Last night I enjoyed traveling with Andrew Zimmern on the Travel Channel as he wandered about Dublin tasting some local favorites. I was intrigued when he stopped in a local pub and ordered up coddle, sometimes given a proper town name, Dublin Coddle. So I did some research today on both the recipe and the history and decided to give it a try for dinner tonight. Here's what I learned:
"Dublin Coddle is a warming meal of sausages and potatoes that dates back to the 1700s," writes Holly Thomas for Irish Central. It is a traditional dish eaten in the winter months and continues to be a frugal way to use up scraps of bacon, referred to as rashers. It's popularity seems to be confined to the immediate Dublin area and in a section known as The Liberties it is a favorite Saturday night meal. It's also known as a familiar funeral food, a humbler version of the baked funeral meats that is served at higher class events.
The name "coddle" is more than likely transliterated from the French caudle meaning to boil gently. The mixture of onions, potatoes, sausages, parsley and bacon is simmered for hours in either beef, ham or chicken broth. And as long as there remains some broth in the bottom of the covered pot in the oven it cannot be overcooked.
To fully savor all the co-mingled juices and broth a hearty slice of soda bread is recommended to sop it up. And of course what Irishman wouldn't have a pint of Guinness by his side?
No comments:
Post a Comment