Writing About Celtic Food

Cock-a-leekie soup. Used with permission.

Those of you who are fans of the George R. R. Martin series, A Song of Ice and Fire, which begins with Game of Thrones, will appreciate the Celtic influences in his books (especially in certain areas of his made-up lands). One can't help but see medieval England and Hadrian's Wall, for instance, in the whole concept of "The Wall" and the northern lands. 

But nowhere brings out the connection with more persistence than the cuisine. Don't get me wrong, these fantasy books are not foodie romance (or even food novels of any kind). But when I had a chance to get an early copy of A Feast of Ice and Fire: The Official Game of Thrones Companion Cookbook (which, by the way, is officially sanctioned by Martin himself) for review, I found myself musing about the similarities between the cuisine of Westeros and the foods of Celtic lands. Something like Cock-a-leekie soup, for instance, which every good Celt should know of, has its Fire and Ice counterpart. 

This series of books has always felt more Celtic to me because of things like this. Little details that give me a very sensory experience and feel, that make me think Celtic thoughts.

Haggis plate w/neeps & tatties. Used with permission.

While I don't want to give too much away, although if you're a fan, I highly suggest picking up a copy for yourself, I do want to say that this cookbook is fantastic. If you're a fan of the books, you'll love the in-text references and quotes from chapters. If you're a fan of cooking, the historical feel of these recipes will enthrall you. And if you're just a fan of Celtic food, many of the recipes will feel familiar.

But food is an excellent way to make a book feel authentic and real to its audience. Not just the inclusion of food in a book, but how you go about including that food.

Anyone, for instance, can write a scene where the hero and heroine eat haggis (probably the most culturally recognizable Scottish food). However, if you've never had haggis before or you're not immersing the reader in the experience, you might as well not write the experience at all. But many of us want to create engaging and exciting scenes for our readers using food. How do we do that?

Scotch Whisky. Used with permission.

How do we write effectively about Celtic Food? 

I'm going to tell you, for certain, that I can't explain in one blog how to do that, nor do I intend to try. But I wanted to let you know that I do teach a class on this very topic. And I'm going to be teaching it this fall, for Celtic Hearts Romance Writers. Specifically on how to incorporate Celtic food and details into your writing. It will be right before the holidays, so we'll have to do some experimenting.

Maybe I'll give you my recipe for Scotch-Caramel Creme Brulee. It's heavenly. And if you enjoy whisky, you'll love it. Even if you don't, you'll probably love it. But you'll have to take the class to find out. Watch this blog next month to learn how to sign up. Or, watch my blog. 

Either way, I hope to see you in the class! Come write about Celtic Food with me.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

Since food is my thing, being a foodie romance author and former chef, I figured I'd put together another post about Irish food. Potentially, not the last, so keep checking back. Plus, I put recipes in the back of all my foodie romance books, so you could almost have a whole recipe book just going through my blog posts and published works. **idea** Ok, back to the Irish food. Focus, Cam, focus.

This is a recipe I got from my Irish-Canadian grandmother, tweaked a little based on a recipe I found on Epicurious, as well. I definitely like this tweaked version even more than the one my grandma used to make.

Don't tell her that.

Irish soda bread is a very traditional food, and not to be trifled with. In fact, when I first told my grandmother about my "sweet soda bread" she said, "No, no, missy, that's not real soda bread." To which I said, "but I used soda." It wasn't much of an argument. Still, I prefer this to the traditional version any day.

A quick note. For the dusting sugar, instead of buying a bunch of powdered sugar, you can make your own. Take regular sugar, put it in a spice grinder or a food processor, and grind that puppy until it's dust. You'll end up with a better product than powdered sugar (which is often cut with cornstarch or fine flour because powdered sugar is typically used with liquid and will thicken better than straight sugar). If you're ever using powdered sugar for dusting primarily, I suggest making your own dusting sugar instead. Control your food.

Sweet Irish Soda Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
2 tablespoons cold vegetable shortening
1 egg, beaten
1 cup buttermilk
1 cup currants
2 tablespoons toasted caraway seeds
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon dusting sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and mix well. Cut the butter and shortening into small pieces and add to the flour mixture. Using your fingers, work the cold butter and shortening into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs. Add the egg, the buttermilk, the currants and the caraway seeds and mix into the flour mixture until it is incorporated. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead gently until the dough forms a smooth ball. Place the dough into a lightly greased loaf pan. Score the top of the loaf with a very sharp knife. Brush the top of the loaf with melted butter. Sprinkle with sanding sugar. Place the loaf in the oven and bake for 40 to 45 minutes or until golden brown.


It was great fun to get comments from people who'd tried the recipes for Dublin Coddle. If you try this, please leave me a comment. Or email me through my website. I'd love to hear how it worked for you.

A Fabulous Irish Recipe

By Camyrn Rhys

To kick off the blog launch of the fabulous RWA chapter I love so much, I am going to reveal my most cherished Celtic recipe. You see, I'll be on this blog regularly (one a month or so) and will be posting some of my favorite Celtic recipes with a little bit of food background. So instead of saving the best for last, I'm saving the best for first: DUBLIN CODDLE.

If you've never had Coddle before, you are missing out. My Irish-Canadian grandmother used to make this for me every year on my birthday, and when it came time to pass on my Celtic-inspired recipes, were my friends in for a treat! I used to run a cooking class for kids in my restaurant, and after school, we would do what I called the "International Cooking Club". Well, when we got to Ireland, on the map, we happened to have a large group of male volunteers there, and I made my Coddle.

Now, understand, Coddle is comfort food. Meat & potatoes. So already, high points with the male of the genders. But specifically, the combination of ingredients is like some kind of crack cocaine for men. Not only did they eat me completely out of it, but I got four marriage proposals that day.

So if you've got some hungry bellies around and you're looking for a way to comfort them, or you've got a significant other who likes meat and potatoes, or have to feed a lot of men, try this one. It's a simmer-cook, and best in a dutch oven. The crisp you get on the bottom is unbelievable.

Without further ado, here's my Coddle.

DUBLIN CODDLE
1 lb. pork sausages
½ lb. thick sliced bacon
2 cups ham or beef stock
2 lbs. potatoes (peeled, sliced into ½ in. rounds)
2 medium onions, thinly sliced
Salt & pepper to season

Simmer the sausages and bacon in the stock or water over low flame for 5-10 minutes. Remove the meat to a bowl, reserving the broth.

Spread one-third of the potatoes on the bottom of a stovetop casserole dish or a large saucepan. Add a layer of half the onions and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Cut the sausages in 3 or 4 pieces and spread a layer of half the sausages and bacon over the onions. Follow by another layer of potatoes, onions, sausages and bacon and finally a top layer of potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and pour over the reserved broth.

Cover and simmer for about an hour. Serve with a green vegetable and a slice of soda bread to mop up the gravy. You won't believe how incredible this tastes. Seriously, you have to try this today.