From Bray to Gran Canaria with ‘Tastes Like Home’
BRAY woman Nikki Preston-Doyle hits the spotlight in episode four of the third series of Tastes Like Home, which will air on RTE 1 at 7.30 p.m. on Monday, November 26.
Nikki will teach chef Catherine Fulvio how to make pork fillet stuffed with prunes served with mustard mash and minty vegetables. The dish is a favourite of Nikki’s sister Jill Preston-Doyle, who has been living in Gran Canaria for the past 20 years with her daughter Carolina.
The show opens with Catherine spending time with Nikki in Bray before the Tastes Like Home team take to the skies and travel to Gran Canaria, to spend time with Jill and re-create Nikki’s much-loved recipe from home plus Catherine will serve up one of her special dishes, sticky banana date pudding with a rum caramel sauce.
‘I discovered that potatoes appear to be loved by all in Gran Canaria,’ said Catherine. ‘I particularly enjoyed their “wrinkly potatoes”, a thin skinned potato, traditionally cooked in sea water which gives them their wrinkly effect. I enjoyed learning “Spanglish” which came about when locals misunderstood what was printed on packaging. A great example being “Otudates”, a favourite potato actually got its name from a misunderstanding from notes on the seedling potato boxes stating “out of date” – you couldn’t make it up!
‘I found the Arehucas distillery (rum) to be very unique – not just because of the pink rum (yum!) but also because of the signed barrels – some had sketches on them by famous artists – I happened upon a pair – one signed by Tom Jones and the other by Julio Inglesis – which would have made my mother exceedingly happy had she been there.’
Jill lives in Tauro valley in Anfi Tauro an idyllic place with a climate of eternal sunshine. Cocooned between majestic mountains the championship golf course (Anfi Tauro Golf Course) gently rolls down towards the crystalline Atlantic Ocean, providing you with a perfect location for your dream holidays and in Nikki’s case a fabulous back drop to her life.
Catherine takes a tour of a rum distillery (Arehucas Rum Distillery) that is over 100 years old. She learns all about Gofio a roasted cereal flour at a local mill, Gofio is one of the most ancestral foods of the Canary Is- lands since its origin goes back back hundreds of years ago. She also visits a local restaurant to sample some of Gran Canaria’s best local cuisine, and visits the biggest Cactus Park in Europe with cacti measuring over several meters high followed by a trip to the only Coffee Plantation in Europe.
‘I have to say that this was a great experience from start to finish,’ said Nikki. ‘I really did not know what to expect but got great joy and satisfaction from it all. It made me go outside my normal comfort zone, which I thoroughly enjoyed and was surprised at how comfortable I felt. The crew were a delight to work with, so easy going and nothing was too much trouble, everyone (dinner guests included) felt at ease. Definitely something I would love to do again.’
Jill agreed to participate in Tastes Like Home for two reasons. ‘One was that I wanted Irish people to see another side to the place where I live, Gran Canaria, and the other was it sounded like fun! It was just that, I thoroughly enjoyed the whole experience with Catherine and the team and am confident that we did succeed in showing other aspects of life