It has been many months since my last Cooking Irish column and I am excited to share my continued belief there is such a thing as Irish Cuisine and Irish Cooking. In the ensuing months, I will be writing about Irish food and recipes from both the United States and Ireland.
That being said, last September my wife Jeanne and I travelled to Boston to attend what was hailed as an “Irish Extravaganza”. The international event was the brainchild of Dublin, Ireland resident, Rachel Kelly, an events professional who desired to showcase contemporary Irish food, drink, music and culture. With investors in hand and the support of Irish Mayor Martin Walsh of Boston, iFest Boston (3 day celebration) took place at the Seaport World Trade Center the weekend of September 26th., 2014
The iFest celebration included the music and talent of Jack L and the Rip-Tide Movement Band, famous Irish Chefs Darina Allen, Kevin Dundon and Cathal Armstrong, Irish Literature, genealogy workshops, a Guinness and Jameson bar, and the Kerrygold Butter and Cheese Company serving and sampling their delicious products.
And of course, attending the outstanding food demonstrations given by the Irish and American chefs took precedent for us. Chef Darina Allen, Ireland’s treasured and world renowned Chef, gave the most entertaining, delightful and professional demonstration of classical Irish baking. Her nephew, Sean Hyde, director of Ballymaloe Foods USA Inc. in Edgewater, NJ present at iFest, graciously gifted us with Ballymaloe Irish ketchup and secured for us recipes Chef Allen demonstrated at the iFest. We present you with one of her recipes, Crunchy Orange Butter Scones. Give the recipe a try and let us know how you made out!
Along with Irish Chef Allen’s recipes, we acquired a recipe from Irish-American Chef Colin Lynch, a graduate of the esteemed Culinary Institute of America and Executive Chef of Menton, an award winning restaurant in Boston, Mass. The recipe he demonstrated presented here was Smoked Haddock (Finnen Haddie) and Leek Chowder which was passed among the attendees at the demonstration; I can assure you, you will want to make it over and over again.
Happily Cooking Irish!
Slainte
Chef Harold Qualters