ever got one-up on Tesco?

Special offers at SuperValu

peter — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 12:00:01 +0000

Lots of special offers worth writing home about this week at SuperValu, including:

Irish breakfast (SuperValu sausages, bacon, black or white pudding, and six free range eggs) - €5
SuperValu pressed apple juice (1 litre) - reduced from €1.61 to €1
Muller rice singles range (190g) - two for €1

Offers valid until Saturday March 13. Click here for more details.

There’s a lot more, including a selection of three meats from a whole chicken (1.4kg), minced beef (400g), back bacon steaks (480g) and pork loin chops (550g) for €8; a selection of three fruit and veg from carrots (2kg), mushrooms (450g), roosters (2kg), parsnips (900g), seven bananas, and nine pears for €4, and two family dinners to feed four people for under €7.

Family meal deal valid until Saturday March 20, all other offers valid until Saturday March 13.

Takeaway review: Bombay Pantry

peter — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 15:00:16 +0000

Photo: bombaypantry.com

For ages now, people have been telling me to try out The Bombay Pantry, an Indian takeaway with seven branches around Dublin.

So finally! I picked up a takeaway for four. Against our better judgment, we got some rather misguided Spicy fish cakes (€4.95) to start. After one bite each we threw them to the cat. Not surprisingly, she snubbed them.

The rest of the meal was much, much better. The chicken korma (€8.50), with an amazingly well-balanced and delicate sauce, was perfect for my friend Cat. The murg chutney(€8.50) - a hot, sweet and sour chicken dish cooked with mango, chutney, ginger, black pepper and yogurt, and garnished with cashews and almonds - was a real mouth sensation, and I can’t imagine how they could possibly have improved this dish. The naan, a side that’s surprisingly easy to mess up, was hot, fresh, and light. The total cost for one starter, four mains, and three sides was just €43.80.

Bombay Pantry has deservedly built up a great reputation. Most of the meals are around the €8 mark, which is great value for one of the very best Indian eateries in the country. There’s always a new special on the menu and lots of great value deals:

Choice of selected main with rice and naan - €8
Value deal for two - €22.50
Set menu for two - starters, mains, and sides - €28
Set menu for four - starters, mains and sides - €54/ €62
Family meal deal - 4-5 persons - €39.50

If you haven’t already tried it out, give it a go!

Recipes: Hot Hooch

rercy — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 12:00:54 +0000

I religiously consult the ‘Going up - Going down’ section of the Sunday Times style magazine to keep abreast of what’s hip and what’s not. Naturally I don’t follow any of their advice but reading their checklist of what to wear, eat, listen to, buy and avoid is titillating stuff.

If I did follow their recommendations for this week, I would be wearing my boyfriends blazer, applying foil nail varnish, embracing cloud hair, listening to 6 music and drinking hot cocktails.

Well my husband would not be caught dead in a blazer, sadly my barnet is already frizzy without having to adopt the ‘cloud’ look, my nails are too short for foil to be added and I can’t pick up station 6. I can however drink hot cocktails.

Cocktails are not just confined to the sun-lounger but are also the ideal tipple for this pleasant but nippy March weather. There are a number of hot cocktail options and not just the usual hot whiskey and Irish coffee. This Hot Cranberry Toddy plays good cop/bad cop with your liver with the cranberry balancing out any damage done by the rum and this grown-up Vanilla Hot Chocolate is sure to make you all warm and fuzzy inside. Cheers.

Hot Cranberry Toddies

Servings: Four cocktails.

Ingredients:

4 tangerines
½ cup whole cloves
2½ litres pure cranberry juice
2 cups sugar, or to taste
3 cups amber rum

Directions:

Cut tangerines crosswise into quarter-inch-thick rounds and remove seeds.
Stud rind of each tangerine round with 4 or 5 cloves.
In a large saucepan simmer cranberry juice, tangerine rounds, and sugar, covered, 5 minutes and stir in rum.
Serve toddies with clove-studded tangerine rounds in heatproof glasses.

Adult-only Vanilla Hot Chocolate

Servings: Four cocktails.

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups whole milk
½ cup vanilla syrup
1 tsp salt
1 vanilla bean
160g white chocolate, chopped
60ml white chocolate liqueur
60ml Triple Sec
Marshmallows for garnish

Instructions:

Pour milk, vanilla syrup and salt into a medium-size saucepan. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring, until the mixture is hot. Do not boil.
Split the vanilla bean lengthwise and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to the saucepan.
Add the white chocolate and stir until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is smooth. Don’t rush this step by turning up the heat, or the white chocolate may seize. Stir in the liqueurs and blend.
Pour the hot chocolate into four mugs and serve immediately, topped with marshmallows.