Irish Lenten recipes

The luck of the Irish; it always seems that we celebrate St. Patrick’s Day during Lent. Good thing Ireland is an island, so seafood is a normal part of the daily table. I discovered Irish seafood chowder when I visited my “homeland” several years back. I found this recipe, which tastes about as close as I can get it to the original chowder off the coast of Belfast.

What is Lent without a fish fry? I have been using Virginia’s fish batter recipe for years. Mark loves how the fluffy batter lets the fish flavor come through; just make sure the oil is hot enough. The trick is to let a drop of water hit the oil. If it splatters and splutters violently, then the oil is ready to drop in the battered fish. If I’m frying fish, I’m also making tartar sauce, except we use ketchup to give it color and a different flavor than regular tartar sauce. Enjoy.

Fried fish batter — Virginia Ross

1 cup flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 egg

3/4 cup water

1 tablespoon vinegar

Combine all ingredients, adding vinegar last, as it makes the batter light. Dip pieces of fish in batter, covering all surfaces. Drain and drop in hot oil to deep fry.

This batter is really a light batter and can be used for onion rings, too. Deep fry in very hot oil. Flip over after a couple of minutes. Batter should be golden brown. When done, using tongs, lift the fish out of oil and let drain a bit over the fryer before serving.

Tartar sauce — Dowell family recipe

1 1/2 cups salad dressing

1/4 cup relish (we use our homemade pepper relish)

Lots of ketchup for color and flavor

Salt, to taste

Splash lemon juice, optional for a kick

Horseradish sauce, optional for an extra kick

Mix together. Serve with fried fish. Refrigerate leftovers. Makes a great spread for hamburgers as well. We always claimed it was the recipe for the secret sauce in Big Macs. These measurements are approximate. We never measure, just start throwing together to get the flavor and color we want. These are good starting points.

Irish seafood chowder

4 ounces bacon

1 tablespoon butter

1 onion, diced

1/2 cup green onions, divided

3/4 cup celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 cloves garlic, smashed and chopped

3 yellow potatoes, diced

1 pound fish (cod, halibut, smoked haddock, salmon, shrimp, clams, etc.)

3 cups fish stock (find in soup section) or vegetable stock

1 can evaporated milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning

2 teaspoons dried thyme

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, cook bacon until crispy and fat has rendered. Pull the bacon out of the pot. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat and add butter. Sauté onions and ¼ cup green onions in pot for about a minute, until slightly softened and translucent. Add celery, carrots, thyme and garlic; cook another minute. Add the Old Bay seasoning and season with salt and pepper. Add diced potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour in the stock and evaporated milk. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. When soup simmers, turn to low and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. You don’t want the potatoes to fall apart, so don’t overdo it.

Add uncooked fish and continue to simmer about 10 more minutes (this will largely depend on the size and cut of the fish). If you are concerned about cooking time, cut the fish into small pieces; this will ensure it cooks quickly. Cook gently over a simmer, not a rapid boil. The fish is done when it easily flakes into the soup. After fish has cooked and you have flaked it, add smoked fish (if using) in small pieces. Add heavy cream and a lot of black pepper to finish. Serve garnished with cooked bacon and the remaining ¼ cup sliced green onions (or dried chives). This will be a thinner and milkier soup compared to American clam chowder, but it is oh so good.

I buy more than 2 pounds of fish for this recipe. I use half and freeze the other half, ready to throw into another pot of soup.

Irish whiskey cake with salted caramel frosting

1 ½ cups sifted flour (175 g)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon brown sugar (175 g)

1 tablespoon Irish whiskey

1/2 cup butter (110g), melted and cooled

2 large eggs

4 teaspoons black treacle (substitute with black molasses; another option is maple syrup, but it will change the flavor and texture of the cake)

3/4 cup milk (200 ml)

1/4 cup pecans (25 g), chopped

Grease and line an 8-inch cake pan with parchment paper. Sieve flour, baking powder and spices together in a bowl, making a well in center. Mix together brown sugar, whiskey and cooled melted butter. Add milk and eggs; mix. Pour into well in dry ingredients. Mix until a smooth batter has been achieved. Pour into prepared cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-55 minutes until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool slightly and then invert onto a wire tray and allow to cool fully.

Frosting:

1/2 cup superfine or baker’s sugar (110g caster sugar)

4 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons cream (50 ml)

Pinch sea salt, to taste

1/2 cup butter (110g), softened

2 3/4 cups powdered sugar (300 g icing sugar)

For the salted caramel buttercream, heat the baker’s sugar and water in a saucepan over gentle heat until sugar has dissolved, then increase heat and cook caramel, unstirred for 2-3 minutes or until golden and slightly thickened. Remove pan from heat immediately and whisk in cream. Be careful as caramel may splutter and boil up a little when you add cream. Stir in salt and allow to cool in a clean bowl.

Cream butter and powdered sugar together for at least 4-5 minutes, then beat in a little caramel to achieve a nice smooth consistency. You won’t need all of it at this time. Spread the frosting over the cake and drizzle remaining caramel sauce over cake. Garnish with chopped pecans.

As their four children pursue dairy careers off the family farm, Natalie and Mark Schmitt started an adventure of milking registered Holsteins just because they like good cows on their farm north of Rice, Minnesota.