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Steak And Guinness Pie
1 kg Round steak Cut
the steak into bite sized cubes, roll in easoned flour, and brown
in the lard with the bacon, chopped small. Place the meat in a
casserole, peel and chop the onions, and fry until golden before
adding them to the meat. Add the raisins (if wanted) and brown
sugar, pour in the Guinness, cover tightly and simmer over a low
heat or in a very moderate oven (325-350F) for 2 1/2 hours. Stir
occasionally, and add a little more Guinness or water if the rich
brown gravy gets too thick. Meanwhile, line a deep pie dish with
half the pie crust: bake it blind: then add the Guinness/beef
mixture from the casserole, cover with the top layer of pie crust,
and bake until finished, probably about 10 more minutes. Variation:
for the brown sugar, substitute 3 T honey.
Serves 4. Loin of Lamb with Apple and Ginger Stuffing
3 lb Loin of lamb, boned First make the stuffing. Peel and core the apples, slice thinly and put into a saucepan with the lemon juice, sugar and ginger. Cook over a gentle heat until the apples are just soft, then set aside to cool. Preheat
the oven for 400 F. Trim the lamb, remove the skin and score the
fat. Lay the joint out on a board, fat side down. Spoon the apple
mixture along the center. Roll up and tie with twine. Peel the
garlic and cut it into slivers, then pierce the joint all over
with the point of a sharp knife and slip the slivers of garlic
into the pockets formed. Season with the salt and pepper, put
the joint in a roasting pan and cook in the hot oven for 30 minutes,
then heat the cider in a small pan and pour it over the lamb.
Reduce the heat to moderate (350F) and cook for another 40 minutes,
basting frequently. When the lamb is cooked, put it onto a heated
serving dish and keep warm. Remove any excess fat from the pan
juices, boil up over a high heat until reduced slightly, and serve
with the sliced lamb.
Serves 4. Crusty Roast Lamb (Uaineoil faoi chrusta)
1 Shoulder of lamb (approx. 4 lb.) Wipe the lamb over, and cut criss-cross slits around the top. Mix together the breadcrumbs, herbs, butter, salt and pepper. Rub the mixture onto the top of the meat, pressing down well so that it sticks. Fill the bottom of the roasting pan with the vegetables and apple, mixing them and the seasoning well. Put the joint on top, then pour the stock into the pan, but not over the meat. Cover loosely with a piece of foil and bake at 400 F for half an hour. Then lower the heat to 350F, and cook for a further 20-25 minutes to the pound. Take off the foil for the final half hour, and check that the vegetables are nearly cooked. Finish the cooking without the foil, to let the top get brown and crusty. Serves 6. Lamb
Shoulder in Pastry
12 oz Shortcrust or flaky pastry Make the pastry and chill for at least 1 hour before using. See that the lamb is fairly free of fat, and securely tied: put in a roasting pan and rub with about a third of the butter. Put into a very hot oven, 450F for 20-30 minutes. Take out and allow to cool slightly. Mix
the remaining butter with the herbs, salt and pepper. Roll out
the pastry to a piece large enough to wrap around the joint. Carefully
remove the string from the lamb, trying to retain the shape. Put
it in the center of the pastry, dampen the edges, and draw the
pastry up over the top: secure well by squeezing the pastry ends
and edges together. Turn over so that the fold is underneath,
and put on a baking sheet. Prick all over the top lightly with
a fork, then brush with either Serves 6. Beef and Stout Casserole
1-1/2 lb Beef Saute
the beef and bacon in a little oil. Drain off the excess liquid.
Remove the meat anmd set aside. Add the butter to the pan, and
melt. Stir in the flour to make a roux. Gradually stir in the
stout. Place the meat and the small onions (peeled) in a deep
casserole dish, and season with the salt, pepper and herbs. Crush
the garlic and add to Serves 4. Baked Tripe
1-1/2 lb Tripe, cut in thin strips Marinate
the tripe in the oil and vinegar for half an hour. Clean and prepare
the onions and mushrooms, and saute in the butter for two or three
minutes. Remove from the frying pan and set aside. Stir in the
flour and mix in the tomato puree (about 2 T) plus the water.
Season with salt and pepper. Grease a fireproof casserole and
put in half the tripe. Cover with a layer of the onions and mushrooms
and sprinkle on half the breadcrumbs. Repeat this, and finally
pour on the tomato Serves 4. Side Dish Colcannon
1 lb Curly kale or cabbage, cooked Mash the potatoes or pass them through a food mill. Chop the cabbage or kale and add it to the potatoes. Mix well. Peel and chop the onion. Melt a little of the dripping in a large, heavy frying pan and cook the onion in it. Remove and mix with the potato and cabbage. Season to taste, and stir in a little milk if the mixture is too stiff. Add the rest of the dripping to the hot pan and, when very hot, turn the potato and cabbage mixture into the pan and spread it out. Fry until brown, then cut it roughly and continue frying until there are lots of crisp brown pieces. Just before serving, slip in the wrapped ring -- the trick, as you can see from the rhyme, is to make sure the ring doesn't turn up too soon -- then the children will eat it all willingly! Makes 4 servings. Colcannon
450 g Kale or cabbage If using the kale, strip from the stalks or likewise remove the stump of cabbage before cooking in boiling salted water until tender but not overcooked. Drain very well and chop finely. Meanwhile, cook the potatoes, and while they are cooking chop the leeks or onion tops and simmer them in milk or cream for about 7 minutes. Drain the potatoes, season and mash them well, then stir in the cooked leeks and milk, addinga little more milk if needed. Finally blend in the finely chopped kale or cabbage (modern cooks will find a blender or food processor ideal for this). Add the mace and taste for seasoning. Heat the entire mixture gently, then pile in a warmed dish. Make a small well in the center and pour in the melted butter. Make 4 servings. Colcannon
2 1/2 lb Potatoes (cooked, mashed) Strip
the heads of kale away from the stems and shred them finely. Kale
is a tough vegetable which needs to cook for 10-20 minutes depending
on its age. Cook as you would for any green vegetable in furiously
boiling salted water until it is just tender. (Some people add
1/2 tsp baking soda to the water to help keep the kale at its
brightest green.) Strain it and refresh it with cold water. Drain
it thoroughly and Makes 4 servings. Colcannon
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced Cook
cabbage in boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain and reserve. Cook
potatoes until tender. Drain and place in a large mixing bowl.
Beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Add onion, garlic, sour
cream and butter. Beat again until blended. Gently stir in cabbage,
salt and pepper to taste. Put in a greased gratin dish or 2 quart
casserole, top Serves 6. Note: Kale, sauerkraut, spinach or collard greens may be substituted for the cabbage. Per serving: 389 calories; 26.7 g fat (16.9 g saturated fat; 62 percent calories from fat); 76 mg cholesterol; 369 mg sodium; 28.0 g carbohydrates. Champ
(or Poundies)
4 lb Potatoes 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.
Peel potatoes and cook in boiling water. Simmer milk and scallions together for five minutes. Strain potatoes and mash thoroughly. Add hot milk, and the scallions, salt and pepper, and half the butter. The traditional implement used for pounding potatoes was a wooden masher, pestle-shaped, called a "beetle." The poem says:
There was an old woman
She's up'd with her beetle Make 8 servings. Baked Parsnips Irish Style
2-1/2 lb Parsnips Peel parsnips, quarter, and remove any woody core. Parboil for 15 minutes. Place in an ovenproof dish. Add stock and sprinkle with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Dot with butter and bake for 30 minutes on a low shelf in a moderate oven. (Generally parsnips are baked in the same oven as the main meat dish, whose cooking temperature governs that of the parsnips.) Serves 8. Braised Celery
1 Head celery Clean celery, cut into one-inch pieces and place in a casserole dish. Finely chop bacon and onion and sprinkle over celery along with chopped parsley. Pour on stock. Dot with knobs of butter. Cover dish and bake in a moderate oven for 30-45 minutes. Serves 4. Oatcakes
6 oz Oatmeal (preferably fine) Mix flour and salt together. Slowly add warm water. Roll out on a floured board to 1/4 inch thick. Cut into triangles. Cook on a pan or griddle until golden on both sides. Dry out in a cool oven (150 C / 300 F) until crisp. -- These cakes are eaten buttered, with a glass of milk, for supper, but are also good with oily fish such as herring or mackerel. (They are also terrific with wine and cheese.) Serves 8. Dressed Cabbage
Cabbage Shred the cabbage. Melt half the butter in a heavy pot; then add the cabbage and toss until covered with the butter. Add bacon stock or water, cover and cook gently for about 20 minutes. By this time the liquid should be nearly absorbed, and the cabbage cooked. Add the nutmeg or mace, the flour, and stir well; then add the rest of the butter and toss until melted into the cabbage. Add pepper if needed. Serves 4. Cabbage And Bacon
Lg or 2 small Savoy cabbages Cut the cabbage in half and boil for 15 minutes in salted water. Drain, and soak in cold water for 1 minute, then drain well and slice. Line the bottom of a casserole with half the bacon strips, then put the cabbage on top and add the seasonings. Add enough stock to barely cover, then put the remaining strips of bacon on top. Cover and simmer for an hour, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serves 4. Kale With Cream
1-3/4 lb Kale Wash
the kale and strip the leaves from the stalks, then plunge into
briskly boiling salted water and cook until tender, 20-30 minutes.
Drain well and chop finely. In a saucepan combine the butter,
cream and pinches of nutmeg, salt and pepper; then add the kale
and the stock. Mix well and Serves 4. Parsnip Cakes
1 lb Parsnips Peel and slice the parsnips, then boil in salted water until tender. Drain and mash them well. Add flour, mace, melted butter, salt and pepper, then form into small flat, round cakes. Dip into the beaten egg, then into the breadcrumbs, and fry in hot oil until brown on both sides. Serves 4.
Scallop Pie
8 Large scallops* * Or 4 scallops and an equal amount of any white fish. Or more scallops, if you like. Clean the scallops and cut in half, then simmer in the milk for 15 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and stir in the flour, cook for about a minute, stirring, then add the milk gradually, stirring all the time to avoid lumps. Season with salt and pepper, add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for about 10 minutes longer; then add the sherry or wine and finally the scallops. When hot, transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with mashed potatoes, making sure they cover the fish right to the edges. Dot with the remaining butter and bake in a moderate oven, 350F, for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is turning brown. Serves 4. Trout Baked In Wine
Rainbow trout (about 2.5 lb) Scale and gut the trout if not cleaned already. You can filet it, or not: it hardly matters. Cut the trout in half the long way and lay in a baking dish. Barely cover with white wine. Add herbs, if you like them, or garlic. Bake at 350 F for half an hour. Serves 4. Monkfish With Garlic And Herb Butter
700 g Filleted monkfish tails Soften butter and add herbs and garlic. Chill. Make a slit in each monkfish fillet and pack with the chilled herb butter. Fold up to enclose butter. Toss each piece in seasoned flour, dip in beaten egg and roll in breadcrumbs. Press the crumbs firmly onto the fish. Place the fish in a buttered dish. Dribble a little melted butter or oil, and lemon juice, on top. Cook for 30-35 minutes at 375F/190C. Serve at once. Serves 4. Trout In Herb And Cream Sauce
4 Rainbow trout, gutted Poach the fish in court-bouillon for 10-12 minutes. Lift out carefully: remove skin and eyes. Keep warm. Boil the cream until it reduces by half. Whisk in knobs of butter gradually. Finally, add in finely chopped herbs. Pour the sauce into a serving dish and arrange the fish on top. Serve at once, garnished with lemon slices. Serves 4. Thackeray's Lobster
1 Very large lobster (Amounts are approximate: the above measurement should be increased or decreased depending on the size of the lobster. You want about a cup of sauce per two people.) Thackeray's original follows: "You
take a lobster, about three feet long if possible, remove the
shell, cut or break the flesh of the fish in pieces not too small.
Someone else meanwhile makes a mixture of mustard, vinegar, catsup
and lots of cayenne pepper. You produce a machine called a "despatcher"
which Unfortunately
the day of inexpensive three-foot-long lobsters has passed, even
in Ireland (lobsters of this size are still taken off the west
coast, however). In modern terms: Clean and shell the lobster
as indicated above. Mix the mustard, vinegar, catsup and cayenne
to taste (some people might Serves 4. |
Dessert Apple Fritters 5
oz Flour Make
batter at least an hour before required, using following method.
Sift together flour and salt. Make a well in the center. Add the
cooled melted butter and some of the water and egg yolks. Work in
the flour and beat until smooth. Add remaining water. Leave to stand.
Just before using, beat the Peel, core and slice apples (slices about 1/4-1/2 inch thick). Dip into batter and deep fry in very hot oil (175-180C) until golden. Drain and serve dredged with sugar and sprinkled with lemon juice. Serves 4. Rutabaga Pudding 1
lb Rutabagas Clean, peel and cube the rutabaga, and cook in boiling water until tender, then drain. Mash thoroughly; then add all the other ingredients. Put into a 2-qt casserole and bake at 350F for 1 hour. A pinch of cinnamon or ginger might be added. Serves 4. Potato Pie Dessert 1/2
lb Boiled potatoes Mash the potatoes until lump-free. Separate the yolks and whites of the eggs and beat separately; the yolks until lemon-colored, the whites until stiff. Add the almonds, orange extract, sugar and egg yolks to the potatoes; mix well, then add the glass of whiskey, and when combined, fold in the egg whites. Have ready a greased and floured cake pan with a greased piece of butcher paper/baking parchment in the bottom. (Or alternately, prepare 2 pie crusts and fill them with the mixture.) Bake at 375F for 40-45 minutes. Serves 4. Potato And Apple Pudding 2
T Butter Mix
the butter into the hot mashed potatoes, add a good pinch of salt,
and the flour, and mix well, then add enough milk to make a soft,
slack dough. Roll out and line a 1-qt bowl with some of it, reserving
enough for the lid. Fill with the apples, peeled and cored and finely
sliced, and sweeten to Serves 4. Honey And Lemon Carrageen Pudding 1/2
c Dried carrageen Soak
the carrageen in hot water to cover for about 15 minutes (or reconstitute
according to package instructions), then drain discarding the soaking
liquid. Put into 600 ml fresh water with the honey, lemon juice
and rind. Bring to a boil and simmer for 25-30 minutes. Strain and
discard the (Carrageen [or "carrageenan"] can usually be found in health food stores.) Serves 4. Apple And Barley Pudding 4
T Pearl barley Put the barley in the water and bring to the boil. Add the sliced apples and continue cooking gently until the barley and apples are soft. Press through a sieve, or put through the blender, and put back in the saucepan. Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to the boil again. Remove from the heat, allow to cool, and then chill. Serve cool with the cream stirred in. Serves 4. Burnt Oranges 4
Large oranges Carefully peel the oranges thinly. Then with a sharp knife remove as much of the pith and white skin as possible, keeping the oranges intact. Cut the thin peel into fine strips and cover with the wine. Put the oranges into an ovenproof dish. Put a little butter on top of each one, pressing it down gently, then sprinkle each one with a teaspoon of sugar. Put into a 400F oven for 10 minutes or until the sugar caramelizes. Meanwhile
mix the orange juice with the sugar in a saucepan and bring to the
boil. Lower the heat and let it get syrupy, without stirring. Add
the orange peel and wine mixture and bring to the boil again, then
cook rapidly to reduce and thicken slightly. -- Take the oranges
from the oven and if not Serves 4. Bailey's Irish Cream Mousse Pie 3
Eggs, separated Serves 4. Bailey's Chocolate Mousse Pie #2 6
oz Ready Crust (graham/choc) In
saucepan, sprinkle unflavored gelatine over milk. Let stand about
1 minute. Stir over low heat until gelatine is dissolved, about
5 minutes. Add chocolate and continue cooking, stirring constantly
until chocolate is melted: stir in vanilla. Remove from heat and
stir occasionally, adding Serves 4. Irish Whiskey Cake Cake: Icing: fold them into the mixture with a metal spoon. Turn into the prepared pan and bake in the preheated oven for about 1 1/2 hours, or until well risen and springy to the touch ~- or test with a skewer: when it comes out clean, the cake's ready. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the icing by mixing the lemon juice with the sieved confectioners' sugar and just enough water to make a pouring consistency. Put a dinner plate under the cake rack to catch the drips, and pour the icing over the cake a tablespoonful at a time, letting it dribble naturally down the sides. Don't worry if a lot of it ends up on the plate underneath -- just scoop it up and put it on top again. When the icing has set, it can be decorated with crystallized lemon slices if you like. Serves 8. Chocolate-orange Guinness Cake Cake: Icing: Reduce the heat to moderate (350F) and bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the cakes are springy to the touch and shrinking slightly in the pans. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. Meanwhile, make the icing. Cream the softened butter and icing sugar together thoroughly, then blend in the grated orange rind and enough juice to make an icing that is soft enough to spread. When the cakes are cold, use half the icing to sandwich them together, and spread the rest on top. Serves 4. "Irish Coffee" Cake Cake: Irish
Coffee Syrup: Icing: touch. Turn out and cool on a wire rack. To make the Irish coffee syrup, put the coffee and sugar into a small pan and bring up to the boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Then boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and add the whiskey. . Wash and dry the pan the cake was baked in, and return the cooled cake to it: then pour the hot coffee syrup all over it. Leave in a cool place for several hours, then turn out. Whip the cream until it's thick, sweeten slightly with confectioners' sugar, and add whiskey to taste. Spread the cake with the whipped cream and chill for an hour before sprinkling with chopped nuts or grated chocolate. ** This is a concentrated, liquid coffee easily found in Ireland, but probably not in the States. I would dissolve 2 T of a good instant coffee (Taster's Choice or something similar) in an equivalent amount of water, and use that. Serves 4. Donegal Oatmeal Cream 15
fl Milk *
"Pinhead" if you can get it. This is the cracked oat groat,
not rolled. "Irish Coffee" Pudding 6 Eggs8 oz Sugar 1 c Very strong coffee 1-1/2 oz Powdered gelatine 1/3 c Irish whiskey* 10 fl Whipping cream 3 oz Crushed walnuts Separate the yolks from the whites of eggs. In a bowl, cream with yolks with the sugar. Heat the coffee until hot but not boiling: add the gelatine and dissolve it in the coffee. Add this mixture to the yolks and sugar. Beat well and put the bowl over a pot of boiling water. Continue beating until mixture begins to thicken. remove from heat, and when the bowl has cooled a little, place it over cracked ice and continue stirring. When the mixture is on the point of setting, whip the cream and fold it in. Add the whiskey or Irish Mist. Lastly, fold in the well-beaten egg whites. Pour into a souffle dish that has a double thickness of parchment paper tied around it: the paper should come up 3 inches above the top of the souffle dish. Oil a jam-jar or bottle and press it down into the center of the pudding. Leave to set. Remove the paper collar by easing around the circumference with a knife dipped in hot water. Remove the jar or bottle, and fill the center with: 1 cup heavy cream, whipped, sweetened with 1 T granulated sugar. You can also decorate the exposed sides of the pudding with crushed walnuts, pressed on with the palm of your hand. * You can also use Irish Mist. Serves 4. Apple Amber 1
lb Cooking apples, tart* Cook
the apple slices in about 2 T of water, stirring occasionally until
they form a puree. Add about 3/4 of the sugar, the lemon juice,
and the egg yolks: mix well. Put into an ovenproof dish and bake
at 350F for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until stiff,
folding in the remaining sugar. Pile the meringue evenly on top
of the apple mixture, *
peeled, cored and thinly sliced. Porter Cake 1
lb Flour Sieve the flour salt and baking powder together; add sugar, nutmeg and spice. Rub in butter finely. Add fruit. Add porter mixed with beaten eggs. Bake in a well-greased pan 2 1/2 hours in a moderate oven (350-375F). Makes 6 servings. Seafood Cod Cobbler 1-1/2
lb Skinless filets of cod yolk into the mixture and add enough milk to make a workable dough. Roll out to a thickness of 1/2 inch and cut into small rounds with a scone cutter. Dispose these rounds on top of the sauce, so that they just about cover the surface; glaze them with a little milk, sprinkle some more grated cheese over them and bake in a hot oven (450 F) for 25-30 minutes, until the scones are golden brown. Serves 4. Mackerel With Rhubarb 2
lb Mackerel filets Sauce: Melt the margarine (or butter) and cook the onion in it until transparent. Add the chopped rhubarb, season with pepper and salt and continue to cook gently for 5 minutes. Then add breadcrumbs and stir the mixture. Now lay the mackerel filets out flat, skin side down, and spread the stuffing on them. Roll each up, put them in a greased oven dish and cook them in a moderate oven (400F) for 15-20 minutes. While
the fish are being cooked, make the rhubarb sauce by placing all
the ingredients listed in a saucepan and stewing tehm until the
rhubarb is cooked and quite soft. This will take 10 minutes or a
little longer. Then put the cooked rhubarb through a fine sieve
or the blender, to make a puree Serves 4. Baked Stuffed Herring 4
T Breadcrumbs (heaping) First make the stuffing by mixing the breadcrumbs, parsley, beaten egg, lemon juice and peel, and salt and pepper. Stuff the fish with the mixture. Lay in an ovenproof dish, close together; add the cider, crumbled bayleaf and salt and pepper. Cover with foil and bake at 350F for about 35 minutes. Serves4. Serves 4. Mini Smoked Salmon Tarts 1
cup whipping cream Combine cream, salmon, eggs, parsley, chives, salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste and mix well. Arrange filo shells on greased baking sheets. Spoon filling into shells. Bake at 350 degrees 5 to 6 minutes until filling has browned slightly and is firm. Makes 30 tarts. Per tart: 58 calories; 4.4 g fat (2.0 g saturated fat; 68 percent calories from fat); 26 mg cholesterol; 41 mg sodium; 2.8 g carbohydrates. Dublin Lawyer 2-1/2
lb. fresh lobster (approx.) The
lobster should be cut in two down the center. Remove all the meat
from the lobster, including the claws: retain the shell for serving.
Cut the meat into chunks. Heat the butter until foaming and quickly
saute the lobster chunks in it, until just cooked but not colored.
Warm the whiskey slightly, Serves 2.
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Cucina irlandese