Darina Allen: How to make Ireland's true national dish — bacon and cabbage

Irish stew may be legendary abroad, but bacon and cabbage is a really comforting feast and a trip down memory lane for many Irish people

Who doesn't love bacon and cabbage?

St. Patrick’s Day is just around the corner, Tourism Ireland and Bord Fáilte have been in overdrive throughout the past few months, working to make the very best use of this annual holiday to promote Ireland and all things Irish around the globe.

I loved how, up until recently, Tourism Ireland illuminated iconic buildings around the world in green to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. It was a brilliant ploy to focus attention on Ireland, from the Sydney Opera House to the Colosseum, Wat Arun in Bangkok to the gateway of India…Sadly, however, this has now been discontinued for a variety of reasons.

I’m in India as I write and the Irish community here is much like Irish communities around the world, planning a variety of celebrations to make St. Patrick’s Day special, an excuse to get together, to party and reminisce. I love an excuse to celebrate. 

St. Patrick’s Day brings memories flooding back of when I was little, attending the National School in Cullohill in Co Laois. We looked forward to every feast day and searched around the edge of the playground for little rosettes of shamrock to give to our mums and dads and grandparents to pin on the lapels of their coats. Us young ones preferred to wear St. Patrick’s Day badges with Kelly green ribbons and glitzy gold shamrocks from the village shop.

Mum always made a cake for tea. This year we are told that the St. Patrick’s Day parade in Dublin will be bigger and better than ever. It’s all about inclusivity and will also celebrate the cultures of the Irish travellers and the Roma community showcasing their heritage, through storytelling and forgotten skills like the iconic wagon wheel.

I’m often in America over the St. Patrick’s Day holiday, spreading the word about the creative and vibrant Irish food scene, but despite what they may have been led to believe over there, we don’t live on corned beef and cabbage and many, many Irish people have never tasted that combination, delicious as it is. Closer to home, how about having a few friends and family around for a St. Patrick’s Day lunch or supper?

Check out your local butcher, many still make corned beef and those who live in Cork need go no further than the English Market to pick up a fine piece from several of the traditional butchers. Cook it with lots of carrots, cabbage quarters and potatoes and, of course, some parsley sauce.

I’m often asked what’s the best known traditional Irish dish. Most people have just heard of Irish stew but my favourite is bacon cabbage and parsley sauce with some scallion champ and lots of butter, a really comforting feast and who doesn’t love it, a trip down memory lane? Seek out a nice piece of bacon with a generous layer of fat — either streaky or back bacon — and a fresh head of spring cabbage. It makes me hungry to even write about it.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you and all your family.

Bacon & Cabbage

recipe by:Darina Allen

Without question Ireland’s national dish – less widely known abroad, but much more widely eaten, particularly in rural Ireland, than the legendary Irish stew.

Servings

12

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 15 mins

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• 1.8-2.25kg loin or shoulder of bacon with a nice covering of fat

• 1 head of cabbage: Savoy, Greyhound or spring cabbage, depending on the time of year

• butter

• white pepper

• For the parsley sauce:

• 4-6 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley leaves (retain the stalks)

• 600ml fresh whole milk

• 30-45g roux (equal quantities of plain flour and butter cooked for 2 minutes on a low heat, stirring occasionally)

• salt and freshly ground pepper

Method

1. If the bacon is too salty, cover in cold water and bring slowly to the boil (uncovered), white froth will rise to the top. Pour off the water. Cover with hot water and simmer until nearly cooked through, allowing at least 20 minutes per 450g.

2. Meanwhile, remove the outer leaves from the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters, discarding the centre core. Cut each quarter into thin strips across the grain. About 30 minutes before the bacon is cooked, add the cabbage.

3. Continue to cook until the cabbage is soft and tender, and the bacon is fully cooked through. Remove the bacon to a hot plate and strain the water off the cabbage. Return the cabbage to the pan with a lump of butter, season with white pepper.

4. Serve with the bacon and, traditionally, boiled potatoes and Parsley Sauce.

5. Put the parsley stalks into a saucepan with the cold milk, bring slowly to the boil, then remove the stalks. Whisk the roux into the boiling milk until thickened and add the chopped parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper.

6. Simmer for 5-10 minutes on a very low heat, then taste and correct the seasoning before serving.

Shamrock Bread with Wild Garlic

recipe by:Darina Allen

Soda breads are the traditional breads of our country. How about shaping it into a shamrock shape for a bit of fun on St. Patrick’s Day

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 45 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 450g plain white flour

• 1 level tsp bicarbonate of soda

• 1 level tsp salt

• 3-4 tbsp chopped wild garlic (allium triquetrum)

• 350-400ml sour milk or buttermilk (the quantity depends on the thickness of the milk)

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 230°C/Gas Mark 8.

2. Soda bread is best cooked in a conventional oven rather than a fan or convection oven.

3. Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl, add the chopped wild garlic. Make a well in the centre and pour most of the milk in at once.

4. Using one hand with the fingers stiff and outstretched, mix in a full circular movement from the centre to the outside of the bowl, gradually drawing in the flour from the sides. Add a little more milk if necessary — shop bought buttermilk is thinner than farm-fresh, so you will need less rather than more. The dough should be softish, not too wet and sticky. The trick with all soda breads is not to overmix the dough — mix the dough as quickly and as gently as possible, keeping it really light and airy. When it all comes together, a matter of seconds, turn it out onto a well-floured work surface.

5. Wash and dry your hands then dust them with flour.

6. Tidy up the dough and flip it over gently. Divide into three equal pieces and pull off a tiny bit for the stem. Pat each into rounds, about 4cm deep. Transfer to a lightly floured baking tray, use a little buttermilk to attach the leaves of the shamrock to each other.

7. Add a little stem at the base, make a little indent at the top of each leaf to imitate the shamrock shape. With the tip of a sharp knife, prick in the centre of each leaf to let the fairies out otherwise they will jinx your bread!

8. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 200°C/Gas Mark 6 and bake for 30 minutes more, until cooked. If you are in doubt, tap the bottom of the bread – if it’s fully cooked, it will sound hollow. Allow to cool on a wire rack and serve.

Pamela Black’s St Patrick’s Day Cake

recipe by:Darina Allen

A scary St Patrick’s Day cake but delicious and fun and just happens to be green, white and gold.

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 30 mins

Cooking Time

 30 mins

Total Time

 60 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 175g butter

• 175g caster sugar

• ¼ tsp green food gel colouring

• 1 tsp of vanilla extract

• 3 eggs, preferably free range

• 175g self-raising flour

• 3 tbsp kumquat compote (see recipe)

• 300ml cream, stiffly whipped

• icing sugar

• fresh marigolds to decorate

• 2 x 18cm cake tins

• To make kumquat compote

• 235g kumquats

• 200ml water

• 110g sugar

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/Gas Mark 4.

2. Grease the tins with a little melted butter and put a round of greaseproof paper on the bottom of the tins.

3. Cream the butter, add sugar, green colouring and vanilla extract. Beat until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs one at a time, each time with a tablespoon of flour. Beat very well and then fold in the remaining flour gently.

4. Divide the mixture between the tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the cakes are well risen, golden and feel spongy to the fingertips.

5. Allow the cakes to cool for a few minutes in the tins and then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

6. Next make the kumquat compote.

7. Slice the kumquats into four or five rounds depending on size, remove the seeds. Put the kumquats into a saucepan with the water and sugar and let them cook very gently, covered, for half an hour or until tender.

8. Note: This compote keeps for weeks in the fridge.

9. To assemble the cake: Spread the compote over the bottom of each sponge.

10. Fill a piping bag, fitted with a plain éclair nozzle, with the whipped cream. Pipe the cream evenly over one base, starting at the outside edge of the sponge, working inwards.

11. Place the remaining sponge on top and dust with icing sugar.

12. Garnish with marigold flowers.