The Best Of Traditional Irish Dishes: Five Irish Recipes Not For The Faint hearted. First Up: 'The Ulster Fry'

The Ulster Fry:

A traditional breakfast of Northern Ireland, hence the name. The best way to start the day or the afternoon or even finish the day. In other words their is no right time for this belt buster of a meal. Anytime will do (I feel a song coming on).

The Ulster Fry is world famous due to the number of emigrants that departed from Irish soil in times of poverty and famine.

Today the dish comes with all kinds of extras including; pancakes, mushrooms, tomatoes, baked beans, potato cakes and any personal favorite that requires frying even pork and lamb chops.

The tradition of several fried Irish breads really makes this a number one fry. So here it goes; you will need a very large pan and lard (fresh white lard) for frying.

Ingredients:

• 2 slices of black pudding (a mix of blood, herbs, oat meal and cereal, although there are many variations, all packed together in a sausage like skin)
• 2 slices of white pudding (a mix of cereals, bread crumbs, pork mince and herbs packed into a sausage like skin)
• 2 fresh eggs
• 2 slices of bacon (rashers)
• 2 pork sausages (fresh from the butcher is the best)
• soda bread (a mix of soda bread flour, salt, caster sugar and buttermilk, although everyone seems to have a secret ingredient or method, traditionally cooked in a griddle pan)
• wheat bread (a mix of soda bread & wholemeal flour, salt, brown sugar and buttermilk traditional cooked in a stone oven)
• if your on a mission add all the ingredients suggested above, but you may need to wear an elastic pants to save face

Method:

This is the easy bit; fry the sausages first in a little of the lard, adding the bacon and pudding when the sausages are almost ready. When cooked remove and keep warm. Add a little extra lard and fry the sliced breads until nice and golden. Remove and keep warm. Adding a little more lard, fry your eggs until cooked to your liking. I like a sunny runny egg.

Arrange your food on a big warm plate. Look over your shoulder to make sure no one is lurking behind you waiting to steal one of your delicious sausages.

The only other accompaniment to this humongous meal comes in liquid form.

The black stuff of course: A of pint Guinness.

Lastly: Tuck in and enjoy.

A traditional working and poorer class dish. Colcannon is a stogy meal that fills a tummy pretty quick. In bygone years this dish was made from cabbage/cole and potatoes the stable diet of the Irish. The word colcannon comes from a Gaelic word cal ceannann meaning white headed cabbage. Colcannon was originally associated with Hallowe'en the 31st of October. Trinkets were hidden in the food, often rings. Single girls were delighted to find one as it signified a proposal of marriage. A story tells of fair maidens filling their socks with the mash and hanging them on the main door of their house. The idea behind this peculiar fashion; the first man through the door would be their future husband. With the faces that come through my front door I'd never take that risk. You will need a large pot and a potato masher.

Ingredients:

• 1Ib of finely shredded cabbage leafs
• 1Ib of potatoes
• a small bunch of snipped chives
• 6 oz butter
• a cup of warm milk
• salt and pepper

Method:

Cook the potatoes until almost soft. Add the cabbage and cook till tender. Drain off the water, add chives and butter. Place a lid on top and steam for a couple of minutes. Add the milk and mash. Season and serve. I love this dish served with a runny fried egg on top. Leeks or onions are also commonly used. I like the smoother texture when using chives and they give a wonderful subtle flavor.

The top five wouldn't be complete without a famous Irish stew. To day the best cuts of lamb are used to make this tasty culinary delight. The good old days saw neck of mutton and mutton chops stewed to within an inch of their lives with onions, potatoes and water. Cooked on an open fire till the mutton was tender enough to eat. Mutton was the dominant meat in old Irish hay days as they relied on the wool and the milk from the sheep. The fancy stews of to day that lay claim to signature dishes in the best of restaurants have added many accompaniments to this meager dish, from carrots to chilies. I have a hot little dish for you, but pleased to say not a chili in sight.

Ingredients:

• 1 Ib neck of lamb
• 1 large white onion
• 1 Ib potatoes
• 1 large carrot
• 1 small leek
• 250 ml water
• salt & pepper

Method:

In a deep bottom pot add all the above ingredients. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Season well and serve. Please feel free to add desired extras. Personally I like 125 ml water and 125 ml Irish stout.

Boiled bacon or back bacon cured or salted is the main stay of this dish. In the olden days Irish families often reared a pig. Once the pig was nice and fat they would kill and butchered it. Skillfully cutting the meat into different joints of pork; the original organic meat.

With their cabbages growing in the garden (or in some cases the landlords field) this was a common dish. Ingredients were at the helm and families were cheaply fed. Ancestors must frown upon the usage of dijon mustard, modern marinades and the dreaded parsley sauce. Get out your largest pot and start cooking.

Ingredients:

• 5 Ib of bacon, smoked and steeped to remove saltiness
• 1 large onion
• 2 celery sticks
• 1 carrot
• a handful of peppercorns
• couple of bay leaves
• little splash of cider vinegar
• 1 head of green cabbage, cut into wedges

Method:

Put the bacon into a deep bottomed pot, cover with cold water, bring to the boil. Discard the water and place the ham back in the pot with all the ingredients except the cabbage. When the meat is almost cooked add the cabbage and simmer till tender. Serve the bacon in slices with the cabbage wedges. Pour over a little of the bacon water and serve with boiled potatoes. Yummy.

This wonderful delicacy believe it or not was a fond stable food for the Irish and not necessarily for the taste. The rivers were full of oysters and in the early 1800's, they were cheap and plentiful. A walk along the river was a free feast. Another dish experienced first by the working class. Gosh how times have changed. The world famous Galway Oyster Festival held every September is definitely a date to add to your dairy if you like oysters. Not only will stock up on vitamin D, but you'll get a Guinness too. This is the traditional way oysters are served. You don't want to break tradition. That's my excuse anyway.

Ingredients:

• 12 fresh oysters, completely closed and scrubbed clean
• crushed ice
• lemon wedges
• buttered brown soda bread

Method:

Using a towel placed over the oyster, place the knife into the small opening into the hinge of the shell. Carefully twist the knife to open the shell. Move the knife along the shell. Open and discard the flat shell leaving the oyster like a pearl sitting in the curve of the remaining shell. Arrange on the crushed ice with the lemon wedges. Place the buttered bread on the side and off course a glass of Guinness. A perfect dish from the ruminants of the good ole days.