Weekend bites

This week I’ll be eating… traditional Dublin coddle. I’ll use strips of streaky bacon, good sausages (minimum 80% pork), onion, cubes of potato, parsley and ham stock. Sticking with the pure Dublin tradition I’ll resist the temptation to add anything else bar some pepper. All that’s required is to place all of the ingredients in a large saucepan, bring to the boil and then simmer until all is cooked and the potato has softened. This is a dish that looks absolutely awful but tastes divine. A proper winter warmer. This is my annual reminder to all and sundry that “detoxing” is a myth peddled by charlatans and snake oil merchants. All you need to detox is a functioning liver and kidney (ideally a pair). In fact is these two organs were not constantly working to rid your blood of toxins you would not have made it this far. By all means go easy on the booze or cut it out but don’t be duped into anything else. Emperor’s New Gin? I’ve tasted at least one gin since Christmas that has been designed simply to jump on the bandwagon. Gin producers who want to make a quick buck are simply mixing flavourings with ethanol and diluting to bottle strength. Proper Irish gins, traditionally distilled with botanicals, include Dingle, Blackwater, Boyle’s, Bertha’s Revenge, Gunpowder, Listoke, Shortcross, Dublin City and Jawbox. It pays to be discriminating, especially as most gins are far from cheap (considering they can be made and sold within 24 hours). Ed Joliffe, one of the country’s greatest sommeliers and someone who has introduced me to some of the most sensational food and wine combinations, during his tenure at Chapter One on Parnell Square, is moving on. He finished up there on Christmas Eve and is now heading up Andy McFaddden’s new Dublin restaurant which will open later in the year. McFadden returns home after heading the kitchen at London’s Pied à Terre. This will be a formidable team.