Taste of the green
I head off with my suitcase packed with Irish goodies and my chef's knives. I've cooked in New York, Boston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington I even cooked some tempting puds for Bill Clinton Irish coffee meringue, Carrigeen Moss pudding with poached rhubarb, Roscommon Apple Tart, homemade vanilla ice-cream with Irish mist sauce .. All this in an effort to change the image of Irish food in the US as they seemed to be completely convinced that we live on corned beef and cabbage with liberal helpings of floury potatoes.
Well, at last the good news message about the revolution on the Irish food scene is getting out. This month, Saveur, America's most stylish food magazine, devoted almost its entire magazine, over 28 pages, to Ireland.
They waxed lyrical, not only about the stunning scenery but the quality of the Irish ingredients, the innovative chefs, the "fun-loving artisan food producers", the farmers markets, and Co Cork "the gastronomic mecca" gets a whole chapter.
I met editor Coleman Andrews in New York last week and he's so taken with Ireland and Irish food that he has visited five times in the past year.
I was cooking a luncheon at Craft, one of my favourite New York restaurants to showcase Irish dairy products.
The food editors tucked into lunch and ate slice after slice of freshly baked soda bread and Kerrygold butter. They loved the mature Irish cheddar with the Ballymaloe Country Relish, crispy cheese croquettes made with Dubliner cheese, and a new Kerrygold Blue developed at Moorepark Research Station near Fermoy. I sent Coleman off like a happy camper with a bag of freshly baked brown and white soda bread and spotted dog to eat with his Irish butter and cheese.
In Boston, I joined a number of other Irish chefs for the first Gaelic Gourmet Gala in the Commonwealth Hotel.
Over 300 people turned up to the event and wandered from station to station, picking up little plates of food.
The reaction was fantastic. I had brought Bill Casey's Shanagarry Smoked salmon with me and served it with a cucumber pickle and lots of freshly baked Irish bread.
I slathered the Irish butter on slice after slice of bread for over three hours.
Here are some recipes from Kevin Dundon's Full on Irish, published by Epicure.
These Baileys Cream pots literally take minutes to prepare. Just be careful to whip your cream lightly as the alcohol in the Baileys will slightly thicken it anyway. The shortbread will keep well in an airtight container for up to one week.
300ml / ½ pint cream
4tbsp Baileys Irish Cream
50ml / 2floz freshly brewed espresso, cooled (1 Shot)
250g/9oz carton mascarpone cheese
2tbsp sifted icing sugar, plus extra for dusting
cocoa powder for dusting
175g / 6oz plain flour, plus a little extra
pinch of salt
100g / 4oz butter (at room temperature)
50g / 2oz caster sugar
1 egg
Chocolate curls and spun-sugar corkscrews, to decorate
Whip the cream in a bowl until soft peaks have formed. Place the Baileys Irish Cream in a bowl with the espresso, mascarpone cheese and icing sugar. Beat until well combined and then fold in the cream. Divide between 4x200ml/7floz ramekins or cups and chill for at least 2 hours or overnight.
To Make the Shortbread Biscuits: preheat the oven to 180C / 350F. Sift the flour and salt into a bowl and set aside. Cream the butter and sugar in a separate bowl until pale and fluffy. Slowly beat in the egg and then work in the sifted flour until you have achieved a fairly soft dough.
Knead the dough lightly on a lightly floured work surface, then roll out to a 0.5cm / ¼in thickness. Using a heart shaped cutter, stamp out biscuits, and then arrange them on non-stick baking sheets. Bake for 8-10 minutes until cooked through and lightly golden. Leave to cool for five minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool completely.
To Serve: Arrange the Baileys Cream Pots on a serving plate and decorate with chocolate curls and spun-sugar corkscrews. Add the shortbread biscuits and dust lightly with the icing sugar and cocoa powder.
Kevin says this is a version of Irish Stew he has developed over the years, but the main ingredients are still the same as his mother uses and her mother before her.
1kg /2¼ lb scrag end of neck of lamb
2 leeks
2 carrots, roughly chopped
1 large onion, finely diced
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
1 large bay leaf
1 large fresh thyme sprig
Small handful of flat-leaf parsley stalks
Few black peppercorns
2 x 6 bone best end of lamb, each about 275-350g/10-12oz
175g/6oz small carrots
275g/10oz baby new potatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs to garnish
Place the neck of lamb in a large stockpot. Roughly chop one of the leeks and add with the roughly chopped carrots, half of the onion, the celery, leeks and peppercorns. Cover with at least 1.75 litres/3 pints of cold water. Bring to the boil, season lightly and then simmer gently, uncovered, for about two hours until reduced by nearly two-thirds you'll need 450ml/¾ pint of lovely, sweet stock in total. Skim off any scum or grease that rises to the surface with a large spoon. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large jug and ideally leave to cool overnight so that you can scrape off any fat that has settled on top.
Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/gas 6. Season the racks of lamb and place in a small roasting tin. Roast for 20-25 minutes, or a little longer, depending on how pink you like your lamb. Remove from the oven and set aside in a warm place to rest for 10-15 minutes.
Meanwhile, peel and shape the carrots and baby potatoes into neat barrels. Add to the lamb stock with the remaining onion and bring to a simmer. Cook gently for 10-15 minutes until the carrots and potatoes are completely tender but still holding their shape. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a frying pan.
Cut the remaining leek into julienne (long thin strips) and add to the pan, then sauté for three to four minutes until softened but not coloured. Season to taste.
To serve: Carve the rested racks of lamb into chops. Place the leek julienne in the centre of each warmed wide-rimmed serving bowl and spoon around the Irish stew consommé. Arrange the lamb chops on top of the leeks and garnish with the rosemary and thyme sprigs.
Serves 4
This is Kevin's twist on a dish that has been around since the 18th century. Traditionally it was made on pay day, or on a Saturday night, and left simmering on the stove as it was not known what time the man of the house would return home from the pub.
225g (8oz) rindless streaky bacon, cut into lardons
1 potato, diced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 large carrot, diced
1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, plus extra to garnish
400ml/14 fl.oz home made vegetable stock
4 large butcher-style pork sausages
450g (1lb) potatoes, well scrubbed
3 tbsp milk
25g/1oz butter
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Cover the potatoes with cold water in a pan and add a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil, simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until completely tender when pierced with the tip of a sharp knife.
Heat a pan and sauté the bacon in the pan for two to three minutes until it has begun to release its fat. Add the potato, leek, carrot and thyme and continue to cook for four to five minutes until softened but not coloured. Pour the vegetable stock into the pan and bring to the boil, then reduce the heat and simmer gently for about 15 minutes until all the liquid has slightly reduced and the vegetables are completely tender.
Heat a griddle pan and cook the sausages for 10-15 minutes until cooked through and well marked.
Drain the potatoes in a colander and then peel while they are still hot. Push through a potato ricer or sieve using a spatula. Quickly heat the milk in a pan. Beat the butter into the warm mashed potato and then add enough milk to make a smooth but firm purée. Season to taste.
To serve: Using two tablespoons, shape the potato puree into quenelles and arrange two in each warmed wide-rimmed serving bowl. Spoon around the bacon and vegetable mixture. Cut the sausages on the diagonal and arrange on top. Scatter over the thyme leaves to garnish.
This is comfort food at its best, forever satisfying and easy to prepare ahead. I like to use undyed smoked haddock as it has a more subtle superior flavour, to its brightly coloured cousin. For a more distinctive taste try using kippers.
You'll just need to poach them gently for a couple of minutes before flaking the flesh, discarding and skin and bone.
2 plum tomatoes seeded and diced
50g/1lb smoked haddock fillet, skinned and cut into cubes (undyed if possible)
100g/4oz Cheddar cheese, grated
300ml/½ pint cream
freshly ground black pepper
White bread rolls and breadsticks with butter to serve
Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F, Scatter half the tomatoes among four individual ovenproof dishes. Arrange the smoked haddock on top and sprinkle over half of the cheese.
Scatter over the remaining tomatoes, season with pepper and pour over the cream.
Arrange on a baking sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes until the smoked haddock is completely tender and the top is bubbling and golden brown.
To Serve: Place the haddock smokey dishes directly on the table. Arrange the bread rolls and breadsticks in a separate basket and put on the table with a small pot of butter, then allow everyone to help themselves.
Cork Free Choice Consumer Group are holding their next meeting on Thursday, March 30, at 7.30pm at the Crawford Gallery Café; Admission €6.
Book gifts for Mother's Day:
Irish Seafood Cookery by Martin Shanahan of Kinsale's renowned Fishy Fishy Café and Sally McKenna of Bridgestone Guides.
Part of the Irish Cookery Library, Contemporary Seafood Cooking is published with the assistance of IASC Irish Association of Seafood Companies. It is great value at €3.99.
Best of Irish Festive Cooking by Biddy White Lennon O'Brien Press.
Over 50 recipes to celebrate the traditional feasts and some of our newer festivals.
Slow Food Event Festive Food for Easter cookery demonstration with Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School today from 2.30-5pm. Tel 021-4646785.
€25 for slow food members and €30 for non-members.
National Country Fair Emo Court, Co Laois June 4 & 5.
