The Harrowing Hen Story

I overheard one of the students say that this is the most expensive sweatshop he’s ever had the pleasure of paying for and at the same time working. He was referring to the fact that besides learning to chef, we spend much of the day carrying out “duties” or chores. This on top of the fact that many of the items we cook are sold in the Ballymaloe Cookery School Shop and at the nearby farmer’s market. Personally, I think it is great that our marmalades are flying off the shelf. What we don’t get in monetary compensation we gain in self-confidence. However, this entry is about one particular duty that was a doosie. I was on hen bin duty, which means that after lunch I had to take out the bucket of scraps and feed it to the hens. Scraps is a broad term that include, but are not limited to, carrot peels and coffee grinds. This was my first time on this duty and it was quite an ordeal. I had four overflowing buckets of unsavory looking stuff to carry and dump in the trough near the hen house. Because it had been raining earlier in the day it was quite muddy outside. This would have been a perfect time for my Wellies, but I somehow forgot their importance (see earlier blog entry). I decided that I would wear my new tennis shoes instead, not knowing I would have hen bin duty. Note to self…always have Wellies on hand no matter what! As I entered into the fenced area I slipped and spilled some of the scraps on the ground. Immediately, the hens began to attack me. Actually they were going for the “yummy treats” but it sounds more dramatic to say they were attacking me. Nevertheless I got scared and ran out of the gate but one of the hens followed me. I had to chase the hen around for ten minutes before I captured it and put it back inside. After I regrouped, I proceeded to pour the buckets in the trough and of course on myself. All the while some local Irish farmers were watching from their tractors, probably very amused. This story has a sad ending though. That evening, after school, one of my cottage mates and I walked up to Broderick’s (a quaint grocery/gas station) and on the way spotted a dead hen in the road. Thank God I caught the hen that escaped or else I know I would have felt responsible. However, maybe there was talk in the chicken coop that I would be back again soon and one of the hens thought that a break out would be a better option. Anyway, I am still mourning and hoping I don’t have that duty any time soon.

I've Made it a Quarter of the Way

Time is flying and it is hard to believe I am a quarter of the way through the course. This week was all about comfort food. We cooked leg of lamb, prime rib and roasted stuffed chicken. I can finally say that I learned how to make a proper Irish Shepherd’s Pie, as well as global versions of the same dish (the Greek version, made with lamb, is called Moussaka). A key component to the success of any food service business is how to use the leftovers. This is where the meat/potato pies come in. “Left over” doesn’t have to be a bad word anymore! I baked a cake called Great Grandmother’s Cake (a sponge cake filled with homemade raspberry jam and fresh whipped cream) and made an amazing fruit sorbet. This week we furthered our knowledge of preserves (another form of preventing any waste) and made marmalades and chutneys. I also whipped up fresh mayo, and my arm almost fell off. Wednesday was lecture day and Colm McCann, the sommelier at the Ballymaloe House, gave us a wine presentation that included a tasting comparison of Old World and New World wines. The highlights of the week were getting to work at the Ballymaloe House restaurant as well as the Crawford Gallery Café. It is phenomenal how much I learned getting real life experience in these busy kitchens. I even got a nice stint washing dishes! Restaurant sinks are so huge and deep you could practically bathe in them…not that you’d want to.

It's Snowing!

One of My Teachers and Me With My Tarts

From the Outside Looking in to the Kitchen

Week Two on the Green Isle

You CAN teach an old dog new tricks. Now I may not be a dog and I am only somewhat old, but I have learned a few new tricks. The woman who didn’t even know how to work a cellphone correctly has now navigated a blog,digital camera and a laptop in light speed. It is amazing how the quote, “necessity is the mother of invention” certainly fits for me now. I’ve always said that I’m not a techie but give me a pot and a pan and I can cook anything. Going to cooking school fits with that mantra. But being required to learn all this tech stuff is the real challenge. However, I truly want to keep in touch and this blog seems the best way. At the moment I am in Dublin. One of my cottage mates, Mary, lives here and is married with four grown children. She decided to come back for the weekend and on the spur of the moment I decided to hitch a ride. I am staying in a small hotel in a residential area. How appropriate that I am across the street from the Catholic University School. This is actually hotel #2. We arrived late last night and once Mary dropped me off I went straight to sleep. I was most excited about coming to Dublin so I could have internet access over the weekend. Much to my dismay, my small hotel was too small to offer that. So early this morning I walked a block away to a slightly larger small hotel that did offer internet. I am here until we head back to Shannagary tomorrow around 2pm. This afternoon I poked around the city, picking up some food and exchanging money. I still have a hard time giving $100 US dollars and getting only 73 Euros!! I scouted places to attend church in the morning and got back to the hotel before the rain got too wet. I must say that Dublin is far more diverse than when I was here six years ago. This past week school was a blast and I had fun cooking things such as homemade almond fruit tartlets, yummy chocolate pudding, several vegetarian dishes (check Julies blog for pics) as well as learning how make fresh butter and cheese and how to bone and skin fish, chicken and lamb. Those butchers sure get their money’s worth! A group of ladies at school organized a Tuesday night yoga class and a Thursday night walk. We realized we were eating way too much good food and spending too much time indoors. So hopefully we will stay somewhat healthy these next ten weeks.

With Views Like This Anyone Would Want to Chop Onions

The Kitchen Before the Storm

God's Country

Close Up of My Cottage Door

One Week Down and Eleven to Go

One week down and eleven to go. It has been a bit of a whirlwind, but all and all a very blessed stay. I am so happy to be in the “mother land” with my “peeps” as I call them. Before I arrived things were so hectic with the move and all. But since I have been here I feel very calm and settled. I left LA at 6:30 in the morning last Sat and slept all the way to NY and again from NY to Shannon. When I arrived in Shannon it was 7:15 Sunday morning. I took a bus from Shannon south to Cork City, which is about two and a half hours away. Then I took a taxi from Cork to Shannagary, which took about forty five minutes. The Ballymaloe Cookery School may not be easy to get to but it is worth the effort. There are acres and acres of beautiful lush Irish countryside. The school sits among an organic farm, which grows everything from herbs to veggies and fruit. There are free range chickens, cows, pigs, geese, dogs and cats too. It was raining of course, but that just makes the experience all the more authentic. The school is only a couple of miles from the seaside, and because it sits up on a hill, you can see Ballycotton Bay on a clear day. I am staying in one of several cottages here on the campus. I have four housemates, Clodagh, Mary, Margaret and Yoko. We all have our own bedrooms and bathrooms. All the cottages have names; ours is the Playroom. We are what you might say the "mature ladies" in the school, so the name of our particular lodging is quite funny. The cool thing is that this is the cottage where the original school started back in 1983. Anyway, one of the ladies is from Japan and the other three are from Ireland. For the most part, the school is made up of Irish women and a few men. There are also some folks from England and Wales and one girl from Australia. There are a few other people here from the States besides me; a brother and sister from San Diego and a girl who recently graduated from Cal Berkley. After everyone got situated in their cottages on Sunday night, we gathered for a group dinner. Although simple, this typical Irish meal of mushroom soup and brown bread was absolutely delicious. Monday was orientation, tour of the grounds and a demonstration. The demonstration was to teach us the menu we would be cooking on Tuesday. We learned how to make brown bread, carrot soup, homemade salad dressing (to go with the freshly picked salad), mushroom pasta, homemade lemonade, and apple crumble dessert. Of course at the end of every demo we get a taste of everything so we know what to expect when we are cooking it. One of the best things about this school besides tasting after the demos is that everyday we eat for lunch what we cooked all morning. I am definitely well fed! Although we are scheduled to be in school Monday through Friday from 9 to 5, we may be assigned other chores, or duties. If we are on garden duty we have to arrive at 8 am to go out with the farmers to pick the fresh crops. Or we might have to arrive early to help bake the fresh bread that is served everyday. We might have to stay late if we are on clean up duty. In the evenings we have mandatory homework. We must study our recipes and write up our “order of work” charts. Our teachers must approve them first thing in the morning. The student teacher ratio is great: One teacher for every six students. Some students have never cooked in their lives and others are professional chefs. It is quite humbling. Honestly, in a single week I have made such a diverse array of foods; from homemade jams, scones, tarts, quiches and fancy chicken dishes. We are also learning about wines and cheese from around the world. Really, this is the best experience one could have…that is if you love food! One of the funniest and at the same time squimish things has been the number of knife accidents. On the first day we all received a new set of knives with our initials engraved. They are extremely sharp and I can’t even count the number of people I have seen walking around wearing band-aids on their fingers. So far I have all my digits! This weekend was a nice break and a few of us went on an outing Saturday morning. We went to the farmer’s market in Middleton and got some organic veggies, fantastic Irish Farmhouse cheese, smoked mackeral and gourmet pate. Then we went to Cork City to do some shopping. I was in desperate need of an electrical plug converter. Now I can actually use my laptop because it is charged! We had a nice lunch in the café above the marketplace. On the way back to school we stopped in Ballycotton and watched the sunset over the bay. Now I know why they call this God’s country. When we got back we had a communal dinner inviting over a couple of older women from another cottage and we sampled all sorts of great food. Then two of my Irish housemates and I went to 7:30 pm Saturday Mass at the small Catholic church here in Shannagarry. It was a beautiful service in a lovely old church. Sunday was a day of rest and organization for the week ahead. We also did our laundry as this is the day our cottage has been assigned for the washroom usage. Later in the evening, the owners of the school, Darina and Tim Allen, invited me to hear their son-in-law play some traditional Irish music. I am hoping to get up to Tuam, County Galway one of these weekends to visit my cousin who lives on the farm where my grandfather Patrick Geraghty was born. It is because of him that I have my dual citizenship. I am so grateful to God for this experience and hope to use all I am learning to make the world a better place…one meal at a time! By the way, a girl on the course is also blogging and if you want to see her pics go to www.juliewalkinginireland.blogspot.com

The Importance of Wellies

After a long journey from Los Angeles to Shannagary I was excited about my first day at the Ballymaloe Cookery School. Wanting to be a prepared student, I had gathered everything on the supply list days before I left. However, one thing on the list had left me perplexed: Wellies. I called my cousin in Tuam, County Galway and learned that Wellies also known as Wellingtons, are rubber boots. I was intent on finding them before I left LA even though many people told me I would have a better chance of getting them when I landed in Ireland. Who knew that J Crew on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica of all places would have fabulous blue Wellies. This was a huge relief since I didn’t arrive in Ireland until the night before school started. I had a feeling that I would need them on the first day of school. I was right. Just after the registration early Monday morning, all fifty five students went on a walking tour of the school property with the owner and head teacher Darina Allen. It had been raining the night before so of course the gardens were wet and sloshy. I was like a little kid splashing through a rain puddle. Not everyone was feeling as carefree. One of the female students who had either not read the supply list or chose to ignore it was wearing silver pumps. After the hour long tour, they weren’t silver anymore! I must say I am really attached to my Wellies. It has been a week now since I have been in Ireland and I have worn these comfy blue boots everyday. Back in LA I suppose a pair of Rainbows would be comparable in terms of the relative fashion flexibility and universality. Now, if you’re like me and live in LA and don’t own a pair of Rainbows you’ll survive. But if you plan on spending any time in the Irish countryside during the rainy season, which is the majority of the year, than you must learn the importance of Wellies.