Ingredients
6 large potatoes (pref red)
1 medium head of cabbage
1 large leek
3 pieces of fresh garlic
1 salt and pepper
1 a wee bit o' oil
1 butter (or marg) to taste
1 cheddar cheese (optional)
Directions
Cut up the potatoes and put them in a pot, cover with water, and boil
until tender. You may choose to peel them or not. I left the skin on
and it was fine.
While the potatoes are cooking, thinly slice the cabbage (as if you
were making sauerkraut). Trim the leek(s) and slice thinly. Peel the
garlic, chop fine, and saute in a little oil until translucent, then
add cabbage and leeks (you will need a good-sized skillet or frying
pan. I used a wok). Saute vegetables until tender and almost
transparent, but not too flabby. Set aside.
When the potatoes are done, drain them and give 'em a good shake. Mash
potatoes well, adding salt and pepper and butter to taste. Then mix
cabbage and leeks into potatoes and stir well. It should turn a pale
green color.
There are several things you could do after this point. You could just
serve it up right away, or you could put it into a baking pan,
drizzle some melted butter or margarine on top, and put it in the
oven to brown on top. Or you could put it into a baking dish, top
with grated cheddar cheese, and put into the oven until cheese is
bubbly. The third method is my personal favorite.
Note: using instant mashed potatoes totally takes away from the
flavor and texture of the dish, besides being inauthentic...but then
again, how authentic is it to prepare a Celtic recipe using a wok?
:)
Hex
Servings: 4 servings
Colcannon 2 Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Irish
The History of Recipes
Recipes as a concept can be observed back into distant history, at least as far back as the Egypt of the Pharoahs, and maybe even further. Interesting though that maybe, generally, these old recipes were just basic pictorial recipes for food preparation.
The truth of the matter is, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to experts in ancient history is a collection of stone tablets in the Sumerian language which describe the making of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made people feel `wonderful`. As we move into Roman times 25BC a man called Apicius created a few documents showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by his fellow Romans. In his works, Apicius tells us how the roman meals were separated into starters, main meal and dessert, something we still use today. Aspicius recounts how the chefs of Roman times were skilled in the use of a wide range of aromatic flavours, including a few that are still present in modern kitchens such as bay, fennel and asafoetida. As we move on, we have some books published in the 14th Century : a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary called `Curye on Inglish`. Although the titles sound familiar, they have no connection with the curry that is familiar to us all today, but instead accounts of the types of meals prepared for the rich and wealthy people of that period. Later, in the fifteenth century, knights returning from the crusades brought us a variety of foods and spices from Arab countries, including coriander, parsley, basil and rosemary. The introduction of these new herbs and spices was responsible for an explosion in manuscripts on food, most of which are kept safe in private cookery archives. During the next few centuries, the rich families of Wesstern Europe strove to serve up the most extravagent banquests, and as a consequence, the best cooks and their collection of recipes increased in prestige. Even so, it was during the 19th century that formal cookery and recipe books reached a high level of popularity. The Famous Mrs Beeton in the UK, and Fannie Merritt Farmer in the US, spent years to assembling, trying out, and recording popular recipes of the day. By the advent of the 20th century, cooking publications are greatly in demand as a result of more people being able to read, people having more leisure time and a general increase in wealth. |
We hope you enjoy this Colcannon 2 recipe.
