Want To Cook Irish Style?
I believe I originally found these recipes a few years back on an Irish cooking website by a chick named Liz Waters. Enjoy people!
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Irish Stew
Traditional Irish Stew was made with spare-ribs. Some usemutton or lamb...I prefer pork.
2 lbs. boneless pork
1/2 lb. streaky bacon
3 lbs. potatoes (8-9 medium-sized)
10-12 small onions
salt and pepper
2 cups cold water
Cut the meat into neat pieces and trim away as much fat as possible. Cut the rind from the bacon and cut into 1"pieces. Pare the potatoes and slice the onions. Place a layer of meat in a heavy stewpan. Add a layer of bacon,onion and potatoes. Srpinkle with seasoning.
Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Add the water and let it come slowly to a boil. Remove any scum that forms. Cover closely and simmer gently for about 2 1/2 hours. The potatoes should be cooked to a pulp. (You can do this in the crock pot:bring it to a boil on HI and then reduce to LO and let it simmer ALL day..put it on Friday morning before you go to work and have it for St. Patricks Day supper! Unless you are Catholic...in which case you can't have it this year on St.Patrick's Day)
Colcannon
Colcannon is a mixture of buttered greens and potatoes.Traditionally colcannon was eaten at Halloween. A heaping portion is dished onto each plate. A well is made in the center of the mound to hold a generous portion of butter.The colcannon is eaten from around the outside in. You takea scoop, dip it in the well of butter in the center and eat.With a glass of buttermilk, this WAS a meal in itself. In the Midlands, colcannon is called "thump". In the northand western parts of Ireland it is called champ. To tell fortunes on Halloween, a ring and a silver coin were mixed into the colcannon...whoever got the ring was soon to marry and whoever got the coin would be wealthy.
To make colcannon:
Peel and boil seven or eight medium-to-large potatoes until done. Remove the stalk from leaves of kale greens and tear or chop into very small pieces. Bring to a boil with a bit of bacon and simmer while potatoes cook. Mash the potatoes with 1/4 cup of butter and milk or cream as needed. Add salt and pepper. Drain the chopped, cooked kale. (You should have about twice as many potatoes as kale. Mix the two together with 1 tbsp. minced onion. Correct seasoning and serve with butter.
Pan Haggerty
3 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 tbsp. bacon fat
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into paper thin slices. Pat dry with a towel. Cut the onion into paper thin slices. Heat half of the bacon fat in a heavy frying pan and fill the pan with alternate layers of potatoes, onions, and cheese, finishing with potatoes. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Dot the final layer with remaining bacon fat. Cook over moderate heat until potatoes are almost tender. Turn the Haggerty carefully onto a plate and then carefully slide it back into the pan and continue cooking until done.
To serve, cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Barmbrack
I have TWO derivations of this name and have NO idea whichis correct:
1. In Northern Ireland and in the Republic, brack is the Celtic word for salt and is used to mean "bread". Barm brack is leavened bread, the word, barm meaning yeast.
2. The term barmbrack for an Irish fruit loaf or cake does not derive from barm or leaven. It is a corruption of the Irish word aran breac (Speckled Bread). If anyone can straighten out which definition is correct, please let me know. I also read that the Irish traditionally serve barmbrak at Halloween with the ring, silver coin and a button baked inside (the button signifying "single blessedness" whatever that might be). Frankly, I doubt all of these "bake it inside" stories...if they were true, Irish dentists would ALWAYS be busy on the day after Halloween, because alot of Irish folk would have broken teeth after having coins and rings stuck in every item on the table!
Barmbrak
2 1/2 cups mixed dry fruit (currants, dark and golden raisins)
1 cup boiling black tea
1 egg1 tsp. mixed spice (equal amounts of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and mace)
4 tsp. marmalade
1 heaping cup superfine granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Place the dried fruit in a bowl, cover with the hot tea and let soak overnight. The next day, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the batter into a greased 7" square pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve buttered with tea.
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More cool Irish Themed stuff coming tomorrow...but for now......
Erin Go Brach!
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Irish Stew
Traditional Irish Stew was made with spare-ribs. Some usemutton or lamb...I prefer pork.
2 lbs. boneless pork
1/2 lb. streaky bacon
3 lbs. potatoes (8-9 medium-sized)
10-12 small onions
salt and pepper
2 cups cold water
Cut the meat into neat pieces and trim away as much fat as possible. Cut the rind from the bacon and cut into 1"pieces. Pare the potatoes and slice the onions. Place a layer of meat in a heavy stewpan. Add a layer of bacon,onion and potatoes. Srpinkle with seasoning.
Repeat layers, finishing with potatoes. Add the water and let it come slowly to a boil. Remove any scum that forms. Cover closely and simmer gently for about 2 1/2 hours. The potatoes should be cooked to a pulp. (You can do this in the crock pot:bring it to a boil on HI and then reduce to LO and let it simmer ALL day..put it on Friday morning before you go to work and have it for St. Patricks Day supper! Unless you are Catholic...in which case you can't have it this year on St.Patrick's Day)
Colcannon
Colcannon is a mixture of buttered greens and potatoes.Traditionally colcannon was eaten at Halloween. A heaping portion is dished onto each plate. A well is made in the center of the mound to hold a generous portion of butter.The colcannon is eaten from around the outside in. You takea scoop, dip it in the well of butter in the center and eat.With a glass of buttermilk, this WAS a meal in itself. In the Midlands, colcannon is called "thump". In the northand western parts of Ireland it is called champ. To tell fortunes on Halloween, a ring and a silver coin were mixed into the colcannon...whoever got the ring was soon to marry and whoever got the coin would be wealthy.
To make colcannon:
Peel and boil seven or eight medium-to-large potatoes until done. Remove the stalk from leaves of kale greens and tear or chop into very small pieces. Bring to a boil with a bit of bacon and simmer while potatoes cook. Mash the potatoes with 1/4 cup of butter and milk or cream as needed. Add salt and pepper. Drain the chopped, cooked kale. (You should have about twice as many potatoes as kale. Mix the two together with 1 tbsp. minced onion. Correct seasoning and serve with butter.
Pan Haggerty
3 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 tbsp. bacon fat
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper
Wash and peel the potatoes and cut into paper thin slices. Pat dry with a towel. Cut the onion into paper thin slices. Heat half of the bacon fat in a heavy frying pan and fill the pan with alternate layers of potatoes, onions, and cheese, finishing with potatoes. Sprinkle each layer with salt and pepper. Dot the final layer with remaining bacon fat. Cook over moderate heat until potatoes are almost tender. Turn the Haggerty carefully onto a plate and then carefully slide it back into the pan and continue cooking until done.
To serve, cut into wedges and serve with a dollop of sour cream.
Barmbrack
I have TWO derivations of this name and have NO idea whichis correct:
1. In Northern Ireland and in the Republic, brack is the Celtic word for salt and is used to mean "bread". Barm brack is leavened bread, the word, barm meaning yeast.
2. The term barmbrack for an Irish fruit loaf or cake does not derive from barm or leaven. It is a corruption of the Irish word aran breac (Speckled Bread). If anyone can straighten out which definition is correct, please let me know. I also read that the Irish traditionally serve barmbrak at Halloween with the ring, silver coin and a button baked inside (the button signifying "single blessedness" whatever that might be). Frankly, I doubt all of these "bake it inside" stories...if they were true, Irish dentists would ALWAYS be busy on the day after Halloween, because alot of Irish folk would have broken teeth after having coins and rings stuck in every item on the table!
Barmbrak
2 1/2 cups mixed dry fruit (currants, dark and golden raisins)
1 cup boiling black tea
1 egg1 tsp. mixed spice (equal amounts of cinnamon, clove, nutmeg, allspice, and mace)
4 tsp. marmalade
1 heaping cup superfine granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour
Place the dried fruit in a bowl, cover with the hot tea and let soak overnight. The next day, add the remaining ingredients and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the batter into a greased 7" square pan and bake in the center of the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool in the pan on a wire rack. Slice and serve buttered with tea.
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More cool Irish Themed stuff coming tomorrow...but for now......
Erin Go Brach!
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