When I first was first told of a new Irish cookbook, my knee-jerk reaction was skepticism. Porridge? Corned beef and cabbage? Mashed potato-topped shepherd’s pie. 

I should have known better. For the past twenty-five years, Ireland has been mostly on an economic upswing, led by growth in tech, finance, and pharma. Its population, particularly in its cities, is relatively young, educated, and affluent. As a result, there’s is a lively food scene that emphasizes ingredients that are locally farmed, fished, and produced.

To be clear, Ireland native Judith McLoughlin, the author of A Return to Ireland, A Culinary Journey from Ireland to America, is not a part of that scene. In the mid-nineties, she and her husband left their home in County Armagh (Northern Ireland) to settle in Atlanta, Georgia. An accomplished cook, Judith began to host Irish-themed dinners, bringing together Irish and newfound American (mostly Southern) cooking traditions. This led to relationships and events across the country, including at the James Beard Foundation in New York. 

Following the success of McLoughlin’s first cookbook,The Shamrock and the Peach, she and her husband opened a same-named gourmet store. This, in turn, spurred the start of a food-tour enterprise, in which McLoughlin introduces small groups to sights, smells, and tastes of her native land. 

The dishes, aided by spectacular photography, generally look appealing. Most are relatively familiar – shrimp with butter and mixed herbs, lamb shanks with balsamic vinegar and rosemary. Most call for fresh and foods, and familiar ingredients. (Corned beef, she writes, is rarely eaten in Ireland.) 

Root vegetables star in soups and salads, often paired with citrus, ginger or julienned apple or pear. Legumes and grains, potatoes and cabbage make expected appearances, but in unexpected contexts: Atlantic cod in a green (cabbage leaves) jacket with herb butter; roasted potato cups filled with mushrooms, garlic olive oil, and Irish cheddar cheese.

You’ll find plenty of sweet and savory tarts and desserts both traditional (posset, a kind of custard) and startling (dark chocolate ganache with Cashel blue cheese). 

The book is arranged in chapters: Irish immigrant, comfort, celebration, rustic, and fusion foods – although to me, each dish seemed to me to fit all categories. A clearer thread throughout is the story of McLoughlin’s great-grandparents’ emigration to the States in 1896, precisely one hundred years before she and her husband did the same.

Using her imagination, she paints a tender picture of young John and Etta, sailing to Boston in search of opportunity and finding each other—by chance— in the employ of the same Boston Brahmin family. (An intriguing footnote: after her great-grandfather inherited land from a relative, the couple moved back to Ireland at a time when reverse migration was rare.)

The book is lovely to look at. The photography is masterful. Shallow depth-of-field emphasizes the food itself styled on rustic crockery, and in vintage glassware, laid out on burlap and muslin covering weathered wooden tables. There are also wonderful photos of the Irish countryside, homes, and Celtic ruins.

Just a couple of caveats: if you’re interested in the book for more than sentimental reasons, check your cholesterol levels going in. Along with vinegar and stout—butter, cream, crème fraîche, and cheese figure prominently in many of the dishes. Finally, despite the appeal of McLoughlin’s amiable writing style, I wish she’d had a better copy editor. The book is riddled with awkward syntax, run-on sentences, grammatical errors, and mismatched modifiers that didn’t kill the experience, but certainly got in the way. 

Sunday Supper Rosemary Chicken Supreme
Serves 4

Chicken Supreme Ingredients
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tablespoon of butter
4 chicken breast fillets (2 pounds)
12 ounces artichokes hearts (cut in quarters)
Fine sea salt and pepper

Sauce Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium (3 tablespoons) shallot finely chopped
2 garlic cloves (minced)
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
¾ cup chicken stock
¼ cup dry white wine
½ cup Dubliner Irish cheese (finely grated)
1 tablespoon rosemary (finely chopped)

Directions

1. Season the chicken fillets with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

2. In a large skillet, melt the butter and oil over medium high heat. Add the chicken breasts and sear on both sides until they are browned. Remove the chicken from the skillet for a few minutes to make the sauce.

3. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

4. To make the sauce, melt the butter in the same skillet the chicken fillets were browned. Add the shallot and cook until for a few minutes, until it is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook for one minute until fragrant, being careful not to burn the garlic.

5. Add the wine and cook on medium for about 5 minutes or until the wine has almost evaporated. Add the chicken stock and cream and cook for a few minutes. Stir in the Dubliner Irish cheese until the cheese has melted.

6. Add the chicken fillets back into the skillet and spoon the sauce on top. Arrange the artichokes hearts all around the chicken.

7. Bake the chicken supreme in the oven for a further 18–20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked and firm to the touch (internal temperature of 165°F).

8. To serve, place a chicken breast in the center of each plate and spoon more sauce on top.

Crumbled Corn Beef & Sweet Potato Tart
Serves 6

Pastry Ingredients
1¼ cups all-purpose flour (sifted)
¼ teaspoon salt
7 tablespoons unsalted butter (chilled)
2–4 tablespoons ice cold water

Filling Ingredients
7 ounces corn beef (crumbled into small pieces)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks (white parts and some green)
4 large eggs (beaten)
1 cup whipping cream
1 sweet potato (cooked and mashed)
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
? teaspoon white pepper
1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese
½ cup Parmesan cheese

Directions

1. To make the pastry, combine flour and salt in a medium size bowl or food processor. Use a pastry fork or processor to cut in the butter until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time and mix until the dough is moist enough to hold together to form a ball. Flatten into a disc and wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375°F.

3. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough into a circle about 11-inches in diameter for a 9-inch pie plate or fluted tart pan. Trim off any excess pastry and prick the bottom of the dough with a fork.

4. To blind bake the pastry, line with a double layer of foil and bake for 10 minutes to prevent browning. Remove foil and bake pastry for a few more minutes until golden brown. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack and leave oven on.

5. To make filling, in a large skillet add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sauté the leeks for 3–4 minutes or until soft and fragrant and remove from heat.

6. In a food processor or mixing bowl combine eggs, cream, mashed sweet potato, salt and pepper.

7. To assemble the quiche, layer the corn beef and leek and the cheeses and then pour the egg mixture on top.

8. Bake for 30–35 minutes or until the egg sets and is firm to the touch. Allow the quiche to sit for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Photos and recipes courtesy of A Return to Ireland.
Top Bigstock photo by webstoodio

A Return to Ireland: A Culinary Journey
Judith McLoughlin

Our editors love to read and  independently recommend these books. As an Amazon Affiliate, Woman Around Town may receive a small commission from the sale of any book. Thank you for supporting Woman Around Town.