Traditional Irish Recipes

By: Lana Abdulrahman, Sports Editor, The Pawprint

Irish Stew

https://images.app.goo.gl/yHFXWNxVJc2SGXTQ8

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 1 pound mutton or lamb cutlets, bones removed, cut into 2-inch/5-centimeter chunks, divided
• 2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters, divided
• 1 cup roughly chopped onion, divided
• 1 cup finely sliced leeks, cleaned, divided
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrots, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 3 cups dark beef stock
• 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced, optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Steps to make it:

1. Gather the ingredients. Heat the oven to 350 F/180 C
2. In a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot but not smoking. Add half of the lamb pieces and brown all over by turning in the hot oil.
3. Remove the lamb pieces with tongs and place them in a Dutch oven or oven-proof stockpot.
4. Cover with half of the potatoes, half of the onion, half of the leeks, and half of the carrots.
5. Add the remaining oil to the frying pan and heat. Add the remaining lamb and brown all over as before and add to the Dutch oven.
6. Cover with the remaining potatoes, remaining onion, remaining leeks, and remaining carrots.
7. Add the flour to the still-hot frying pan and stir really well to soak up any fat and juices. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes.
8. Add the stock a ladle at a time and mix until you have a thick, lump-free sauce. You will not add all of the stock.
9. Pour this sauce over the lamb and vegetables.
10. Add the remaining stock to the Dutch oven, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook in the preheated oven for 1 hour.
11. Add the cabbage (if using), replace the lid, and cook for another hour. Check from time to time to make sure the stock hasn’t reduced too much. If it has, adds a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered in liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, you can always cook the stew a little longer with the lid removed.
12. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve piping hot and enjoy.

Black Pudding

https://images.app.goo.gl/4Ld5JAF5Vz7pqUin9

Ingredients

• 4 cups fresh pig’s blood
• 2 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 1/2 cups steel-cut (pinhead) oatmeal
• 2 cups finely diced pork fat (or beef suet), finely chopped
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice

Steps to make it:

1. Preheat the oven to 325°F and grease 2 glass loaf pans. (If you don’t have glass loaf pans, line metal loaf pans with parchment to keep the blood sausage from reacting with the metal and creating an off-flavor.) Stir 1 teaspoon of salt into the blood.
2. Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil and stir in the oats. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, until just tender, not mushy.
3. Pour the blood through a fine sieve into a large bowl to remove any lumps. Stir in the fat, onion, milk, pepper, allspice, and remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Add the oatmeal and mix to combine. Divide the mixture between the loaf pans, cover with foil, and bake for 1 hour, until firm. Cool completely. Seal in plastic wrap and wither freeze for extended use or store in the refrigerator for up to a week.
4. To serve, cut a slice about 1/2-inch thick off the loaf. Fry in butter or oil until the edges are slightly crisped and browned.

Soda Bread

https://images.app.goo.gl/zoWVo2ZhweP7y5jw7

Ingredients

• Buttermilk 
• Egg 
• Flour
• Sugar 
• Baking soda
• Salt 
• Butter 

Steps to make it:

1. Whisk buttermilk and 1 egg together. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt together in another bowl.
2. Cut cold butter into the flour mixture. Like scones and pie crust, cutting cold butter into the flour is a key step. Coating the flour in cold butter guarantees a lovely flaky texture. You can use a fork, your hands, or a pastry cutter. Add the wet ingredients.
3. Bring the dough together with your hands. Using a very sharp knife, score the dough. This allows the center to bake.
4. Bake until golden brown.

Boiled Bacon and Cabbage

https://images.app.goo.gl/UeVw595dLgb2TVRn9

Ingredients

Irish boiling bacon

• 1 1/2 pounds Irish boiling bacon
• cold water

Savory or green cabbage

• 1 head of savoy or green cabbage, quartered, cored, and shredded
• 2 tablespoons butter
• salt and pepper

Steps to make it:

1. Scrap off any discolored parts of the bacon. To get rid of excess salt, put it in a large saucepan, cover it with cold water, bring it slowly to a boil. Drain, then refill the saucepan with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil again for 5 minutes. Skim the white froth from the top of the water to get rid of the salt. Tip: taste the water for saltiness, if it is still too salty, drain water and start again with fresh cold water.
2. Turn down the heat and simmer steadily for about 1 ½ hour. Occasionally, check for and skim any white froth that rises to the surface.
3. When cooked, remove the bacon from the pot, reserving the cooking liquid. Set aside and cover with foil or a kitchen towel to keep warm while cooking the cabbage.
4. Cut cabbage into quarters, core, and finely shred across the grain.
5. Bring bacon cooking water back to a boil. Add the cabbage and cook for about 3 minutes until tender. Drain well. Return cabbage to the saucepan, add butter, salt, and pepper to taste.
6. Remove and discard the rind from the bacon and slice into thick pieces. Serve with the buttered cabbage.