Irish Recipes

Apple Jelly

This well-flavored jelly is very easy to make and will keep -if given a chance. It is delicious on hot, buttered scones or pancakes. The secret lies in the long, slow cooking which extracts the maximum amount of pectin -the setting agent-from the fruit. To ensure a clear, bright jelly it is vital to resist manfully the temptation to squeeze the pulp when straining the liquid.

Directions

Wash and quarter the apples. There is no need to peel or core them. Place in an ovenproof dish and add water. Cover, with aluminum foil if necessary. Cook overnight at the bottom of the oven, gas mark l/2, 225°F, 110°C. Next day strain through a jelly bag or a clean, white pillow case - do not squeeze! Measure the liquid into a large saucepan and for every cupful add a cupful of sugar. Heat to dissolve the sugar and bring to the boil for about 10 minutes or until a little of the mixture gels on a cold saucer. Be careful here, as over-boiling will produce a syrup which will just get thicker without setting. Pour into jars, which have been warmed in the oven and cover with waxed discs and lids.

Irish Farmhouse Breakfast

I have fond memories of a particularly sunny summer a year or two ago when I stayed in a farmhouse on the Dingle peninsula. As well as the good weather I remember the breakfasts.

Start off with a freshly-cut half grapefruit with a dusting of superfine sugar, followed by a bowl of smooth oatmeal porridge gently cooked in milk and served with an individual jug of cream. After that comes rashers, sausages and eggs, the lot served with scones and brown bread warm from the oven, honey, homemade preserves, fresh butter and a pot of tea.

Directions

For each person gently fry two sausages over a low heat until well-cooked through and golden brown on the outside. Also fry a couple of slices each of black and white pudding. Remove from the pan and keep hot. Drain off the fat, as it is somewhat indigestible, and fry two rashers of bacon, having first cut off the rind. Now fry a couple of eggs in the bacon fat, spooning the hot fat over the yolks to set them. Fry a few mushrooms, half a tomato and a slice or two of potato cakes each. Add a pat of butter if there is not sufficient bacon fat, but do not cook in butter alone as it burns at too low a temperature.