They say that there are two kinds of people in this world, "those who are Irish and those who want to be Irish." Such is the wonderful arrogance of those of us whose ancestors hailed from the Emerald Isle. And it must be true. After all, there are some 40 million+ Americans who claim Irish ancestry, that's almost ten times the population of Ireland. And on St. Patricks Day, everyone is Irish!
My Irish grandmother immigrated to this country when she was 14 years old. She died at 104. She used to tell me that people outside of Ireland think Irish food consists of
nothing more than potatoes and mutton. I remember her talking about how the food and cooking
of Ireland is steeped in history and heritage. She told me how Irish food draws on
the wealth of ingredients from the sea, the land, the moors
and pastureland in Ireland. She always said, "we did have a Great Famine but at other times the Irish enjoyed many a good take away."
Home and family played an
important part in my Irish grandmothers life. Irish food and cooking were at the center of it. Her kitchen was the
heart of her home. Her Irish hospitality and love of celebrating
were renowned.
She always told me that "It takes a certain amount of gall to be a good cook, you have to be in charge." The week of St. Patrick's Day, she would make three of my favorite dishes.
Irish Soda Bread
Potato Onion Soup
Irish Boiled Dinner
Irish Soda Bread
Soda Bread is an amazingly easy, versatile recipe which has stood the
test of time as an Irish classic because of it's simplicity. It is a
no-knead, no-fuss style of bread which is my kind of recipe! It get's
its rise from a combination of creamy Irish buttermilk and bread soda.
It's delicious on its own or served with a warm bowl of Potato Onion Soup.
6 cups all purpose flour 3 Tbsp cornstarch
2 tsp baking soda 2 tsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder 1 tsp salt
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
Preheat oven to 375
Add all dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well. Pour all of the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir, using a wooden spoon, just until a soft dough if formed. Do not try to make it smooth. Pour the contents of the bowl out onto the counter and knead for a minute or so until everything comes together.
Divide dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle some additional flour on the top of each loaf and, using a sharp paring knife, make the sign of the Cross in slashes on the top of each.
Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes or until the loaves are golden brown and done to taste. Cool on racks.
Potato-Onion Soup
My grandmother told me that yes, it was true that the Irish lived on potatoes for a time. She said the old country had never been wealthy in food, but the Irish have always been wealthy in humor and spirit and that is what mattered. She remembered this soup and was able to recreate it for her family.
4 Tbsp butter 1 cup light cream
2 medium yellow onions, sliced 2 lbs potatoes peeled and sliced
3 cups milk 1/4 cup fresh chives, chopped
5 1/2 cups chicken stock 1/ 2 tsp celery seeds
1/4 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Roux:
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp all purpose flour
Garnishes:
1/2 cup chopped fresh chives
6 slices bacon, crisply fried and chopped
Heat a stockpot, add butter and onion and cook gently. Do not let the onion brown. Add the peeled and sliced potatoes, milk and stock. Add herbs. Cover and cook gently for about an hour.
Prepare a roux: Melt the butter in a small saucepan and whisk in the flour. Let the flour and butter mixture bubble for about 2 minutes on medium/low, stirring constantly. Thicken the soup with the roux, whisking carefully to avoid lumps. Cook for 5 to 10 minutes and then puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Add the cream and gently reheat, but do not boil. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with chopped fresh chives and the crisply fried bacon as garnishes.
Irish Boiled Dinner
My grandmother said that in Ireland, they never eat corned beef, they ate mostly lamb and pork. She said that the first time she had beef brisket was when she immigrated to Boston. She would either make this boiled dinner if she was having the potato onion soup, or an Irish Lamb Stew if she was not making the soup.
1 3 1//2 lb fresh beef brisket 2 cups water (or just enough to cover)
2 12 ounce bottles lager beer 2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns 1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tsp salt 2 Tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced 2 cups rinsed and chopped leeks (white parts only)
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced 3/4 lb large carrots, cut into large pieces
3/4 lb small red potatoes 1 lb turnips, peeled and quartered
2 lbs green cabbage, cut into sixths (secure with toothpicks)
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Place an 8-10 qt stove-top covered casserole on the burner and add the beef, beer, water, bay leaves, peppercorns, parsley and salt. Heat a frying pan and add the butter. Saute the garlic, leeks and yellow onion for a few minutes and add to the casserole. Cover the pot and simmer gently for 3 1/2 hours or until the meat is very tender (about 1 hour per lb of brisket). In the last 25 minutes of cooking, add the carrots and red potatoes. In the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the turnips, cabbage, salt and pepper. (Remove the toothpicks before serving.)
