- "Something
Different"
- Celebrating Today's Irish Cooking
- BY DANA JACOBI FOR THE AMERICAN
INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RESEARCH
St. Patrick’s Day is perfect
for celebrating the renaissance of great cooking in Ireland.
Today, travelers go for the food, rather than despite it, touring
the country to enjoy the breathtaking, green countryside and
the dynamic energy of the cities. No longer condemned to breakfasts
loaded with several kinds of fried pork, followed by a day of
overcooked, monotonous pub fare, visitors now savor gourmet dishes
as healthful as they are memorable.
For breakfast, you might enjoy
toasted oat porridge studded with chopped nuts and drizzled with
honey, or farm-fresh eggs baked in a nest of braised mushrooms,
potatoes and carrots, accompanied by sliced tomatoes, a topping
of melted Cheddar cheese and slabs of buttermilk brown bread.
For dinner, you could have several innovative entrées
to choose from, like lean pork cutlets with barley-stuffed cabbage
rolls, or roasted pheasant served with apple-grape sauce and
a parsnip-and-potato purée.
Renaissance and updating are
key in today’s Irish cooking. Before the Great Famine of
1845-50, when more than a million died and another million emigrated,
mostly to the U.S., even farmers and peasants benefited from
a bounty of local foodstuffs. Wheat, oats and barley, lamb, wild
game and berries were plentiful. What vegetables could survive
the harsh climate, including cabbage, Brussels sprouts, root
vegetables and watercress, were also readily available.
Today, these foods are featured
in contemporary ways, but the potato still rules in many variations.
One of the better known is Colcannon, a combination of kale or
cabbage and mashed potatoes, seasoned with onions. I make it
using new potatoes, and leeks as well as onion.
Contemporary Colcannon - Makes 6 servings.
- 2 tsp. canola or vegetable
oil
- 3 tsp. butter, preferably
unsalted, divided
- 1 large leek (white part only),
halved lengthwise, then sliced in 1/2-inch strips
- 1 large red onion, halved
and cut in 1/2-inch strips
- One medium Savoy or green
cabbage (1 1/4 lb.), quartered, cored, and cut in 3/4-inch
- 8 small red-skinned new potatoes
(about 1 lb.)
- 1 can (15-oz.) fat-free, reduced-sodium
beef broth, divided
- Salt and freshly ground black
pepper, to taste slices
Heat oil with 1 tsp. butter
in medium non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté
leek and onion until they start to brown, about 5 minutes. Add
half the cabbage, stirring and turning until coated with oil
and wilted, about 4 minutes. Continue adding cabbage a handful
at a time, until it is all wilted, about 8 to 10 minutes. Pan
will be very full.
Pour in half the broth and
bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until cabbage absorbs
broth, about 15 minutes. Add remaining broth. Cook until cabbage
is soft, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, place potatoes in
saucepan and cover with 2 inches of cold water. Bring to boil
over high heat, cover, reduce heat and cook until just tender,
about 15 minutes. Drain potatoes and cut them in half.
Mix cooked potatoes into cabbage.
Season with salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a serving bowl.
Dot top with remaining butter, cut into small pieces. Mix to
combine and melt butter. Serve immediately. (Colcannon can also
keep 3 to 4 days, refrigerated. It reheats well in a microwave.)
Per serving: 158 calories,
4 g. total fat (1 g. saturated fat), 27 g. carbohydrate, 5 g.
protein, 6 g. dietary fiber, 243 mg. sodium.
_______________________________________
Author:
“Something Different”
is written for the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR)
by Dana Jacobi, author of The Joy of Soy, and recipe creator
for AICR’s Stopping Cancer Before It Starts.
AICR offers a Nutrition Hotline
(1-800-843-8114) 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday. This free
service allows you to ask a registered dietitian questions about
diet, nutrition and cancer. AICR is the only major cancer charity
focused exclusively on the link between diet, nutrition and cancer.
It provides a range of education programs that help Americans
learn to make changes for lower cancer risk. AICR also supports
innovative research in cancer prevention and treatment at universities,
hospitals and research centers across the U.S. It has provided
more than $65 million for research in diet, nutrition and cancer.
AICR’s Web address is www.aicr.org. AICR is a member of the
World Cancer Research Fund International.
____________________________________
ARTICLE POSTED
MARCH 11, 2003
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