The Lounge 102

With the impending winter darkness and shorter days approaching comfort food is always welcome to soothe the soul.  Nothing better than a warming stew or casserole to keep the spirits up.    I like to make this stew of chicken and chorizo for those very days.  Because I'm with  Jose Andres  when it comes to cooking, "Recipes are overrated" just follow the guidelines but don't be constrained. Perfect for weekends, or bung it in the slow cooker before you go to work, and hey presto dinner is ready when you get in. You will need Your choice of music, on as loud as you can stand A glass or two of some decent wine Chicken, Celery, Onion & Chorizo Chicken thighs or legs, but definitely on the bone A chorizo sausage  Half a head of celery Fresh garlic to taste, at least one clove Large onion Tin of chickpeas (any beans of your choice) 2 tins of chopped tomatoes Paprika (I use the mild one) Salt and pepper to taste A fairly larg...

Leaving Bayonne was like saying goodbye to a seldom seen friend after an awkward situation.  Glad to be going but regretting what happened. Today's trip would take me north through Les Landes , a flat and pretty featureless area, around the city of Bordeaux and on towards La Rochelle . The drive from Bayonne to Bordeaux is about 180km of straight flat motorway and surroundings.  Away to the left is the Atlantic Ocean and the coastline here is home to Europe's longest beach which attracts surfers from all over the world.  Signs for towns with memories of earlier holidays appear and disappear as we travel north.  The flatness doesn't really change until you get to Arcachon,  home to Europe's tallest sand dune and an important area for oyster cultivation. It is also the ancestral home of chef and author Anthony Bourdain (useless fact #1754).   A number of years ago in Arcachon I watched two men play a game of boules in the shade of a tree...

I pointed the car north east and left Pamplona, promising myself I'd return.  Tired of motorway driving I took the back roads and headed for Bayonne in French Basque Country .  The route took me through Roncevalles , long a strategic post for French invaders and famous for the defeat of Charlemagne in 778 but now a quiet hamlet and important stop for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago who have walked over the Pyrenees.  Spain is the most mountainous country in Europe after Switzerland and the passes and villages of this region are definitely Alpine.  The route climbs steadily with tight switchbacks which certainly worked the cars gearbox.  The roads were busy with pilgrims and you couldn't help being conflicted between admiration for their efforts and doubts about their intelligence.   Suddenly you notice that the road signs have changed from Spanish to French and you realise that you've crossed the border.  The directions showed St...

The BMWA Nobody quits the book club, once you're in it you're in it forever The idea for this developed over a few pints with my pal Tony Morrissi.  Funny how ideas never develop over cups of tea, or sparkling water.  Anyway, Tony says "Will we form a book club"?  I gave it careful consideration and responded immediately "It has to include whiskey"  I think Tony was a little taken aback and was openly struggling to marry the two hobbies, "No problem" he said.  From there it was a natural progression to including movies and albums (music to those lucky enough to be asked for ID when buying booze) and so The BMWA (Books, Movies, Whiskey, Albums) was formed.   It was decided that the club would be men only.  Not for any anti-feminism ideals but rather following personal circumstances we felt that men needed a forum to hang out with their friends and to discuss their stuff.  We're told that men don't talk enough. Tony being the anal...

Limerick City and County has some fantastic small scale food and drink producers.  On Thursday October 19th The Lounge 102 is bringing together three of the best and most passionate in one place!! Sample locally made beer, taste local bread made with beer grains and get the great flavour of beer washed local cheese. Date: Thursday October 19, 8pm Venue: Mother Macs Public House, High St, Limerick Tickets: €10 available behind the bar Beautifully hand crafted beers, created using the finest all natural ingredients for your drinking pleasure. We are great beer. No additives, No preservatives, just fantastic quality beers. We make beer that YOU love to drink. Micro bakery specialising in Handcrafted sourdough bread & viennoiserie, based in Limerick City.  Organically driven using seasonal and local produce. The searing relationship between a farmer and his herd defines the Irish experience.  As a boy Jim O'Brien watched his father s...

Pamplona, the capital city of Navarre inextricably linked with bull fighting and Ernest Hemingway.  Hemingway visited every year from 1923 - 1927 for  San Fermin, the annual orgy of bullfighting, blood, booze and ballads when the city bursts at the seams from sheer numbers.  Indeed if it were not for him would Pamplona and its festival have gained the status it enjoys? Hemmingway Kebabs Hemmingway Drank Here Walk the city and cafes, restaurants, shops etc are named in his memory with claims of his patronage, indeed the challenge would be to find a bar where he didn't drink! All this was very appropriate as I was  reading  working my way through  For Whom The Bell Tolls.  Cafe Iruna  on  Plaza del Castillo  is credited with being his regular haunt, and it would have been mine too. A beautifully preserved 19th century building with many original features. The nearby 5 star Hotel la Perla was his hotel of choice whe...

Cider or sidra is the drink of choice for many Asturians.  Situated in the far north of Spain the region gets the full brunt of the Atlantic Ocean and is is too cold and wet for wine production.  So being the resourceful people that they are, they make cider. Sidrerias or cider bars, are common place in the country side and towns and like the Irish pub are a place to gather with family and friends.  The cider is billed as Sidra Natural.   It is made from apples harvested from the Asturian orchards and has no added ingredients.  Just pressed juice, natural yeast and time.  It a perfect accompaniment to the local cheeses and served cold better than any beer for quenching your thirst on a hot day.  The ritual of pouring it from above your head to aerate it is best left to the expert bar staff and waiters.  You're served about an inch of cider in a glass, which you knock back.  You then wait for the waiter to come back and refill your gl...