Appropriate FOODANDLIT Fun
Library Haul was good for this month!!
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George’s Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest in the world.
Ireland is an island nation on the westernmost edge of Europe. It is the continent’s second largest island (after Great Britain). The Republic of Ireland occupies 80 percent of this landmass, while a large chunk of land in the north is part of the United Kingdom.
Ireland is known for its wide expanses of lush, green fields. In fact, its nickname is the Emerald Isle. But there are also large areas of rugged, rocky landscape. About 15,000 years ago, Ireland was completely covered by thick glaciers. The movement of these giant sheets of ice stripped the soil, leaving huge tracts of flat, limestone pavement.
The midlands and west coast of Ireland are dotted with damp peat bogs, the soggy remains of dried-up ancient lakes left by the glaciers. Ireland’s highlands rise mainly in the southwest, often ending at sheer cliffs that plunge thousands of feet into the Atlantic Ocean.
I make a St Patricks Day meal every year and we have tried many foods and meals from Ireland.
Yes, we release this is an AMERICAN Irish thing.
Here is my personal Cottage Pie adaptation..
Christine’s Cottage Pie
Adapted from Chicago Cheesecake Factory in the Hancock Building
This is “abouts” as I don’t measure a thing whilst cooking
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 12 oz white mushrooms, sliced thinly
- 8 oz red wine, divided
- 1/2 cup carrots, julienned
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 lb ground lamb or beef
- 3-4 sprigs fresh thyme, minced
- 1 cup frozen corn (or peas)
- 2 tbsp butter, divided
- 2 tbsp flour or 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup chicken or beef stock
- 2 medium zucchini, julienned
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 8 cups mashed potatoes (6 medium yellow potatoes, 4 tbsp butter, 1/2 cup cream)
- 1 -2 egg, beaten
- 1 c Parmesan cheese, grate
- 1 lb bacon cooked crumbled
- If you happen to have left-over mashed potatoes skip to step 2. Boil diced potatoes in salted water until soft, about 30 minutes.
- Pre-heat oven to 400F. Butter a large casserole dish.
- Meanwhile in a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms. Saute mushrooms until soft and brown. Add 2 oz red wine to the hot pan, stirring and scraping the pan. Remove mushrooms to a plate.
- Wipe out the pan and add the remaining 1 tbsp of oil, heat to medium.
- Saute carrots until beginning to soften, then add onion and garlic.
- When onions are soft add ground meat and brown, breaking meat into large chunks.
- When meat is browned, season with salt, pepper and thyme. Add mushrooms, corn and 1 tbsp butter.
- Sprinkle mixture with flour or cornstarch and stir. Then add tomato paste, Worcestershire, and remaining 6 oz wine.
- Cook and stir mixture for several minutes. Add stock and simmer until sauce is thick and somewhat reduced.
- 10.Remove from heat and stir in zucchini and bacon . Season to taste.
- 11.Pour meat mixture into the prepared casserole.
- 12.Drain and mash potatoes with butter and cream as needed.
- 13.Spoon mashed potatoes over meat and spread and smooth the top. (At this point you can refrigerate or freeze the dish as desired.)
- Brush potatoes with a beaten egg and sprinkle with Parmesan.
- Bake casserole 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbling and potatoes are browned. Cook time will be longer for a cold dish.
Ireland would be lovely to visit.
