Smoked Halloumi and roasted Brussels Sprouts

I think I have made a new friend ( my young colleague “Chelsea” calls it “Bromance”…). I am not joking; we all need pals in this crazy world. I try very hard not to mix work and leisure on this blog, but unfortunately it is such an intricate and indivisible part of me, I even wonder who I am anymore. That is why I run away sometimes, away from the acting, away from my daily mask where I keep my true character alive. There is a common denominator though, a link between the two personas that very few understand. I have been preaching for a long time about the importance of good music in retail, it is a tricky exercise, using feelings, understanding what you do to create the perfect atmosphere. Don’t get me wrong; what I play in the shop is very different to what I listen to in my car; even if what I listen in my car will motivate me to the day ahead.; I know, it’s complicated. The reactions are incredible, but the best are when customers don’t say a word and everything falls in some form of [sorry for the pun] harmony.

A few months ago, Chef Richard Corrigan popped into the shop like he often does, to chill and unwind for or from London where he made his fame. I am not the kind of guy for name dropping, even if I have had a pint with Quentin Tarantino in Clifden, how I brought Roger Moore to the Shelbourne Hotel when he was lost in Dublin, another pint with Bono and Guggi during Christmas 2000, or the day John Hurt and Jamie Lee Curtis ate cheese from my hand… No, no, no, I am not that guy… Oh yeah, and that time with the President of Ireland (Did you know we were born on the same day? Funny that…).

Anyway, I was playing Paolo Conte that day, Richard walked in for a flat white and a piece of Beaufort cheese; he just said: “ Wtf!!! This is the first f*cking place in Ireland where a retailer plays Paolo Conte and Chet Baker…”. What followed was a long conversation about music, nature and how we both loath fascists… He was interviewed Sunday before last on RTE 1, one of the main Irish radio;  a very personal type of interview conducted by journalist Miriam O’Callaghan. The program alternates candid chat and music selected by the interviewee; and that is how, for the first time in Irish history, we got PJ Harvey playing at 11 am on a Sunday morning at church time… That and a very cool tip for Brussels’ Sprouts…

Smoked Halloumi: How to

I know it sounds weird, put first you’ll need to lit the barbeque, with small pieces of wood and turf flakes at the end… When the raging fire dies out a bit, place the halloumi on a rack to suck up all the flavours… Cover for a couple of minutes…

Fry the halloumi: How to

I decided to bank on the remaining heat and put my “Le Creuset” searing pan on, less messy outside and there is a “je ne sais quoi” about it. The lines look amazing after…

For The Brussels Sprouts: How to

This is Richard Corrigan’s way to do them; I picked up on that… Wash the wee cabbages, remove the outside leaves, the stalks, cut in halves, rub with olive oil and sea salt and bake at 200c for 10 minutes…

To Serve…

This my way to; serve in a bowl, with toasted cumin seeds and the smoked Halloumi; a few pomegranate seeds for an extra bit of zing…

And my favourite PJ Harvey song is “This mess we’re in”…

 

By the way, Corrigan in Breton is Korrigan; meaning: fairy or dwarf-like spirit…Just saying…

Keep Well And Eat Happy…

Slán Tamall

Franck