Copyright (c) 1991, LIz Waters
All rights reserved.


Ah, the green of Ireland and the scents of home cooking over peat fires - the sensory
delights of the old homeland for millions of Americans. Here are some traditional Irish
recipes for you to enjoy.



Boxty

Boxty is the traditional Irish fare for Shrove Tuesday.
Composed of grated raw potatoes, mashed cook potatoes, with
flour added as a binding agent, Boxty is either fried in a
pan or browned on a griddle.  It is mentioned in a
traditional children's Irish jingle

"Three pans of boxty, baking all the day.
What use is boxty without a cup of tay?"

Boxty

1 cup each of raw, grated potatoes, leftover mashed
potatoes, and all-purpose flour
2 tsp. each of baking powder and salt
2 eggs
milk to mix (about 1/4 cup)

Squeeze the grated raw potatoes in a cloth to remove as much
moisture as possible. Sift the flour with the salt and
baking powder. Mix all potatoes with the dry ingredients and
add the beaten eggs. Mix well, and add sufficient milk to
make a batte. Drop by tablespoons onto a hot buttered frying
pan and cook over moderate heat until browned (4 minutes per
side) Serve hot and well buttered with or without sugar.




Pride of Erin Soup

1 green cabbage (about 1 lb.)
2 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped raw potato
1/2 tbsp. ground mace
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups milk
2 1/2 chicken boullion
salt and pepper
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
2 tsp. fresh parsley, chopped
2 tbsp. grated parmesan cheese

Quarter the cabbage, cutting away and discarding the core.
Cover with boiling water and let stand for five minutes.
Drain and pat dry and
 shred. Set aside. In a hezvy pan over
low heat, mealt the butter and simmer the chopped onion
until tender without browning. Add the cabbage and potato
and stir over low heat. Add mace. Stir in the flour to coat
all ingredients, but do not brown. Add the liquids, bring to
a boil, and simmer for 20 minutes or until vegetables are
tender. Dump in the blender and blend until almost smooth,
but still a little lumpy/ Reheat and add the salt and pepper
to taste. If it seems to thick, add a bit of hot milk. Serve
with a scoop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of parsley
and cheese on top.




Irish Stew

Traditional Irish Stew was made with spare-ribs. Some use
mutton or lamb...I prefer pork.

2 lbs. boneless pork
1/2 lb. streaky bacon
3 lbs. potatoes (8-9 medium-sized)
10-12 small onions
salt and pepper
2 cups cold water

Cut the meat into neat pieces and trim away as much fat as
possible. Cut the rind from the bacon and cut into 1"
pieces. Pare the potatoes and slice the onions. Place a
alayer of meat in a heavy stewpan. Add a layer of bacon,
onion and potatoes. Srpinkle with seasoning. Repeat layers,
finishing with potatoes. Add the water and let it come
slowly to a boil. Remove any scum that forms. Cover closely
and simmer gently for about 2 1/2 hours. The potatoes should
be cooked to a pulp. (You can do this in the crock pot:
bring it to a boil on HI and then reduce to LO and let it
simmer ALL day..put it on Friday morning before you go to
work and have it for St. Patricks Day supper! Unless you are
Catholic...in which case you can't have it this year on St.
Patrick's Day)




Slieve na mBam Carrots

The reddish crest of Slieve na mBan (The Mountain of Women
in Ireland) rising above the milk-white mist that forms
there gives its name to this dish of cream-wreathed carrots.

12 young carr
ots
3 tbsp. butter
1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 egg yolks
1 tsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

Trim and wash the carrots and halve lengthwise. Melt butter
over moderate heat. Add milk, and season with salt and
pepper. Add carrots and cook gently until just tender.
Remove from heat and stir in cream and beaten egg yolks.
Reheat but do not boil, stirring constantly until the eggs
thicken. Correct the seasoning and add parsley.




Colcannon

Colcannon is a mixture of buttered greens and potatoes.
Traditionally colcannon was eaten at Halloween. A heaping
portion is dished onto each plate. A well is made in the
center of the mound to hold a generous portion of butter.
The colcannon is eaten from around the outside in. You take
a scoop, dip it in the well of butter in the center and eat.
With a glass of buttermilk, this WAS a meal in itself.
In the Midlands, colcannon is called "thump". In the north
and western parts of Ireland it is called champ. To tell
fortunes on Halloween, a ring and a silver coin were mixed
into the colcannon...whoever got the ring was soon to marry
and whoever got the coin would be wealthy.

To make colcannon:

Peel and boil seven or eight medium-to-large potatoes until
done. Remove the stalk from leaves of kale greens and tear
or chop into very small pieces. Bring to a boil with a bit
of bacon and simmer while potatoes cook. Mash the potatoes
with 1/4 cup of butter and milk or cream as needed. Add salt
and pepper. Drain the chopped, cooked kale. (You should have
about twice as many potatoes as kale. Mix the two together
with 1 tbsp. minced onion. Correct seasoning and serve with
butter.




Haggerty

3 medium potatoes
1 large onion
2 tbsp. bacon fat
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Wash and peel the potatoes and cut in
to paper thin slices.
Pat dry with a towel. Cut the onion into paper thin slices.
Heat half of the bacon fat in a heavy frying pan and fill
the pan with alternate layers of potatoes, onions, and
cheese, finishing with potatoes. Sprinkle each layer with
salt and pepper. Dot the final layer with remaining bacon
fat. Cook over moderate heat until potatoes are almost
tender. Turn the Haggerty carefully onto a plate and then
carefully slide it back into the pan and continue cooking
until done. To serve, cut into wedges and serve with a
dollop of sour cream.




Potato Collops

(a collop is a small portion of any food)

3 medium potatoes
1 large onion
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons chopped parsley
1/4 lb. raw bacon, diced (leave out on fast days)
2 tbsp. butter
1 cup scalded milk (still hot)
1/4 cup grated cheddar cheese

Peel the potatoes and cut into very thin slices. Chop onion.
Place a layer of vegetables on a greased baking dish.
Sprinkle with seasonings, parsley, and diced bacon. Dot with
butter. Repeat layers until all ingredients are used. Pour
milk over and top with cheese. Cover and bake in a preheated
350 degree oven for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue cooking
until potatoes are done and top in nicely browned.




Irish Soda Bread

Among the Irish in the United States, this caraway-seeded
and currant-studded loaf is traditional for St. Patrick's
Day.

3 cups sifted unbleached flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 stick lightly salted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup currants
1 tbsp. caraway seeds
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbsp. honey

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Thoroughly mix together
sifted flour, soda, baking powder, and salt. Cut in the soft
butter, working it in with your fingers until it is evenly
distributed and the tex
ture is a bit like corn meal. Stir in
the currants and caraway seeds. Beat egg, buttermilk, and
honey together in a small bowl. Add milk mixture to the dry
ingredients, stirring briefly only to moisten evenly. Do not
overmix. Turn out on a lightly floured board and briefly
knead to form a smooth dough. Shape into a high, round ball.
Place on a buttered baking sheet. Slash across vertically
and horizontally about 4 " long and 1/2" deep. Bake at 350
degrees for 50-55 mintues. Cool 30 minutes before slicing.




Barm Brack

I have TWO derivations of this name and have NO idea which
is correct:
1. In Northern Ireland and in the Republic, brack is the
Celtic word for salt and is used to mean "bread". Barm brack
is leavened bread, the word, barm meaning yeast.

2. The term barmbrack for an Irish fruit loaf or cake does
not derive from barm or leaven. It is a corruption of the
Irish word aran breac (Speckled Bread).

If anyone can straighten out which definition is correct,
please let me know. I also read that the Irish traditionall
serve barmbrak at Halloween with the ring, silver coin and a
button baked inside (the button signifying "single
blessedness" whatever that might be). Frankly, I doubt all
of these "bake it inside" stories...if they were true, Irish
dentists would ALWAYS be busy on the day after Halloween,
because alot of Irish folk would have broken teeth after
having coins and rings stuck in every item on the table!




Barmbrak

2 1/2 cups mixed dry fruit (currants, dark and golden
raisins)
1 cup boiling black tea
1 egg
1 tsp. mixed spice (equal amounts of cinnamon, clove,
nutmeg, allpice, and mace)
4 tsp. marmalade
1 heaping cup superfine granulated sugar
2 1/2 cups self-rising flour

Place the dried fruit in a bowl, cover with the hot tea and
let soak overnight. The next day, a
dd the remaining
ingredients and mix well. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
Pour the batter into a greased 7" square pan and bake in the
center of the oven for 1 1/2 hours. Let cool in the pan on a
wire rack. Slice and serve buttered with tea.

Erin Go Brach!