Traditions are made and kept alive by those who love them. For me most traditions are food based. There are a few connections between St helena food and Irish food. lets see, crubeens (pigs trotters) Tripe (cows stomach) Blackpudding, spuds yes we love our spud to. Then there are the stews and various ways every family makes it. But one where i can draw most similar is the good old BOILS here in ireland called BACON AND CABBAGE.
I really looked forward to this dinner, i remember smelling it as i walked in the door after school, or on a saturday the sweet smoky smell from the gammon and the flavour that was going through the veg. The veg nan used was obviously from the garden where pops grew them. He was always in the garden a place where we were forbidden to go lol. I remember him with his merry tiller ploughing away he was so excited when it arrived from England, like getting a new toy at Christmas when he was a child. I would watch him and remembered the rollie hanging of his lip that he constantly had to relight. Carrots fresh from the ground that always tasted sweet. Pumpkins that were bright orange and spuds There was nothing fancy about it just boils lol. Nothing fancy it would have made hundreds in a restaurant to day because of the flavour. Nan would cut the cabbage in quarters i think to keep it from falling apart in the water, carrots in just large pieces, spuds in halves. No salt no pepper no stock just plain water. There was no hiding the flavour that came from the gammon which was bought from the local butcher. It was simply served up on a plate and we ate it with salad cream. omg i can taste it now!!!
Here i make it a little different I slice the cabbage and boil it separably and instead of boiled spuds i do mash. This is how i learnt how done here. But not today today ive decided to mix traditions. I did the cabbage the same way, the carrots and spud went into the pot with the bacon. (yea i used bacon instead of gammon) I had to do mash if, i didn't i would most probably be homeless at dinner time.
Its one of those simple but tasty meals that hugs to your ribs after eating it. Just simple ingredients cooked simply. We all have the way we cook this meal, but it always tastes good one of the healthy comfort foods.
Did i tell you about my connection to Ireland?........ Thats a story for another time.
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