What a great Christmas and New Year I had!
The eating over the festive season was nonsensical but unbelievably enjoyable! :)
After family time at Christmas, and a wild wedding of a great friend, my better half & I left for a bit of R & R in the wilds of Brandon, Co.Kerry with some friends.
Rest and Relaxation wasn't quite what we got...there was lots more eating (and a little more drinking) to be done.
We were treated to a lovely roast dinner on New Years Eve compliments of our hosts & a fab fish pie on New Years Day.
Being spoiled with wining & dining wasn't going to last forever, so the next day was our day to cook. We got everybody to flex their muscles & lend a hand when preparing the starter!
We handpicked some cockles at a nearby strand, and everyone from the baby to the dogs got stuck in!
Once we had enough gathered to feed 8 people (approx 25 cockles each), we rinsed them in sea water, put them in a bucket & covered them in more sea water. This helps to get rid of some of the sand inside the shell.
It was chilly& thirsty work, and while the cockles were busy 'de-sanding', we retired to the cosy Murphy's Bar on Brandon Pier for a drop of Guinness and to toast our toes by the fire.
With pep in our step once again, myself and himself headed back to the house to get the dinner on.
Making a tasty starter, or even main meal, with cockles is so easy. We took inspiration from how the locals in the Algarve, in Portugal, cook clams. The recipe serves a starter portion to 3-4 people.
Ingredients:
4 cloves of Garlic, sliced
2 tablespoons of Olive Oil
1 glass White Wine
1 bunch of Corriander, chopped
100 (approx) Cockles/Clams
Lemon wedges
Crusty Bread
You will need:
A large, deep wok/pan and a lid
Method:
Heat the oil in the pan over a high heat. Add the garlic & fry for about 30 seconds. Then add the clams. Mix around so the garlic doesn't burn at the bottom of the pan. Almost straight away after, add the wine & cover the pan with the lid. Turn the heat down slightly, and leave to cook until all/the majority of the cockles have opened. (This should take about 5 minutes)
Sprinkle with the corriander & serve with some crusty bread & a lemon wedge.
It really is a lovely, light & tasty way to start a meal. And very satisfying knowing exactly where it came from & that we had picked it ourselves.
We followed on with some delicious Swordfish steaks, in a light tomato sauce & some Affogato's for dessert...but I'll tell you about them another day! :)
