While this social distancing period is undoubtedly difficult, it is absolutely essential to protect those on the front lines battling this terrible illness. As our Taoiseach Leo Varadkar say - We must come together, by staying apart! This does however give us the opportunity to spend more times in our own homes with our loved ones. And what better way to pass those endless hours than whipping up some traditional Irish grub! Whatever your desire - sweet, savoury or just a little something something, we've go you covered.
1. Traditional Irish Soda Bread
What better place start that with a traditional Irish soda bread. Simple, delicious and the perfect accompany to a warm hearty bowl of soup or just as delicious on it's with a dollop of butter - Kerrygold of course! Not to mention it's incredibly healthy, so no need to worry about pilling on the pounds (unfortunately the same can't be said for our other recipes!).
Ingredients
250g wholemeal flour
- 200g plain white flour
-1 teasp. bread soda, sieved
-1 teasp. salt
- 1 egg
- 350ml buttermilk, approx.
- 1 teasp. Honey
Method
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F).
- Mix the flour, bread soda and salt together in a bowl.
- Combine the egg with the buttermilk and honey then mix into the flour. Add a little more buttermilk if the mixture is dry – it should be a soft dough.
- Pour the dough into a lightly oiled loaf tin. Sprinkle the sesame seeds or porridge oats over the top of the loaf if using.
- Bake for 45-50 minutes. To know when it is cooked simply tap the bottom of the loaf – it will sound hollow when it is fully cooked.
- Remove from the tin and wrap in a clean tea towel while cooling. This will keep the crust soft.
2. Bacon & Cabbage
Ah - Wasn't the starter delish! Now onto the big one's. When you ask any Irish person - What is a traditional Irish dinner? 9 times out of 10 they will say either Bacon or Cabbage or Stew (which we will get to in a moment) - if they don't then I hate to break it to you, but they probably weren't Irish... Anyway let's move onto what you came here for - the recipe!
Ingredients
- 1½kg loin of bacon
- 1 carrot
- 2 celery sticks
- 2 leeks -1 teasp. peppercorns
- 1kg cabbage, finely sliced
- 1 tablesp. butter
Topping
- 1 tablesp. mustard
- 1 tablesp. oven-dried breadcrumbs
- ½ tablesp. brown sugar
- Knob of butter
Mustard Sauce
- 50g butter - 25g flour
- 1 tablesp. mustard
- 250ml mixture cooking liquid and cream
Method
- To Cook: Place the joint in a large saucepan. Add chopped vegetables and peppercorns. Cover with cold water. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for approximately 20 minutes per ½ kg.
- Set oven to Gas Mark 6, 200ºC (400ºF).
- Remove the joint from the saucepan. Reserve liquid.
- Remove the rind and score the fat. Place the joint on a roasting dish. Spread with mustard and breadcrumbs, sugar and a knob of butter. Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes.
- To Make the Sauce: Melt the butter, add the flour and mustard. Cook for a minute or two. Whisk in the cooking liquid and cream.
- Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 3-4 minutes.
- Taste for seasoning. The sauce should have the consistency of thin cream. Keep warm.
- To Cook the Cabbage: Place the cabbage in a saucepan and barely cover with some of the reserved cooking liquid.
- Bring to the boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain well and toss in butter. Season to taste.
- Slice the bacon and serve on the bed of cabbage, a little of the mustard sauce and of course floury potatoes.
3. Irish Stew
Another staple Irish dinner! Perfect on cold wintery nights but just as good in spring ot summer. This dish is so popular ith irish people that in addition to typical pub grub of fish and chips or burgers, almost every pub across the land serves a homemade stew. It also goes very well with the soda bread above if you fancy a long day of cooking - but trust us, it's totally worth it!
Ingredients
- 1-1½ kg neck or shoulder of lamb
- Bouquet of parsley, thyme and bayleaf (tied together with twine)
- 3 large onions, finely chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3-4 carrots, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 leek, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 small turnip, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Some small new potatoes, peeled and quartered, or large potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 75-100g cabbage, shredded
- Finely chopped parsley and dash of Worcester Sauce
Method
- Remove the meat from the bone, trim off all the fat and cut into cubes. Keep the bones, place the meat in a pot, cover with cold salted water. Bring to the boil, drain and rinse the lamb.
- In a fresh pot put the meat, bones, bouquet of herbs, onions, seasoning, carrots, leeks and turnip and cover with water. Simmer gently for one hour. Skim off the foam as it rises. (this is very important for the final flavour and appearance of the stew.)
- Add the potatoes and continue cooking for 25 minutes. For the last 5 minutes add in the cabbage.
- When the meat and vegetables are cooked remove the bones and bouquet of herbs.
- Stir in the chopped parsley and a dash of Worcester sauce
4. Fish Pie
Our last dinner in the list but by now means the least! Traditional Irish fish pie i made with salmon or haddock (or sometimes both) and is served under a smooth bed of - you guessed it - potatoes! It also has plenty of veg in it so your sure to get one of your five a day!
Ingredients
- 600g fish, e.g. haddock, hake, monkfish, trout, skinned and boned
- 600ml milk
- ½ onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 pepper corns
- 20g butter
- 20g plain flour
- 2 tomatoes, skinned and sliced
- 3 tablesp. flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 tablesp. lemon juice
- Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Topping
- 900g freshly mashed potatoes
- 25g cheddar cheese, grated
Method
- Preheat the oven to Gas Mark 6, 200°C (400°F).
- Place the milk, onion, bay leaf and pepper corns in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer, add the fish and cook gently for 4-5 minutes. Remove the fish from the pan, allow to cool a little, then flake into bite-sized pieces and place in a bowl.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan, then stir in the flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring all the time until golden brown. Gradually stir in the fish cooking liquid until the mixture boils, season with salt and pepper. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
- Now add the sauce to the fish along with the parsley and lemon juice and taste for seasoning.
- Spoon half the fish mixture into a 1½ litre baking dish, arrange the sliced tomatoes on top and then spoon in the rest of the fish. Spread the mashed potatoes on top, finely sprinkle the cheese all over and bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until heated through and browned
5. Bread & Butter Pudding
Now that we arrive at desert, and in our opinion the best part of the evening! Bread and Butter pudding is an Irish classic, using mainly ingredients you are already likely to have in your home - So why not whip out the apron and get cracking on this delicious desert! Not to mention it is also super simple, so don't worry, you won't have to be Gordon Ramsey to cook this!
Ingredients
- 75 g butter (at room temperature)
- 12 slices sliced white bread
- 50 g sultanas
- 450 ml milk
- 150 ml pouring cream
- 4 eggs
- 75 g caster sugar
Method
- Generously butter an ovenproof dish.
- Remove the crusts from the bread and using the remaining butter, butter both sides, then cut each slice into quarters.
- Arrange a single layer of the bread triangles, slightly overlapping in the bottom of the buttered dish.
- Scatter over some of the sultanas and place another layer of the bread triangles on top and scatter over the remaining raisins. Press down gently with a fish slice or spatula.
- To make the custard, heat the cream and milk in a pan until it almost comes to the boil. Remove from the heat. Meanwhile, whisk together the eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until thickened and the whisk leaves a trail in the mixture.
- Remove from the heat and beat in the cream mixture until well combined.
- Pour two-thirds of the custard over the layered-up bread triangles and leave to stand for about 30 minutes or until the bread has soaked up all of the custard.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F/Gas 4).
- Pour the remaining custard over the soaked bread and butter triangles and arrange the rest of the bread triangles on top.
- Press down firmly with a fish slice so that the custard comes halfway up the bread triangles.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes until the custard is just set and the top is golden brown.
- Serve with lightly whipped cream.
So there you have it - 5 delicious traditional Irish dishes to keep you busy during this quarantine! Let know know which is your personal favourite in the comments below!