Ep 6 December 23rd 7.30pm RTE1
Navan / Dubai
Contestants Lynda Gibbons / Aoife Baxter
Dish Medallions of Pork in a White Wine & Mustard Sauce served with Champ
We meet cousins Lynda Gibbons / Aoife Baxter
Lynda Gibbons lives in Navan with her husband William and daughter Sophie and one brother who is 5 years younger than her. It’s her cousin Aoife who we visit in Dubai and
as kids, cousins Lynda and Aoife are up spending holidays and weekends together and share a strong bond, and when Linda’s parents became ill Aoife dropped everything and was on the first plane home to help.
Aoife Baxter has lived in Dubai for nearly 8 years and loves it, growing up Aoife is the youngest of three, with a brother and a sister. Unlike most Irish families she only had 2 cousins her own age and with only 3 days between Lynda and Aoife they grew up more like sisters than cousins and we would spend our free time together as we grew up.
Aside from missing family and friends back in Ireland it’s “pork” she craves so when she’s back in Ireland she’d eat pork for every meal given the chance.
In this episode Lynda and Catherine whip up Aoife’s favourite pork dish Medallions of Pork in a White Wine & Mustard Sauce served with Champ but when Catherine heads to Dubai to teach Aoife how to make it however Catherine chooses to respect the Muslim culture and tweaks the dish.
While pork can be bought in Dubai it is very expensive to buy and you need a special license to buy it and its only sold in certain stores so Catherine decides to swap the pork for ‘rose veal’ which is far cheaper and more accessible but still has the a similar texture and consistency to pork and she also decides to swap out the white wine for apple juice but will Aoife still feel that it tastes like home ??
DUBAI
Dubai is located on the Eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, in the south west corner of the Arabian Gulf. It is extremely well known for its warm hospitality and rich cultural heritage. The Emirati people are renowned for their open, welcoming and generous approach to visitors and expatriate residents. With year-round sunshine, intriguing and vast desert landscape, spectacular building design, beautiful beaches, luxurious hotels and shopping malls, fascinating heritage attractions and a thriving business community Dubai receives millions of leisure and business visitors each year from around the world.
Dubai’s culture is rooted in Islam, providing strength and inspiration that touches all aspects of every-day life. Courtesy and hospitality are among the most highly prized of virtues in the Arab world, and visitors will be charmed by the warmth and friendliness of the people.
The influence of Islamic, Persian and Arabian culture on its architecture, music, attire, cuisine, and lifestyle are very prominent as well. Five times every day, Muslims are called to prayer from the minarets of mosques, which are scattered around the country.
The weekend begins on Friday due to Friday being the holiest day for Muslims and most Muslim countries have a Friday-Saturday or Thursday-Friday weekend.
Emirati cuisine is a blend of many Middle Eastern and Asian cuisines.
The modern diet of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is cosmopolitan, featuring dishes from around the world. A lot of people confuse Levantine food as being Emirati/Khaleej, but shawarma, hummous, tabbouleh, and mixed grill, whilst having similar characteristics, are fairly recent additions and do not do justice to the “soul food” that makes up the Emirati menu.. Seafood has been the mainstay of the Emirati diet for centuries.
The United Arab Emirates cuisine is a reflection of a great Arabian heritage and vast exposure to civilizations over time. Muslims are prohibited from eating pork, so it is not included in Arab menus. Meat, fish, and rice are the staple foods of the Emirati cuisine. Lamb and mutton are the more favored meats, then goat and beef.
Popular beverages are coffee and tea, which can be supplemented with cardamom, saffron, or mint to give it a distinct flavor.
Hotels frequently have pork substitutes such as beef sausages and veal rashers on their breakfast menus. If pork is available, it is clearly labelled as such.
Alcohol is generally only served in hotel restaurants and bars (but not in Sharjah). All nightclubs and golf clubs are permitted to sell alcohol. Specific supermarkets may sell pork, but are sold in separate sections.
Places we visited in this episode .
Palm Jumeirah
The Palm Jumeirah is an artificial archipelago in United Arab Emirates, created using land reclamation. It is one of three planned islands called the Palm Islands (Palm Jumeirah, Palm Jebel Ali and Palm Deira) which will extend into the Persian Gulf, increasing Dubai’s shoreline by a total of 520 kilometres (320 mi). The Palm Jumeirah is the smallest and the original of three Palm Islands and It is located on the Jumeirah coastal area of the emirate of Dubai.
The Bonnington hotel & chef Aidan Gallagher
Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Cluster J, Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai, 37246, United Arab Emirates
The Bonnington hotel has 208 rooms arranged over 39 floorsand is part of the Jumeirah Lake Towers in Dubai. The hotel has lots to offer including a gym and a spa, plus an outdoor infinity pool with city views. It also contains McGettigan’s Irish Pub once of Dubai’s best bars which brings to Dubai a dimension of truly authentic Irish hospitality never before experienced in the Middle East. Eating options include The Cavendish fine-dining restaurant overlooking the gardens, specializes in Italian cuisine and serves breakfast, brunch, lunch, and dinner. Healey’s Bar and Terrace bistro, The Authors’ Lounge serving local and international cuisine and McGettigan’s Gastro Pub, which specializes in Irish cuisine.
We meet with chef Aidan Gallagher originally from Co Meath who is Executive Chef in the Bonnington Jumeirah Lakes Towers – Dubai. Aidan oversees the creation of food for all the resultants and his food ranges from traditional Irish dishes like Bacon and Cabbage, to modern Italian dish as well as Emirati dishes.
Chef Aidan chats to Catherine about how he sources local ingredients or has to source irish ingredients directly from Ireland espically to cook some of the irish classics.
VISIT THE SOUKS
We take an “abra” a traditional boat across the creek to the Souks – to shop for spices, fish, fruit and vegetables. Souks are the traditional Arabic market places where goods are bought and sold. Dubai has a number of souks scattered all over the city. Dubai souks are bright, colorful, noisy and fascinating like any other market place. Dubai souks are located in Deira and Bur Dubai and the two predominant areas are separated by the Dubai Creek.
The spice souks are located opposite the gold souks in Deira and are a paradise for food lovers. You can purchase fresh spices and have them packed in quaint little pouches. This makes your experience a little more authentic. The Dubai fish souks are well, smelly and crowded. You can see for yourself the fresh fish stock being unloaded, cleaned and made ready for sales. This is only for ones with strong stomachs – the sights and smells can get to some people.
Address Spice Souk: Spice Souk – 26 34 St, Deira – Dubai
The Bu Qtair Fish Restaurant
The Bu Qtair Fish Restaurant Address: 79 2b St – Dubai.
Aoife brings Catherine for a unique food experience in one of her favourite Dubai restaurants.
The place started life as a shack on the side of the road by the beach and was just for the local fisherman and it was very basic, so no menu, just paper plates and plastic cutely, and a plastic chair if you were lucky.
However word has spread and this restaurant has now moved down the road to a permanent location with indoor and outdoor eating areas complete with furniture. However some things are the same there is no menu as they just sell fish or prawns fried pomfret, chilli prawns and a marinated hammour sharing plate and you still go to the kitchen hatch where the fish and prawns they have to cook are displayed, pick the items you want and grab a seat while they are cooked . Bu Qtair has been owned by the same family from Kerala since it opened on Umm Suqeim beach.
Desert Safari
Website : www.desertsafaridubai.com | www.dhowcruisedubai.com
Office : 3206, Churchill Towers, Business Bay | Dubai-UAE
No visit to Dubai would be complete without a trip into the desert which offer a taste of the true heart land of Arabia. The majesty and tranquillity of the desert can be experienced in a trips which covers varied terrain ranging from desert to mountains and take in remote camel and goat farms and isolated villages. We take part in Dune Bashing which is
exhilarating as they drive 4×4 jeeps up and down the sand dunes at speed.
We stop to watch the beautiful sunset before reaching our campsite where we enjoy a delicious barbecue dinner and watch belly dancers performing a show around the campfire by starlight.