2010 James Beard Award Winner: Cookbook of the Year and International

Brotchan Foltchep 
(Leek and Oatmeal Soup) [back to top]

2 tablespoons butter
3 to 4 leeks, trimmed and sliced into very thin rings
2 cups chicken stock
2 cups milk
1/2 cup Irish steel-cut oatmeal
1/2 teaspoon ground mace
Salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over low heat, then add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the leeks are very soft.

2. Add the stock and milk. Raise the heat to high and bring to a boil, then sprinkle in the oatmeal. Add the mace and salt and pepper to taste, and return the liquid to a boil, stirring occasionally.

3. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for about 45 minutes.

Andrews says this soup recipe was adapted by the late cookbook author Theodora FitzGibbon.

Watercress and Almond Soup [back to top]

1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
Rind of one lemon, in one piece, pith removed
˝ cup ground almonds
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups minced celery heart
2 tablespoons white flour
2˝ cups chicken stock
Salt and white pepper
2 bunches watercress, trimmed

1. Combine the milk and cream in a small saucepan over high heat. Add the lemon rind and almonds. Bring almost to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from the heat, cover, and set aside to infuse for about 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium pot over low heat, add the celery, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Add the stock in a slow, steady stream, stirring constantly, and cook for about 5 minutes, continuing to stir until the sauce thickens.

3. Strain the infused milk into the stock. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the watercress and continue to cook for 6 to 8 minutes more.

4. Puree the soup in a food processor or blender. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Serve hot or cold.

This is “the most celebrated of Irish potato dishes,” Andrews writes. He got this recipe from Mary Ward, who lives in Nenagh, County Tipperary . When she makes this dish, she “starts with a trip to the kitchen garden, armed with a basket and a pair of shears.”

Colcannon [back to top]

2 to 2˝ pounds russet or other floury potatoes
6 to 8 tablespoons butter
2 to 3 lightly packed cups chopped kale or or assorted chopped greens (such as parsley, sorrel, spinach and broccoli or cauliflower leaves)
1 1/3 cups milk
4 scallions, green part only, minced
Salt and pepper

1. Put the potatoes into a large pot, with the larger ones on the bottom, and add water to come halfway up the potatoes. Cover the pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When the water begins to boil, carefully drain off about half of it, then return the pot to the heat, cover it again, reduce the heat to low, and let the potatoes steam for about 40 minutes. Turn off the heat; cover the potatoes with a clean, damp tea towel; and let sit for 5 minutes more.

2. Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the kale or assorted greens and cook until just wilted, about 5 minutes.

3. Combine the milk, scallions, and remaining butter in a medium pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook for about 2 minutes, then add the greens and stir in well. Remove the pot from the heat, cover and set aside.

4. Drain and carefully peel the potatoes, then return them to the pot. Add the greens and their liquid and mash until smooth, leaving a few small lumps in the potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

5. To serve in the traditional Irish manner, push the back of a large soup spoon down in the middle of each portion to make a crater, then put a large pat of room-temperature butter into each one to make a “lake.” Diners dip each forkful of colcannon into the butter until its walls are breached.