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| So I'm on the other side of a year of baking bread and, as I guessed I might, I gained ten pounds in the process. Spring will save me. I set aside the Welsh/Irish cooking for the time being (or at least new recipes) and have concentrated on bread. I'm going to be trying a braided bread next - and some more celtic breads - which are just so easy since they don't have to rise. Anyway, wanted to stop by here and say that for the month of March, Panera bread company is advertising their ode to celts everywhere: Irish soda bread (which looks pretty authentic from the picture - but note, to those who dislike it, features carraway) and hot cross buns. I'm heading over there at the first of the month to pick some up and see what they're like. As soon as spring gets here, I'll have to cook some good pub food again for eating outdoors on the picnic table. In the meantime, my current pursuits are (still) a perfect tortilla, stuffed pastries, some dutch pastries, and some more Morrocan dishes. Thanks to a trip to Philadelphia, I've learned the art of making the perfect Philly steak and cheese, and been introduced to the desire for Cuban cooking. I see fried plantains on the horizon. Ah yes, and I'm getting brave enough now to try cooking my first filet mignon. I've had a lot of success in the kitchen this year - none of it purely celtic like last year. I may or may not keep a separate blog diary for some of my other dishes - not sure. For now, it is time to begin plans for a kitchen garden. My daughter has requested strawberries, watermelon, and carrots this year. All good ideas. And hubby is starting to talk chickens again. Will try to get my mint shamrock cream cheese sugar cookies up for St. Patty's Day. | | |
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Over this last Saturday, I treated myself to cooking a fully Irish dinner for my husband and guests. I had the opportunity to dine on this dish in two different restaurants and I have to say that it is not only very accurate, but very easy - and very tasty. The dish is quite colorless as you can see, but has great flavor. The corned beef brisket that I used was purchased already marinated - the only way to do it if you ask me - and cooked for several hours in a dutch oven. To top the meal off, we had hot bread made from scratch, and some lovely mint cream cheese sugar cookies, colored green and shaped like shamrocks. We didn't stir the cabbage into the colcannon (mashed potatoes) but this is a very very tasty option and actually more traditional to the irish "champ." I have included three separate recipes for colcannon because it appears that there are endless variations. In reality, the end result is not too different than Bubble and Squeak - minus the frying of the whole mash into a crispy crusted cake. My guests were pleased. Colcannon (3 versions)This is traditionally eaten in Ireland at Hallowe'en. Until quite recently this was a fast day, when no meat was eaten. The name is from *cal ceann fhionn meaning white-headed cabbage. Colcannon should correctly be made with chopped kale (a member of the cabbage family) or green cabbage but it is also made with white cabbage. Colcannon at Hallowe'en used to contain a plain gold ring, a sixpence, a thimble or button: finding the ring meant marriage within the year for the person who found it, the sixpence meant wealth, the thimble spinsterhood and the button bachelorhood." Colcannon #1 Yield: 4 servings 1 lb Curly kale or cabbage, cooked 1 lb Potatoes, cooked 1 Onion, chopped 1 oz Dripping per lb. vegetables Salt and pepper Milk if necessary 1 Ring, wrapped in greaseproof paper 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! Colcannon #2 Yield: 4 servings 450 g Kale or cabbage 450 g Potatoes 2 Small leeks or green onion tops 150 ml Milk or cream Pinch of mace Salt and pepper 100 g Butter 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, adding a 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. Colcannon #3Yield: 4 servings 2 1/2 lb Potatoes (cooked, mashed) 1 c Cooked kale (finely chopped) 1 c Hot milk 4 Chopped scallions (optional) Butter 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 squeeze out any excess water. Put the kale into a food processor with the hot milk and blend them into a green soup then mix through the mashed potatoes. Reheat it in the oven until it is very hot. This produces a dish fit for St. Patrick's Day in greenness. It is perfectly acceptable just to mix the kale and milk into the potatoes without recourse to the food processor, but the resulting dish is just speckled green. Do not use the processor if you are making colcannon with cabbage instead of kale. Don't forget the coin and the ring to amuse the children. | | |
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This is a shop in Holyhead that sells Bara Brith. Basically, it is a fruit bread - to be filled with fruit of your choice. The most common filler is currants and dates or figs. - This is Wales' traditional rich fruit bread.
- South Wales makes it with baking powder; Northerners prefer yeast as the raising agent. Either way it's delicious.
- Soak the dried fruit and sugar overnight in the tea.
- You can use either fresh tea, or the cold dregs from the teapot (this gives a good strong colour). Next day, sieve the flour and fold it it into the fruit. Mix in the lightly beaten egg.
- Line a small loaf-tin with buttered paper then tip in the mixture, smoothing it well into the corners.
- Bake in a gentle oven at 300 F (150 C) for 1-1/2 hours.
- Cool and store for at least 2 days in a tin so that it matures moist and rich.
- Traditionalists say you should never butter the Bara Brith, but it's lovely that way!
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| This recipe for roast goose, gravy, and goose fat potatoes was a winner. I'm not entirely sure how authentic this is, as I doubt cayenne is a popular rub in Britain, but I'm not sure I care. It was delicious - and though the recipe says it is of medium difficulty, I thought it was pretty easy. My finished product: 
| Roast Port Glazed Goose with Tawny Port Gravy |
| | | | 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion, plus 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped bell pepper
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, plus 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, plus 1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 domestic goose, about 10 pounds, well rinsed and patted dry, neck and giblets reserved
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup chopped carrots
2 bay leaves
3 cups Ruby port
Tawny Port Gravy, recipe follows
Goose Fat-Roasted Potatoes, recipe follows Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Combine 1/2 cup of the onions, celery, bell peppers, 1 teaspoon of the salt, and 1/4 teaspoon of the cayenne in a mixing bowl. Remove any excess fat around the opening of the cavity of the goose. Prick other fatty areas with a fork at intervals. Do not prick the breast. Stuff cavity of goose with vegetable mixture. Season the outside of the goose with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon cayenne, and the black pepper. Place the goose in a large roasting pan and roast for about 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until the drumsticks and thighs are easy to remove.
Combine the remaining 1/2 cup onion, carrots, bay leaves, and port wine in a medium-sized sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until the mixture thickens and reduces to about 1/2 cup, about 30 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and let cool.
Using a pastry brush, glaze the goose with the port wine reduction, and return to the oven for 5 minutes to allow the glaze to caramelize and set. Remove from the oven and let rest for 20 minutes before carving. Serve with the Port Gravy, and Goose Fat-Roasted Potatoes. Port Gravy:
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
Giblets and neck from the goose
1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
5 bay leaves
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups Tawny port
2 cups water In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the giblets and neck, and brown, stirring, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the onions, celery, carrots, salt, pepper, bay leaves, and thyme and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes.
Add the wine, bring to a boil, and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for about 1 hour. Remove from the heat and strain into a clean container and keep warm until ready to serve. Yield: About 2 cups Goose Fat Roasted Potatoes
2 pounds fingerling potatoes
1 teaspoon salt, plus 1 teaspoon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup goose fat, or duck fat
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh chopped rosemary
5 sprigs rosemary, as garnish Scrub potatoes and place in a large pot. Cover with cold water and add 1 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until just fork tender, 10 to 15 minutes. Drain and cool under cold running water. When completely cooled, slice them in half lengthwise, and place in a bowl.
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the potatoes with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper. Place a 12-inch, non-stick, ovenproof saute pan or skillet over medium-high heat and add the goose fat.
Once the fat is hot, add the seasoned potatoes to the saute pan, cut side down. Sear on the stovetop for 1 minute, then place the pan in the oven. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the stove, and add the garlic and chopped rosemary. Toss the potatoes in the pan to coat them and serve immediately garnished with the rosemary sprigs. Yield: 4 servings
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| First off - the flaming pudding was a hit. Da ordered one online so ours was not entirely traditional - we passed on hanging the bag of goo in the kitchen for a month - but we still set it on fire. This was much more difficult than we anticipated. But when the flames finally started - and they were a fine bluish dancing sort of flame - it was very exciting. I'm not so sure I enjoyed eating it - my da's singular compliment was "That," he said, pointing to the remaining black lump, "is not entirely detestable" - but I enjoyed watching it burn. I don't think the brandy burned off entirely because it sort of kicked you in the mouth going down. It had a strong taste of gingerbread cake with raisins and copious - and I mean copious - amounts of black strap molasses. Try it. It makes for quite the exciting end to a Christmas dinner. More details on that soon - and pics. But for a new recipe. For Christmas, my da was given two pounds of good strong Welsh cheese, Tintern and Harlech, and a plate of hot Welsh Cakes. This was the first time I've made them and we all agreed that we understood why they were such a part of Welsh sentimentality. These little buggars are addicting. A combination of a pancake, cookie tasting treat, it is suggested that they be served warm with jam - maybe clotted cream - but we ate ours plain they were so good. To save time, since I made them on Christmas day, I made my dough in my food processor. I'm not sure how this effected the dough but I know that I ended up needing to cook them longer on my griddle than the recipe suggests. It could be that my griddle is older and not getting as hot as the temperature setting suggests. I ended up turning it up to 350 and they cooked much more to the rate mentioned below. Oh, and the two cheeses I bought him were very good too. Very good and very strong - particularly the Tintern. I found them on amazon.com through a company called igourmet. This little picture below is a great one of a granny cooking up the traditional welsh cakes. 
and a close up of finished product: 
WELSH CAKES  20 min 10 min prep - Mix together dry ingredients.
- Cut in cold butter.
- Mix egg and milk together and slowly add to dry ingredients.
- Turn onto a floured board and roll 1/4 inch thick.
- Cut into rounds and fry on an electric skillet at 300* for about 5 minutes on each side.
My gift from my parents, aside from many other Welsh reference books and other sundries, included a Welshie apron and a framed print of four traditional love spoons for my kitchen. Believe you me - I cooked our whole Port glazed goose Christmas dinner in that lovely tri-color apron! | | |
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