Forty years ago this week, I had my passport stamped at Shannon Airport with the official greeting: “Permitted to land in Ireland for three months.” I was arriving on my first visit to Ireland, and within a few hours, enjoying my first Irish breakfast. A “full Irish” to be sure — eggs, bacon (rashers), sausage (bangers), black and white puddings, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, brown bread, toast, butter, and jam— oh my!
In my latest cookbook, “Delicious Ireland: Forty Years of Fabulous Food,” I wrote about that first meal: “We all treasured Ireland for reasons of our own, but none of us thought much about the food then — except breakfast, perhaps, when we would sit down with total strangers and be fussed over about how we wanted our eggs cooked and whether we wanted a bit of porridge to start or did we need more toast and jam.”
Not a pancake in sight. No French toast. No granola. No eggs Benedict, and certainly no vegetarian options such as Grilled Flatbread, Labneh, Smashed Avocado, and Chili (currently on the menu at Ashford Castle) or Avocado, Butterbean, and Poached Eggs with Walnut Dukkah (offered at Bewley’s Café in Dublin). How times have changed!
Over the course of forty years, food fairs, festivals, and farmers markets have blossomed; gourmet food shops have flourished; artisan cheesemakers have multiplied; and breakfast offerings are more exciting than ever. The “full Irish” still tops most menus (some hotels offer a “mini” version for smaller appetites), and you can still enjoy a steaming bowl of porridge (with or without a drizzle of Irish whiskey), but during my latest visit in June I noted some fabulous new additions along with long-standing favorites.
I enjoyed my first breakfast at The Landsdowne Kenmare (landsdownekenmare.com), where the Mini Irish comes with the expected bacon and eggs but adds black pudding from nearby Sneem (two butchers there, Burns and Sullivan, both on North Square, bake the traditional oatmeal/blood pudding in an unusual square shape), raisin and apple chutney, and sourdough toast. Flahavan’s Finest Porridge Oats (my choice) is topped with seasonal berries, cinnamon, and honey, and Homemade Nut and Maple Granola is served with berries and natural yogurt. Other more contemporary options include Beetroot Hummus with Poached Eggs and Basil Pesto, and Baked Eggs in a Bean, Lentil, and Pepper Skillet. Traditionalists will enjoy these recipes, with more to come in next week’s Echo.
THE LANSDOWNE KENMARE HEIR ISLAND BROWN BREAD
Makes 1 Loaf
Heir Island, located off the coast of West Cork (a 4-minute ferry ride from Cunnamore Pier), is home to Island Cottage, the smallest cookery school in the country and the source of this recipe. It’s a standout in the Landsdowne’s Breadbasket, which also includes its sourdough bread.
3 cups extra coarse wheat flour
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
Butter and jam, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Spray a 9-inch loaf pan with no-stick cooking spray. Line the pan with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and oil.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture. With a wooden spoon, mix well. Transfer the mixture to the prepared pan.
4. Bake the bread for about 45 minutes, until a skewer inserted the center comes out almost clean. Remove the pan from the oven; invert the bread onto a wire rack. Return the bread to the oven; bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into slices. Serve slices spread with butter and preserves.
GRANOLA
Homemade granola is one of the most popular offerings on an Irish breakfast menu. Serve it with seasonal berries, plain yogurt, and a drizzle of maple syrup.
Makes about 14 servings
3 cups Irish oatmeal
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup cashews
1/3 cup pistachios
1/3 cup pecans
1/3 cup hazelnuts
2 teaspoons sunflower oil
4 tablespoons honey
1/2 cup maple syrup, plus more for drizzling
1 teaspoon vanilla
Seasonal berries, for serving
Plain yogurt, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Coat a large, rimmed baking sheet with no-stick cooking oil spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the oats, pumpkin seeds, cashews, pistachios, pecans, and hazelnuts. In a separate bowl, whisk together the honey, oil, syrup, and vanilla.
3. Stir the honey mixture into the oats mixture; spread out on the prepared pan.
4. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, turning 3 to 4 times, until the mixture is browned. Turn off heat. Leave in the oven 45 to 60 minutes or until crisp. Let cool completely. Store in an airtight metal or glass container for up to 2 weeks.
PHOTO BY FLAHAVAN'S
FLAHAVAN’S PORRIDGE AND YOGURT BREAD
Makes 1 Loaf
Flahavan’s oats, milled on the banks of the River Mahon in Kilmacthomas, County Waterford, for 200 years, is also a terrific ingredient in this brown bread.
2 cups natural yogurt
1 large egg, beaten
1 tablespoon treacle
4 1/4 cups Flahavan’s porridge oats
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons mixed seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt
Butter and jam, for serving
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9-inch loaf pan or line with parchment paper.
2. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, egg, and treacle. In separate bowl, combine oats, soda, mixed seeds, and salt. Stir oats mixture into yogurt mixture.
3. Transfer to prepared pan and bake for 30 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F and bake for 30 minutes longer, or until a skewer inserted into center comes out clean. Remove from oven; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into slices. Serve slices spread with butter and preserves.
Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page now includes “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” For further details on her work, including how to order her signed cookbooks, visit irishcook.com
