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 Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:57 am
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:58 am
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Corned beef is brisket,Corned Beef and Cabbage topside or silverside which has been pickled in brine. It is especially popular around Dublin. It is best to soak a joint overnight to remove excess salt.
5 lb/ 2 kg joint of corned beef
1 large cabbage
bay leaf
2 large onions
cold water to cover
2 large carrots
ground black pepper
4 potatoes
(serves four to six)
Quarter the cabbage and put aside. Peel and slice the other vegetables. Cover the meat with the water and bring to the boil. Skim the surface, add the vegetables (except the cabbage), the bay leaf and the pepper and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Add the cabbage and cook for a further 30 minutes. Serve the meat surrounded by the vegetables with additional mashed potatoes.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 6:59 am
Pancakes
These are also known as Scotch Pancakes, especially in the north. They must be cooked as soon as possible after mixing, as the acid in thePancakes buttermilk starts to react with the baking soda at once. For that reason the griddle or pan should be heated before combining the ingredients.
8 oz/ 250g/ 2 cups plain flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1 large egg
1/2 pt/ 250ml/ 1 cup buttermilk
Sift the dry ingredients into a bowl. Make a well in the middle with a wooden spoon and add the egg. Break the yolk and pour in the buttermilk, mixing quickly to a thick batter. Do not beat, as this would develop the gluten in the flour and prevent the pancakes from rising. Fry in large dollops on a lightly-greased, hot griddle or heavy frying-pan. Drop scones are best served hot for tea, thickly spread with melting butter and syrup or jam.
Here is an easy way to make thin pancakes:
4 oz/ 125g/ 1 cup plain flour
pinch of salt
2 eggs
1/2 pt/ 250ml/ 1 cup milk
1 tbsp melted butter
Put all the ingredients in a blender and blend for about 30 seconds. The batter should then be allowed to stand for 30 minutes in a cool place. Heat a small pan over a medium heat. Grease with a little butter and wipe out with kitchen paper. Fry about 2 tbsp of batter at a time, swirling to cover the base of the pan. Keep them thin and there will be no need to turn. Serve rolled up with sugar.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:00 am
Irish Coffee
1/4 cup hot, strong, black coffee
1-2 tsp sugar
1 large measure Irish whiskey
1-2 tbsp double cream
Fill a stemmed whiskey glass with hot water then throw out, refilling it with boiling water. Throw this out, fill Irish Coffeethe glass somewhat 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, also known as 'hot Irish' or just 'punch', is a favourite winter drink in Irish pubs.
boiling water
1-2 tsp sugar
1 large measure Irish whiskey
slice of lemon
2 or 3 whole cloves
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.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:01 am
Rhubarb Fool
6-8 plump sticks of rhubarb
4oz/ 25g/ 1/2cup sugar
small knob of butter
250ml/ 1/2pt/ 1 cup whipping cream
serves 4
Cut the rhubarb into chunks and sweat with the sugar and butter over a low heat until cooked but not mushy. Liquidise or pass through a food mill. When cold, fold into stiffly-whipped cream. Allow to set in the fridge and serve with Lady finger or Boudoir biscuits.
Apple or gooseberry fool is made in exactly the same way, except that in the case of gooseberries the purée should be sieved to remove pips. It may be necessary to adjust sugar to taste.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:02 am
Baked Salmon
There is no doubt that this is an expensive dish, but it will feed eight to ten people and makes a fine party piece.
Baked Salmon
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)
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.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:03 am
Potato Farl
Also known as potato cake or potato bread, this is very much a northern dish. It is an important - indeed essential - constituent of the Potato FarlUlster Fry, alongside bacon, egg, sausage and perhaps fried soda farl.
The recipe calls for cooked, mashed potatoes. These should be freshly boiled, or, better still, steamed and passed through a food mill, and used warm.
2 lb/ 1 kg/ 2 cups mashed potatoes
4 oz/ 125 g/ 1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp butter
salt
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 minutes on each side in a heavy frying pan in a little bacon fat.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:04 am
Potato Soup
The basis of a good soup - especially a simple soup such as this - is a good stock. The soup should be made with a white stock, that is, water in which a chicken, ham or bacon has been boiled. Alternatively, stock canPotato Soup be made from a ham bone or chicken carcass boiled with a few root vegetables and herbs as available, and an onion. The stock should be drained, allowed to cool and the fat removed from the surface.
6 medium potatoes
2 medium onions
3pt/ 1/2 l/ 6 cups stock or milk and water mixed
1tbsp butter
parsley
salt and pepper
(serves six)
Peel and dice the potatoes and chop the onions. Melt the butter and gently cook the onions and potatoes in a covered saucepan until soft but not coloured. Add the liquid, adjust the seasoning to taste, sieve if wished and serve in bowls decorated with a little chopped parsley.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:04 am
Irish Chocolate Cake
The "Irishness" of this lovely chocolate cake is thanks not only to the wonderful liqueur used in the filling, but also to a certain, very Irish, ingredient in the cake mixture itself, which contributes to its moistness.
Sponge
175g/ 6oz self-raising flour
1/2tsp salt
50g/ 2oz dark chocolate
110g/ 4oz butter
175g/ 6oz caster sugar
80g/ 3oz cooked mashed potato
2 eggs, beaten
4tbsp milk
Filling
110g/ 4oz dark chocolate
125ml/ 4fl oz double cream
50g/ 2oz icing sugar
3tbsp Irish cream liqueur
Preheat oven to gas mark 5/ 190°C/ 375°F, and grease and line two 20cm/ 8 inch cake tins. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour with each addition. Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack. While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well. Use the filling to sandwich the sponge layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:06 am
Pea and Ham Soup
This soup is made with dried peas; these generally have to be soaked overnight, though it is possible to buy some that need only a few hours' immersion. It is slightly less trouble to make the soup with split peas - which have no skins - and here there is a choice of green or yellow. Pea and Ham SoupAlthough there is no difference in the taste, the latter give the soup a pleasant golden colour.
1 Ib/ 500 g/ 2 cups dried peas or split peas
4 oz/ 125 gl 1/2 cup diced pieces of cooked ham or a ham bone
1 large onion and a little fat (optional)
3 pts/ 1 1/2 lr/ 6 cups ham stock or water
cream (optional)
parsley (optional)
seasoning
(serves six)
Soak the peas as directed on the packet. Chop the onion, if used, and soften in a little fat over a low heat. Add the peas and water or stock and the ham bone if used.
Cook gently until the peas are soft - about an hour. Remove the bone and strip off any meat. This should be cut into small dice and reserved. Puree the peas in a blender or pass through a sieve. Adjust the seasoning. Add the diced ham and serve with a swirl of cream or a sprinkling of chopped parsley on top.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:08 am
Blackberry Sorbet
A fresh fruit sorbet is a delightfully refreshing culmination to any meal. As a method of preserving the taste of a warm autumn into the depths of winter this simply-made sorbet is second to none. FromBlackberry Sorbet late August to mid October wild blackberries can be picked from bushes by the side of country roads throughout Ireland. A wet summer followed by a warm, dry autumn will ensure a bumper crop.
1 lb/ 500g/ 2 cups fresh blackberries
4 oz/ 125g/ 1/2 cup sugar
1/4 pt/ 125 ml/ 1/2 cup water
2 egg whites
(serves four)
Clean the blackberries thoroughly and remove stalks. Liquidise the fruit in a blender and strain through a sieve. Dissolve the sugar in the water and boil for about 5 minutes to make a syrup. Add the blackberries and boil for a further minute. When the liquid has cooled, fold it into stiffly-beaten egg whites. Freeze in an ice-cream machine or in ice cube trays in the freezer compartment of a fridge. If the latter is used, the mixture should be stirred about once an hour to prevent large ice crystals developing.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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Posted: Sun Mar 24, 2013 7:09 am
Pot of Tea
It is easy to make a poor cup of tea. Float a tea bag in some milk, pour in some nearly-boiling water, mash the tea bag against the side of the cup with a spoon, fish out the tea bag and throw it away. Pot of TeaThere you are. Awful! Tea should be made with freshly-drawn, freshly-boiled water in a warmed pot and allowed to brew. The result will be a pleasant, refreshing drink.
To make a good pot of tea, bring freshly-drawn water to a brisk boil.
Pour a little into a 2 pt/ 1 ltr/ 4 cup earthenware teapot to warm it, then empty the water out.
Using good quality tea, put 3-5 teaspoons, according to taste, into the warmed pot.
Bring the water back to the boil and pour on immediately.
Cover the pot with a tea-cosy and allow to brew for 5 minutes - any shorter and the flavour will not have developed, any longer and the tannin will start to come out, making the tea taste stewed. For the same reason, boiling water should be used to make the tea but the brew should not subsequently be boiled.
From the Appletree Press title: A Little Irish Cookbook.
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