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contents
F
Acknowledgments S vii
Introduction S 1
chapter one: First Things First: Irish Breakfast Like at Home S 8
chapter two: Rugby Matches, Croke Park, and Hurling Practice S 28
chapter three: What Mam Cooked S 50
chapter four: Fridays Are for Fish S 74
chapter five: Special Occasions S 98

nanas sunday dinners S 100

saint patricks day S 108
easter S 112
my birthday dinner S 114
halloween S 121
christmas eve and christmas day S 127
chapter six: From Restaurant Eve S 134
chapter seven: From Das Garden S 158
chapter eight: Peggys Bread S 188
chapter nine: All Things Sweet S 202
chapter ten: Brine, Stocks, Sauces, and Relishes S 236
Glossary S 261
Resources S 263
Index S 265
Conversion Chart S 271

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Irish Stew with Piccalilli

This isnt a dish we would get often at home, which was too bad because we all loved it, especially with piccalilli, a mustard pickle of cauliflower, onions, and other vegetables. A lot of places in the States serve what they
call Irish stew, but its made with beef. Real Irish stew is not made with beef. At all. Traditionally it is made
with lamb neck or shinbones (known as gigot), but I use shoulder chops because they are meatier and you can
get a good sear on them, which adds flavor. Irish stew would not really include carrots, by the way, but I add
them for sweetness.

D serves 4 E
Kosher salt and freshly ground black
pepper
4 (8-ounce) lamb shoulder chops
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 yellow onions, quartered lengthwise

2 carrots, peeled and cut crosswise into

2-inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 large fresh bay leaf
2 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

Brown the chops: Sprinkle salt and pepper

liberally over both sides of the lamb chops. In a
flameproof casserole over medium-high heat, heat
the oil until it shimmers. Brown both sides of the
lamb chops well (2 to 3 minutes per side), working
in 2 batches so the pot is not crowded. Transfer the
browned lamb to a plate and set aside.

3 cups water
3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
Piccalilli (page 259)

any collected juices on their plate. Add the potatoes and water. Bring the liquid to a boil. Lower
the heat to medium, cover the pot, and let the
chops simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat
is very tender. Adjust the salt and pepper seasoning to taste. Stir in the chopped thyme and serve
immediately, with piccalilli on the side. The stew
can be made the day before and gently reheated on
the stove or in the oven at 300F for 30 minutes.
(See About Stews, page 73.)

Cook the stew: Blot the oil from the pot with a
wad of paper towels. Add the onions, carrots, garlic,
and bay leaf. Top the vegetables with the chops and

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Piccalilli
This vegetable relish, a derivative of Indian pickle, is served cold, as a traditional accompaniment to rich
stews. For this version, which features cipollini onions, do NOT use red beets, as they will stain the onions.
The idea is to cut the vegetables so that they are all about the same size, giving the relish a nice finished look.
The recipe calls for about 4 pounds of vegetables; feel free to mix and match them according to your taste or
use others, such as carrots, broccoli, white turnips, or zucchini.
The piccalilli can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. Or if you like, it can be preserved, which
requires a precise method that calls for special equipment; see Canning Instructions, page 25.

D makes 5 pints E
2 pounds large (3-inch-diameter) white
or golden beets, unpeeled but trimmed
of greens and tips
6 tablespoons kosher salt
2 quarts water

2 cups cauliflower florets (cut into 1-inch

pieces, about 10 ounces)
5 cups whole peeled and trimmed
cipollini onions (about 24 ounces)
2 cups halved radishes (stem and root
ends removed, about 12 ounces)

Cook the beets: Cover the beets with cold water in

a heavy saucepan and boil until fork tender, about
1 1/2 hours. Drain them in a colander and let them
cool just until you can handle them. Peel them
warm (the skin slides right off if theyre warm),
then cut them into 3/4-inch cubes. You should have
about 3 cups.

/ cup ground turmeric

/ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Dijon mustard
4 cups Champagne vinegar
3 4
3 4

refrigerate overnight. When ready to use, drain the

vegetables in a colander, rinse them in cold water,
and drain again.
Make the sauce: In large flameproof casserole,
whisk together the turmeric, flour, sugar, mustard,
and 1 cup of the vinegar to make a paste. Add
the remaining 3 cups of vinegar and whisk until
smooth. Over medium heat, bring the sauce to a
boil and cook until it thickens, about 3 minutes,
whisking continually to keep lumps from forming.
Add the vegetables, stirring to coat them, and cook
for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow the
mixture to cool to room temperature.

Brine the vegetables: Place the salt and 1 quart of

the water in a 2-gallon zip-top bag. Seal the bag
and massage it a few times to help dissolve the salt.
Add the beets, cauliflower, onions, and radishes to
the bag along with the remaining 1 quart of water.
Seal the bag again, pressing out any air, so that
the vegetables are completely submerged. Place
the bag in a large bowl (to stabilize it) and let the
vegetables sit on the counter for several hours, or

Store the piccalilli: Refrigerate the piccalilli or preserve and store it per the instructions on page 25.

E
Brine, Stocks, Sauces,
and Relishes

259

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Marrowfat Peas
Marrowfat is the name we Irish give to mature shelling peas left on the vine to dry. To prepare these old peas,
you soak them in water overnight like beans and then boil them to death with baking soda before smashing
them into what we call mushy peas, a dish I never cared for. But dont worry, this is a recipe for fresh, tender
garden peas, refined and made all the richer with little, intact pieces of beef marrowhence my little bit of
irony in referring to them as marrowfat peas.
You can blanch the peas a day ahead, but put this recipe together when just ready to serve.

D serves 6 E
6 quarts water
11/2 cups table salt
2 cups fresh, shelled peas
2 (4-inch) beef marrowbones

5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut

into pieces
3 large shallots, minced
1/4 cup chicken stock (page 239)

Blanch the peas: Refer to How to Blanch Green

Vegetables on page 162 to cook the peas in the
water and salt for 3 minutes. Shock them in an ice
water bath, drain, and then blot them dry.

/ teaspoon kosher salt

/ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
1 2
1 4

Prepare the dish: In a slope-sided saut pan over

medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the butter until
it bubbles. Stir in the shallots and let them sweat
for 30 seconds, until translucent. Stir in the peas,
stock, and marrow. Increase the heat to high and
add the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter, stirring
constantly until it melts and the sauce thickens,
about 2 minutes. Stir in the salt, pepper, and
thyme. Serve hot.

Prepare the marrow: Fill a large bowl with ice

water. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and
cook the bones in it for 3 minutes. Transfer them
to the ice water to cool. Blot the bones dry on
paper towels. Use a chopstick or other narrow
implement to remove the marrow from the bones,
then cut it into approximately 1/2-inch pieces.

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MYI
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Copyright 2014 by Cathal Armstrong and

David Hagedorn
Photographs copyright 2014 by Scott Suchman
Front cover photograph copyright 2014 by Sang An
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ten Speed Press,
an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group,
a division of Random House LLC, New York,
a Penguin Random House Company.
www.crownpublishing.com
www.tenspeed.com
Ten Speed Press and the Ten Speed Press colophon
are registered trademarks of Random House LLC.
Food and prop styling for photographs on pages iii,
18, 24, 26, 33, 43, 52, 58, 89, 90, 95, 96, 104, 106, 116,
123, 125, 128, 139, 150, 153, 157, 161, 164, 173, 213, 237,
249, 258 by Lisa Cherkasky
Food styling for front cover photograph by
George Dolese
Prop styling for front cover photograph by
Glenn Jenkins

Arms_9781607744306_5p_all_r1.indd 272

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Armstrong, Cathal.
My Irish table : recipes from the homeland and
Restaurant Eve / Cathal Armstrong, David Hagedorn.
First edition.
pages cm
Includes index.
1. Cooking, Irish. 2. Cooking, American. I. Hagedorn,
David, 1959- II. Restaurant Eve. III. Title.
TX717.5.A762 2014
641.59417--dc23
2013039099
Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-60774-430-6
eBook ISBN: 978-1-60774-431-3
Printed in China
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
First Edition

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