Ingredients
1 1/4 lb potatoes (3 or 4)
2 tbsp butter, melted
1 cup flour, all purpose
1/2 tsp salt
4 tsp vegetable oil
Directions
Peel and halve potatoes; put in large saucepan with enough water to
cover. Bring to boil; simmer, covered, 20 to 30 minutes, until
fork-tender. Drain well; return to saucepan over low heat. Add
butter; mash potatoes well. Stir in flour and salt. Gather mixture
into a ball; turn onto lightly floured surface. Knead lightly until
smooth. Divide dough in half. Roll out one half into an 8 in. (20 cm)
circle, about 1/4 in. thick. Cut into quarters; set aside. Repeat
with remaining dough. In large nonstick skillet, heat half the oil
over medium-high heat. Cook dough quarters in batches, 2 minutes on
each side or until golden brown, adding more oil as necessary. Serve
warm.
Servings: 8 servings
Potato Farls (Irish) Recipe brought to you by Recipe Ideas
Categories: Vegetable
The History of Recipes
Written cooking instructions as a concept can be found way back into the distant past, in fact as far back into history as the early Egyptians, and potentially, even further back. Interesting though that is, in the main part, these ancient records were just very simple hieroglyphic instructions for food preparation.
Fascinatingly, the most ancient recipe in existence, according to food historians is a collection of tablets in Sumerian which describe the preparation of bread which is then used to make a drink, quite possibly a form of beer as it is recorded as having made drinkers feel blissful. Progressing into The time of the roman empire around 25BC a man called Apicius assembled a few documents showing how to cook the recipes enjoyed by wealthy roman citizens. In his scrolls, he recounts how the meals were divided into appetizers, main course and afters, something that is very familiar to us today. He also recounts how the ancient cooks were skilled in the use of many different herbs and spices, including a few that will be familiar to modern chefs for example bay, mint and dill. As our culinary historical trip moves to more modern times there are a couple of books dating from the fourteenth century ; a book entitled `Forme of Cury`, and another, similary titled `Curye on Inglish`. The titles are somewhat misleading tho`, these two books are not about the curry that appears on menues today, but instead accounts of the types of food prepared by the cooks of the rich and powerful of the period. In the 15th century, the Crusaders brought back a variety of foods, spices and herbs from Arab countries, including spices like parsley and basil. These new foods and tastes created a torrent in manuscripts on food, some of which are now in private cookery archives. Over the following few centuries, the powerful families of the West strove to serve the best banquets, and as a consequence, the best chefs and their recipe collections could command a high salary. However, it was during the nineteenth century that formal cookery and recipe publications rose to prominence. The Famous Mrs Isabella Beeton in the UK, and the equally famous Fannie Farmer in the USA, spent years to assembling, verifying, and publishing the recipes of their peers. When we get to the 1900s, recipe books are greatly in demand due to more people being able to read, people having increased leisure time and having more money to spend. The arrival of TV brought us TV chefs and the spin-off recipe books. And that pretty much brings us to the present day and the internet revolution, allowing everyone to access massive numbers of recipes like those on our site. |
We hope you enjoy this Potato Farls (Irish) recipe.
