Bangers & Mash

I spent St. Patrick’s Day as I usually do.  I took the day off, avoided wearing green (I feel I don’t have to wear green to say I’m Irish) and I dropped by WNHU’s radio station where my parents played Irish music and took requests from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. today. 

I know I'm biased but my parents do a great job with their biweekly program, Echoes of Erin.  Amid the Irish traditional céilidh and showband music they give history, recipes and even an Irish language lesson courtesy of my mother’s Irish Language schooling.   I have this love/hate thing with St. Patrick’s Day.  While I am fiercely proud of my Irishness, I hate that being Irish gets reduced to the caricature of leprechauns, shades of greens that don’t occur in nature and binge drinking.  I've very proud that my parents, who are tea-totalers by the way, show there's more to being Irish than green beer and shamrocks.

And then there is the whole corned beef and cabbage thing.  Just for the record, corned beef and cabbage ain’t what they eat in Ireland.  At least not till Americans started coming to Ireland and bringing it with them.  The big Sunday or holiday dinner is usually boiled “bacon and cabbage” – bacon being ham or back bacon. What we think of as bacon, the Irish call rashers, which are halfway between Canadian bacon and ours.

But the other day, I discovered that the local Whole Foods carried Irish style bangers!  $4.99 a pound!!  Made fresh in Massachusetts!!!! I picked up some and, after giving half to my parents, made a meal of bangers & mash for myself. 

The bangers cook like any sausage.  I don’t do milk so I used chicken stock in its place in the mashed potatoes with a little Kerrygold Irish butter (again, thank you, Whole Foods) and served it with baked beans.  You can have bangers & mash with onion gravy which is a little nicer, but baked beans are what my grandmothers Josie Kennedy and Nora Boles fed me and that’s what I had.

Irish bangers are usually smaller and greasier and not as nice as the Whole Foods ones, but let me tell you after a few bites I was transported to my grannies’ kitchens in Clonmel town and the countryside of Ardfinnan, recalling with tears in my eyes the smells and the sounds of their homes, like Proust and his madelines. 

Bliss.  Greasy, starchy bliss.

"What is patriotism but the love of the food one ate as a child?" - Lin Yutang

Visions of Ireland: Around the town of Newcastle, Tipperary

Newcastle, Co. Tipperary, (Caisleán Nua in Irish) is a small town of 201 people (according to the 2002 Irish Census), about 21 miles southwest of the larger town of Clonmel, nestled between the lush River Suir valley and the soft Knockmealdown Mountains on the Tip/Waterford border.  When we are in Ireland, this peaceful little village is our home.

Heading down from Ardfinnan, over the River Suir to the town.  Our house is in the cleft of where the brown mountain slopes down to the left.

The center of Newcastle town.

The old Norman fort, built around the 1100s which gave Newcastle it's name.

Behind the castle is the old church, which was burned with people in it, by Oliver Cromwell during his march across Ireland.

Because the church is still hallowed ground, it's now used as a burial ground, inside and out.

My father standing in the church.  I've called this his record album cover.

My mother gets one too.

We head out of town a few miles towards the house.  The sounds of the water rushing down the glen (Glen Bui or the Yellow Glen) behind the house gets louder.

The view from the mountain looking down at the house.

And looking into the Knockmealdown mountains.  This was in February (spring in Ireland) which accounts for the brown colors.
 

 On the mountain.

 A paleolithic tomb marker on the mountain looking over the fields and towns to the north, below.  The orientation seems to be east-west, the path of the sun.  The hills and fields of this area are dotted with Christian and Pagan sites.

The village of Newcastle in the center-left.

Heading into the mountains towards Mount Mellery Abbey.

 

The remnants of what is called a "famine cottage".  People lived here until the time of the Famine and either emigrated to America or England or died.

Looking back down the road.  Dewy & damp seem the best adjectives.  This was taken in May when the yellow furze was in bloom.

Merry Christmas

Two months without a word and you are probably thinking that I have been too busy to blog, and you’d be right.

After months of unemployment and even running out the twice extended unemployment benefits and not getting a nibble on the job market, I finally landed a new job with what seems to be so far a decent company. And while it’s not with books, it is with one of my other loves: food.

I was quite neurotic about getting the new position, fearing that my mouth would somehow jinx me until I walked in the front door for training, I told just my parents and one other person before descending into silent worry-and-don’t-sleep mode.

It’s been such a hard year for so many people including myself, hunkering down in the depths of the twin Depressions, Financial and Emotional. My new company is progressive and socially conscious and worked with the state Department of Labor to interview people who were out of work for ages. So many of my new coworkers also needed jobs too and it’s great that now they do.

I’m going to stop here before I tear up (like Frank McCourt my “bladder is in my eye”). I do promise to write more, but it’s been great having a very good reason not to be.

A very Merry Christmas to you all!

Favorites

Today is my birthday, and I am sick in bed trying to get over the flu that rebounded over last weekend. It’s not a major birthday year so I’m not too upset that I’m not indulging my sweet tooth or stuffing my maw with things that are no longer good for me and stay with me longer than I would like. It’s not the worst birthday either. That was my 19^th birthday when my beloved grandfather (whom I was named after) died in Ireland with my father just making the 3000 mile journey within a hour before my grandfather passed away. Despite the years in between, and ignoring my name and my birth date, I think about him, and all my grandparents, a lot. Barely a week goes by that I don’t think of all them.

Since today I am being a bed-to-couch-to-bed slug, I thought I would share some favorite things.

1. Books. Well duh!

I finally finished entering all my books into a media cataloging program called Delicious Library. It saved me the task of actually counting my books, which I traditionally do on my birthday. The total as of today is (excluding 50 blank books and 100 stripped cover mass markets) 1,961.

Entering books into Delicious Library took longer than expected as I often stopped to reacquaint myself with a book, usually baring the distresses of smoke and water from the Fire, and losing myself within it for a few hours. It’s a wonderful thing to have a few hours of quiet to read a good book.

2. Food.

I used to be a thin man until I discovered I like to eat. Mark Bittman’s How to Cook Everything was very instrumental in making me unafraid of cooking as well as enlarging my waistline.

In fact, Bittman got me brave enough to try recipes from tv shows. Here’s one of my absolute favorites recipes – it’s EXTREMELY easy and EXTREMELY good.

I don’t make it that often as I end up eating it right out of the pan. It’s been a while since I last made it so, the FIRST person to contact me about this will win: me cooking this for you (and helping you eat it).

Pork Scallopine with Tomato Basil Sauce

Martha Stewart & Chris Schlesinger of the East Coast Grill in Cambridge, Mass.

INGREDIENTS

Makes 2 servings.

• 1 pork tenderloin, about 10 to 14 ounces, cut into 4 pieces, crosswise

• 3 tablespoons olive oil

• Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

• 1 shallot, minced

• 1 tablespoon cognac

• 1/4 cup Homemade Chicken Stock

• 1 tablespoon grainy mustard

• 3 tablespoons heavy cream

• 2 tablespoons finely chopped plum tomato

• 1 tablespoon finely chopped basil

• 2 heads radicchio, quartered

• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS

i. Stand pork tenderloin pieces on end between two layers of plastic wrap. Pound meat to a 1/4-inch thickness with a rolling pin; set aside.

ii. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Season pork on both sides with salt and pepper. Add meat to pan, and cook until browned. (There will be a release of juices on the surface of the meat after it has been turned, 2 to 3 minutes per side.) Transfer meat to a platter, and keep warm. Pour off any excess fat from skillet, and discard. Meanwhile, heat a grill pan over medium-high heat.

iii. Return skillet to heat, add the shallot, and cook for about 1 minute. Remove skillet from heat, and deglaze with cognac. Return skillet to stove, and carefully ignite with a match. When flames subside, add chicken stock and mustard; reduce to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add heavy cream, tomato, basil, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from heat, and serve sauce over pork.

iv. Meanwhile, toss radicchio with remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Place on preheated grill pan, turning as it begins to color. Remove from grill pan, drizzle with balsamic vinegar, and serve with pork scaloppine.

3. Movies.

Top 3 favorite movies of all time: Vertigo, The Third Man, Wings of Desire.

But oftentimes, the trailer is the best thing about a movie. Not sure why, but I love this trailer to Where the Wild Things Are.

4. Stories.

Three of my favorite FREE podcasts are from National Public Radio and involve the telling to stories.

Selected Shorts, which is an hour-long reading of various kinds of short stories by famous actors.

This American Life. Which looks at true stories united by the barest of common themes and can be funny and heartbreaking and very, very human at the same time.

The Moth Storytelling Project: An amateur storytelling “jam” where someone tells a story under 15 minutes, live and without notes. Just last week I heard the second story by Ed Gavagan, “Victims’ Impact” continuing his account of when he was stabbed in New York City. It goes to a different place then what you would expect and had me weeping at the end in how a little grace and a little forgiveness overcomes a lot of evil.

Drowing on Sullivan Street

Victim's Impact

5. The little faces that run smiling to me when I visit my nieces & nephews.

God, I think that adds years to my life.

“Mais ou sont les Blog Entries d’antan?”

Yes, I know I’ve left all you BookKook fans in limbo wondering where I’ve been. While I would rather confess that I was off tramping around the Lost City of Atlantis using Google Maps - Viola! -sadly, I was not.

Like everyone else in the bloggosphere, I hit the great blank wall of midwinter and decided to ride out bleak February until more hopeful spring arrived. I have been busy reading and writing. I did learn some things in the interim:

That a little snow can shut down Ireland & Great Britain!

What the Stimulus Bill means to my home state of Connecticut (according to Senator Chris Dodd) Here.

That even before the horrible attack in Stamford, no one should own a pet chimp: (warning:disturbing images) and (more here too).

That Shakespeare looks a little like me: (oh go on, yes he does!)

That the Kindle is the next iPod: (although it is NOT a book and CAN NEVER replace it, EVER!!)

That only four times in U.S. history has a president asked a poet for an Inaugural Poem:

-John F. Kennedy of Robert Frost

-Bill Clinton of Maya Angelou in 1993

-Bill Clinton of Miller Williams in 1997

-and Barak Obama of Elizabeth Alexander in 2009

(What’s the matter? Are Republicans anti-poetry? Well, honestly, only Maya Angelou’s poem is any good.)

What a Mondagreen is.

And immediately found an example.

That the Kepler Space telescope, looking 3000 light years up our spiral arm of the Milky Way could discover Earth like planets. Hello!

That the Japanese love of transforming robots has now crossed over to aviculture.

And even a wild animal has a heart..

And most importantly, I’ve discovered what Anthony Bourdain really thinks of his fellow chefs. Sorry, Rachel Ray!

Chocolate Covered Gluttony

Thanksgiving crept up on me, thanks to not being worked to death with holiday prep. For the first time both parents are in Ireland instead of just my dad, and I am spending Thanksgiving at my sister in law Andrea's family, just around the corner from me. My sister in law's mother is an awesome cook as is Andrea who is cooking the turkey this year. I've offered to bring food but was told just to show up and eat. I feel bloated already.

The other brother called me up out of the blue and invited me to his house for brunch on Friday. I am bringing my version of an incredible dessert from my one of my favorite chefs Nigella Lawson from her cookbook Feasts. Chocolate Cherry Trifle. Nigella writes "Let people fall upon it with greed and gratitude. They will go home happy."

She ain't kiddin'. I made this last year for work and got these amazed and blissful thank yous from my coworkers. Here is her recipe:

Chocolate Cherry Trifle:

2 (approximately 12 ounces each) chocolate pound cakes
1/2 cup black cherry jam
1/2 cup cherry brandy
2 cups drained bottled sour cherries (recommended: Morello)

Custard:
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, minimum 70 percent cocoa solids, chopped
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon milk
1 1/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon heavy cream
8 egg yolks
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/3 cup cocoa

Topping:
3 cups heavy cream
1-ounce bittersweet chocolate
Special Equipment: Large wide trifle bowl

Directions
Slice the chocolate pound cake and make jam sandwiches with the cherry jam, and layer the bottom of a large wide trifle bowl. Pour over the cherry brandy so that the cake soaks it up, and then top with the drained cherries. Cover with cling wrap and leave to macerate while you make the custard.

Melt the chocolate on low to medium heat in the microwave, checking after 2 minutes, though it will probably need 4 minutes. Or you can place it in a bowl over a pan of simmering water. Once the chocolate is melted, ser aside while you get on with the custard.

In a saucepan warm the milk and cream. Whisk the egg yolks, sugar, and cocoa in a large bowl. Pour the warm milk and cream into the bowl whisking it into the yolks and sugar mixture. Stir in the melted chocolate, scraping the sides well with a rubber spatula to get all of it in, and pour the custard back into the rinsed saucepan. Cook over a medium heat until the custard thickens, stirring all the time. Make sure it doesn't boil, as it will split and curdle. Keep a sink full of cold water so that if you get scared you can plunge the bottom of the custard pan into the cold water and whisk like mad, which will avert possible crisis.

The custard will get darker as it cooks and the flecks of chocolate will melt once the custard has thickened. And you do need this thick, so don't panic so much that you stop cooking while it is still runny. Admittedly, it continues to thicken as it cools and also when it's chilling in the refrigerator. Once it is ready, pour into a bowl to cool and cover the top of the custard with cling wrap to prevent a skin from forming.

When the custard is cold, pour and spread it over the chocolate cake layer in the trifle bowl, and leave in the refrigerator to set, covered in cling wrap overnight.

When you are ready to decorate, softly whip the cream for the topping and spread it gently over the layer of custard. Grate the chocolate over the top. Let people fall upon it with greed and gratitude. They will go home happy.

You can substitute chocolate cake for chocolate pound cake to make it lighter, and good chocolate pudding for custard. I add Hershey's Cherry Cordial Kisses for decoration.