I
love to talk about Irish food. And I happen to be in Ireland at the moment,
making the most of local food.
Smoked Salmon Chowder |
Irish
food keeps evolving, and quickly. I first visited Ireland in 1998, with my
husband and daughter. With just my daughter in 1999. In 2001, with a friend I’d
met online because we both had ancestors who lived in a tiny townland in County
Carlow. There was a pause of a few years, and then I started going back in
2011, and 2012, and twice in 2013, and now again in 2014. The trips began long
before I even thought of writing, but once I started writing, I knew I had to write
about Ireland, and in particular, County Cork, where my grandfather was born.
Looking
back on those first few trips, I have trouble remembering any noteworthy meals,
either in Dublin or out in the country (unless you count the French fry
sandwich in Carlow). It was almost as though the Irish were trying to live up
to their own reputation for lousy food: watery potatoes, mushy carrots, soggy
cabbage and grey meat. I ate my share of it, because there weren’t a lot of
choices.
But
things started changing. In an Irish paper just this month, I read that West
Cork is now “a byword for good food.” The writer went on to say, “anyone who
doubts that West Cork is now driving the food revolution begun in Ballymaloe
[site of the Ballymaloe Cookery School, also in Cork] should visit the farmers’
market in Skibbereen any Saturday morning.”
I
wrote about that famers’ market after I visited last November. Believe me, this
year I’ll be there, shopping bag in hand.
This
year I’m going back to Ireland (unexpectedly) because the pub that I write
about—that used to be called Connolly’s—is reopening this month, after it went
dark several years ago, and I want to be there. Having decided that I was
going, I started making a list of places I wanted to visit or revisit, and the
farmers’ market was near the top of that list (right after Connolly’s and the
Drombeg Stone Circle). I’m actually staying in Skibbereen this time, and can
walk to the farmers’ market. And to the amazing grocery store, where last year
I bought wild game. Funny—sounds like I’m flying a couple of thousand miles
just to eat, doesn’t it?
But
it’s not happening only in the big town (Skibbereen’s population is about
2,700), but in the smaller villages as well. There’s Leap, which now has a
bistro (that opened last year) with good food. There’s tiny Union Hall (2006
population, 192, although there are plenty of summer holiday visitors), which
has its own fishing operation and a fishmonger with fresh fish that make me
want to weep; and a place down the road that makes its own smoked salmon; and a
new distillery that makes Irish whiskey.
Yes,
West Cork has discovered food--fresh, local, and outstanding. They even have a
food festival (in September, alas, so I will miss it). So rather than find a
cute B&B (since I’m traveling without family and friends this time), I’ve
rented a small one-bedroom place so I could have a kitchen and take advantage
of some of this fabulous fresh food.
And
lest you think that this town has gone food-mad merely as a tourist gimmick, as
a central town in the region Skibbereen has been holding weekly markets for
well over a century—year round. Live chickens and ducks. Apple trees. “Tat”
dealers (sort of like a flea market table). And one man who carves magic wands
from bog oak. Yes, I have one.
This
recipe is a nod to the Union Hall Smoked Fish Company that I hope to
have explored fully by the time you read this. (Wonder how much I can fit into
my carry-on?) The recipe is derived from one I found in Margaret Johnson’s The New Irish Table, into which I
inserted more than a dozen sticky notes the first time I read it. Yum!
Smoked
Salmon Chowder
1
small onion, chopped
1
clove garlic, minced
4
oz. white mushrooms, chopped
2
Tblsp flat-leaf parsley, chopped
4
oz. smoked salmon, chopped
Ground
white pepper to taste
1/4
cup flour
2
cups fish stock or bottled clam juice
1/2
cup cream or half-and-half
Sour
cream and a few fresh dill sprigs for garnish
In
a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the chopped onion,
garlic, mushrooms and parsley. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Add the
salmon and the pepper and sauté for another two minutes, until the salmon is
heated through.
Remove
the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. Return to the burner and cook over low heat, stirring (this “cooks”
the flour). Gradually add the fish stock or clam juice, stirring continuously
until the flour is incorporated. Return to medium heat and bring to a boil,
then quickly reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the
mixture thickens. Stir in the cream.
Ladle
the soup into bowls. Add a spoonful of sour cream or crème fraiche and top with
a dill sprig.
It's a fairly quick recipe (once you get done chopping everything!), and I
have a suspicion that this soup might be good cold as well.
Sláinte!
And since I'm talking about Ireland, here's a sneak peek at the cover for the next County Cork Mystery, An Early Wake (coming February 2015)
Just an add-on: when I stopped in at the fish shop seen above, the same man was there. I'd met him exactly once, last year, but he greeted me with "you're the author, right?"
ReplyDeleteThat's so exciting! He remembered you!
DeleteLOL - "you're the author, right..." - music to the ears. :)
DeleteWhat a lovely experience Sheila, next time bring us along! The new cover is wonderful...
ReplyDeleteI love the new cover, too, Sheila. One of my friends was telling me about stone circles in England, so I'm eager to hear about the one you visited. This soup sounds delicious. Love that it cooks so fast!
ReplyDeleteSmoked salmon is one of my very favorite foods--so I'm copying down this recipe.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful update on this year's County Cork research, Sheila. With the re-opening of (the former) Connolly's pub and the new awareness and excitement over local foods, it's good news all around.
ReplyDeleteI'll be trying your recipe soon. Looking forward to it. Marc and I love fish chowders, but we've never tried smoked salmon chowder. (Of course, we wish we could sample it with the fresh, local version you're enjoying there now!) Thx for sharing and have a safe trip back.
~ Cleo
This recipe is ridiculously easy--oh, and I just happened to bring some smoked salmon back with me.
DeleteOddly enough, on Friday last I was talking to Sam McNicholl, who is the driving force behind the reopening, and his Australian girlfriend, and they said the were thinking of adding a working kitchen and turning out a limited menu using local products.Fellow foodies! I volunteered to come work in the kitchen with them. They're still wrestling with obtaining the limited liquor license for the music side, but the place looks good now.
I love being along on this trip, Sheila, although I am forty shades of green with jealousy.
ReplyDeleteHugs
MJ