"A taste of Ireland", traditional irish dishes which remain part of the culture & are enjoyed as much today as they were by past generations...
Here is the perfect opportunity to edcuate your pallet & satisify your hunger, with a selection of mouth watering recipies...
Irish Coffee
INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup hot, strong, black coffee
1-2 tsp sugar
1 large measure Irish whiskey
1-2 tbsp double cream
METHOD:
Fill a stemmed whiskey glass with hot water then throw out, refilling it with boiling water. Throw this out, fill the glass more than half full with coffee and add sugar to taste. Stir to dissolve, then add the whiskey. Pour the cream over the back of a spoon to float on top.
Drink the hot liquid through the cool cream. If double cream is not available use lightly-whipped single (whipping) cream.
Hot Whiskey,
INGREDIENTS:
boiling water
1-2 tsp sugar
1 large measure Irish whiskey
slice of lemon
2 or 3 whole cloves
METHOD:
Heat a stemmed whiskey glass as above. Pour in fresh boiling water to more than half full, dissolve sugar to taste, add the whiskey, a slice of lemon and the cloves. Serve at once.
Atlantic mussels
INGREDIENTS:
You need - for 2 as a main course:
750g mussels
1/4-1/2 pint of white wine.
2 finely chopped shallots
1 large crushed clove of garlic
1/8 pt double cream
25g butter
handful of chopped parsley
Preperation:
If you have never cooked mussels before you may not know about, de-bearding and scrubbing. Before you cook mussels they must be scrubbed thoroughly, (try your best to remove all the barnacles), and be-bearded, this means removing the wirey hair like thing which trails out from within the shell, just give it a hard pull and it comes out. I call this process 'shower and shave', luckily the other 's' isn't needed!
Also you must not cook mussels that are already open when you get them, discard these, and also any that don't open once cooked.
METHOD:
Tip the wine into a hot pan and add the garlic shallots and mussel's cover and simmer on a medium heat for 5 mins. Take out the mussels and set aside.
Turn the heat on the pan right up, reduce the liquid by half then whisk in the cream and butter. Throw in the chopped parsley pour the sauce over the mussel's (you can return them to the pan for a few seconds to re-heat completely if you like) and serve . Simple crusty bread is a perfect accompaniment for this dish and you can use it to mop up the delicious sauce afterwards.
Irish Beef Stew
INGREDIENTS:
* 1 1/2 pounds round steak or lean stew beef, cubed
* boiling water
* beef or chicken stock
* 4/5 medium carrots, chopped
* 3 medium onions, finely chopped
* 10 potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
* 2 tablespoons Plain flour
* cold water
* salt (to taste)
* pepper (to taste)
* 2 Bay leaves
* fresh Parsley finely chopped
* 1 bouqete of Garni
* mixed herbs, thyme, chives, tarragon, etc.
PREPARATION:
Put beef in frying pan to brown then fry down the onions; add to vegetables cover with boiling water and beef or chicken stock to about 1 inch above the beef. Bring to simmer; simmer for 2 hours. Put in the parsley, add herbs, salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes longer.
Add potato chunks and keep the mixture simmering, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Combine 2 tablespoons of flour with a little cold water to form a smooth paste. Add to hot stew a little at a time, until thickened as you like it. Continue to simmer over low heat for 15 minutes or longer. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serves 6.
Irish Stew
INGREDIENTS
8 small Lamb Chops, Thawed
Salt And Pepper
1 TBSP Vegetable Oil
Parsley, Bay Leaves, Peppercorns, Thyme, Rosemary
1 lb Potatoes, 3 To 4 Medium
2 cup Finely Shredded Cabbage
1 med Onion, Chopped
1 lg Leek White, Thin Sliced
12 small White Onions
1 1/2 cup Celery Stalks, Diced
1 1/2 cup Peas
Chopped Fresh Parsley
METHOD:
Season chops with salt and pepper. Heat oil in saucepan wide enough to hold all chops in a single layer. Brown on both sides. Spoon off any melted fat and add enough water to cover chops. Bring to a boil and add parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary enclosed in cheesecloth. Lower heat and simmer. Meanwhile, quarter the potatoes. Add potatoes, cabbage, onion, well-rinsed leek, white onions and celery to chops and liquid. Simmer 20 minutes then add peas. Add a little more water if needed during cooking. Simmer 10 minutes more or until potatoes are tender. Correct seasoning. Garnish with parsley and serve
Colcannon
INGREDIENTS
1 lb Potatoes, sliced
2 medium Parsnips,peeled and sliced
2 medium Leeks
1 cup milk
1 lb Kale or cabbage
1/2 tsp Mace
2 large Garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Pepper
2 TBSP butter
1 bunch fresh Parsley, chopped
METHOD:
Cook the potatoes and parsnips in water until tender. While these are cooking,chop leeks (greens as well as whites) and simmer in the milk until soft. Next, cook the kale or cabbage and have warm and well chopped. Drain the potatoes, season with mace, garlic, salt and pepper, and beat well. Add the cooked leeks and milk (be careful not to break down the leeks too much). Finally, blend in the kale or cabbage and butter. The texture should be that of a smooth-buttery potato with well distributed pieces of leek and kale. Garnish with parsley. Colcannon is also made by cooking layered vegetables, starting with potatoes, in a slow-cooker during the day. Drain vegetables, blend with milk and margarine as above and garnish with parsley.
Irish Champ Recipe - Poundies Recipe
These are mashed potatoes, Irish-style, with butter and green onions. Instead of gravy, they are traditionally served with a well of butter in the center for dipping each bite. Gravy will also compliment this dish.. it's a matter of taste. Best with a glass of ice cold milk.. now I'm hungry, Enjoy!!
INGREDIENTS:
* 4 pounds (1.8kg) potatoes
* 1/2 pint (300ml) milk
* 1 cup (225g) chopped spring onions (green onions)
* 1/2 cup (110g) butter
* Salt and black pepper
PREPARATION:
Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water.
Simmer milk and spring onions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the spring onions, salt and pepper, and half the butter.
Champ is served piled high on the dish, with a well of melted butter in the center.
It is eaten with a spoon from the outside, each spoonful being dipped in the well of melted butter.
Yield: 8 servings
Potato Farl
Also known as potato cake or potato bread, this is a northern dish. It is an important to accompany the Potato Farl (Ulster Fry), alongside bacon, egg, sausage and perhaps fried soda farl.
INGREDIENTS:
2 lb/ 1 kg/ 2 cups mashed potatoes
4 oz/ 125 g/ 1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp butter
salt
METHOD:
Cook & mash potatoes. These should be freshly boiled, or, better still, steamed and passed through a food processor, and used warm.
Melt the butter and mix into the potatoes with the salt. Work in the flour quickly but thoroughly and knead lightly. Divide in two and roll out each half on a floured board to form a circle about the size of a large dinner plate. Cut in quarters (farls) and cook for about 3/4 minutes on each side in a heavy frying pan in a little bacon fat.
Baked Salmon
This is a beautiful but expensive dish, but it can feed up to ten people.
Baked Salmon
INGREDIENTS:
1 fresh salmon (about 5 lb/ 2 kg)
parsley
salt and pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dry cider
1/2 pt/ 250 ml/ 1 cup double cream
(serves eight to ten)
PREPARATION:
Clean and descale the salmon, cut off the head and tail and trim the fins. Stuff the parsley into the gullet. Butter some aluminium foil and form a loose envelope round the fish, sealing both ends but leaving the top open for the moment. Dot the rest of the butter over the salmon, season and pour over the cider and the cream Now seal the foil along the top, leaving only a small vent. Bake in the oven for l l/4 hours at gas mark 4, 350°F, I80°C. When ready, take from the oven, remove the skin and reduce the sauce by boiling, stirring all the time. Serve with boiled new potatoes and fresh garden peas. Ideal for a party or special occasion..
Beef Guinness Stew
The reason we add Guinness in this recipe because it serves the same function as Beef in wine, as in beef stifado - the acid and moisture combined with the long, slow cooking help tenderise the tough but flavoursome meat.
INGREDIENTS:
2 1/2 lb/ 1 kg shin of beef
2 large onions
6 medium carrots
2 tbsp seasoned flour
a little fat or beef dripping
1/2 cup dry cider
1/2 pt/ 250 ml/ 1 cup Guinness with water
sprig of parsley
(serves four)
PREPARATION:
Cut the beef into chunks and peel and slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Remove the beef and fry the onions gently until transparent. Return the beef and add the carrots and the liquid. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, cover closely and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Check that the dish does not dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with plainly boiled potatoes.
Baileys Ice Cream
INGREDIENTS:
*125g/5oz Sugar
*1 teasp vanilla extract
*300ml/10fl.oz Whipping cream
*120ml/4fl.oz. Baileys Irish Cream Liqueur
PREPARATION & METHOD:
Place the milk, vanilla and sugar in a saucepan and heat over a medium heat, stirring, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and cool.
In a large measuring jug, whip the cream until slightly thickened then add the cooled milk mixture and mix well. Chill for 1 hour.
Add the Baileys Irish Cream to the chilled milk mixtures and mix well. Pour into an ice cream maker and freeze churn for 30 – 40 minutes or according to the manufacturers directions.
Alternatively, turn the mixture into a rigid freezer-proof container and freeze, removing from the freezer every 20 minutes or so and beating well with a wooden spoon to break up any ice particles.
10mins plus cooling and freezing
Serves 4-6