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[monsoonJournal.com] The main method of cooking food was long and slow in a large pot or cauldron or on spits over an open fire. This cauldron was also sometimes used as a crude type of oven, sometimes being turned upside down over hot stones or the cooling embers.

Next came The Vikings (c794 AD) who introduced more complex sea fishing techniques, enhancing and enlarging on the seafood consumed, but it was probably the arrival of the Anglo Normans around the 12th century AD who had a more profound influence on Irish cuisine. Not only did they introduce many vegetables and herbs from the Mediterranean, but also the all-important Potato in the 16th century, which was to become an important staple in the diet, particularly of rural Ireland. Unfortunately, so much so that The Potato Blight of 1845 made famine and the death of many unavoidable.

It’s interesting to note that cattle wasn’t always slaughtered for its meat, butused for dairy purposes. This can be explained by the fact that a man’s wealth was judged by the amount of cattle he owned.

Current Day Cuisine

What most people consider to be today’s traditional Irish cuisine originated in the kitchens of the farmers of the past, not from the nobles or gentry. It is good, wholesome food made from locally grown/reared produce. Ireland’s lack of natural (industrial) resources back in the late 1800’s meant that, unlike much of the rest of western Europe, its agricultural practices remained in tact, thus preserving a unique culinary identity.

Potatoes still feature prominently in today’s diet and old time recipes like Irish Stew and Dublin Coddle remain firm favorites. Lamb and pork or bacon are still popular meats as well as fish such as salmon and shellfish.

A Full Irish Breakfast (very similar an English breakfast) consists of bacon rashers, eggs, sausages, baked tomatoes, mushrooms, white pudding, black pudding, fresh fruit, toast or scones with butter and marmalade. In Northern Ireland (still part of the UK) they add fried potatoes or Potato Farl to it and call it an ‘Ulster Fry’ .

Lunch in rural Ireland is usually the largest meal of the day consisting of meat with vegetables and potatoes although most city dwellers would substitute this with sandwiches and/or soup and have their main meal in the evening. The Irish are also famous for their soda bread and teatime favourites such as barm-brack and boxty bread, not to mention Guinness and whiskey….both of which are excellent when used in certain dishes. renowned as the only fare for subsistence farmers in the first half of the 19th century, a time when a significant portion of the population lived in agricultural

Irish Food - More Than Potatoes

Ask anyone if there is an Irish national food and the answer, more than likely, will be the “potato”! The potato is certainly poverty. The blight, which hit in 1845 and raged on and off for the next five years resulted in the death of an estimated one million Irish, and the emigration of another 1.5 million.

Still, it is important to remember that the potato was unknown in Ireland prior to the 16th century when Sir Walter Raleigh is credited with bringing it to Ireland from America. Ironically, it was at first considered too much a luxury for peasant farmers and was reserved for the tables of the wealthy. Before long, however, it was apparent that the potato was immensely suited to cultivation in Ireland’s climate. It thrived throughout the island, even in those areas with relatively poor soil in western Ireland that had become home to the rapidly growing Irish population. With the forced subdivision of a farmer’s holding among his surviving sons under the conacre system it became typical for a family to subsist off the potatoes grown on less than an acre of land.

While the potato was obviously the mainstay of Ireland’s poor, the more prosperous lived on a more varied diet of food grown on larger Irish farms. These foodstuffs exceeded the needs of the larger farmers and were in fact exported from Ireland as others were starving.

Cattle had always been valued in Ireland, back to the time of the Celts. They were held not for their meat but as a source of dairy. Buttermilk was a supplement to the potato diet that actually meant that the peasant diet was reasonably sound nutritionally.

Pork, and lamb, were the more affordable meats. Easy to manage, the Celts let the pigs range outside year round. In later centuries, a pig could often make the difference in a farming family’s standard of living. Raised within their home, it would be sold when grown to provide cash for rent payments or to buy food during the lean summer time when the potato crop was not ready for harvest. Meats were generally roasted or prepared in some sort of stew (such as the well-known Irish (Lamb) Stew). The importance of seafood in the Celtic and Irish diets can’t be overlooked. Not only were fish harvested from the seas surrounding the island but in the rivers and lakes as well. Like meat, they were grilled, roasted, or prepared in stews.

Oats, barley and wheat were the primary grains raised on the island. The oats, eaten as porridge in the style of Ireland’s Celtic neighbor, Scotland, was the subsistence fare before the potato took hold. (The presence of mills in the Griffith’s Valuation is likely evidence that grain was being grown in the area.) Barley, of course, wound up in beverages like stout. Bread was baked, with honey as a primary sweetener.

Root vegetables such as carrots, turnips, and leeks, were commonly grown, both before and after the potato’s introduction. Other produce either grown or collected from the wild included sorrel, nettles, watercress, and various fruits such as wild cherries and an assortment of berries. Apples were the primary cultivated fruit.

Beef in Guinness Stew

The Guinness in this recipe has the same function as the wine in Coq Au Vin - the acid and moisture combined with the long, slow cooking help tenderize the tough but flavorsome meat.

2 1/2 lb/ 1 kg shin of beef
2 large onions
6 medium carrots
2 tbsp seasoned flour
a little fat or beef dripping
1/2 cup dry cider
1/2 pt/ 250 ml/ 1 cup Guinness with water
sprig of parsley
(serves four)

Cut the beef into chunks and peel and slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Remove the beef and fry the onions gently until transparent. Return the beef and add the carrots and the liquid. Bring just to the boil, reduce the heat to a very gentle simmer, cover closely and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours. Check that the dish does not dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with plainly boiled potatoes.

Contributed by Chef Nate and Scott

By Nate V

Thai Cuisine known for its balance of five fundamental Flavors each dish or the overall meal - hot (spicy), sour, sweet, salty and bitter (optional). Although popularly considered as a single cuisine, Thai food is really better described as four regional cuisines corresponding to the four main regions of the country: Northern, Northeastern, Central and Southern, Southern curries, for example, tend to contain coconut milk and fresh turmeric, while northeastern dishes often include lime juice.

Thai food is known for its enthusiastic use of fresh (rather than dried) herbs and spices as well as fish sauce.

Thai food is popular in many Western countries especially in Australia, New Zealand, some countries in Europe such as the United Kingdom, as well as the United States, and Canada. Instead of a single main course with side dishes found in Western cuisine, a Thai full meal typically consists of either a single dish or rice with many complementary dishes served concurrently.

[Thai Green Curry - Photo by Lynn In Singapore]

Rice is a staple component of Thai cuisine, as it is of most Asian cuisines. The highly prized, sweet-smelling jasmine rice is indigenous to Thailand. This naturally aromatic long-grained rice grows in abundance in the verdant patchwork of paddy fields that blanket Thailand’s central plains. Its aroma bears no resemblance to the sweet smell of jasmine blossoms, but like jasmine flowers, this rice is precious and fragrant, a small everyday delight. Steamed rice is accompanied by highly aromatic curries, stir-fry and other dishes, incorporating sometimes large quantities of chilies, lime juice and lemon grass. Curries stir-fry and others may be poured onto the rice creating a single dish called khao rad gang, a popular meal when time is limited. Sticky rice is a unique variety of rice that contains an unusual balance of the starches present in all rice, causing it to cook up to a pleasing sticky texture. It is the daily bread of Laos and substitutes ordinary rice in rural Northern and Northeastern Thai cuisine, where Lao cultural influence is strong. Noodles, known throughout parts of Southeast Asia by the Chinese name kwaytiow, are popular as well but usually come as a single dish, like the stir-fried Pad Thai or noodle soups. Many Chinese cuisines are adapted to suit Thai taste, such as khuaytiow rue, a sour and spicy rice noodle soup.

There is uniquely Thai dish called nam prik which refers to a chili sauce or paste. Each region has its own special versions. It is prepared by crushing together chilies with various ingredients such as garlic and shrimp paste using a mortar and pestle. It is then often served with vegetables such as cucumbers, cabbage and yard-long beans, either raw or blanched. The vegetables are dipped into the sauce and eaten with rice. Nam prik may also be simply eaten alone with rice or, in a bit of Thai and Western fusion, spread on toast.

Thai food is generally eaten with a fork and a spoon. Chopsticks are used rarely, primarily for the consumption of noodle soups. The fork, held in the left hand, is used to shovel food into the spoon. However, it is common practice for Thais and hill tribe peoples in the North and Northeast to eat sticky rice with their right hands by making it into balls that are dipped into side dishes and eaten. Thai-Muslims also frequently eat meals with only their right hands.

Often Thai food is served with a variety of spicy condiments to embolden the dish. This can range from dried chili pieces, sliced chili peppers in rice vinegar, to a spicy chili sauce such as the nam prik mentioned above.

The ingredient found in almost all Thai dishes and every region of the country is nam pla , a very aromatic and strong tasting fish sauce. Shrimp paste, a combination of ground shrimp and salt, is also extensively used. Thai dishes in the central and Southern regions use a wide variety of leaves rarely found in the west, such as kaffir lime leaves. Fresh - kaffir lime leaves’ characteristic flavor appears in nearly every Thai soup (e.g., the hot and sour Tom Yam) or curry from those areas. It is frequently combined with garlic, galangal, lemon grass, turmeric and/or fingerroot, blended together with liberal amounts of various chilies to make curry paste. Fresh Thai basil is also used to add fragrance in certain dishes such as Green curry. Other typical ingredients include the small green Thai eggplants, tamarind, palm and coconut sugars, lime juice, and coconut milk. A variety of chilies and spicy elements are found in most Thai dishes. Other ingredients also include cilantro, cilantro roots, curry pastes, curry powder, dark soy sauce, dried shrimp, five-spice powder, long beans or yard-long beans, oyster sauce, Thai pepper, rice and tapioca flour, and roasted chili paste.

[Pad Thai - picture by Alan Chan]

Pad Thai

Serves 4 as a noodle course or 2 as a main course

10 oz Thai rice noodles
1/4 cup tamarind paste
1/4 cup warm water

Strips of red pepper and green Pepper
Fresh coriander leaves
Wedges of lime

Soak noodles in plenty of cold water for at least 2 hour. Combine tamarind paste with a 1/2 cup warm water in a small bowl and let soak for at least 30 minutes. Slice the chicken into 1/4-inch strips. If you find it difficult to cut thinly through fresh meat, leave it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes to harden slightly and then slice. Reserve. Slice the fried tofu into 3/4-inch cubes. Reserve. Blend or process peanuts into coarse meal. Reserve. Return to your reserved tamarind paste in its water. Mash it and transfer the mud-like mixture to a strainer set into a bowl. Mash and push with a spoon, forcing liquid to strain into the bowl. Scrape off the juice that clings to the underside of the strainer. You will have about 5 tbsp of tamarind juice. Add to it the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Beat to thoroughly mix and reserve. Discard the solids left in the strainer. Heat oil in a wok (or large frying pan) until it is just about to smoke. Add garlic and stir, letting it cook for about 30 seconds. Add chicken and stir-fry for 1 minute. Add tofu and shrimps and stir-fry for 1 more minute. Break eggs into wok and let them fry without breaking them up for 1-2 minutes. While eggs cook, quickly drain the noodles and then add to wok, giving them a quick fold, stir-frying for 1 minute from the bottom up. Add reserved tamarind juice, etc. (from step #6) and continue stir-frying, mixing everything together for 1-2 minutes. Your noodles will have subsided to half their original volume and softened up to al dente. Add about 2/3 of the reserved ground peanuts and stir. Add about 2/3 of the bean sprouts and all the green onion pieces. Stir-fry for 30 seconds and take off heat. Transfer noodles to a serving dish and sprinkle with roasted chilies. Top with the rest of the ground peanuts, the rest of the sprouts, some strips of red pepper and fresh coriander leaves. Stick a couple of lime wedges on the side and serve immediately.

Any comments to:

chef@monsoonjournal.com

Mexican food is a style of food that originated in Mexico:

By Nate.V and Negin.S
[monsoonJournal.com]
Mexican cuisine is known for its intense and varied flavors, colorful decoration, and variety of spices. Mexican gastronomy is one of the richest in the world: both with respect to diverse and appealing tastes and textures; and in terms of proteins, vitamins, and minerals.

When Spanish conquistadores arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan (the ancient city on which Mexico City was built), they found that the people’s diet consisted largely of corn-based dishes with chilis and herbs, usually complemented with beans and squash. The conquistadores eventually combined their imported diet of rice, beef, pork, chicken, wine, garlic and onions with the indigenous foods of pre-Columbian Mexico, including chocolate, maize, tomato, vanilla, avocado, papaya, pineapple, chile pepper, beans, squash, sweet potato, peanut and turkey. The totopo (a salted corn tortilla cooked in a fire oven) may have been created as part of this cuisine.

Most of today’s Mexican food is based on pre-hispanic traditions, including the Aztecs and Maya, combined with culinary trends introduced by Spanish colonists. Quesadillas, for example, are a flour or corn tortilla with cheese (often a Mexican-style soft farmer’s cheese such as Queso Fresco), beef, chicken, pork, and so on. The indigenous part of this and many other traditional foods is the chile pepper. Foods like these tend to be very colorful because of the rich variety of vegetables (among them are the chili peppers, green peppers, chilies, broccoli, cauliflower, and radishes) and meats in Mexican food. There is also a sprinkling of Caribbean influence in Mexican cuisine, particularly in some regional dishes from the states of Veracruz and Yucatán. The French occupation of Mexico also yielded some influences as well: the bolillo (pronounced bo-lee-yo, with the “o” as in “bore”), a Mexican take on the French roll, certainly seems to reflect this.

Mexican food varies by region, because of local climate and geography and ethnic differences among the indigenous inhabitants and because these different populations were influenced by the Spaniards in varying degrees. The north of Mexico is known for its beef production and meat dishes. Southeastern Mexico, on the other hand, is known for its spicy vegetable and chicken-based dishes. Seafood is commonly prepared in the state of Veracruz.

There are also more exotic dishes, cooked in the Aztec or Mayan style, with ingredients ranging from iguana to rattlesnake, deer, spider monkey, and even some kinds of insects. This is usually known as comida prehispánica (or prehispanic food), and although not very common, is relatively well known.

A distinction must be made between truly authentic Mexican food, and the Cal-Mex (Californian-Mexican) and “Tex Mex” (Texan-Mexican) cuisines. Mexican cuisine combines with the cuisine of the southwest United States (which itself has a number of Mexican influences) to form Cal-Mex and Tex-Mex cuisine. Another style of cuisine that is commonly mistaken for Mexican food is New Mexican cuisine, which is, of course, found in New Mexico, USA.

Chicken Enchiladas

with cheddar cheese, sour cream, and corn tortillas.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon plus 1/4 cup oil
2 (4 ounce) cans chopped green chile peppers
1 large clove garlic, crushed and minced
1 large can (28 ounces) tomatoes, drained, reserve juice
2 cups chopped onions (2 large onions)
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon oregano
3 cups cooked shredded chicken
2 cups sour cream
2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
15 corn tortillas

PREPARATION:

In a skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Add the chile peppers and garlic; sauté until garlic is soft but not browned. Break up tomatoes and add to chile peppers along with the chopped onions, 1 tsp salt, oregano and 1/2 cup of the reserved tomato liquid. Simmer uncovered until thick, about 30 minutes.

If it thickens too quickly, add a little more of the tomato liquid or a little water, if necessary. Remove tomato sauce from heat and set aside.

In a bowl, combine chicken, sour cream, and shredded cheese. Heat 1/3 cup oil in a skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Using tongs, dip tortillas in hot oil for a few seconds, just until they become limp. Drain the tortillas well on paper towels. Fill tortillas with chicken mixture. Roll up and arrange side by side, seam-side down, in a 9×13x2-inch baking dish.

Pour tomato sauce over enchiladas and bake at 350° until heated through, about 20 minutes. This casserole can be frozen then reheated in the oven until hot.
Serves 6.

Chicken Fajita Salad

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons cooking oil, divided
1/4 cup lime juice
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into thin strips
1 onion, cut into thin wedges
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 (7 ounce) can chopped green chilies, drained
1 cup whole almonds, toasted
Shredded lettuce
3 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 avocado, sliced

DIRECTIONS

Combine 1 tablespoon oil, lime juice, garlic, cumin and oregano. Toss with chicken; marinate at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, in a skillet, heat remaining oil on medium-high. Saute onion 2 minutes. Drain chicken, reserving marinade. Add chicken to skillet; stir-fry until it begins to brown. Add red pepper, chilies and marinade; cook 2 minutes. Stir in almonds. Serve immediately over shredded lettuce and top with tomatoes and avocado.

Phoros: by tspauld