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Real Irish Comfort Food

comments (9) March 10th, 2009 in Blogs     
sbreckenridge Sarah Breckenridge, producer
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A few years ago, I was making colcannon, that Irish comfort-food dish of mashed potatoes and cabbage. My recipe came straight from an Irish cook, so I was mystified when it called for "bolted cabbage greens." What the heck are those? My gardening pals had an answer: they're the darker green leaves that "bolt" off the main stalk as the plant matures. In other words, they're not on the head of cabbage you get at the grocery store. Bereft of bolted greens, I substituted kale.

My last CSA share included some exceptionally leafy heads of broccoli. Real bolted greens! It seemed a shame to throw away all those leaves, and anyway, I had a great destination in mind. I coarsely chopped them up, and braised them in butter and water, along with a half head of shredded green cabbage. Meanwhile, I boiled 3 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes and mashed them with a little hot milk and plenty of butter (you might argue it's the butter, rather than the cabbage and potatoes, that makes this dish truly Irish). When the greens were tender, I folded them gently into the mashed potatoes and seasoned with salt and pepper. The broccoli greens add streaks of beautiful color, a little extra texture, and a delicate echo of the cabbage's nutty flavor.

posted in: Blogs, cooking now, comfort food, mashed potatoes, cabbage, Sarah Breckenridge, Irish, St. Patrick's Day
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Comments (9)

SeamusBreathnach writes: This is usually made with kale. Posted: 11:52 pm on March 10th

hipdeepinbooks writes: It sounds like something I ate as a child when we lived in Holland. I remember it being rather bland, so maybe this version is better because of the nutmeg...I'm going to give it a try. Posted: 9:47 pm on March 10th

reinerls writes: Rarely do I find a recipe that I find "exceptional," but this one really is. I made it using kale with the cabbage and potatoes, and am starting a new category in our family for VERY SPECIAL RECIPES ONLY: "FANTABULOUS". This recipe goes in! Posted: 8:20 pm on March 18th

barbski writes: We visited some family in Amsterdam who are native Dutch several years ago and they made a dish like this for us. The only difference was they used curly endive. It's wonderful, great color, more nutritious and every time I make it I think of our dear family in Amsterdam.
I think it's also a traditional dish in the scandinavian countries too. Posted: 11:50 am on March 16th

FC_Editors writes: I've never added nutmeg before--will have to try that next time! Posted: 12:22 pm on March 12th

Woo222 writes: You can also use sauteed shredded brussel sprouts as the greens. If you want to maintain more of the bright green color and crunch blanch the sprouts instead.

Other recipes advise using freshly grated nutmeg as an ingredient that can make the difference between a good colcannon and a great one. I must say I agree but use it sparingly! You want the nutmeg to enhance the dish, not take it over. Posted: 11:30 am on March 12th

sbreckenridge writes: Jason,
The recipe I was using ultimately ran in Saveur (minus the author's reference to "bolted greens") and I've updated the post with a link. I have to confess, though, that I simplify it quite a bit when making it at home--I cook the cabbage and greens together in one pan, and I boil the potatoes rather than steam them, for faster cooking. This last time I made it, I also left out the scallions, because I didn't have any on hand. Posted: 12:27 pm on March 11th

Jason123 writes: It would be nice if I could find the recipe. Posted: 7:26 pm on March 10th

LisaWaddle writes: The green streaks are indeed beautiful, Sarah. I'm going to give this a try (alas, with kale). Posted: 4:30 pm on March 10th

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