THE CELTIC CONNECTION • NOVEMBER 1991
Page 5
Classic Irish
Recipes
By KATHLEEN
Colcannonand Barm Brack are two traditional recipes eaten in Ireland at Hallow'een. The first day of the Celtic New Year, Hallow'een was a Druid festival and, as with most Celtic festivals, it was celebrated for three days.
In some parts of Ireland it is known in Irish as "Oiche Shamhna, "the Vigil of Saman". From this name also come "Sowans" from the inner husks of oats that were threshed, fermented in salted water, drained, and the liquid boiled and eaten like porridge.
MR. ONANYMOUS
COLCANNON
Colcannon used be made with kale, but is now made with cabbage. A plain gold ring, a sixpence, a thimble or a button are often put in the mixture. The ring means you will be married within a year, the sixpence denotes wealth, the thimble a spinster, the button a bachelor to whoever gets them.
One pound of cabbage and potatoes, cooked separately.
Two small leaks or green onions One cup of milk or cream. 1/2 cup butter.
Salt, pepper and a pinch of mace (optional).
METHOD
Have the cabbage cooked, warm and well chopped up while the potatoes are cooking. Chop up the leaks or onions tops and bottoms and simmer them in enough milk or cream just to cover the onions, until they are soft. Drain the potatoes, seasonand beat them well, then add the cooked onions or leaks and milk.
Finally,blend in thecabbage,beating until it is a palegreen fluff. Do this over a low heat and pile it into a deep warm dish. Make a well in the centre and pour enough melted butter to fill up the cavity.
BARM BRACK (Traditional)
Eaten all year 'round but particularly at Hallow'en, when it has a gold ring baked in it. Whoever gets the ring will be married within the year.
Barm is the old word for yeast. Lady Gregory of the Abbey Theatre always brought a Barm Brack from her house, Coole Park, Co. Galway, which was served with tea in the Green Room. It was particularly a "Barm" after the uproar on the first night of J.M. Synge's The Playboy of the Western World.
4 cups flour
1 cup warm milk
1/4 cup raisins
Two tablespoons of butter
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 cake or 1 package yeast
1 cup currants
1/2 cup mixed chopped candied
peel legg
METHOD
All utensils should be room temperature before starting to make a brack.
Sift the flour, spices and salt together, then rub in the butter.
Cream the yeast with one teaspoon of the sugar and one teaspoon of the warm milk. It should froth up, if it doesn't, it means the yeast is old and stale.
Add the rest of the sugar to the flour mixture and blend well.
Then pour the warm milk and beaten egg into the yeast mixture, and combine with the flour, etc.
Beat well with a wooden spoon or with an electric mixer, medium
speed, forabout five minutes. The batter should be stiff but elastic. Fold in thedried fruit and chopped peel, cover with a cloth and leave in a warm place until the dough is twice the size. Turn out and divide into two portions.
Grease two eight inch cake tins and put one portion in each tin, addingtheringatthis point. Cover again and leave to rise for about 30 minutes.
Bake in a moderate to hot oven (approximately 350 F) for about one hour. Test with a skewer before taking out of the oven.
Glaze the top with one tablespoon sugar, dissolved in two tablespoons of boiling water and put back in a hot oven for about three minutes.
Turn out to cool on a wire rack and when cool serve sliced with butter. It keeps very well, but if it gets stale it is very good toasted and served with butter *
A Day at the Races with Uncle Tommy
Well, it's that time of the month again. Phone calls coming in one after another, hounding me for me article. Shure, I can hardly read, let alone write. Isn'tittrue5 cents + 5 cents makes plenty of sense — anyway, on we go, are yis right?
Do yis remember, the last Mr. O's article? "O", so ye do, well I'm glad to see we have a bunch of readers out there. Well, ya may recall I ranted and raved about meself and Patrick Byrne. I suppose some of yis were wondering whothehellisPaddyByrne. Well, let me tell ya now. PaddyByrneis not of recent but of late, Lord rest his soul. Paddy wack happened to be the architect who designed St. Paul's church, Arran Quay, year 1835.
'Ma turned white and let a yelp out of tier'
Well, just across from there, about a block and a half — as they say here, or just down the road — as they say there, on the other side of the Liffey in Winetavern Street brings back some memories.
Do you see, there used to be pawn shop (Uncle Tommy's, as me Ma called it). Sure Uncle Tommy was the breadwinner for many's a family. Anyway, one Saturday, a lovely day it was, we were all sitting around the house. There wasa lotof activity as ithappened to be Grand National Day (a big horse race in England).
All us younger ones were picking outhorses, writing themdownon paper and playbetting to see who would pick the winner, not a crust of bread amongst us, never mind a tosser.
Of course, the older ones and me Ma were picking them out for real. Thegirls would alwaysdoas Ma did, stick a pin in paper with their eyes closed, that would be their choice. And of course, the pro's (boys) would study the form and jockey. When all was done, all of a sudden me Ma turned white in the face and let a yelp out of her.
Her hands flew to her face, "Ah, Jaysus/'saysshe. Wealllookedat her, me older sister inquirin', "What's wrong, Ma?", "I'm after forgetting toget your fathers good rags out of the pawn! Dar'l be killing me if he comes home and finds nis good suit's not here".
"Jaysus, where am I going to get the money from at all, at aS". Looking at me, she called me to her, putting her hands on me face and in a low tone, "Will ye slip across the road to Missus Daly s and ask her for a lend of ten bob 'till Monday. Hurry, I want ya to do a message for me".
I was no time there' till I was back. Ma had a pence bus fare and a pawn ticket ready for me. Says she, "I want ye to go into Uncle Tommy's and get yourauld fella's suit out. It'll cost six shillings and about one and six interest. So there'll be two and a tenner change. Off ye go, hurry back before yer da get home. And for God's sake, don't lose the change. It's all I have to me name!".
When I got to Uncle Tommy's, the shop was packed. All I could hear all over the place was, "What horse did you back?" and "I have the winner!" "Team Spirit," says another, etc. When our name was called out, I pushed through the crowd, got to the counter and again, a roar letting out our name. "Here Mister!" I shouted. I could barely see over the counter, I was only about eleven at the time. He looked down at me, and says he "I
suppose ye back horses as well!", gave me a brown paper parcel tied up with twine and half a crown change. He winked and said "Team Spirit in the Grand National, a 20-1 outsider!"
7 ran all the way up to the betting office"
Out I went, I never backed a horse in me life. But after hearing the name "Team Spirit" twice, I had to back it. I ran all the way up the hill to Christchurch, Kilmartin's betting office. I got a man outside to put a shillin'win on Team Spirit, as I was too young to gamble, and of course, that shillin was part of meMa'schange. That meant twice the gamble; a loss would mean a kick in de arse and a box in the lugs for spending some of her change. Or a winner meant a pound for her which at that time was a small fortune, and a shillin' for meself.
I got home, the race was over—I didn't know what horse had won, and gave me Ma the parcel and the change wrapped in a receipt. She opened the wad and in a frenzy roared "Where's the rest of me couple of bob?". When I told her of me excapade, she nearly had a heart attack I froze in my shoes. Silence. Bravery set in, as I asked what horse won....I couldn't believe me ears! Team Spirit, 25-1. Needless to say, we had plenty of leaves to eat that week.
Yours truly, Mr. O.
P.S. Maybe one of you readers out there can tell me what year Team Spirit won the Grand National.
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