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Cooking traditional Irish food for vegetarians - how?

  • 02-09-2011 07:40PM
    #1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,211 ✭✭✭


    Hi everyone,

    I'd like to cook a meal for my new neighbours. They are from the far east and want to try some homecooked traditional Irish food. BUT they don't eat meat of any sort (including fish) and also don't eat eggs.

    I am completely stumped as to what I can cook for them. For me, traditional Irish food typically revolves around meat of some sort. Anything like potato cakes would have eggs and I'm finding it difficult to come up with ideas.

    Any suggestions? Help would be appreciated! Thanks!


Comments

  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,211 ✭✭✭Susie_Q


    Should have said they also don't consume alcohol, so anything with Guinness/ whiskey etc is out.

    Also I'm not in Ireland - I'm in a country where stuff like quorn/ fake meat is not available though there is a wide range of fresh vegetables/ spices/ herbs etc etc. So sadly quorn is not an option at all! It would have been dead handy.


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,932 ✭✭✭huskerdu


    That is a hard one.

    However, if it was me, I would definitely base it around potatoes.
    Colcannon sounds like the best option, as it feels more like a meal, and
    not just a side dish.

    It is not true that you need eggs to make potato cakes, plenty of recipes
    dont use eggs.

    How about lunch with potato cakes or boxty, fried mushrooms and tomatoes and
    soda bread.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 196 ✭✭mikeyboy


    Vegan Irish Stew


    Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40-60 Minutes


    3 Cups of Water
    2 1/2 Cups Vegetable Broth
    1 lbs Un-peeled Potatoes
    1/2 lb Seitan or 8 oz of Chickpeas

    3 Large Peeled Carrots
    1 Medium Onions
    1 Stalk Celery
    2/3 Cup Barley
    2 Tbls Soy Sauce
    1 Tsp Thyme
    1 Tsp Rosemary
    1/2 Tsp Salt
    Black Pepper to Taste


    Cut all veggies into large stew like chunks, including potatoes. In a large pot combine water, vegetable broth, barley, onions, an salt. Bring to a boil and cook at medium heat for about 20 minutes. Add in the potatoes and cook for another ten minutes. Next add the carrots, seiten (or chickpeas), celery, soy sauce and all spices and cook for another 20 minutes on a low setting.

    Lovely with soda bread


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,028 ✭✭✭✭--LOS--


    you need potatoes fo shure

    Maybe a coddle would be good but Im no expert on that..

    Tarrrr


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  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,119 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    /tags in :cool:


    make coddle! (or any dish you would make with sausages/rassher and use the veggie version)


    Get vegetarian bacon or ham slice things. Make a mixture of vegetable boullion and boiling water, add them together in an oven pot, with the lid on.

    You stick in chopped up potatoes, but still relatively large, and onions(fry a little for extra deliciousness first), add more water if needed, it just becomes delicious sauce type stuff, just cover above the potatoes with it anyway. Tablespoon of flour to thicken. Put in veggie sausages 20/30 min of cooking. And cook until the potatoes are done basically, so depending on the size of them it will be quicker/slower. You can add anything you like, I like spinach, chickpeas, garden peas and carrots. I like to have the lid off for the last few minutes too.


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 1,211 ✭✭✭Susie_Q


    /tags in :cool:


    make coddle! (or any dish you would make with sausages/rassher and use the veggie version)


    Get vegetarian bacon or ham slice things. Make a mixture of vegetable boullion and boiling water, add them together in an oven pot, with the lid on.

    You stick in chopped up potatoes, but still relatively large, and onions(fry a little for extra deliciousness first), add more water if needed, it just becomes delicious sauce type stuff, just cover above the potatoes with it anyway. Tablespoon of flour to thicken. Put in veggie sausages 20/30 min of cooking. And cook until the potatoes are done basically, so depending on the size of them it will be quicker/slower. You can add anything you like, I like spinach, chickpeas, garden peas and carrots. I like to have the lid off for the last few minutes too.

    Thanks but I already said I'm in a country where meat alternatives such as quorn etc are not available. So no fake meat dishes will do unfortunately.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,119 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    oh i didnt see, not even tofu or seitan?

    it would still be lovely with just veg


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,138 ✭✭✭paky


    guinness pie with soya chunks

    alcohol evaporates when cooked ;)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,028 ✭✭✭✭--LOS--


    is some guinness now veggie friendly? Cant remember.

    you could definitely still do the coddle with that braised tofu.


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,128 ✭✭✭sweet-rasmus


    --LOS-- wrote: »
    is some guinness now veggie friendly? Cant remember.
    None at all. (I checked with the company and posted the response recently.)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 981 ✭✭✭flikflak


    You can make your own seitan just google it for recipes. Then you can shape it into which ever shape you want and cook it. Its really easy, I made sausages from it before. I would go with the stew it sounds lovely and easy to make. Maybe bake some bread to go with it too?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 215 ✭✭spiralbound


    Susie_Q wrote: »
    Hi everyone,

    I'd like to cook a meal for my new neighbours. They are from the far east and want to try some homecooked traditional Irish food. BUT they don't eat meat of any sort (including fish) and also don't eat eggs.

    I am completely stumped as to what I can cook for them. For me, traditional Irish food typically revolves around meat of some sort. Anything like potato cakes would have eggs and I'm finding it difficult to come up with ideas.

    Any suggestions? Help would be appreciated! Thanks!

    Can you get tofu? You could do baked tofu (there are a number of different marinade recipes on the internet; one with liquid smoke, if you can get it, or smoked paprika could be good to give a 'ham' type of flavour) with mashed potatoes, cabbage, and parsley sauce.

    Or you could do a 'roast dinner' - roast potatoes, veg etc. and a nut roast maybe? 'Traditional' Irish vegetarian food ;)


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,119 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    flikflak wrote: »
    You can make your own seitan just google it for recipes. Then you can shape it into which ever shape you want and cook it. Its really easy, I made sausages from it before. I would go with the stew it sounds lovely and easy to make. Maybe bake some bread to go with it too?

    did you find somewhere in ireland with the four? i couldnt when I tried a while back, you had to order it :(
    somebody random on boards asked would i cater for their wedding if I had got some lol!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,453 ✭✭✭Shenshen


    I sometimes make Shepard's Pie with lentils instead of meat... would that be an idea?


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,128 ✭✭✭sweet-rasmus


    Oh yum! I try to have some chopped boiled carrots, roasted red pepper and some vecon/ a stock cube in with the lentil mix for added tastiness. And I always make too many lentils for it, so I hope you have better judgement than me!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 981 ✭✭✭flikflak


    did you find somewhere in ireland with the four? i couldnt when I tried a while back, you had to order it :(
    somebody random on boards asked would i cater for their wedding if I had got some lol!

    I just used strong bread flour and kneeded it for ages to develop the gluten. Worked fine.


  • Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Social & Fun Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 60,119 Mod ✭✭✭✭Tar.Aldarion


    ah ok cool, was told that wouldnt be as good but as you say im sure its perfect


  • Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 2,138 ✭✭✭paky


    Oh yum! I try to have some chopped boiled carrots, roasted red pepper and some vecon/ a stock cube in with the lentil mix for added tastiness. And I always make too many lentils for it, so I hope you have better judgement than me!

    some of the sheperds pie ready made powders are vegan, they add a great taste to the lentils


  • Closed Accounts Posts: 10,070 ✭✭✭✭pq0n1ct4ve8zf5


    Oh yum! I try to have some chopped boiled carrots, roasted red pepper and some vecon/ a stock cube in with the lentil mix for added tastiness. And I always make too many lentils for it, so I hope you have better judgement than me!

    Yeah what's up with lentils, they're like vodka or something, you look at them and think "that can't possibly be enough" and it's always way way way too much.

    I like that shepherd's pie idea! I'm sure you have a recipe, but there's a really good lentil one in Rose Elliot's Cheap and Easy which happens to be right here on my shelf, I can put it up here if you like


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  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 48 pinkmonkey045


    http://www.food.com/recipe/herby-apple-mashed-potato-129190

    Apple and potato mash....?? Well i ate it once and was told it was "irish". Though, ive never in my life come across it before then. Meh. You could really give these people anything and play along that it's irish. Becuase generally, u are lying anyway..... very few irish potatohead go a day without the overcooked limbs of a farm animal!! G'luuuck!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 40,536 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    Veggie stew, lentil shepards pie etc, mgiht all be very nice meals but they aren't "irish stew"
    By all means go for it if you want to just serve anything, but if the traditional part is important you have few choices. Irish cusine very often revolves around meat dishes.

    If you go with the stew, I'd suggest just making it without lamb as a vegetable stew and not to add seitan or chickpeas, which aren't really part of irish cusine.

    Some dishes I can think of,
    Potato and Leek soup
    Colcannon,
    Boxty (without egg obviously, is milk ok?)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 9,453 ✭✭✭Shenshen


    Oh yum! I try to have some chopped boiled carrots, roasted red pepper and some vecon/ a stock cube in with the lentil mix for added tastiness. And I always make too many lentils for it, so I hope you have better judgement than me!

    Carrots, turnip, a bit of celery and peas is what I normally put in.
    I boil the red lentils with the carrots and turnip and celery until soft, before I add the peas at the very end.
    I usually just season with salt and pepper, but then add about 1-2 tsp of smoked paprika, and some bay leaves.
    It gives it a lovely, rich taste. If it's not thick enough, I use a bit of corn flour to thicken.
    I also mix some grated cheese in with the mash, utter yummyness. :)


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,724 ✭✭✭The Scientician


    A plate of spuds with a knob of butter. Hey presto! Irish cuisine.

    "Irish" soup

    2 stock cubes, 1 onion (fry on the pan 1st), some celery, a couple of potatoes, a few litres of water.

    Bung everything into a pot for half an hour to an hour, taste checking along the way. Hey presto!


  • Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 3,128 ✭✭✭sweet-rasmus


    I have to say - this thread is sounding awfully delicious! It should come with a warning for anyone one who might be hungry :D


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