Bringing the luck of the Irish into your kitchen
There is more to Irish cooking than corned beef and cabbage, which, by the way, is so much more popular with Irish American than it is with anyone back at the Emerald Isle.
Ireland has a rich culinary heritage, and its fertile grounds and surrounding waters have allowed for a bounty of dishes to come fourth from the land and the sea.
In his new debut cookbook, My Irish Table, chef Cathal Armstrong celebrates the food of his homeland and his life.
A native of Dublin, Armstrong is best known for Restaurant Eve, in Alexandria, Va., which he opened in 2004. His work there has earned him many recognitions including a Best Mid-Atlantic Chef nominee by the James Beard Foundation in 2011, selected as both Food & Wine magazine’s “10 Best New Chefs 2006” and honored in Food & Wine magazine’s “50 Hall of Fame Best New Chefs” and Best Chef Award Winner by the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington DC.
Armstrong’s cookbook features 130 delicious recipes and draws on his Irish upbringing as well as his professional experience and French culinary training.
Former chef and restaurateur turned writer, David Hagedorn assisted Armstrong with developing the cookbook and shares a co-authorship credit. Hagedorn was the co-chair of the second annual Human Rights Campaign Chefs for Equality in Washington, D.C. to help raise funds and awareness about the fight for marriage equality.
“The book differs from others in that it is the autobiographical journey of one particular Irishman,” says Hagedorn, who is also quick to point out that Armstrong grew up in a household where the father was the primary cook, something highly unusual in Ireland, where the mothers of his generation did the cooking.
In addition to being the family cook, Armstrong’s father owned a travel business and would regularly take his family on trips to neighboring European countries and around the world. As Armstrong shares in his book, the exposure to other cultures and food, helped shape his approach to cooking. His inclusion of a recipe for paella, a Spanish dish, in the book makes that point clear.
One of Hagedorn’s favorite dishes from the cookbook is the Dublin Coddle, a stew of chunky bacon, Irish breakfast sausages, potatoes, cream and thyme.
“He had me on bacon with [the Dublin Coodle]. Hearty and seductive, this dish,” swoons Hagedorn. “I also love the Crab and Artichoke Salad with Harissa Mayonnaise. Irish coastal waters are filled with crabs; this recipe takes advantage of our unmatched True Blue Maryland crabmeat. Tossed with artichokes poached in olive oil and zesty harissa mayonnaise, the sweetness of the crabmeat really shines through. It’s an elegant and refreshing dish.”
My Irish Table is available from Amazon in hardcover and for the Kindle.
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