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The Irish Kitchen

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Featured Recipes of The Week:

Curach
Contributed by our resident Irish speaker, Aideen

Recently, a reader asked us if we could determine the meaning of the name of a restaurant in Galway called An Churach. Aideen is just back from a trip home to see her family and while she was there she did some investigating.

"I consulted several more knowledgeable Irish-speakers than I and dictionaries were perused - all to no avail. The word, with that spelling, does not seem to exist. In desperation, I called the restaurant and spoke to an Assistant Manager who told me that it is just "a different spelling of Currach." I know it's not but I couldn't argue with him and hope to win! I suspect there are so many places in Galway with the name 'Currach' that they thought it would stand out when spelt that way! Co-incidentally, while I was over last week, the Irish Times was running a promotion for a 25% discount at many of the leading, expensive restaurants in Ireland and An Curach was one of them, so it must be a classy place."

Call it serendipity, but when we asked Aideen for the translation, she had just come across the following recipe. Apparently, there's a very similar dish in Scotland called "Cranachan" (without the rhubarb) - and we don't know what that means either! But we do know that fresh rhubarb is back in season and what better way to serve it than in this elegant dessert!

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups oatmeal
1 cup chopped rhubarb
2 cups raspberries
3 tablespoons honey
2 cups whipping cream (heavy cream)
4 tablespoons whiskey

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread the oatmeal out on a baking tray (cookie sheet) and bake until golden brown, approx 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

In a medium saucepan, add the rhubarb and half of the raspberries with 2 tablespoons honey. Cook gently over a medium heat until the rhubarb is tender but not mushy. Cool. In a large bowl whip the cream until stiff. Fold in the remaining honey and whiskey. Layer in a trifle bowl or individual glasses some of the cream mixture, some toasted oatmeal, the rhubarb mixture, and some fresh raspberries. Then repeat. Garnish with fresh raspberries and mint leaves if desired. Serve at room temperature or chilled.

Serves 6

Images:
Rhubarb by Jennifer Kennard from Barewalls Photos & Prints

An Churach Restaurant, 3 Daly Place, Woodquay, Galway, Ireland

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Wed, May 26, 2010

"...the freshest of food and
the oldest of drink"
- Irish Proverb

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Celtic Folklore and Cooking
by Joanne Asala

Feast days, festivals, and informal gatherings all have something in common--food. But choosing the right food for the occasion can be difficult. Celtic Folklore Cooking takes the guesswork out of planning a feast, with plenty of sumptuous ideas for an entire meal, from soup to dessert and even drinks. Joanne Asala gathers generations-old recipes from Wales, Cornwall, Scotland, Ireland, and England, associates them with appropriate festivals and times of the year, then sprinkles a dash of folklore between them. Perhaps you would like to learn the 400-year-old "Song of Harvest Home" while making Marigold Buns? Celtic Folklore Cooking is like having centuries of Celtic tradition in your kitchen, and it will help you find just the right flavor for your festivities. Review by Brian Patterson
Click here for Folklore & Cooking.

The New Irish Table
by Margaret Johnson

Margaret Johnson’s love of Ireland permeates page after glorious page of mouthwatering Irish dishes, from Smoked Salmon Chowder to Raspberry Buttermilk Tarts. Lavish color photographs of the food, the landscapes, and the people are woven through the text, making The New Irish Table the next best thing to sitting down to dinner in Ireland itself.
Click here for New Irish Table.

Feasting Galore Irish-Style:
Recipes and Food Lore from the Emerald Isle
by Maura Laverty, Robert Briscoe

With simple ingredients and easy to follow instructions, these recipes will help the home chef create a rich, plentiful feast! Among the 200 recipes are classics like Irish Stew, as well as Mince Pie, which Oliver Cromwell unsuccessfully attempted to ban because of its then-religious Irish shape. Each of the eleven chapters that puts the food into its context - whether its prepared for a celebration, to welcome guests - or even to seduce! Info' from back cover.
Click here for Feasting Galore.