Cooking Irish can also be found at Pinterest and PETITCHEF.
County Offaly in the Province of Leinster is in central Ireland. These central counties traditionally have not been tourist areas. They contain many peat bogs, and though it is very interesting to see how the peat is cut, they have only become tourist sites since the Irish economy has flourished. We wanted to visit all 32 counties so set out to tour County Offaly. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Tullamore, Offaly's county town. We all chose the crab and cheese open-faced sandwich. Today they would be called a crab melt. The southern part of the county is occupied by the Slieve Bloom Mountains; the northwestern part is the flood-plain of the River Shannon,and the remainder consists of large bogs including the Bog of Allen and Boora Bog. Barack Obama's great-great-great grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, was born and raised in Moneygall, County Offaly.
A notable tourist attraction is the narrow gauge Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway in Blackwater Bog. Birr in the south of the county is best known for its castle and gardens. Birr Castle is owned by the Parsons family, [the family bears the title: Earl of Rosse] and is best known for its 19th century telescope.
Tullamore is the centre of a district the population of which totals around 15,000. Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial center in the region. Major international employers in the town include Tyco Healthcare and Boston Scientific.
The town's most famous export is Tullamore Dew, an Irish whiskey previously distilled by Tullamore Distillery, that can be traced back to 1829. The distillery closed in the 1950s, but its traces are still visible in the town. Tullamore Dew is now produced by Irish Distillers Ltd. in Midleton, County Cork, and marketed by Cantrell & Cochrane. The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre on the banks of the Grand Canal focuses on the distilling, canal and urban history of the town. Audio visual and self guided tours are available daily.
Tullamore Phoenix Festival, an annual celebration of extreme arts, culture, and heritage, was first held in August 2000. The festival celebrates Tullamore's resurrection from the ashes following a hot air balloon accident in which part of the town centre was destroyed by a wayward balloon on May 10, 1785. It is recognized as the world's first aviation disaster. The festival holds many events including hot air balloons, sky diving, live outdoor concerts, street entertainment, fire parade, and fireworks.
The town and its community received a bronze medal in the Government's National Tidy Towns Competition in 2004 and also played host to the World Sheep Dog Trials in 2005 which attracted huge international interest in the region. The Tullamore Show is held in Charleville, Tullamore every year.
Charleville Estate and Castle, located on the edge of the town, is one of Ireland's most splendid Gothic buildings. It stands in beautiful parkland which contains the Charleville oak, one of the biggest and oldest in the country. The castle is said to be haunted and was featured on Living TV's Most Haunted series. The oak woodland is beautiful and botanically an important survivor of primeval stock.
Now that you are a little acquainted with County Offaly, here is the recipe from that restuarant in Tullamore from so many years ago. I hope you enjoy it.
Erin and Eli on a day trip into Dublin. We wore our woolen coats, scarves, and gloves almost every day we lived there. We left in July and were still wearing our winter gear that day and had coal and peat burning in the fireplace. I do not miss Irish weather. I have never been so cold in my life even in these Adirondack winters. Ireland is a temperate zone so never gets much below 40° but it is so damp it chills to the marrow. The only heat was from the one fireplace which I had to keep stoked 24/7. The fire heated the immersion--the hot water tank which was in a closet near the bathroom. That was really nice since the towels were always warm. A nice comfort after a bath. I would put the kids' school clothes in there so they could get warmed more quickly in the frigid upstairs before school each morning. Another nice part of Ireland was the hoarfrost on the flowers every morning even in winter--roses all year round. And lastly, the only good thing about rain five times a day was the five rainbows that followed. I saw many full triple rainbows and once I experienced one with four full arches--truly a spectacular and beautiful event.
Irish Crab & Cheese Open Sandwich [Serves 6]
Ingredients:
3 T. of butter
3 T. of all purpose flour
1 tsp. of chicken-flavored gravy base [Croyden House or Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base are inexpensive choices.]
1 tsp. of dry mustard
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
Pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. of large chunks of fresh crab [scallops could be substituted]
6 ½-inch large slices of an artisan bread of your choice or 12 smaller slices
Preparation:
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, chicken-flavored gravy base, dry mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir to make a light roux. Stir in milk all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles; cook two minutes more.
Remove sauce from heat and add shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until melted. Lightly toast each piece of bread. Arrange on individual oven-proof plates or small platters. Top each toast with crab and cover with cheese sauce. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until hot and bubbly, but not browned. Serve these open-faced sandwiches immediately.
County Offaly in the Province of Leinster is in central Ireland. These central counties traditionally have not been tourist areas. They contain many peat bogs, and though it is very interesting to see how the peat is cut, they have only become tourist sites since the Irish economy has flourished. We wanted to visit all 32 counties so set out to tour County Offaly. We stopped for lunch at a restaurant in Tullamore, Offaly's county town. We all chose the crab and cheese open-faced sandwich. Today they would be called a crab melt. The southern part of the county is occupied by the Slieve Bloom Mountains; the northwestern part is the flood-plain of the River Shannon,and the remainder consists of large bogs including the Bog of Allen and Boora Bog. Barack Obama's great-great-great grandfather, Falmouth Kearney, was born and raised in Moneygall, County Offaly.
A notable tourist attraction is the narrow gauge Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway in Blackwater Bog. Birr in the south of the county is best known for its castle and gardens. Birr Castle is owned by the Parsons family, [the family bears the title: Earl of Rosse] and is best known for its 19th century telescope.
Tullamore is the centre of a district the population of which totals around 15,000. Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial center in the region. Major international employers in the town include Tyco Healthcare and Boston Scientific.
The town's most famous export is Tullamore Dew, an Irish whiskey previously distilled by Tullamore Distillery, that can be traced back to 1829. The distillery closed in the 1950s, but its traces are still visible in the town. Tullamore Dew is now produced by Irish Distillers Ltd. in Midleton, County Cork, and marketed by Cantrell & Cochrane. The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre on the banks of the Grand Canal focuses on the distilling, canal and urban history of the town. Audio visual and self guided tours are available daily.
Tullamore Phoenix Festival, an annual celebration of extreme arts, culture, and heritage, was first held in August 2000. The festival celebrates Tullamore's resurrection from the ashes following a hot air balloon accident in which part of the town centre was destroyed by a wayward balloon on May 10, 1785. It is recognized as the world's first aviation disaster. The festival holds many events including hot air balloons, sky diving, live outdoor concerts, street entertainment, fire parade, and fireworks.
The town and its community received a bronze medal in the Government's National Tidy Towns Competition in 2004 and also played host to the World Sheep Dog Trials in 2005 which attracted huge international interest in the region. The Tullamore Show is held in Charleville, Tullamore every year.
Charleville Estate and Castle, located on the edge of the town, is one of Ireland's most splendid Gothic buildings. It stands in beautiful parkland which contains the Charleville oak, one of the biggest and oldest in the country. The castle is said to be haunted and was featured on Living TV's Most Haunted series. The oak woodland is beautiful and botanically an important survivor of primeval stock.
Now that you are a little acquainted with County Offaly, here is the recipe from that restuarant in Tullamore from so many years ago. I hope you enjoy it.
Erin and Eli on a day trip into Dublin. We wore our woolen coats, scarves, and gloves almost every day we lived there. We left in July and were still wearing our winter gear that day and had coal and peat burning in the fireplace. I do not miss Irish weather. I have never been so cold in my life even in these Adirondack winters. Ireland is a temperate zone so never gets much below 40° but it is so damp it chills to the marrow. The only heat was from the one fireplace which I had to keep stoked 24/7. The fire heated the immersion--the hot water tank which was in a closet near the bathroom. That was really nice since the towels were always warm. A nice comfort after a bath. I would put the kids' school clothes in there so they could get warmed more quickly in the frigid upstairs before school each morning. Another nice part of Ireland was the hoarfrost on the flowers every morning even in winter--roses all year round. And lastly, the only good thing about rain five times a day was the five rainbows that followed. I saw many full triple rainbows and once I experienced one with four full arches--truly a spectacular and beautiful event.
Irish Crab & Cheese Open Sandwich [Serves 6]
Ingredients:
3 T. of butter
3 T. of all purpose flour
1 tsp. of chicken-flavored gravy base [Croyden House or Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base are inexpensive choices.]
1 tsp. of dry mustard
1/4 tsp. of kosher salt
Pepper to taste
1 3/4 cups of milk
2 cups of shredded cheddar cheese
1 lb. of large chunks of fresh crab [scallops could be substituted]
6 ½-inch large slices of an artisan bread of your choice or 12 smaller slices
Preparation:
Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Blend in flour, chicken-flavored gravy base, dry mustard, and salt and pepper. Stir to make a light roux. Stir in milk all at once. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture bubbles; cook two minutes more.
Remove sauce from heat and add shredded cheddar cheese, stirring until melted. Lightly toast each piece of bread. Arrange on individual oven-proof plates or small platters. Top each toast with crab and cover with cheese sauce. Broil 4 to 5 inches from heat until hot and bubbly, but not browned. Serve these open-faced sandwiches immediately.
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