When I was growing up, St Patricks Day was a holiday worthy of its own meal. Each year we went to my Grandmom's house for corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes. She cooked it all in a big pot and served it with mustard. I never looked forward to it. (Sorry, Grandmom)
Flash forward to earlier this week when I read Jessica Valenti's article at The Guardian about women chefs starting their own kitchens. Inspired by the women in Jessica's article and the opportunity for a holiday meal, I did a little research on women in Ireland's food industry. Here's a snapshot of what I found:
Anita Thoma is the Head Chef of Dublin's Il Primo and master of Dublin's best risotto. Anita's passion for risotto began while cooking with her father, a Swiss chef who emigrated to Ireland in the 1940s. Anita talks about the key factors of a great risotto while preparing her favorite recipe, creamy smoked haddock and chive, in this snippet from the TV Show Guerilla Gourmet.
When they opened their first itsa Bagel in 1999, Peaches and Domini Kemp imported their bagels from New York. Now the sister duo produces their bagels locally in Dublin and serves them across 7 itsa... locations. They've also added three restaurants, a cafe, and a catering company to their line up! Peaches and Domini's selection of fresh and healthy sandwiches, soups, bagels, and ethically sourced coffee highlight their commitment to health-conscious Dubliners.
Rachel Allen is an Irish celebrity chef and author. She studied at the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School and debuted on RTE's Rachel's Favourite Foods. In 2012, the University of Ulster awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Science for her contributions to the culinary arts.
I would like to personally thank her for the introducing me to Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale.
I used Rachel's Colcannon featured in this recipe for homemade pork sausage with colcannon and applesauce.
Take a glance at the recipe and you'll see Colcannon is very simple! Basically, if you can make mashed potatoes you can make Colcannon. I've adapted the measurements for US Chefs at the end of this post. A quick note on preparing the cabbage:
These are the stages you want to follow when slicing cabbage: Cut in half, in half again, and remove the core. It is too stiff and fibrous to soften with the rest of the cabbage and is best discarded. Turn the cabbage over so it lays flat and slice thinly along the exposed edge.
Mash up those potatoes and mix in some buttery cabbage with parsley. Rachel Allen has elevated bangers and mash to an elegant weeknight meal I'll be making beyond St Patrick's Day!
(Mmmmm, potatoes)
Full disclosure: I baked some Silva Irish Bangers in the oven and used applesauce from a jar. The sausage tasted more like breakfast sausage than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the taste, texture, and snap of the casing. I never thought to add applesauce to the plate! The sweetness complimented the sausage and brought out the earthiness of the potato and cabbage.
If your mouth isn't watering yet, listen to The Black Family perform the folk song "Colcannon"
(The Black Family "Colcannon", Source)
Rachel Allen's Colcannon (Adapted for US Measurements)
3lb 5oz potatoes, scrubbed
7 Tbsp butter, divided
1lb 2oz green cabbage, shredded
1 cup hot milk
2 Tbsp fresh parsley
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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