International Food Friday

Being a 2nd generation Irish lass, here are my contributions to the cause:

Colcannon
This side dish is nicely presented in a cooked hollowed-out cabbage head. While Grandma never did, I add sour cream to the mashed potatoes.
2 pounds medium-size potatoes, halved or quartered
2 strips bacon
1/2 pound cabbage
8 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. Boil the potatoes until soft; peel and mash them.
2. Cook the 2 strips of bacon. Shred cabbage (you can either cut very fine shreds or use the food processor). Cook the cabbage, covered with bacon and one-half cup water until very tender. Drain.
3. Melt 6 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan. Add minced onion, salt and pepper, potatoes and cabbage. Blend thoroughly and heat. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and drizzle over dish just prior to serving.

Blackberry Sorbet
Blackberries are all over the fields in Ireland from late August through October
1 lb (2 cups) fresh blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 egg whites

1. Clean the blackberries thoroughly and remove stalks.
2. Liquidize the fruit in a blender and strain through a sieve.
3. Dissolve the sugar in the water and boil for about 5 minutes to make a syrup.
4. Add the blackberries and boil for a further minute.
5. Once the liquid has cooled, fold it into stiffly-beaten egg whites.
6. Freeze in an ice-cream machine or in ice cube trays in the freezer compartment of a fridge. If the latter is used, the mixture should be stirred about once an hour to prevent large ice crystals developing.

Irish Cabbage Rolls
Stuffed with corned beef, cooked in beer and served with a mustard sauce made from the pan juices.
10 cabbage leaves, blanched
1 lb. Corned beef, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, quartered
1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 egg, beaten slightly
1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tsp. spicy brown mustard
1 beef bouillon cube
¼ cup boiling water
1 (12oz) can beer
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. four

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Place corned beef in a food processor and chop finely, remove.
3. Add onion and celery and finely chop.
4. In a bowl, combine egg, rice and mustard.
5. Mix in corned beef, onion, and celery.
6. Place 1/2 cup of mixture on each cabbage leaf and roll up tucking in ends and place seam side down in a 13x9 inch-baking pan.
7. Dissolve bouillon in the boiling water, add beer and pour over cabbage rolls.
8. Cover tightly and bake 1 1/2 hours.
9. Remove from oven and pour out 1 cup of liquid.
10. Melt butter in a saucepan, add flour, stir and cook over low heat 1 minute.
11. Add liquid, increase heat to medium high, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened.
12. Pour the sauce over cabbage rolls and serve with additional mustard.