Traditional Irish Recipes
Food that Irish Children May Not be Familiar With:
•Ice cream sauces •Salad dressings •Sweet potatoes •Malts •Ice cold drinks •Sodas •Root beer floats •Barbecued foods •Mustard •Peanut butter •Maple syrup •Baked potatoes •Sauces on meats •Tuna fish •Potato salad •Cucumbers •Macaroni products •Corn on the cob •Watermelon •Green beans •Canned corn •Cantaloupe •Peaches
Here are a few recipes that will remind them of home.
CHAMP
• 4 lb Potatoes
• 1/2 lb Chopped scallions
• 10 oz. Milk
• 4 oz. Butter
• Pepper
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.
BASIC SCONES
3/4 lb Flour
1 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp Salt
3 tbl sp Margarine or other fat
2/3 c Milk (roughly)
Sift together flour, salt and baking powder. Cut in the shortening. Mix in the milk to make a soft dough. When kneaded, rolled and cut out, bake 10-12 minutes in a hot oven (450F).
IRISH POT ROASTED CHICKEN
Chicken, about 4.5 lb
4 oz Oatmeal
Medium onion, chopped
2 tbl sp Butter
3 tbl sp Stock Salt and pepper
6 oz. Bacon
3 x Med. onions, sliced
2 lb Potatoes
Seasoned flour 3 T Dripping or oil
4 x Med. carrots, sliced
If there are giblets with the bird, take them out, wash all but the liver (reserve that for another use), and cover with water, add salt and pepper, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour. Wipe the bird inside and out and remove any lumps of fat from the inside; sprinkle with salt. Mix together the oatmeal, chopped onion, butter or suet, stock, and seasoning, stuff the bird with this mixture and secure well. Heat the dripping or oil and lightly fry the bacon, then chop and put into a casserole. Quickly brown the bird in the same fat and put on top of the bacon. Soften the onion and briefly sauté the carrots, then add to the casserole. Strain the giblet stock and make it up to about 1/2 liter. Heat and pour over the chicken. Cover and cook in a moderate oven (350C) for about an hour.
Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into thick slices and blanch them in boiling water, or steam them for about 5 minutes. Toss them in seasoned flour and add them to the casserole, adding a little more of the giblet stock if needed. Cover with buttered wax paper and continue cooking for another 1/2 hour, taking off the paper for the last few minutes for browning.
POTATO CANDY
1/4 C. (1/2 stick) butter, softened
4 oz. cream cheese, softened (regular not whipped or reduced fat)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 pkg. (16 oz.) confectioners sugar (powdered)
1 pkg. (7 oz.) Sweetened flaked coconut (2 1/2 C.)
1 Tbs. ground cinnamon
In a large bowl cream together the butter and cheese. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar and beat until the mixture forms a ball. Stir in coconut. Roll the mixture between your hands to form small potato shaped candies or roll into small dish. Roll the balls in the cinnamon, and then place on a cookie sheet. Cover and chill for about 1 hour, until firm. You can roll candies a second time in additional cinnamon after they are chilled for “dirtier” potatoes.
IRISH STEW
1 lb lamb (or beef can be substituted)
3 lb. potatoes
1/2 lb carrots
1/2 lb parsnips
2 or 3 onions
Oil for sautéing.
1 Tbs. brown sugar
2 cups liquid (stock from the bones if you have time to make it: or a combination of meat stock, wine and water, whatever flavorful liquid you have to hand).
Salt, pepper
5 bay leaves
1 tsp. basil [Optional]
1/2 cup barley
and an extra cup of liquid
(Note: this makes a vegetable rich stew. For the more traditional meat rich stew, increase the proportion of meat to vegetables. You can also add turnips if you like them, I don't).
Method: Cut meat into 1 inch cubes. Brown the onions and the meat with a bit of oil. Slice up the carrots and parsnips . Sauté them for a few minutes and then add just a little bit of brown sugar to glaze them. Meanwhile peel and slice the potatoes. Slice small potatoes in four, big ones in 6 or 8 pieces. Stick them in a casserole dish with the meat and onions, and add the liquid. If desired, add some barley, but only a small amount (a handful), as it swells up a lot, and add the extra liquid. Add salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, some basil and other herbs if you want. Cover the dish and bake the potatoes and meat in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes, then add the carrots and parsnips. (If you just want to leave it cooking, you can add everything at the same time). It needs to cook for about 1 or 1.5 hours, it's ready when the potatoes are tender. Mash some of the potatoes in the liquid when you're eating it, very delicious!