Traditional Irish Recipes

IRISH STEW

Ingredients:
1 ½ lbs stewing lamb or mutton
2 large onions
3 lb potatoes
large bunch fresh parsley
tbsp chopped fresh thyme
water
salt
black pepper.

Method:
Peel onions and slice. Peel potatoes and leave whole unless they are very large. Cut the meat into good sized pieces. Place a layer of onions on the bottom of a heavy casserole dish and put meat on top. Add chopped parsley and thyme and season with salt and pepper. Layer rest of onions with potatoes. Sprinkle more parsley and thyme. Add a little water as required. Bring to the boil. Cover the pot as tightly as possible and put in pre-heated oven at 150 oC. (300 oF. gas mark 2) for 2 ½ to 3 hours.

Serve very hot with more fresh parsley on top.

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IRISH COFFEE

Ingredients:
1 measure of Irish Whiskey
1 measure of strong black coffee
2 tsps sugar
1-2 tbsps fresh double (thick cream)

Method:
Heat the glass. Pour in whiskey, add the sugar and the hot coffee. Pour the lightly whipped cream over the back of a teaspoon. The cream should float on top. You cannot make this drink without sugar as it is the sugar in the drink which allows the cream to float.

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BROWN SODA BREAD

Ingredients:
500 grams flour
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk
sour milk or whey

Method:

Use half and half mixture of white and whole-meal flour. Mix this with the salt and bicarbonate of soda in a wide bowl. Make a well in the centre and pour in about half the buttermilk. Quickly draw the flour into the liquid. Keep adding liquid until almost all the flour has been drawn into a sloppy dough. Gently and quickly knead in the last flour. Turn the dough out on to a floured board and shape it into a circle without cracks, about 3-5cm thick. Bake on a floured baking sheet at 200 o C (gas mark 6) for 40 minutes. It should be lightly browned and sound hollow when tapped on the bottom. Turn out onto a wire rack to cool. This is the basic traditional recipe.

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BOXTY (Potato Griddle Cakes)

½ lb Raw Potato
½ lb Mashed Potato
½ lb Plain Flour
Milk
1 Egg
Salt and Pepper

Method:

Grate the raw potato and mix with cooked mashed potatoes. Add salt, pepper and flour. Beat the egg and add just enough milk to make a batter that will drop from a spoon. Prepare a hot griddle or frying pan and drop tablespoons of the mixture. Cook over a moderate heat for 3 – 4 minutes each side.

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IRISH POTATO SOUP

2 Large Potatoes
1 Large Onion
2 oz Butter
2 Pints of Vegetable Stock
½ pint of Milk
1 tablespoon Chives or Parsley
Nutmeg
Pinch of Salt and Pepper
1 teaspoon of Cornflour

Method:

Peel and quarter the potatoes and finely chop the onion. Melt butter in a saucepan and add the potatoes and onion cover and simmer for 10 minutes without browning. Add the stock, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Stir. Cover and bring to the boil stirring continuously. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes, until vegetables are soft stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat sieve, and return to saucepan. Stir in the milk and cornflour and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Serve with chives or parsley.

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COLCANNON

2lbs Potatoes freshly cooked and mashed
½ lb Curly Kale cabbage, just cooked, drained and finely chopped, or bunch of scallions (spring onions) finely chopped
Milk, butter, salt and pepper.

Method:

Mix potatoes and kale/scallions together. Heat some milk with a generous knob of butter. Beat it into the potato mixture until smooth and creamy. Season well.