Ireland has always maintained a unique culture, quite separate from the rest of Europe, and it is this individuality which flavours their produce and culinary traditions
These days, you can travel across the 'food island' from Monday to Sunday, eat like a king and not have the same thing twice. The very fact of it being an island means that you can find excellent seafood and shellfish - oysters, mussels, clams and scallops play a big part in traditional Irish feasts. Wild Irish salmon is also a far cry from the normal pasty, flaccid farmed fish we normally see in the supermarkets.
The strong agricultural history and a soft, forgiving climate combine to produce world famous rich dairy products and quality meat. Free-range cattle and sheep feed off the changing grass almost year round due to the mild winters, resulting in spectacular lamb and beef.
The potato, introduced to Ireland in the 16th century, quickly became a staple of the country - playing a part in some of Ireland's most famous national dishes such as potato bread and the legendary Irish stew.
Each region has its own particular speciality - from the smoked fish of Galway, the puddings of Clonakilty, the distinctively different cheeses of Cork and Tipperary, the pickles of Donegal, the handmade chocolates of Kerry, the cakes of Mayo, the ales of Meath and the microbreweries of Dublin.
The taste of Ireland is reaching our shores, with a range of produce available in most supermarkets and specialist stores. Visit the Irish Food Board's website - www.foodisland.com - for more information.
If all this talk of Ireland's produce has inspired you, don't wait for St Patrick's day to cook an Irish feast. Over the next few pages, follow our menu of Irish recipes for a brilliant dinner party or a cosy meal for two.
Irish Menu
Starter: Blarney Salad
Main course: Irish Meat Balls
Dessert: Toasted Oat and Brown Sugar Ice Cream
All recipes are courtesy of Bord Bia - the Irish food board - and Galtee Irish Meats
BLARNEY SALAD
Crisp torn Cos lettuce leaves scattered with crunchy pan-fried black pudding pieces and tomato dice, topped with a soft poached egg
Ingredients:
Serves 4
100g/4oz Galtee Traditional Black Pudding
1 tbsp oil
4 fresh eggs
1 Cos lettuce, separated into leaves
2 tomatoes, skinned, seeded and diced
fresh snipped chives
For the dressing:
1 tsp Dijon mustard
good squeeze lemon juice
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Chop black pudding into small cubes and fry in a pan in hot oil until crisp on all sides. Remove and blot on kitchen paper. Reserve, keeping warm. Poach eggs in just simmering water with a dash of vinegar added then lift out and drain.
Tear lettuce leaves into a bowl, leaving small ones whole. Mix dressing ingredients in a small bowl and season. Pour over leaves and toss. Arrange on 4 plates. Scatter black pudding and tomato dice over and top each pile of salad with a poached egg. Scatter with fresh snipped chives for decoration. Slash egg just before serving so yolk seeps out.
IRISH MEAT BALLS
Delicious Irish meatballs sum up some of the best of Irish produce.
These are made from best Irish beef mince, flavoured with onion and garlic, cooked in a thick tomato sauce with potatoes and cabbage wedges, and finished with a drizzle of yogurt
Ingredients:
Serves 4
700g/1 1/2 lbs best Irish beef mince
1/2 medium onion, peeled and grated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and grated
1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tbsp oil
4 waxy potatoes, freshly boiled, in chunks
1 small Savoy cabbage, in wedges
4 tbsp thick plain yogurt
1 tbsp milk
extra fresh parsley, finely chopped for decoration
For the sauce:
2 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 clove garlic, peeled and crushed
200g can chopped tomatoes
1 tbsp tomato puree
300ml/1/2pt beef stock
Method:
Place mince in a bowl and add grated onion, garlic and parsley, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Shape into marble-sized balls on a floured worktop. Heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan over high heat and add meatballs in batches, shaking pan to brown all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Reserve.
For the sauce, heat remaining oil in the same pan and fry chopped onion and garlic over gentle heat to soften. Add tomatoes and tomato puree, and beef stock. Bring to bubbling, then turn down to simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Season.
Place potatoes and cabbage wedges in a clean pan and add meatballs. Pour over sauce. Check seasoning. Cover and cook on low heat for 20 minutes, or until cabbage is just tender. Transfer to a warmed serving dish. Mix yogurt smooth with milk. Drizzle this over and finish with a sprinkling of finely chopped parsley.
TOASTED OAT AND BROWN SUGAR ICE CREAM
One of life's luxuries, this ice cream is made with oats sprinkled with demerara sugar and toasted to crunchy crispness, then stirred into Irish whiskey flavoured dairy ice cream. This gives a scoopable texture and delectable creamy taste spiked with the crackly toffee shards of the oats
Ingredients:
Serves 6
3 egg yolks
50g/2oz caster sugar
300ml/1/2pt single cream
300ml/1/2pt double cream
50ml Irish Whiskey
75g/3oz porridge oats
50g/2oz Demerara sugar
Method:
First make the ice cream. Whisk egg yolks and caster sugar in a bowl until creamy. Place single cream in a pan and bring to the boil. Gradually whisk hot cream into the egg mix. Pour back into pan and return to low heat - to thicken slightly, but do not allow to boil. Transfer back to bowl and cool completely, whisking occasionally. Whip double cream softly thick and fold with the whiskey into custard mixture, evenly. Spoon into a freezer tub and snap on lid. Place in freezer. Leave until almost frozen - about an hour.
Meanwhile, spread oats on a baking sheet and sprinkle with sugar. Place in a pre-heated oven Gas 6 400F 200C for about 8 minutes - or until sugar has melted over the oats to make a toffee coating. Remove from oven and cool.
When ice cream is nearly frozen, remove from freezer and turn out into a bowl. Crumble up oats with the hands, and gently stir into ice cream using a metal spoon. Return to freezer tub, replace lid and freeze until needed. Serve in scoops.
All recipes are courtesy of Bord Bia - the Irish food board - and Galtee Irish Meats
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