Traditional Treats

A recent correspondence with an American food writer has got me thinking about St Patrick’s Day traditions, both here in Ireland and across the pond.

It’s interesting that there’s a dish - corned beef and cabbage - universally cooked (but not universally enjoyed, so I hear) to celebrate the day in the USA, whereas here in Ireland we take a much more casual view with ‘anything traditional’ fitting the bill pretty well, whether it be bacon and cabbage, Irish stew, beef & Guinness, or a number of other old favourites.

Corned beef & cabbage has if anything fallen out of favour in Ireland in recent years, which is really a shame as, when well cooked (and well sourced from a good butcher), it can be really delicious – and not just for St Patrick’s Day, but at any time when the weather and the occasion demand comfort food. Slight variations can be an improvement and the version given here is a real winner.

And, with many more meals in several months’ time in mind, don’t forget that St Patrick’s Day is traditionally the day to plant the first potatoes! Even if you don’t have a garden you can grow a few in a tub or a grow-bag – and there’s nothing more satisfying (or delicious) than eating your own new potatoes in about 12 weeks’ time.

Corned Beef and Colcannon With Maple Roasted Carrots

This recipe is from Paul Flynn’s cookbook, Second Helpings, Further Irish Adventures with Food (ISBN 1-903464-84-6).

Paul is proprietor-chef of the renowned restaurant and cookery school, The Tannery, in Dungarvan, Co Waterford, and has for many years been well known for his commitment to using local produce.

He makes this comforting dish in autumn and throughout the colder months – it’s ideal for a blustery March day and should certainly convert anyone who thinks they ‘don’t like corned beef’. Some lightly cooked spring cabbage would also be a welcome addition, as a side vegetable.

“Once September comes I reintroduce my standing order from Michael McGrath in Lismore,” says Paul, “His corned beef is the stuff of legend; all I have to do is boil it in water, removing the scum every now and then. Michael uses brisket. I find it has a very agreeable fat to meat ratio, which is essential with any cut of meat.

Boil your beef earlier in the day and just reheat it in the juice when almost ready to eat. In the meantime, concentrate on your colcannon and roasting your carrots. The colcannon will be creamy enough so you won't need a sauce. A little English mustard or apple chutney will complete the dish.” (Paul’s recipe for Apple Chutney is given in Second Helpings.)

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Rhubarb Bread and Butter Pudding

Although not officially classed as a fruit, rhubarb is usually seen as the first fruit of the Irish gardening year and is available (forced) from February onwards. It makes a pretty and deliciously refreshing late winter/early spring treat, and is then available throughout the summer, when it makes one of the easiest and most popular cottage garden ‘fruits’.

This unusual hot dessert is from A Year at Ballymaloe Cookery School, by Darina Allen (ISBN 978-1-85626-709-0) of Ballymaloe House & Cookery School and it’s perfect for rhubarb, balancing its naturally sour flavour with the blandness of bread and the richness of dairy products as well as some necessary sugar.

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