Irish bacon with cabbage is the original St. Patrick’s Day dish. This version, which includes a mouthwatering parsley sauce, is from “Forgotten Skills of Cooking” by Darina Allen.
Ingredients:
- 4 pounds Irish boiling bacon (cured ham, not smoked; this is available on-line or at a traditional Irish grocer)
- 1 Savoy cabbage, trimmed, quartered, and cored • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter • Freshly ground black pepper • Parsley Sauce
- Boiled gold potatoes, for serving
Directions:
- Place bacon in a large pot and add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. If bacon is very salty, a white froth will form on surface of water. In this case, discard water and start again. Repeat process until no froth forms on surface of water; drain.
- Cover bacon with hot water. Cover pot and simmer until almost cooked through, about 1 hour. Meanwhile, slice cabbage across the grain into thin shreds; rinse with cold water if necessary. Add the cabbage to pot with bacon and continue cooking 20 minutes more.
- Remove bacon from pot; strain cabbage and transfer to a large bowl or serving platter. Add butter and season with pepper; toss to combine. Serve bacon and cabbage with parsley sauce and potatoes. Makes 12-15 servings.
Parsley Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 stems fresh parsley
- 3 slices carrot (optional)
- 3 slices onion (optional)
- Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons Roux (butter and flour)
- 4 tablespoons chopped fresh curly-leaf parsley
Directions:
- Place milk, parsley stems, carrot, and onion in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and season with salt and pepper; let simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
- Remove saucepan from heat and strain; discard solids. Return milk to saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Whisk in roux until mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon; season with salt and pepper. Add chopped parsley and reduce heat to very low; simmer for 4 to 5 minutes.
recipes reprinted from Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia / Forgotten Skills of Cooking
