Belle Isle School of Cookery
One of the best ways to immerse oneself in the culture of a region is to take a cooking class. Road Trips Foodies considering Ireland in 2010 should check out the Belle Isle School of Cookery, Lisbellaw, Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Liz Moore (pictured below, right) and Naseem Booth lead courses and demonstrations varying in duration from an evening to a day to four weeks. Their policy of limiting classes to a maximum of 14 people allows for a very “hands-on” approach. (One day classes include lunch!) Evening demonstrations start at 7 p.m. and include “a glass of wine and plenty of tasting”. You can stay at Belle Isle as well. The School of Cookery offers a range of accommodation options: Belle Isle Castle, self-catering Courtyard Apartments and Estate Cottages, all in the Fermanagh Lakelands.
Wonder what you could be cooking? Here’s their recipe for pan-fried wood pigeon with sautéd potatoes and peas
Serves 4
Ingredients
8 small wood pigeon breasts
2 tbsp. olive oil
Olive oil for frying
50g/2 oz toasted hazelnuts
8 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
110g/4 oz frozen peas, thawed but not cooked
For the dressing:
150ml/5 floz walnut/hazelnut oil
Lemon juice
Sea salt
Method
* Rinse the potatoes very well and dry thoroughly. Season well and mix with the garlic.
* Heat some olive oil and fry gently untill golden brown all over. Set aside.
* Season the pigeon breasts and fry on each side for 2 minutes only to keep them rare. They will develop a “liver-like” taste if cooked on further. Remove and keep warm. Add the peas to the pan and sauté for one minute.
* Mix all of the ingredients together for the dressing.
* To serve, spoon some potatoes onto a plate and sprinkle with peas.
* Slice the pigeon breasts and place on top. Spoon some dressing over the plate and serve at once.
