The Flavor of Ireland
by Stacey Morris
~ green beer and leprechauns ~
continued from page one
"Ireland almost lost its language with the potato famine because many of the people from the poorer areas in the west who spoke it moved to the United States," she said. "Nowadays, only 2 percent of Ireland's population speaks it, but that number is rising because there's a lot of cultural revival going on."
After teaching Irish at Adirondack Community College for nearly 10 years, McCarthy now conducts adult classes in Saratoga Springs and said her students are mostly artists and writers who are interested in rediscovering their Irish heritage. The language, she said, is Indo-European and completely unlike English or any of the European romance languages. "It's more similar to Greek and Latin with its guttural sounds," she said. Because there weren't any textbooks to be found on the language, McCarthy created her own and had them published in 1987.
"The Celts were very mysterious by nature, they didn't keep written records -- storytellers were their historians," said McCarthy. She added that Druids, wise teachers and priests, believed in studying a subject for up to 20 years to become knowlegeable and refused to write even after it became a common method of learning.
"It's amazing that the language survived all these centuries," McCarthy said. "Celtic is a very interesting culture similar to Native American with their ornamental jewelry and weapons. ... They lived in independent kingdoms, each with their own leaders, throughout the world -- as far away as the Middle East."
Though today's celebration of St. Patrick's Day will be delivered in kitschy, American homages to the Irish culture, like green beer and leprechaun couture, McCarthy said the Irish celebrate it as a simple religious holiday.
"I laugh at all the green stuff I see here," she said. "The only thing we did on St. Patrick's Day was attend a special Mass."
One thing about Ireland that lives up to the stereotypes is the island's legendary greenness, thanks to the regular rainfall and the limestone soil, which further facilitates lush vegetation.
McCarthy said the thing she misses most about her homeland is the ocean. Her yearning to be seaside is so strong that she makes it a point to drive to Gloucester, Mass., several times a year. It is there, amid the ocean air and crashing waves, that she closes her eyes and imagines the summer beach home her family kept and the grandeur of the 700-foot Cliffs of Moher, Ireland's highest cliffs.
"It's possible we'll retire to Ireland," she ventured. "My husband's an avid fly fisher, and I would love to go back."
Tea Scones
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
4 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 eggs
1/3 cup milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk
Combine flour, baking powder, salt and sugar in mixing bowl; mix well. Cut in butter. Make well in flour mixture. Beat together 2 eggs and 1/3 cup milk. Add to flour mixture; mix lightly but thoroughly. Turn out onto floured board; knead five times. Roll dough into 9-inch circle approximately 3/4" thick. Cut into eight pie-shaped wedges. Place on lightly greased baking sheet. Beat remaining egg and tablespoon of milk together. Brush tops of scones with mixture. Bake in preheated 400-degree oven 7 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. Split scones. Serve with butter and jam or honey. Makes 8 scones.
Variations: Orange scones: Add 1 tablespoon grated orange rind to dry ingredients in basic recipe. Currant scones: Add .5 cup currants to dry ingredients in basic recipe. Oatmeal scones: Use 1 cup rolled oats and 1 1/4 cups flour in place of 2 cups flour in basic recipe.
Irish Soda Bread
4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar (optional)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup seedless raisins
1 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
1.5 tablespoons melted butter
Combine flour, sugar, soda, salt and raisins in mixing bowl; stir well. Make well in center of mixture. Add buttermilk; stir until lightly but thoroughly blended. Use only enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough. Turn out dough onto lightly floured board; knead five times. Form into ball; place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Pat into an 8-inch circle, approximately 1.5 inches thick. With floured knife make large cross on top of loaf to keep it from cracking during baking. Spread top of loaf with softened butter. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven 40 to 50 minutes or until golden and loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Serve bread hot, with plenty of butter. Makes one loaf, 8 inches in diameter. Variation: Substitute the four cups white flour with 1 white flour and 2 whole wheat, then add 1 teaspoon baking powder as well as the baking soda. However, most Americans find this to be too heavy.
Irish Stew
1.5 to 2 pounds boneless lamb, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 large onions, peeled and thickly sliced
5 potatoes, peeled, quartered and cut into chunks
2 celery stalks, sliced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced
1 turnip, diced
1.5 cups chicken or lamb stock*
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon parsley
Note: The stew can be either baked or cooked on the stove. Layer the vegetables and meat in a deep saucepan or casserole dish, beginning and ending with vegetables. Salt and pepper each layer lightly. Add to mixture the bay leaf and 1 tablespoon parsley. Bake at 325 degrees for two hours. If cooking on stovetop, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1.5 to two hours, until meat is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Remove bay leaf and add 1 teaspoon parsley before serving. * Variation: Half the stock may be substituted with Guinness stout.
More articles by award-winning journalist, Stacey Morris, food editor and feature writer at The Post-Star who has also been published in trade publications and magazines, are featured on her site.
Copyright Stacey Morris. Used with permission. First published in The Post-Star newspaper 3/17/99. All rights reserved. Please contact the author for permission to use this article (includes reprints in mailing lists, newsletters, and/or any other purpose/format) and give details of its proposed use. Any and all use of this article in any way without permission is prohibited under copyright law. |
