South Delta Leader Friday, March 11, 11, 2011 2011
www.southdeltaleader.com A19
local flavour Lil McVittie of the Celtic Treasure Chest in Tilbury displays some good old fashioned comfort food—Dublin coddle—which uses sausages and bacon from the old country. Philip Raphael photo
One pot warmth Traditional Irish dish chases away the chills Dublin coddle. Just the name of the recipe sounds welcoming and warm. And when you taste it, you’re sure to be brought to that special place all cozy and comfy. It’s a meal idea designed to chase away the rainy days and chills, and one Lil McVittie says is easy to prepare. McVittie, along with husband Steve, runs three locations of the Celtic Treasure Chest which imports specialty foods from the U.K. They set up their Tilbury store (#147550 River Rd.) about a year ago, mainly as a warehouse, but then decided to add a storefront which has proven to be very popular. “It’s been going gangbusters,” says Steve. “We’ve got people coming from Surrey, to and from their way to work in Tilbury. It’s been busy.” The Dublin coddle recipe is one of many they feature on their web site (celtictreasurechest.ca). “We kinda lean towards the recipes with the sausages because they are
fantastic,” says Steve, adding the business routinely sells about 500 lbs. of them a week. The Dublin coddle is typical of a lot of the older Irish recipes because it’s a one pot dish, says Lill. “There’s Irish bacon, Irish sausages, potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic. You can use either cider or apple juice. And it’s easy to make and really good,” she says. “You’ve got to go back in the history. They (Irish and Scottish) used to sell all the good stuff and whatever they had left was thrown into one pot,” Steve says. Today, the dish calls for much better cuts of meat to make it much lower in fat. “The bacon and the sausages, they are both very lean,” says Lil, says. “The sausages are five per cent or less in fat.” “And there’s no additives or preservatives, MSG or nitrates,” adds Steve. —Philip Raphael
Dublin coddle INGREDIENTS 1 lb. slice Irish bacon 2 lbs. Dubliner sausage vegetable oil 2 large onions, sliced 2 cloves of garlic 4 large potatoes, sliced thick
2 medium carrots, sliced in rounds 1 bouquet garni (fresh herbs ties with string and black pepper) apple juice or apple cider (enough to cover the coddle) fresh parsley, for garnish
DIRECTIONS Brown the sausages, but do not overcook. Brown the bacon, but do not crisp. Pour a light layer of vegetable oil on the bottom of a cooking pot. Layer the sausages, potatoes, bacon, sliced onions, and slice carrots. Chop up cloves of garlic and add to layers. Insert garni in centre of casserole.
Cover with apple cider or apple juice. The perfect way to cook it is in a heavy casserole pot in a very low oven at 250F. A slow simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours allows the flavours to blend. When cooked, serve and garnish with chopped parsley. Variations can include adding turnips, parsnips or any other root vegetable.
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