I’ve not eatten pig’s trotters, but I’ve had chicken feet, and I suspect the pigs have quite a bit more flesh!
That’s not an unreasonable summary of why things like ‘stew’ get suggested. Fresh fish and seafood would perhaps be the simplest way to summarise the best food the island can offer (it’s not easy to get a long way from the coast, after all!) A nice piece of fresh trout, perhaps. However, it doesn’t go well with the stereotype.
My mother (from Co. Laois) used to serve us crubeens every now and then - most likely boiled to buggery - and, although I was generally a fussy child, I remember them as being not too disgusting.
I’ve got a St Patrick’s Day function on Saturday too, but thankfully all I have to bring is some wine.
Let’s do “bacon and cabbage” (NOT “corned beef and cabbage”, which is not known in Ireland, a fact subtly acknowledged by Brad Pitt’s character in The Devil’s Own).
Get a lump of “bacon” - 2 or 3 lbs. This is not bacon as you know it - not rashers, sliced or anything like that - it’s a roll of salted pork belly, also known as “gammon”. Soak it for several hours, changing the water regularly, overnight if needed. Then cover in water in a pan, bring to the boil, then cover and simmer for about two hours. Heat the oven to about 200F, then transfer the bacon to the oven. Retain the salty bacon water, and put roughly chopped curly kale (green cabbage) into it, and boil for about 15 minutes. Strain, put on a plate, then add slices of the bacon. Serve with Irish mustard (English will do) and colcannon. Light gravy optional. Now that’s authentic. And damn beautiful.
I’m with you with that recipe, jjimm. It’s pretty much what my (Irish) mother would cook if she was on autopilot. Except she’d call it ‘boiled ham’. Certainly no mention of the cabbage or potato, that’s just assumed.
Add some roast chicken to that and you’ve got about the perfect Irish meal. Chicken, Ham, potatoes, It’s a good combo.
I prefer Colmans Mustard.
Great with tea is my mother’s family’s secret recipe for Irish bread. It’s a Rooney tradition:
This recipe is best made in a cast iron skillet. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
Mix together 2 tablespoons baking powder
1 tsp salt, 1/3 C sugar, 3 1/2 C flour.
Rub in 1/2 C shortening.
Add 1 C raisins (2 tsp caraway seeds are optional. I hate them)
Add 2 eggs, slightly beaten with 3/4 C milk.
Stir until well blended on floured board/counter. Roll to fit in skillet.
Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, then bring the heat down to 350 and bake for an additional 30-35 minutes.
It’s to die for, a great, rich dessert bread. My fiance is marrying me solely for this bread.
Unless you really want to spend some money, and get into making a giant pot of Lamb Stew w/ Stout.
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I have some lamb & soup bones in my freezer- do you happen to have a recipe?
Duh… sorry should have read further- thanks for the recipes!
Epicurious has posted a bunch of recipes for the occasion, both traditional and not-so-traditional.
How about Sticky Toffee Pudding?
Just reading that made my mouth water. If I ask really nice will you make it for me? 
(yes, I could do it myself, but I already made dinner and I don’t want to cook again)
Actually, most of this thread is making me hungry and I ate dinner not too long ago. Bad Dopers trying to make me over eat! Bad!
Oh yummmmmmmmm!
Stereotypes often come from reality. My grandmother wouldn’t have had a clue what to do with fresh trout. Boiled it, I suppose, and served it with some tasteless starch of some sort. Though you say you’re never far from the coast, 150 years ago 20 miles might as well been 2000 miles as far as shipping fresh fish was concerned and her people came from deep inland. They taught her mother to cook and she taught young Florence Jennings to cook. If you call that cooking. It did involve fire. Lots of fire, to either boil the food to jelly or else to char it.
Add some toasted buttered potato bread and I’d gobble it down and ask for more.
This … is beautiful. And quite doable, as I live in NC, also known as the Pork Capital of the World.
There’s Nigella’s {url=http://suburbankitchen.blogspot.com/2005/08/chocolate-guinness-cake.html]Chocolate Guinness Cake - I usually ice it to look like a pint of Guinsess, shamrock in the head and all.
How about Oatcakes or Barm Brack?