An Irish Country Family--An Irish Country Novel
Page 37
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
2 lbs. / 910 g. ripe tomatoes, skin taken off, or equivalent weight in canned tomatoes
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon sugar
34 oz./1 L. vegetable or chicken stock (good-quality stock cubes are grand for this)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cream and chopped fresh basil or parsley to garnish
When I am in a hurry, I like to use the canned tomatoes instead, which I think have a better flavour anyway. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions, carrot, and potato. Cover with a lid and cook gently for about 10 minutes until softened. Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes. Then add the garlic, sugar, and stock, and simmer for about 15 minutes. With an immersion blender or in a food processor, puree until smooth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a swirl of cream and chopped basil or parsley.
Kinky’s Note: If using fresh tomatoes, immerse them in boiling water for a minute, then plunge them into ice-cold water and draw a line round the tomato with a sharp knife. This will make it easy to peel off the skin.
BEEF AND DUMPLINGS
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4 to 5 lbs./2½ kg. brisket (bone in)
2 medium onions, chopped
3 or 4 carrots, peeled and chopped
25 fluid oz./740 mL. beef stock
8 fluid oz./ 235 mL. red wine
2 tablespoons tomato puree
4 bay leaves
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch parsley, chopped
Preheat the oven to 225°F / 100°C. Put everything except the parsley into a Dutch oven or a large lidded casserole dish. Cover the pot with foil and then the lid. You want this to be a really tight fit so that it will not evaporate too much.
Cook for about 8 hours or overnight. Alternatively, you could use a slow cooker. Let the beef cool in the cooking liquor, and when cool remove the meat, leave to one side, and slice into portions. Remove the bay leaves. Before you skim the surface fat from the liquor it helps to chill it in the refrigerator first.
Skim off the fat and liquidise the stock, adjust the seasonings, and bring up to a simmer on the stovetop. If the stock seems a little watery, just turn up the heat and reduce the quantity. Return the beef to the cooking pot, together with the chopped parsley.
Now make the dumplings.
SUET DUMPLINGS
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7 oz./200 g. suet
14 oz./400 g. self-raising flour
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
2 teaspoons salt
A little water
Rub or cut the suet into the flour, parsley, and salt and make into a dough with the water. Form the dough into egg-shaped pieces and add to the meat and the stock. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes, by which time the dumplings will have doubled in size. Serve in individual dishes with some chopped parsley sprinkled over.
Kinky’s Note: For really light dumplings, do not open the lid when cooking and keep it just at a simmer.
VARIATION:
Beef Cobbler: Instead of suet dumplings you could try this scone topping for a nice change.
COBBLER SCONE TOPPING
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3½ oz./100 g. wholemeal flour
3½ oz /100 g. plain flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
A pinch of salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary
5½ oz./156 g. cheddar cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
4 to 5 tablespoons buttermilk
Chopped fresh parsley
Mix all the dry ingredients in a bowl, but reserve some of the grated cheese. Stir in the milk gradually to make a soft dough. You may not need all the milk or you may need a little more.
Work quickly on a floured surface and roll out to about 1 inch thick at least. Now cut out round scones, glaze with beaten egg, and cover the surface of the beef stew in the casserole with the scones. Top the scones with the reserved grated cheese, pressing it down a little so that it sticks to the scone.
Bake on top of the beef casserole in a hot oven (220°C / 425°F) uncovered for 25 minutes or until the scone topping has risen and is golden brown.
Sprinkle some chopped parsley on top before serving.
GINGER BISCUITS
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3 oz./85 g. plain flour
½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2½ oz./60 g. sugar
3 oz./85 g. rolled oats
Ginger root, about 2 inches, peeled and chopped or grated finely
4 oz./113 g. butter
1 tablespoon syrup—golden or maple
1 tablespoon milk
Preheat the oven to 150°C /300°F.
Line 2 large baking tins with baking parchment. Put all the dry ingredients and the ginger into a large bowl and mix together. Melt butter, syrup, and milk in a saucepan and mix into the dry ingredients. Pop it into the fridge for about 5 minutes, until it has firmed up and cooled.
Now put heaped teaspoons on the baking sheets, very well-spaced apart as they spread while cooking. Flatten the top of each biscuit with the back of a spoon and bake until lightly browned.
This can take between 10 minutes and 20 minutes depending on your oven. Now you need to let them cool on the trays, otherwise they would disintegrate. When they are cool enough to move, transfer to a cooling rack and store, when cold, in an air-tight box.
CHERRY CAKE
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Serves 6
7 oz./200 g. glacé cherries
8 oz./225 g. flour
2 level teaspoons baking powder
6 oz./175 g. softened butter
6 oz./175 g. sugar
1 lemon, grated zest only
2 teaspoons vanilla essence
3 large eggs
TO DECORATE
6 oz./175 g. confectioners’ sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
6 extra glacé cherries, quartered
Grease and flour a round 9-inch cake tin. Preheat the oven to 350°F/180°C.
Cut the cherries into quarters and toss in flour.
Beat the remaining ingredients well and fold in the floured cherries.
Put into the prepared baking tin and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until well risen and golden. Press gently with a finger on top, and if the cake springs back, it is cooked. Alternatively, you could insert a skewer into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean it is properly cooked.
Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes and then cool on a wire rack.
Icing the cake
Mix the confectioners’ sugar with the lemon juice and drizzle randomly over the cake. Place the cherries in the icing to decorate.
Kinky’s Note: Tossing the cherries in flour stops them sinking to the bottom of the cake.
GLOSSARY
I have in all the previous Irish Country novels provided a glossary to help the reader who is unfamiliar with the vagaries of the Queen’s English as it may be spoken by the majority of people in Ulster. This is a regional dialect akin to English as spoken in Yorkshire or on Tyneside. It is not Ulster-Scots, which is claimed to be a distinct language in its own right. I confess I am not a speaker.
Today in Ulster (but not in 1969, when this book is set) official signs are written in English, Irish, and Ulster-Scots. The washroom sign would read Toilets, Leithris (Irish), and Cludgies (Ulster-Scots). I hope what follows here will enhance your enjoyment of the work, although, I am afraid, it will not improve your command of Ulster-Scots.
999: Emergency telephone number like 911 in North America.
anyroad: Anyway.
away off (and feel your head/bumps/and
chase yourself): Don’t be stupid.
beat Bannagher: Wildly exceed expectations.
beeling: Suppurating.
biscuit: Cookie.
bejizzis/by jasus: By Jesus. In Ireland, despite the commandment proscribing taking the name of the Lord in vain, mild blasphemy frequently involves doing just that. See also Jasus, Jasus Murphy, Jesus Mary and Joseph.
bleeper: Pager.
bodhran: Irish. Pronounced “bowron.” Circular hand-held drum.
boke: Vomit.
bollix/bollox: Testicles (impolite), or foul-up.
bonnaught: Irish mercenary of the fourteenth century.
borrowed: Loaned.
both legs the same length: Standing around uselessly.
bout ye?: How are you. See also How’s about ye?
boys-a-dear or boys-a-boys: Expression of amazement.
brass neck: Arrogance.
brave: Large number.
bravely: Very, large, or good/well.
brung: Brought.
bum: Borrow with little intention of repaying.
burroo: The unemployment bureau which paid benefits.
bye: Boy. Often tacked on to the end of sentences by people from Counties Cork and Antrim.
by jeekers: By Jesus.
cadger: One who is constantly “bumming.”
can’t feel nothing: Double negative. Can’t feel anything.
céilidh: Irish. Pronounced “kaylee.” Party with traditional Irish dancing and music.
chips: French fries.
chuffed: Very pleased.
chuntered: Kept going on about.
clatter: Indeterminate number. See also wheen. The size of the number can be enhanced by adding brave or powerful as a precedent to either. As an exercise, try to imagine the numerical difference between a brave clatter and a powerful wheen of spuds.
coarse: Rude and abrasive.
come on on (on) in: Is not a typographical error. This item of Ulsterspeak drives spellcheck mad.
cow’s lick: Fringe of hair diagonally across forehead.
craic: Pronounced “crack.” Practically untranslatable, it can mean great conversation and fun (the craic was ninety) or “What has happened since I saw you last?” (What’s the craic?). Often seen outside pubs in the Republic of Ireland: “Craic agus ceol,” meaning “fun and music.”
cracker: Very good. Of a girl, very good-looking.
cross my heart: Completed by “and hope to die.” Implied, if what I am telling you is not the truth.
cup of tea/scald in your hand: An informal cup of tea, as opposed to tea that was synonymous with the main evening meal (dinner).
dab hand: Expert.
dead/dead on: Very/absolutely right or perfectly.
dickie-bird: Cockney rhyming slang. Word.
dinner suit: Tuxedo.
divil: Devil.
docker: Longshoreman.
do-re-mi: Tonic sol-fa scale, but meaning “dough” as in money.
dosh: Money.
duncher: Flat cloth cap.
dunt: Blow or strike.
ECG: Electrocardiogram; in North America, EKG.
eejit/buck eejit: Idiot/complete idiot.
ferocious: Extreme.
fire away: Go ahead.
flying: Drunk.
Fomorian: One of the early races said to have inhabited Ireland.
fornenst: Nearby.
forward: Impertinent.
gander: Look-see or male goose.
git: Corruption of begotten. Frequently with hoor’s. (whore’s.) Derogatory term for an unpleasant person. Not a term of endearment.
giving off: Scolding.
glipe (great): Idiot (imbecile).
goat (ould): Stupid person, but used as a term of affection.
grand altogether/so: Very good.
ham-fisted: Clumsy.
have or take a pew: Be seated. A pew was a bench in a church.
having me on: Trying to baffle me.
heart bled: Had great empathy for.
heart of corn: Very good-natured.
heels of the hunt (at the): When all is said and done.
hide nor hair: Not a trace.
high doh (up to): Very agitated.
higheejin: Very important person, often only in the subject’s own mind.
hold-all: Soft bag like a sports bag.
hooley: Boisterous party.
how’s about ye?: How are you.
I’m your man: I agree and will follow where you lead.
jag: Prick or jab.
jar/jug: Alcoholic drink.
let the hare sit: Let sleeping dogs lie.
like the hammers of hell: Moving very rapidly or powerfully.
liltie: Irish whirling dervish.
Jeekers (by): Jesus, by Jesus.
kipper: A herring which has been split, gutted, rubbed with salt, and cured with smoke, preferably from oak shavings. kippered: Physically destroyed.
learns me: Teaches me. In Ulster, meanings are often reversed, as in “Borrow me a cup of sugar.”
lug(ged): Ear, kind of marine worm. (Carried awkwardly.)
marley: Child’s marble.
marry up: Marry into a higher social class.
MC: Master of ceremonies.
medicine: The speciality of internal medicine.
midder: Midwifery, now called obstetrics.
mind: Remember.
more power to your wheel: Words of encouragement akin to “The very best of luck.”
muck out: Remove all droppings and soiled straw from a byre or stables.
no harm til you, but: “I do not mean to cause you any offence,” usually followed by, “you are absolutely wrong,” or an insult.
no rest for the wicked: Self-deprecatory humorous remark of someone who is feeling slightly put upon.
not as green as you’re cabbage-looking: You may look a bit dim but inside you’re sharp as a tack.
not at oneself: Feeling under the weather.
och: Exclamation to register whatever emotion you wish. “Och, isn’t she lovely?” “Och, he’s dead?” “Och, damn it.” Pronounced like clearing your throat.
operating theatre: OR.
orange and green: The colours of Loyalists and Republicans. Used to symbolize the age-old schism in Irish politics.
ould/oul: Old.
ould hand: My friend.
oxter/oxtercog: Armpit/help walk by draping an individual’s arm over one’s shoulder.
paddy hat: Soft-crowned, narrow-brimmed Donegal tweed hat.
Paddy’s market: Disorganised crowd.
party piece: Performance to be given at social events.
pavement: Sidewalk.
peely-wally: From lowland Scots. Unwell.
pethidine: Demerol.
pipes: Three kinds of bagpipes are played in Ireland. The Great Highland pipes, three drones; the Brian Boru pipes, three drones and four to thirteen keys on the chanter; and the uilleann (elbow) inflated by bellows held under the elbow.
piss artist: Heavy drinker.
plaits: Braids.
plum cake: Fruitcake.
potato crisps: Potato chips.
Premium Bonds: A UK government-sponsored lottery begun in 1956. No interest was paid but every bond had a chance to win a prize once a month. The bonds could be redeemed for face value at any time.
quare: Ulster and Dublin pronunciation of “queer,” meaning “very” or “strange.”
Radió Éireann: Irish State radio network. Pr
onounced, “Raddeeo Airann.”
Radió Telefis Éireann (RTE): Irish State Television network. Pronounced, “Raddeeo Telluhfeesh Airann.”
ranks of junior medical staff and North American equivalents: Houseman/intern. Senior house officer/junior resident. Registrar/more senior resident. Senior registrar (usually attained after passing the speciality examinations)/chief resident.
rickets, near taking the: Nothing to do with the vitamin D deficiency disease, but an expression of having had a great surprise or shock.
rightly (do): Very well. (Be adequate if not perfect for the task.)
Róisín: Irish. Pronounced “Rowsheen.” Little rose, or rosebud.
ruction: Brawl.
shenanigans: Carryings-on.
shite/shit: “Shite” is the noun (“He’s a right shite”) “shit” the verb (“I near shit a brick.”)
sicken your happiness: Disappoint you greatly.
skitters: Diarrhoea.
sláinte: Irish. Pronounced “slawntuh.” Cheers. Mud in your eye. Skoal. A toast.
snaps: Photographs.
soft hand under a duck: Gentle or very good at.
solicitor: Attorney.
so sharp you’ll cut yourself: Too clever by half.
so/so it is, etc: Tacked to the end of a sentence for emphasis in Counties Cork/Ulster.
sound (man): Terrific (trustworthy, reliable, admirable man).
speak of the devil: Is completed by “and he’s sure to turn up” when someone whose name has been recently mentioned appears on the scene.
sticking out/a mile: Good/excellent.
stocious: Drunk.
sweets/sweeties: Candies.
taking a hand out of: Teasing.
tat-ta-ta-ra: Boisterous party.
tea: The main evening meal.
that there/them there: That/them with emphasis.
the night/day: Tonight/today.
the sick: Benefit paid by the state to people who are off work because of illness.
the wee man: The devil.
thole: Put up with. A reader, Miss D. Williams, wrote to me to say it was etymologically from the Old English tholian, to suffer. She remarked that her first encounter with the word was in a fourteenth-century prayer.
thon/thonder: That or there. “Thon eejit shouldn’t be standing over thonder.”
thran: Bloody-minded.
tights: Pantyhose.
tongue hanging out: Dying for a drink.