Traditional Irish Bacon Cabbage And Parsley Sauce Recipes

TRADITIONAL IRISH BACON, CABBAGE, AND PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.

IRISH PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• Gently melt the butter in a saucepan (non-stick is easier). Don't let it sizzle.
• Add the flour, salt, and white pepper (black pepper at a push, but you'll be able to see black specks in the sauce).
• Stir, over gentle heat, with a wooden spoon for a few minutes to let the flour cook and to amalgamate everything. If you don't cook it long enough at this stage, the sauce will taste floury.
• Add a little milk to the flour and butter mix (you have now made a roux) and stir again. When it is amalgamated, add a little more milk and mix again. Add more milk, little by little, until you have a thickish creamy sauce. Cook the sauce for 5 minutes over gentle heat, stirring to stop it sticking. If you get lumps, press them with the wooden spoon against the side of the pan to mash them. If you need to, use a whisk, but be careful not to scratch a non-stick pan. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
• For a richer sauce, add a little hot sauce to a raw egg yolk in a cup, mix well, then reintroduce into the main sauce.
• Add the parsley, stir and serve immediately.

FRIED IRISH CABBAGE WITH BACON

Steps:

• Cook bacon in a deep skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove bacon from skillet and drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reserve 1/4 cup drippings in skillet.
• Cook and stir cabbage in hot bacon drippings over medium heat until cabbage wilts, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Crumble bacon over cabbage. Stir and simmer until bacon is warmed, 2 to 3 minutes. Season with black pepper.

PARSLEY SAUCE

Steps:

• 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.