At the end of our vacation in Dublin, Ireland in summer 2008, we spent a magical evening first enjoying the fabulous Riverdance show at Gaiety Theatre and then eating at one of the best Michelin-stared restaurants in Ireland, Thornton's. Kevin Thornton is one of the most famous chefs in Ireland and is great at transforming traditional Irish flavors into modern haute cuisine. One of the most memorable dishes on the menu that evening was Bacon and Cabbage Terrine, a makeover of the traditional bacon and cabbage. For St. Patrick's Day this year, I wanted to replicate this excellent dish, and was lucky to actually find Kevin Thorton's recipe on his foodblog.
This recipe took me over three days to make! I started on Saturday night by steeping the bacon in cold water. In Ireland, only the leg of the pig is called "ham" (it's also called "gammon"); otherwise, the cured meat is bacon. The shoulder or collar of bacon (also called "boiling bacon") is the traditional cut for Bacon and Cabbage. On Sunday, I boiled the bacon along with onions, carrot, celery, garlic, thyme and bay leaf, then it rested in the fridge overnight. On Monday, I made the cabbage, sliced the bacon, and assembled the terrine. Finally, on Tuesday morning, I unmolded the terrine and sliced it for presentation. I pureed the onions and celery to place on a side. The result terrine is fabulous and the flavors are fantastic! I had a slice for breakfast to sample and cannot wait to share it with my family for dinner.
I would like to submit this dish for the Regional Recipes: Ireland and for the St. Patrick's Day Parade over at the Daily Spud. Check out the round-up for this event tomorrow.
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
