Colcannon, a potato and cabbage dish - variations of which are legion - is traditionally served on Lugnasa. In Celtic Britain it was taboo to harvest any potatoes before the festival, and so the event was met with great anticipation. All members of the family must share the dish or risk offending the agricultural spirit that protects the crop. After the first bite everyone shouts, "Death to the Red Hag!" thus driving away the specter of starvation.
There are about a zillion known varieties of colcannon. I like the one called Rumpledetbumps - it includes leeks and broccoli and cheese, and the name is so great.
This information and the recipe come from Mollie Katzen's great book Sundays at Moosewood Restaurant
4 comments:
I have to admit that until this moment I had never heard of such a dish.
I am of Irish lineage...never heard of this dish, but it sounds very tasty...is the cabbage shredded finely or coarsely then stirred in with the potatoes?
Jesse
Jesse - I've never actually used cabbage, but I'm guessing it would be finely chopped, cooked first of course. I use broccoli, and Jeff Smith The Frugal Gourmet uses kale and leeks simmered in milk. Probably anything dark green because it looks nice that way
Let me know if you try it
I sure wish someone I know would cook this and invite me over--sounds so good and the sketch is good!
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