Irish Cooking can also be found at The Petit Chef and Pinterest.
Castle Durrow in Laois is now a hotel.
Laois (pronounced Leash) is a county in the midlands of Eire. Situated in the Province of Leinster, this small county is landlocked and the only one in Ireland not bordered by another county with a coastline so it is often missed by tourists. It is a county one passes through, but I am so glad we stopped at a pub for lunch near the county town Portlaoise as we were touring to see the Slieve Bloom Mountains. A special on the menu that day was indeed special--a broiled scallop, bacon, and avocado open-faced sandwich. When I think back, I wonder where they got the avocado in such an isolated area.
Created in 1556 by Mary I of England as "Queen's County," Laois received its present Irish language name following the War of Irish Independence. The county is home to over 230,000 cattle, four cows for every person. Much of the non-agricultural area includes considerable stretches of raised bog and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which are partially covered by coniferous forest. With the improved Irish infrastructure, many current residents commute to nearby County Kildare and even Dublin. The county became home to a community of French Huguenots in the 1690s, who were settled in Ireland after their service to William of Orange in the Williamite War. In addition to this, large numbers of Quakers settled in Mountmellick and developed the area. One can visit the Quaker museum there today. An interesting note is that despite the change of name in 1922 as a result of Irish independence from all things English, at a sale of land in the county the relevant title deeds are still updated as being in Queen's County. Only the Irish!
IRISH BROILED SCALLOP, BACON, AND AVOCADO SANDWICH
Ingredients:
16 oz. of bay scallops
3 tbsp. of butter for sautéing
Pepper to taste
1 ripe avocado, pitted, and sliced
8 strips of bacon, cooked
4 thick slices of artisan bread
3 tbsp. of butter
3 tbsp. of flour
1½ cups of half and half or cream
3/4 cup of Swiss cheese, grated
½ tsp. of salt
¼ tsp. of pepper
4 thick slices of Swiss cheese
Drizzle of good quality olive oil [I only use Colavita Extra Virgin.]
Preparation:
1. Melt 3 tbsp. of butter in a sauté pan over low heat, add the scallops, and pepper to taste. Cook until translucent making sure not to overcook. If the scallops do not absorb all the butter, use a slotted spoon to remove them. Coarsely chop the scallops and keep warm.
2. Melt the butter in the same sauté pan over low heat and blend in the flour. Gradually, stir in the cream, and cook until smooth and thickened. Add the grated Swiss cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until the cheese melts. Remove from heat.
3. Lightly toast and butter the artisan bread.
Assembly:
Cover each toast with sauce, scallops, bacon, avocado, and Swiss slice. Top with remaining sauce and a drizzle of olive oil. Place 6 inches from the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately. [Variation: if you want a sharper bite to the sandwich, you could subsitute a cheddar for the top slice. I like the Swiss so as to not overpower the sweet and delicate scallop, but that is just a personal preference.] And pretend you are stopping for lunch at a pub on your way to tour the Slieve Bloom Mountains or the Mountmellick Quaker Museum on a beautiful autumn day in County Laois listening to the wonderful lilt of the Irish voices. Isn't the imagaination wonderful? It can transport you to any place and time. What a gift.
Castle Durrow in Laois is now a hotel.
My date and I at Murphy's in Dublin in the 80s.
Laois (pronounced Leash) is a county in the midlands of Eire. Situated in the Province of Leinster, this small county is landlocked and the only one in Ireland not bordered by another county with a coastline so it is often missed by tourists. It is a county one passes through, but I am so glad we stopped at a pub for lunch near the county town Portlaoise as we were touring to see the Slieve Bloom Mountains. A special on the menu that day was indeed special--a broiled scallop, bacon, and avocado open-faced sandwich. When I think back, I wonder where they got the avocado in such an isolated area.
Created in 1556 by Mary I of England as "Queen's County," Laois received its present Irish language name following the War of Irish Independence. The county is home to over 230,000 cattle, four cows for every person. Much of the non-agricultural area includes considerable stretches of raised bog and the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which are partially covered by coniferous forest. With the improved Irish infrastructure, many current residents commute to nearby County Kildare and even Dublin. The county became home to a community of French Huguenots in the 1690s, who were settled in Ireland after their service to William of Orange in the Williamite War. In addition to this, large numbers of Quakers settled in Mountmellick and developed the area. One can visit the Quaker museum there today. An interesting note is that despite the change of name in 1922 as a result of Irish independence from all things English, at a sale of land in the county the relevant title deeds are still updated as being in Queen's County. Only the Irish!
IRISH BROILED SCALLOP, BACON, AND AVOCADO SANDWICH
Ingredients:
16 oz. of bay scallops
3 tbsp. of butter for sautéing
Pepper to taste
1 ripe avocado, pitted, and sliced
8 strips of bacon, cooked
4 thick slices of artisan bread
3 tbsp. of butter
3 tbsp. of flour
1½ cups of half and half or cream
3/4 cup of Swiss cheese, grated
½ tsp. of salt
¼ tsp. of pepper
4 thick slices of Swiss cheese
Drizzle of good quality olive oil [I only use Colavita Extra Virgin.]
Preparation:
1. Melt 3 tbsp. of butter in a sauté pan over low heat, add the scallops, and pepper to taste. Cook until translucent making sure not to overcook. If the scallops do not absorb all the butter, use a slotted spoon to remove them. Coarsely chop the scallops and keep warm.
2. Melt the butter in the same sauté pan over low heat and blend in the flour. Gradually, stir in the cream, and cook until smooth and thickened. Add the grated Swiss cheese, salt, and pepper, stirring until the cheese melts. Remove from heat.
3. Lightly toast and butter the artisan bread.
Assembly:
Cover each toast with sauce, scallops, bacon, avocado, and Swiss slice. Top with remaining sauce and a drizzle of olive oil. Place 6 inches from the broiler for 2-3 minutes or until bubbly. Serve immediately. [Variation: if you want a sharper bite to the sandwich, you could subsitute a cheddar for the top slice. I like the Swiss so as to not overpower the sweet and delicate scallop, but that is just a personal preference.] And pretend you are stopping for lunch at a pub on your way to tour the Slieve Bloom Mountains or the Mountmellick Quaker Museum on a beautiful autumn day in County Laois listening to the wonderful lilt of the Irish voices. Isn't the imagaination wonderful? It can transport you to any place and time. What a gift.
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