 |
 |
|
||
|
|||
POTTED HERRINGSHerring is a very popular fish here in Ireland. Fifteen to twenty years ago it was possible to buy a dozen herrings fresh from the sea for only two shillings.Preparation time: 10 minutes Resting time: 2–3 days To serve: buttered slices of brown bread Ingredients: 6 freshly filleted herrings 10 fl oz pint white wine vinegar 10 fl oz water 2 bay leaves l finely chopped onion 5 or 6 peppercorns 2–3 teaspoons mustard seeds Method: Sprinkle fillets generously on each side with salt and leave for at least 3 hours, and up to a week, in a cool place. Rinse the fillets lightly, then roll up each fillet from head to tail and secure with a skewer or cocktail stick. Pack them into an oval-shaped casserole. Put remaining ingredients into a saucepan and bring to the boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Allow to cool. Strain and pour liquid over fillets of herring. Cover and place in the bottom of refrigerator for at least 2 days. Serve with buttered slices of brown soda bread.
DRESSED EELServes: 6Preparation time: 10 minutes Cooking time:5 minutes Resting time: 2–3 hours Ingredients: 1lb eel, skinned and with excess fat removed 500g 2 cups marinade: 1/2 pint white wine 275ml 1 1/4 cups l finely chopped onion bay leaf a few peppercorns egg and fine breadcrumbs fat for deep frying finely chopped parsley lemon wedges sauce: 1oz butter or margarine 25g 11/2 level tablespoons 1oz flour 25g 1/4 cup seasoning Method: Cut the prepared eel into pieces about 2 inches long. Put into a bowl and pour wine over, add onion, bay leaf and peppercorns, cover and leave for 2–3 hours. Put the eel and its marinade into a saucepan and cook over a gentle heat for 5 minutes. Drain fish, reserving flavoured wine. Allow time to cool. Make a coating sauce: melt the butter or margarine, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon over a gentle heat for a minute or so. Gradually add the wine in which the eel was cooked. Bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Season to taste. Simmer for 5 minutes. Cover and set aside until needed. Coat fish with egg and breadcrumbs and fry in hot fat. Drain well on kitchen paper. Serve with coating sauce and a garnish of parsley and lemon wedges.
SWEETBREAD RINGSIn days gone by sweetbreads were a favourite with the Irish poor because they were inexpensive and made a very appetizing dish.A whole sweetbread – the thymus gland of a calf – weighs, conveniently, about a pound. There are two lobes, one of them smooth, round and solid; this is the choicest piece. The other, called the throat sweetbread, has an uneven shape; it is broken by veins and often slit. Serves: 6–8 Preparation time: 30 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Oven position: top Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F Ingredients: 5 fl oz choux pastry 150ml 5/8 cup (See Chapter 12) filling: 1/2lb lamb sweetbreads 225g 1 cup salt 2–3 slices of lemon or a few drops of vinegar 4oz sliced mushrooms 100g 3/4 cup 1 level tablespoon butter or margarine 15g 1/2oz 4oz cooked ham 100g 2/3 cup sauce: 1oz butter or margarine 25g 11/2 level tablespoons 11/2oz flour 40g 1/3 cup 10 fl oz stock from sweetbreads 275ml 1/3 cup chopped parsley Method for choux rings: Pipe rings of choux pastry measuring 2 inches in diameter at base onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, then increase heat to gas mark 61/2, 210°C, 415°F and bake for a further 10 minutes. Remove to a wire rack and slit horizontally. Method for preparing sweetbreads: Soak the sweetbreads for twenty minutes in salted tepid water, then rinse them under the cold tap. Put them into a pan of cold water with a pinch of salt, a slice of lemon or a few drops of vinegar, and bring them slowly to the boil. Remove any scum, as it raises to the surface. Simmer for 25 minutes. Strain sweetbreads, reserving the liquid for the sauce. Rinse them quickly, remove any skin, and press them between two plates. Put a weight on top to remove any excess liquid, leave until cold; strain and cut into small pieces. Method for preparing filling: Fry mushrooms gently in 1 tablespoon butter or margarine for 3 or 4 minutes. To make the sauce, melt butter or margarine. Remove from the heat, add the flour and mix well together. Add the liquid gradually, stirring all the time. Add the sweetbreads, mushrooms and ham and season to taste, bring just to boiling point. Allow to cool. Put a good spoonful of filling inside each ring. Cover and put remaining filling into centre of ring. Sprinkle with parsley and serve hot.
CRAB PUFFSServes: 10 Preparation time: 20 minutes Cooking time: 25 minutes Oven position: top Oven temperature: gas 6, 200°C, 400°F Ingredients: 5 fl oz choux pastry 150ml 5/8 cup (See Chapter 12) filling: 1lb cooked crab meat 500g 2 cups 2–3 tablespoons cream 5 fl oz mayonnaise 150ml 5/8 cup 4oz washed and seeded green grapes 100g 1 1/3 cups seasoning Method for preparing puffs: Pipe or spoon choux buns (roughly two inches in diameter) onto a greased baking sheet. Bake in a preheated oven for 10 minutes, then increase heat to gas mark 6 1/2, 210°C, 415°F and bake for a further ten minutes. Remove to a wire rack and slit horizontally. Method (filling): Chop crabmeat. Mix the cream, mayonnaise, crab and half the grapes together, add seasoning to taste. Pile this mixture into the choux buns. Arrange on serving dish and decorate with remaining grapes. Watchpoint: With crab it is best to blend white and brown meat. Use one part white meat to half part brown meat. Buy crabs that are heavy in proportion to size as they contain more meat. Medium to large-sized crabs are best. |
The recipes for Appetizers continue here
[ Back to Top ]
All Material © 1999-2005 Irelandseye.com and contributors
