Celebrate St. Patrick's Day next week with Irish cooking

Yes, I claim a bit of Irish in my DNA. When our family emigrated, the Irish weren’t very welcome as there were too many of them. So, my family dropped the “O” in O’Dorrell and we simply became Dorrell. Still, for the gift of gab and story telling few could best my dad, grandma and even some cousins. Sadly, I do not tell as good a story as I’d like.

As for cooking, I believe most in the family would give me fairly high marks. So, that being my gift, I’m delighted to share a few Irish recipes today for next week’s St. Patrick’s Day celebrating.

The first several come from a book that was published 40 years ago. One might think this a concern, except that the recipes probably have a heritage that stretches several hundred years. So, time is no concern here. The book,“A Taste of Ireland” by Theodora Fitzgibbon, published by Ballantine Books, was the 10th book written by Fitzgibbon. She was raised in counties Tipperary and Clare.

Irish Stew is known all over the Western world. Fitzgibbon wrote that “no farmer would be so foolhardy as to use his lambs for it” usually using kid or mutton. This recipe seems as authentic as possible in that Fitzgibbon also noted that “the pure flavor is spoilt if carrots, turnips or pearl barley are added, or if it is too liquid. A good Irish Stew should be thick and creamy, not swimming in juice like soup.”

Traditional Irish Stew

3 lb. lamb neck chops (or equivalent), trimmed of fat, bones and gristle

2 lb. potatoes

1 lb. onions

1 tbsp. chopped parsley and thyme, mixed

2 cups water or broth (not too salty)

Salt and pepper

Cut the meat into fairly large pieces and see that the fat, bone, etc. is trimmed off. Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. Put a layer of potatoes (half the total) in a pan, then herbs (half the total), then sliced meat (half the total) and finally onion. Season each layer well and repeat this once more, finishing with a thick layer of potatoes. Pour the liquid over, cover with a sheet of foil, then the lid and either bake in a slow oven (250 degrees) or simmer very gently on top of the stove, shaking from time to time so that it does not stick, about 2 hours. Add a very little more liquid if it seems to be getting very dry. 6-8 servings.

For centuries oatmeal, milk and leeks were the staple diet of the Irish. Here they are combined to make a substantial soup. There are legends of St. Patrick and his healing associated with this soup. In any case, it’s a true taste of Ireland.

Brotchan Foltchep (Leek and Oatmeal Soup)

6 large leeks

1 ½ tbsp. butter

1 tbsp. chopped parsley

2 tbsp. regular oatmeal

4 cups milk or stock

Salt and pepper

Wash the leeks thoroughly to remove grit. Leave on the green part and cut them into chunks about 1-inch long. Heat up the liquid with the butter and when boiling add the oatmeal. Let it boil, then add the chopped leeks and season to taste. Put the lid on and simmer gently for 45 minutes. Add the parsley and boil again for a few minutes. 4 servings.

As quick as a wink you can have bread for dinner. This simple recipe is still baked in countless farmhouses and cottages all over Ireland.

Irish Soda Bread

6 cups flour

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup buttermilk

Mix flour, soda and salt. Add enough buttermilk to make a thick dough. Stir with a wooden spoon; the pouring should be done in large quantities, not spoonful by spoonful. The mixture should be slack but not wet and the mixing done lightly and quickly. Add a little more milk if it seems too stiff. With floured hands put on to a lightly floured board or table and flatten the dough into a circle about 1 ½ inches thick. Put on a baking sheet and make a large cross over it with a floured knife (This is to ensure even distribution of heat. Bake in a moderate to hot oven (375 degrees to 400 degrees) for about 40 minutes. Test the center with a skewer before removing from the oven. To keep the bread soft, it is wrapped up in a clean tea-towel. Makes 2 small ones or 1 large loaf.

Kale is one of those “super” vegetables….a wonderful source of vitamins and minerals. Here Colcannon, another traditional dish of Ireland, is best made with kale although it is more often made with cabbage.

Colcannon

1 lb. each kale*

1 lb. potatoes

2 small leeks

1 cup milk

½ cup butter

Salt, pepper and a pinch of mace

Cook kale or cabbage and potatoes separately in boiling salted water. While warm, chop well. Chop up the leeks and simmer in milk to just cover, until they are soft. Drain the potatoes, season and beat them well, then add the cooked leeks and milk

Finally blend in the kale, beating until it is a pale green fluff. Do this over a low flame and pile it into a deep warmed dish. Make a well in the center and pour in enough melted butter to fill up the cavity. The vegetables are served with spoonfuls of the melted butter. Any leftovers can be fried in hot bacon fat until crisp and brown on both sides.

* cabbage can be substituted, if desired

A smallish book with 250 recipes caught my eye many years ago. From “250 Irish Recipes…Traditional and Modern”, Mount Salus Press Limited, Sandymount, Dublin, Ireland, is this version of Irish stew made with beef. “Streaky rashers” means bacon with lots of lean meat. As it is a topping and not part of the stew, don’t get into a stew if you can’t readily find it…just make the stew.

Irish Beef Stew

1 lb. round steak

6-7 potatoes

2 large onions

3 large carrots

2 ribs celery

2 tbsp. butter

4 streaky rashers (meaty bacon)

Salt and pepper

2 tbsp. flour

1 ½ cups beef stock

1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 tsp. tomato sauce or catsup

Cut the meat into pieces about 1-inch square. Divide streaky rashers (bacon) in two and roll up. Wash and prepare vegetables: peel potatoes, slice carrots, chop onion and chop celery.

Melt butter in a Dutch oven. When quite hot sauté beef until rich brown on all sides. Remove from pan (with slotted spoon). Mix in flour, add stock, salt, pepper, Worcestershire sauce and tomato sauce. Bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes, stirring.

Grease bottom of a casserole with lid. Put in vegetables, then the browned meat. Cover with sauce. Place lid in place to cover well. Cook in a moderate oven for 1 ½ hours. About 45 minutes before finished cooking, place potatoes on top. Bake the rolls of rashers (bacon) separately in the oven and serve on top of the potatoes.