Raw in Dublin

The web site

Anyone who knows me knows I’ve been boring them to death for 20 years on the healing and rejuvenating powers of raw foods, instead of loving them to life with delectable uncooked morsels swimming in enzymes, vitamins, minerals and life force. Some are born to raw delight; some are born to endless night, and I seem to be in the latter category. Why? Because … while I’m a reasonable cook on a good day, I’m a struggling raw ‘chef’ who desperately needs culinary HELP!

And I think – I hope – I’ve found it.

I am very excited about a new web site I’ve discovered. It’s called Raw in Dublin (http://www.rawindublin.com) and is hosted by Dublin-based Czech raw chef Jan Brodsky. Jan is offering raw food preparation classes a mere trot up the road from me in Dun Laoghaire. How’s that for synchronicity? Now I’ve no excuse! No more veggie tagine, guys. It’s dehydrated black bread, not-tuna pate and raw tomato soup from now on. For real this time, even though you’ve heard it countless times before.

Raw in Dublin is a lovely site. It looks good and sports a blog, recipes, excellent links and good suggested reading material on why it is beneficial to include more raw foods in your diet. Most importantly, it contains local information, such as where to find the spiky durian fruit in Dublin (it looks like a floating mine from World War II, smells like a gas leak and tastes delicious, apparently) and, for tourists, where to freeze your nose off if you want to take a dip in the Irish Sea. It also boasts a YouTube channel with interesting vids: http://www.youtube.com/rawindublin

The food preparation class (there’s nuthin cookin’ in the kitchen)

I attended Jan’s class on Thursday 26 February, where I spent three fun-filled hours learning how to make almond milk, carrot soup, Asian greens salad, a fake tuna pate, courgette noodles with marinara sauce and … yum yum … chocolate mousse.

Raw food preparation is decidedly different to cooking. First of all, you can’t rely on heat to bring out the flavours, so you have to make sure you’re using fresh, organically grown ingredients; otherwise, the food just won’t taste as good. Secondly, raw food chefs use kitchen equipment you may not have heard of, such as spiral slicers and high-powered blenders. If you get into raw food preparation, you might want to consider forking out for such items, but they are not necessary for a beginner. A high street blender and a few decent knives will take you a long way.

As I discovered, it’s not as hard as I had thought to make delicious raw food – not hard at all with good quality produce, a modicum of imagination, and – and this is where I always fall down – a willingness to endure a few failures in the kitchen until you get the hang of it.

Jan demonstrated how to make six dishes, encouraging his novices (us) to participate in milking the almond cow, chopping greens, and spiral slicing courgettes into the longest strands of ‘spaghetti’ you’ve ever seen. I particularly loved the almond milk, carrot soup and chocolate mousse. The milk, an excellent vegan substitute for dairy milk, was sweet and creamy; the carrot soup sported a distinctively Indian twist thanks to the spice cumin; and the chocolate mousse was to live for. Thank you, Catherine, for leaving early, as I got to scoff your portion too… 😉

I’m not going to give too much away because I’d encourage anyone interested in raw foods to sign up for a class with Jan. He has a lovely manner and also talks to some extent about the healing powers of raw foods. For notification of future classes, check the following link regularly: http://www.rawindublin.com/search/label … 0Workshops

For my part, it was €65 very well spent. I’m certainly more comfortable now in my raw kitchen. I might even let you taste some of my creations, if you dare…

😎

IMPORTANT UPDATE

I’ve just found out that Jan is planning a half-day get-together event called Vibrant Living Arvo at the Kingston Hotel, Dun Laoghaire, on Saturday 18 April, from 12pm-5pm. During the course of the afternoon, Jan and his guests (our good selves) will be looking at the issues and factors needed to achieve maximum health; making a three-course raw food lunch together; talking about detoxification and cleansing; creating a fabulicious raw ice cream; and watching a documentary called Processed People. Check out his latest blog post for further details: http://www.rawindublin.com – blog from Wednesday 11 March.

This event costs €60 per person, which I think is excellent value if Jan’s class is anything to go by. If you’re interested, you need to book a place in advance by ringing Jan on 086 3200305 (anytime). And bring your family and friends along too. Who knows where it might lead them…! 😀

Rhoda-Mary

Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Feb 12, 2008 2:29 pm