Tricky to find a traditional dish
After the preliminary questions about traditional Irish food and a request for recipes for their readers, the question I dread: “Where can visitors to Ireland find these dishes?”
Mention any Irish city or town and rack your brains. What are we like that so few of our chefs are serving our traditional dishes proudly. Of course there are a few exceptions, but as I write this I’m at a loss to remember any (hopefully I’ll have a flood of letters to tell me otherwise).
Eighteen years ago I wrote to the editors of several regional newspapers appealing for older people to share memories of the food of their childhood or their area — it didn’t matter if the recipes weren’t written down. I would come and watch them making it and stand with a notebook in one hand and a weighing scales in the other.
I travelled all over the country from the Beara Peninsula to the Giants Causeway.
Others came to meet me and show me how their grandmother made Goose neck pudding or Rhubarb Pie. People sent me letters and recipes from all over the country.
The book was published and won several awards and has been in print ever since. Now a new revised edition of has just been published which includes over 100 extra recipes. This time we spent time in the manuscript room of the National Gallery where a treasure trove of manuscript cook books from many Irish great houses is kept, including those of Mary Ponsonby, Marianne Armstrong, The Bruen of Oakpark, the kitchen book of Clonbrock and the history of Loughrynn.
I also spent happy hours carefully pouring over the pages of the Birr manuscript cookbook which has been added to by several generations of the Parsons family since mid-17th century.
Our traditional food is not just the clichéd Irish Stew or Champ and Colcannon, there was the simple nourishing food of the modest homesteads, the wholesome fare of the strong farmers, the varied diet of the coastal and island communities and the often forgotten food of the great houses.
We have much to be proud of, so let’s gather our friends around and celebrate by cooking some of our traditional Irish dishes on St Patrick’s Day.
Serves 8
4 – 8 ham hocks
1 bay leaf
2 medium onions, halved
2 carrots, cut in 2
3 litres (5 pints) water
Put the ham hocks, bay leaf, halved onions and carrot pieces into a saucepan, cover with the water. Bring to the boil, simmer for 2½ hours, or until the meat is tender and almost falling off the bones.
When the ham hocks are cooked, remove from the cooking liquid, discarding the bay leaf, onion and carrot.
If you prefer remove the skin from the ham hocks and serve with Colcannon and Parsley Sauce.
Serves 8 approx.
1 lb (450g) Savoy or spring cabbage
2-3 lbs (900g-1.35kg) ‘old’ potatoes, eg, Golden Wonders or Kerrs Pinks
8 fl ozs (250ml) approx. boiling milk
4 ozs (110g) scallion or spring onion
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 ozs (50g) approx. butter
Scrub the potatoes, put them in a saucepan of cold water, add a good pinch of salt and bring to the boil. When the potatoes are about half cooked, 15 minutes approx for ‘old’ potatoes, strain off two-thirds of the water, replace the lid on the saucepan, put onto a gentle heat and allow the potatoes to steam until cooked.
Remove the dark outer leaves from the cabbage. Wash the rest and cut into quarters, remove the core and cut finely across the grain. Boil in a little boiling water or bacon cooking water until soft. Drain, season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a little butter. When the potatoes are just cooked, put the milk, and the finely chopped scallions into a saucepan and bring to the boil. Pull the peel off the potatoes and discard, mash quickly while still warm and beat in enough boiling milk to make a fluffy purée. Then stir in the cooked cabbage and taste for seasoning. For perfection, serve immediately in a hot dish with a lump of butter melting in the centre.
Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point and reheated later in a moderate oven 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4, for 20-25 minutes approx. Cover while reheating so it doesn’t get too crusty on top.
Serves 8
900ml (1½ pints) full-cream milk
A few parsley stalks
Sprig of thyme
A few slices of carrot (optional)
A few slices of onion (optional)
Salt and freshly ground pepper
75g (3oz) roux (see recipe)
About 75g (3oz) curly parsley, freshly chopped
Put the cold milk into a saucepan and add the herbs and vegetables (if using). Bring the mixture to simmering point, season and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Strain the milk, bring it back to the boil and whisk in the roux until sauce is a light coating consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the chopped parsley and simmer on a very low heat for 4–5 minutes.
Serves 6
This is a particularly good version of nettle soup.
45g (1½ oz) butter
110g (4oz) onions, chopped
150g (5oz) potatoes, peeled and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 litre (1¾ pints) chicken stock
150g (5oz) young nettles, washed and chopped
150ml (5fl oz) full-cream milk
Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the chopped onion and potato, toss them in the butter until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground pepper. Cover with a paper lid (to trap the steam) and the saucepan lid, and sweat over a gentle heat for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are soft but not coloured. Discard the paper lid, add the stock and boil until the vegetables are just cooked. Add the nettle leaves and simmer uncovered for just a few minutes. Do not overcook or the vegetables will lose their flavour. Add the milk and liquidise. Taste and correct seasoning if necessary. Serve hot.
Serves 6 (approximately)
700g (1½lb) old potatoes e.g. Golden Wonders or Kerr’s Pinks (about 4–5 large potatoes), scrubbed
45g (1½oz) butter
55g (2oz) onion finely chopped
1–2 tsp caraway seeds
1 tbsp chopped parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper
55g (2oz) flour
Butter, for frying
Cook the potatoes in their jackets in boiling salted water. Meanwhile, melt the butter and sweat the onion in it over a gentle heat until soft but not coloured. Peel and mash the potatoes while still hot. Add the onion and butter with the caraway seeds and chopped parsley. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper, add the flour and mix well. Knead a little until smooth, roll out and stamp into potato cakes with the top of a glass or a cutter. Alternatively, divide the dough into 2 rounds and cut into farls. Fry in melted butter on a hot pan until golden on both sides. Serve hot.
This delectable tart is an adaptation of a traditional recipe which was originally cooked in a bastable over the open fire — everyone adores it.
One could also add a couple of teaspoons of freshly grated ginger to the rhubarb, but try it unadorned at first — it’s seriously good.
Serves 8-10
2 lbs (900g) red rhubarb
9-10 ozs (255-285g) granulated sugar
11 ozs (310g) flour, plus extra for dusting
¾ oz (20g) castor sugar
1 heaped tsp baking powder
Pinch of salt
2 ozs (50g/1) butter
1 egg
6 fl ozs (175ml) full cream milk, approx
Soft brown sugar
Softly whipped cream
9 x 2 inch (23 x 5 cm) round tin. We use a heavy stainless steel sauté pan which works very well. If you don’t have a suitable pan parcook the rhubarb slightly first.
Preheat the oven to 230C/450F/regulo 8.
Trim the rhubarb, wipe with a damp cloth and cut into pieces about 1 inch (2.5 cm) in length. Put into the base of a tin or sauté pan, sprinkle with the sugar. We put the stainless steel sauté pan on a low heat at this point while we make the dough.
Sieve all the dry ingredients into a bowl. Cut the butter into cubes and rub into the flour until the mixture resembles coarse breadcrumbs. Whisk the egg with the milk. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients, pour in the liquid all at once and mix to a soft dough. Turn out onto a floured board and roll into a 9 inch (23 cm) round about 1 inch (2.5 cm) thick. Place this round on top of the rhubarb and tuck in the edges neatly. Brush with a little egg wash and sprinkle with granulated sugar.
Bake in the fully preheated oven for 5 minutes then, reduce the temperature to 180ºC/350ºF/regulo 4 for a further 35 minutes approx, or until the top is crusty and golden and the rhubarb soft and juicy.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for a few minutes. Put a warm plate over the top of the sauté pan, turn upside down onto the plate, but be careful of the hot juices.
Serve warm with soft brown sugar and cream.
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