All About Titanic In Belfast!

I didn’t realize how prevalent the Titanic was here in Belfast.. the reference is everywhere. It was a big ship and a big deal and my daughter is obsessed with it… one of the big reasons we are here. We woke up and went down for breakfast. I usually like to stay at a place where breakfast is included. This hotel was not including the meal so we paid for it and showed up at their restaurant downstairs. They were serving a full Irish breakfast which is what I wanted to have. That part was yummy- the sausage, bacon.. I didn’t indulge in the blood pudding- wasn’t in the mood.
I ordered a cappuccino which was super hot and very delicious. What I didn’t like was the lack of fresh fruit- there wasn’t any.. there was some form of fruit salad but it looked very sorry.. so I didn’t have any. A far cry from the lavish breakfast we had in Athens.. that was scrumptious. We decided we will venture out tomorrow and try some other place.

A while later we got on to a hop on hop off bus and made our way to the titanic quarter on the other side of River Lagan. We got off by the museum and walked over the titanic dock as well as the pump house. It was all very fascinating knowing what all happened in that area. Most fascinating was the museum. We got on a cable car tour that took us through the bottom of the shipyard where the ship came together and we saw under what horrible conditions the workers worked everyday. After a few hours we took a break and went to the titanic cafe and ate a delicious piece of cake and a glass of Rose. After hanging out for a while we made our way back to tour bus and sat and saw the rest of the city while resting our feet. After a couple of hours we made our way back to the hotel. While in the bus I started to look for a dinner place for us to go. My criteria was close proximity to our hotel so we don’t have to venture out too far at night. We end up using Trip Advisor to find good restaurants according to our location. I came up with a place called Ginger Bistro. It turned out it was about two minutes from our hotel and it was rated number 5 on Trip Advisor… so we made reservations and made our way there. I started with a glass of prosecco and shared a plate of fried squid with homemade chili sauce and garlic mayonnaise- it was delicious!!!!

My daughter ordered fish and chips and I ordered escalope of chicken with merqueuz sausage cherry tomato and butter bean casserole with rocket and garlic butter. I usually don’t order chicken when I am out but the waiter highly recommended it and he was right! It was yummy- the chicken was perfectly cooked on top of a mixture of the butter beans and the rocket or arugula was a great addition. It all came together with the merguez sausage. I washed it all down with a delicious glass of Rose.My daughter ordered the lava chocolate cake and I was debating what to get when I remembered reading about one of their desserts- it was champagne jelly, poached pears with rich vanilla custard and baby meringues- wow, it was delicious! The pears with the custard were unbelievable and the jelly made it unbelievable. The baby meringues brought a yummy sweetness and texture. Needless to say I was a happy camper and started thinking, how are we going to top this one tomorrow!!!

Belfast, Here We Are!

The trip to Belfast and Dublin began with a flight delay.. well that is nothing new if you frequently fly on United! Some maintenance issues lead to a two hour delay! Once we got on the plane, it was fine.. well, kind of. As we were waiting for the door to close, I was happy to have the seat next to me completely empty! Well, not so fast.. right before the door closed, a young guy walked in muttering away and not looking very happy. As he plopped next to me, I could smell the alcohol on him.. oh no, I thought.. this is going to be fun. Well, I learnt a lesson- don’t judge a book by it’s cover. The guy ended up very sweet and nice- he was from Belfast.

Since then the experience has been absolutely lovely. I really appreciate friendly, helpful people and the Irish truly are.We easily got to our hotel, unpacked and ventured out. We were quite hungry but by the time we started walking, it was 2 pm and our choices for lunch became quite slim. We walked around quite a bit before ending up in a cafe and ordering a scone, cappuccino and hot chocolate topped with yummy, fresh whipped cream for my daughter. The caffeine did us good and we continued walking around. As we sat by river Lagan, it started raining all of a sudden.. a few minutes before that we were enjoying a very sunny day. We ran for shelter and waited for it to do turn to a drizzle before we headed back to our hotel for a couple of hours before we ventured out for dinner.

Dinner happened to be right across our hotel. My daughter wanted fish and chips and the concierge suggested the pub across the street. I enjoyed a glass of Rose and a yummy burger on a traditional bap or a large soft roll. The food was yummy and beef patty was better than usual. We ended the evening with a sticky toffee pudding drizzled with butterscotch sauce with ice cream and whipped cream. The dessert was good but it was more of a sticky toffee cake not a pudding.

We headed right back to the hotel as we were quite tired and jet lagged. Off to bed to get ready for a full day tomorrow!

You are probably missing the food photos.. well, I had a technical difficulty.. I guess it was the lack of sleep!! Anyway, pictures starting tomorrow…

New and Old Adventures- Belfast and Dublin Here I Come!

In case you have been paying attention, I love to travel… I like to eat my way through new countries and cities. It is my favorite way of getting to know a new culture.. I love going to the grocery stores, farmers markets and eating street food!! Some countries have more street food than others but either way it is fun to explore.

I am off to one of my favorite countries- Ireland! I love going there.. I love the countryside, the cities and most of all, the people. I do love the food- the yummy beef, seafood, breakfast and afternoon tea. I am looking forward to the bacon, sausages, scones, jam.. I could on…

I have never been to Northern Ireland and am really looking forward to Belfast. My daughter is fascinated by the Titanic and so we will be visiting the museum, etc and enjoying everything Belfast has to offer…maybe a day trip into the country..

We will then head to Dublin- I was there a few years ago and loved the friendly, walkable city. My daughter has never been, so I am excited to show her around sample the good eats!

Almond Cake with Citrus- Gluten Free!

Dessert number 2!….I have been experimenting with gluten free desserts. This is a really good one. I bought some meyer lemons from Trader Joes (go ahead and substitute regular ones as meyer lemons are not in season any more) and wanted to use them in a delicious dessert. I looked up a bunch of recipes and really liked on one site. I tweaked the recipe and came up with this one. It is really yummy and easy to make…

4 large eggs
½ cup raw cane sugar
Zest of one meyer lemon and one clementine
Juice of 2 meyer lemons and 2 clementines
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon salt
1½ cups almond meal
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda

Syrup

Juice of 2 meyer lemons and 2 clementines
2 tablespoons honey
Confectioner sugar to dust on top

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line an 8-inch spring form pan with parchment paper and grease it as well. Combine the salt, almond meal, baking powder and baking soda. Keep aside.

Add the eggs and sugar to an electric mixture with a whisk attachment. Beat the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy, for a good 5 to 10 minutes. Add the citrus zest, citrus juice, olive oil and vanilla extract. Beat for another minute. Add the almond meal mixture and mix well. Transfer to the prepared pan and bake for 35 to 40 minutes.

While the cake is baking transfer the citrus juice and honey to a small bowl. Microwave for 30 to 40 seconds and mix well making sure the honey has melted through. Once the cake comes out, drizzle the liquid covering the surface evenly. Cool and cake completely and sprinkle powdered sugar and serve!

Spiced Chocolate Banana Bread

I thought I would do a week of different desserts….

1¼ cups unbleached white whole-wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon powder
¼ teaspoon clove powder
½ teaspoon cardamom powder
½ teaspoon nutmeg powder
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for preparing the pan
1 cup turbinado sugar
3 very ripe bananas, peeled, and mashed with a fork (about 1 cup)
½ cup milk or dark chocolate, chips or grated

Sift the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, clove, cardamom and nutmeg into a medium bowl, set aside. Whisk the eggs and vanilla together in a liquid measuring cup with a spout, set aside. Lightly brush a 9X5X3 inches loaf pan with butter. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually pour the egg mixture into the butter while mixing until incorporated. Add the bananas (the mixture will appear to be curdled), and remove the bowl from the mixer.

With a rubber spatula, mix in the flour mixture until just incorporated. Fold in the chocolate pieces and transfer the batter to the prepared pan. Bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean. Cool the bread in the pan for 5 minutes before taking it out. Cool completely before serving.

Cauliflower & Chickpea Stew with Olive, Raisin and Cilantro Gremolata

This is a fabulous dish to impress your vegetarian friends. I made this Moroccan style stew with delicious quinoa. I also topped the goodness with a mixture of green olives, raisins and cilantro.

1 cauliflower head, cut into florets
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons roasted cumin seeds, crushed
1 cookie sheet, lined with aluminum foil

Preheat oven to broil.

Place the cauliflower florets onto the cookie sheet. Add the oil, salt and cumin. Mix well and roast for 30 minutes till the florets are golden brown. Keep aside.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup chicken broth
Salt
2 cans chickpeas, washed and drained

Heat a large saucepan with olive oil. Add the onion and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the tomato paste and sauté for a minute. Add the tomato sauce and bring to a boil. Add the flour and sauté for a minute. Add the chicken broth and chickpeas. Bring to a boil. Add the cauliflower and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Check for seasonings and add salt as necessary. Garnish with gremolata and serve with quinoa.

Olive Gremolata

½ cup green olive (I used the ones that are stuffed with garlic), chopped
¼ cup golden raisin, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped

Mix the olives, raisins and cilantro in a small bowl. Sprinkle on the stew and serve.

Pea Pesto with Rice

This is a delicious way to give your kids vegetables. I made a pesto with peas and then mixed it with cooked rice- it was absolutely delicious…

1 ½ cups frozen peas, blanched in boiling water for a minute and drained
1 garlic clove, smashed
½ cup cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, chopped
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups basmati rice, cooked al dente

Place the blanched peas, garlic, cilantro, green onions, oil and salt in a food processor and process till smooth. Take out and check for seasonings. Add to warm, cooked rice. Mix well and serve.

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