Useful Equipment & Glossary
Recipe Contributors
Historic Members of the ICA
Acknowledgements
List of Photographs
Useful Equipment & Glossary
Recipe Contributors
Historic Members of the ICA
Acknowledgements
List of Photographs
A FEW WORDS ABOUT TEMPERATURES AND MEASUREMENTS
Note that temperatures given throughout this book are for conventional ovens. If you have a fan oven, reduce the suggested temperature by about 20°C (eg from 200°C to 180°C). Note that all teaspoon measurements are for a level teaspoon, unless otherwise specified. All tablespoon measurements are for tablespoon, not dessertspoon unless otherwise specified. Both metric and imperial measurements have been provided. It is best to follow one or the other, as in some cases they have been rounded up or down (1oz = 28g, not 25g) for practicality of use.
Useful Equipment
Baking parchment: also known as silicone paper, baking paper or greaseproof paper, this is essential for many baking recipes in order to line the tins.
Baking sheet: a flat baking sheet (as opposed to shallow baking tray) is very useful for baking certain breads and cakes, and can be preheated for optimum results.
Blender: a stand-alone electrical appliance used for chopping, mixing or liquidising foods.
Bun tin: also known as a patty tin, this is a baking tray with six, nine or 12 cup depressions for making buns and mini pies.
Cake tin: cake tins come in various sizes and shapes. If using a square tin rather than a round one, reduce the dimensions by 2.5cm (1in).
Casserole: a large ovenproof lidded dish for cooking large stews in the oven or on the stovetop.
Chopping board: it is good practice to allocate one chopping board to dealing with raw meats and fish, another for vegetables including pungent onions and garlic, and another for fruits and bread. Always wash in hot soapy water after dealing with raw meat and fish.
Flan tin: also known as a quiche tin or tart tin, these will often have a removable base.
Food processor: a multi-functional appliance that has a container and a number of different removable revolving blades, which allows food to be cut, sliced, shredded, blended, beaten or liquidised.
Frying pan: whether you have a modern non-stick frying pan or an old-fashioned cast iron style, the weight of the pan is important; a heavy-based pan will distribute heat more evenly and be less likely to burn food.
Grater: a good grater is a real friend in the kitchen; look for one with several grades of fineness or invest in a selection of quality graters.
Hand-blender: also known as a billy, a handheld electrical appliance useful for liquidising, blending or puréeing foods such as soups without transferring from the cooking vessel.
Loaf tin: tins for breadmaking are usually defined by the volume they hold rather than their shape (eg 900g / 2lb loaf tin).
Measuring jug: a plastic, pyrex or glass jug for measuring liquids; it is worth having both metric and imperial measurements as well as American cups.
Measuring spoons: stainless-steel collection of spoons, including teaspoons and tablespoons; useful to have for baking as many households no longer have a full-sized tablespoon in their cutlery set.
Melon baller: useful for balling melon or potatoes and for coring apples and pears.
Mixer: a stand-alone electrical appliance with interchangeable blades; useful for everything from folding and whipping to beating and mixing ingredients.
Palette knife: useful for smoothing surfaces and for loosening and lifting cakes from baking tins.
Pastry brush: choose a silicone one which is easy to wash.
Peeler: life is too short to use a bad peeler; there are various versions out there so experiment and when you find one that works for you, hold on to it.
Pestle & mortar: granite, ceramic or wooden bowl (mortar) with accompanying handheld utensil for grinding or crushing ingredients.
Piping bag: handy for decorating cakes with precision.
Ramekin: individual round ceramic dishes useful for making various pies and puddings.
Roasting rack: also known as a trivet, this is a little metal stand on which you can sit ingredients into a roasting tin without touching the base of tin; useful for roasting fatty poultry such as duck or goose.
Rolling pin: a good rolling pin is essential for baking with pastry; some like to use a ceramic one to keep the pastry extra cool.
Scone cutter: also known as pastry cutter or cookie cutter, it is useful to have a variety of sizes for use in all sorts of baking.
Sieve: it is worth having a general sieve for use with dry ingredients when baking as well as a colander (for draining wet ingredients) and perhaps a fine chinoise for passing purées.
Skewers: a metal skewer is very useful in judging if food is cooked, from meats and fish to cakes and baking.
Slow cooker: also known as a crock pot, this stand-alone appliance is ideal for very slow, unsupervised cooking.
Spring-form tin: tin for baking with adjustable sides which allow the tin to be easily removed.
Thermometer: sugar or jam thermometers may be worth investing in if you plan on making a lot of jam (or see here for techniques on testing setting point). A meat thermometer is useful to judge the central temperature of a large joint of meat.
Weighing scales: if you like to bake, an electronic scales might be worth investing in, as they allow you measure very refined and exact weights.
Wire cooling rack: cooling rack for baking; the circulation of air is essential for forming a good crust on bread and for even cooling of cakes.
Base-line: line a cake tin with parchment to cover the base only.
Bicarbonate of soda: also known as sodium bicarbonate, bread soda or baking soda, this differs from baking powder and requires an acid such as butter milk to activate its leavening properties.
Bind: to moisten and bring together dry ingredients with a small amount of liquid in order to form into a paste or dough.
Blanch: a technique of par-cooking vegetables; boiling briefly and then arresting the cooking in cold or iced water helps retain a firm texture and bright colour.
Blitz: to blend to a purée with a hand-blender or in a blender.
Cook’s knife: a good, well-maintained knife will do much to improve your cooking; always store carefully to keep it as sharp as possible.
Crimp: a term for impressing a patterned seal on a pastry rim, this can be done with fingers, fork or knife.
Descale: to remove the scales from the skin of fish; this can be a messy business, so ask your fishmonger to do it if he hasn’t already.
Dropping consistency: a baking term for a consistency loose enough to drop from a spoon.
Fillet: if buying whole fish, you can ask your fishmonger to prepare it by gutting, removing the head and removing the fish fillets from the bones.
Fold: in baking, the gentle action of folding incorporates dry ingredients such as flour or sugar into whipped ingredients such as whipped egg white or cream while retaining as much air in the whipped ingredients as possible.
Pin-boning: some fillets of fish will still have large pin-bones running down along the side of the fillet; check for these with your fingers and remove with a large flat tweezers.
Sauté: to fry vegetables such as onion very quickly in order to brown and caramelise while cooking; do not stir too often.
Sear: also known as browning, to cook meat quickly on a high heat in order to encourage caramelisation of sugars.
Sweat: to fry vegetables such as onion very slowly and gently in order to soften without browning; it helps to cover with a lid and perhaps some greaseproof paper to keep the moisture in.
Toast: nuts, seeds and spices can be toasted on a dry frying pan, under a hot grill or in a low oven in order to release aromas; watch closely to catch before they burn.
ICA Guild Members
Ada Vance, Cavan: hill-walking granny and expert patchworker
Anna Sinnott, Wicklow: busy housewife who loves to bake
Anne Gabbett, Limerick: dairy farmer’s wife and home economics teacher
Anne Maria Dennison, Limerick: former ICA National President
Anne Payne, Laois: retired teacher who loves trying new crafts
Annette Dunne, Cavan: working grandmother who loves reading
Audrey Starrett, Donegal: jack of all trades
Breda McDonald, Kilkenny: passionate believer in local community
Brid Malone, Laois: mother of five, walker and swimmer
Caroline Power, Meath: lover of crafts and reading
Claire Ann McDonnell, Wicklow: loves gardening and the country air
Connie McEvoy, Louth: retired farmer and craft expert
Eileen McGlew, Louth: gran who loves trying new recipes
Gwen Carter, Westmeath: beloved mother and grandmother, RIP
Joan Hatton, Wicklow: loves working with mother nature
Kathleen Gorman, Laois: baker, knitter and keen reader
Kay McGuirl, Wicklow: loves to swim and walk the mini-marathon
Lily Barrett, Tipperary: loves cooking, dancing and volunteering
Liz Wall, Wicklow: busy mum and ICA National President
Mairead O’Carroll, Cork: mother of six who loves entertaining
Margaret O’Reilly, Cork: prize-winning maker of Carrickmacross Lace
Margaret Sides, Longford: likes reading, cooking and walking
Marie O’Toole, Dublin: passionate gardener and aspiring writer
Mary Fitzgerald, Wexford: gardener and internet enthusiast
Mary Harrahill, Meath: enjoys a good céilí
Mary O’Neill, Wicklow: retired teacher with a grá for travel
Maureen Butler, Meath: bridge-playing mother of four
Maureen Quigley, Wicklow: loves to read and bake
Mella Winters, Wexford: loves the craic and country walks
Muriel Kerr, Leitrim: fun-loving granny
Norah McDermott, Kildare: fan of savoury foods
Nuala Costello, Laois: mother of four who loves to cook and bake
Patricia Acheson, Cavan: farmer and community worker
Pauline O’Callaghan, Cork: golf-mad grandmother of 12
Rita Clohessy, Cork: sea-loving grandmother and fisherwoman
Stephanie Igoe, Longford: volunteer and busy mum of three
Una Flynn, Westmeath: loves to walk the Royal Canal
Marie McGuirk trained as a Domestic Science teacher in Garnerville College, now part of Ulster University, where she also completed a final year specialising in catering subjects. After a stint in a South African Missions School, Marie taught in Newry Catering College for two years. She joined An Grianán in 1978, where she coordinates and teaches courses in cooking and nutrition.
Marie has been a familiar face on Irish television for several generations, appearing as a regular contributor to Live at Three for many years. More recently she was one of the 4 Live judges for their Domestic Goddess competition, and was one of the ICA mentors on ICA Bootcamp.
Her recipes appear fortnightly in Woman’s Way magazine and monthly in The Sacred Heart Messenger, and she has produced two cookery books, Foodalicious and Foodalicious Second Helpings.
Edward Hayden
Well-known freelance chef from TV3’s Ireland AM and author of Food To Love and Edward Entertains, Edward has a wealth of culinary experience from his training in Waterford IT and Cork IT and recently completed a Master’s Degree in Learning & Teaching.
As well as lecturing full-time in Waterford IT in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Studies, Edward presents cookery demonstrations and classes in a variety of cookery schools and venues nationwide. He recently undertook a national cookery roadshow with the Irish Countrywomen’s Association.
Edward’s recipes regularly feature in a variety of local and national publications. For more information and recipes and to purchase Edward Entertains and Food To Love, see www.edwardentertains.com.
An Grianán adult education centre
As every ICA woman knows, An Grianán means ‘sunny place’ in Irish. This unique centre of life-long learning is the jewel in our crown and brings ICA women from all over the country to Termonfeckin, Co Louth.
Originally known as Newtown House, the property was built by the McClintock family in the 18th Century and sold to Mrs Helen Lentaigne in 1922. The first President of Termonfeckin ICA, Mrs Lentaigne allowed the newly constituted Irish Countrywomen’s Association (founded as United Irishwomen in 1910) to use Newtown House as a venue for the ICA Summer School in the I930s. Having changed hands several times in the 1940s, it was finally bought by the WK Kellogg Foundation in 1954 for £11,250 and entrusted to the Irish Countrywomen’s Association for ‘the health, education and welfare of the people of Ireland’.
Today, An Grianán operates as a unique residential centre, combining four-star accommodation with courses and classes in art, crafts, cookery, personal development and self-care for men, women and children as individuals or in groups. Set within 75 acres of wooded land, ornamental gardens and boasting a variety of amenities (including the Gatehouse Tea Rooms, Sanctuary Beauty Salon, Garden Centre and Muriel Gahan ICA Museum) An Grianán has been a haven of learning for the last 60-odd years.
A short history of some of the ground-breaking work of ICA women
Throughout the history of the ICA many important projects were undertaken by some courageous and forward-thinking women. The following is a highlight of just a few of those, but of course they could not have done it without the support and comradeship of grassroots ICA members nationwide.
Dr Muriel Gahan [1897–1995] is best known for her role in establishing The Country Shop on St Stephen’s Green in 1930. Travelling the country in search of a weaver who could demonstrate the craft at a show in the Royal Dublin Society, Muriel had been struck by the very many women trying to make some money by selling crafts produced at home. She was inspired to set up The Country Shop in order to give these small producers a marketplace in Dublin. Over time, Country Markets became established throughout Ireland and these are still an important part of Irish life today. Muriel’s work is celebrated by the ICA in the Muriel Gahan Museum in An Grianán. She is also well remembered by the ICA, which has adopted her motto for life, ‘Deeds Not Words’. Muriel was awarded an honorary doctorate by Trinity College Dublin in recognition of all her work.
Eleanora Gibbon [1876–1953] set up the ‘Casa Dei Bambini’ or Children’s House in the Convent of Mercy Waterford together with Sister Gertrude Allman after both women attended a training course in London run by Maria Montessori. Eleanora encouraged the establishment of Montessori schools throughout Waterford and Ireland, and went on to teach in many schools in Waterford and to write the book Ireland, Freedom and the Child, published in 1943. She is commemorated by the ICA in their annual competitions for the Eleanora Gibbon Shield for Singing in Irish and the Eleanora Gibbon Cup for Drama. Eleanora’s family kindly donated the Shield and Cup to help keep her love of music and drama alive in the ICA.
Nora Herlihy [1911–1988] was a teacher and member of Ballydesmond Guild, Dublin Federation. She was a founding member of the Dublin Central Co-operative Society Ltd (DCCS), which led to the establishment of the Co-operative movement in Ireland in 1954. Nora held a very instrumental role as chair of the original DCCS meetings and together with Muriel Gahan and others went on to fund the Credit Union Movement with funds from the United Irishwomen. Nora remained very much involved with the Credit Union and the ICA for the rest of her life.
Olivia Hughes [1908–1989] was a woman of vision and a pioneer in many fields who went on to become National President of the ICA from 1955–58. In 1926 she reformed the Fethard Branch of the United Irishwomen, as the ICA was then known. Under her direction the Branch established milk depots and opened a canteen at fairs serving tea, coffee, bovril and sandwiches, a service run voluntarily on a rota basis. This continued until the marts replaced fairs in the 1950s. She became a great promoter of crafts and was instrumental, amongst other, in organising the first ICA summer school, held in Sliabh na mBán, Co Tipperary in 1929. She was also involved in the setting up of both the National Council for the Blind and the Horticultural College at An Grianán.
Liz Wall, National President of the ICA, would like to thank the following people for all of their help with putting together this wonderful ICA recipe book:
Marie McGuirk, Resident Chef in An Grianán, for that long, hot week in May when she cooked and tested every single recipe in this book.
Edward Hayden for all his wonderful ICA cookery events and his contributions to this book.
John O’Callaghan, CEO of the ICA, for his support to all recipe contributors and staff members.
Joanne Dunne in ICA Central Office for all her work on collecting recipe waivers.
Rebecca Ryan in ICA Central Office for her work on the copy.
Ann Flanagan, Manager of An Grianán, for her unending help and support to all of us.
Aoife Carrigy for her determined professionalism in ensuring our cookbook is one we are all proud of.
Orla Neligan for styling the dishes so sensitively and Joanne Murphy for photographing them so beautifully.
Finally to all the great people at Gill & Macmillan for their hard work in making our cookbook a reality.
All photographs were taken on site at An Grianán in Termonfeckin, Co Louth. The following captions relate to the non-food photographs through the book, including many items on display at the Muriel Gahan ICA Museum, located in the coffeeshop at An Grianán.
Page V: Yellow roses in full bloom outside the entrance of An Grianán adult education centre. Originally known as Newtown House, the 18th-century property was entrusted to the ICA in 1954.
Page VI: One of the earliest Jackson Electric Cooker models with four solid rings, on display in the Muriel Gahan ICA Museum at An Grianán together with three-legged cast iron pot, casserole, pressure cooker and toasting fork. Rural electrification was introduced in the 1950s and transformed the lives of Irish women.
Page XII: An original 1950s Electrolux fridge, donated from Fethard, South Tipperary, topped with table churn and butter pats for making country butter and an earthenware water jug. All these items are on display in the Muriel Gahan ICA Museum at An Grianán.
Page XVIII: Silverware would traditionally have been reserved for special occasions in most households.
Page 26: On display in An Grianán’s Museum, traditional Leitrim chairs surround a wooden kitchen table. This is set with a wooden bread-making pan and right-angled ladle used for dough-cutting, butter-making and other purposes. On the windowsill sit a wooden mixing bowl, Victorian metal jelly mould and earthenware water jug.
Page 28: Carving platter and implements for the traditional Sunday roast.
Page 84: An Grianán’s avenue sweeps 500 metres from the gates just outside Termonfeckin past self-catering accommodation units, coffeeshop and garden centre to the 18th-century house.
Page 98: An Grianán is surrounded by 75 acres of rapeseed fields, woodlands and ornamental gardens.
Page 189: An old-fashioned iron dating from pre-electrification. The Muriel Gahan ICA Museum are in continual receipt of these historic household items kindly donated by members and their families.
Page 190: Yellow roses in full bloom outside the entrance of An Grianán adult education centre. Originally known as Newtown House, the 18th-century property was entrusted to the ICA in 1954.
