Sláinte!: The Night of the Big Portion

In Ireland the last night of the year was called Oiche na Cada Moire, The Night of the Big Portion. It was common practice to have a big supper that night to ensure a full cupboard and plenty to eat in the twelve months to come. Of course, the custom dated back to a time when crop success meant the difference between feast and famine. Spells and incantations were invoked to protect the household from danger. 

Women prepared large barm brack cakes. In many cases, the man of the house would take three bites out of the cake and dash the rest of it against their cottage door saying as he did: “We warn famine to retire from tonight to this night twelve months.” In County Limerick the whole cake was knocked against the door three times for the same reason. In County Cork, after the cake was consumed the last crumbs were thrown at the door and windows to prove that no one inside was hungry. 

New Year’s Day was known as La na gCeapairi, The Day of Buttered Bread. As another talisman against hunger, neighbors went from house to house exchanging slices of fresh bread slathered with sweet creamy butter. Buttered bread sand-wiches were also placed outside the door for wayfaring fairies. 

In Northern Ireland, a Scottish New Year’s tradition took root when England sought to suppress the Ulster counties by “planting” loyal Scotsmen there during the seventeenth century. Called “First Footing,” it signified that the first person to cross over the threshold would predict the household’s luck for the coming year. Hopefully, the visitor would be a dark haired man who brought with him a lump of coal, a coin and a piece of bread, symbols of warmth, wealth and food. For his good wishes, he was treated to a glass of hot whiskey punch and a slice of lucky barm brack cake. 

Since eating well on New Year’s Day was synonymous with having a full cupboard for the next twelve months, the year’s first meal was very important. Even today many Irish families sit down to a grand version of what is known as an “Irish Breakfast.” It consists of fried eggs, rashers of bacon, sausages, black and white savory puddings, plus grilled tomatoes, potatoes and mushrooms! In the North, this copious breakfast is called “Ulster Fry” and it’s always accompanied by Soda Farls which are split in half and lathered with butter and tangy orange marmalade, or fried on the pan in hot bacon drippings. 

• 1 1/2 pounds oranges 
• juice of 1 lemon 
• 5 cups water 
• 3 pounds sugar 
• 2 tablespoons malt whiskey 

After scrubbing the oranges, remove peel in wide strips being careful not to include the white pith. Slice the peel on the diagonal in 1/8″ strips and set aside. Cut the oranges in halves and squeeze out the juice, saving all the seeds. Tie the spent orange halves and all the seeds in a muslin bag. Combine orange juice, water, sliced peel and muslin bag of leavings in a medium stainless steel saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to simmer and cook gently for about 2 hours or until the peel is soft. Remove the muslin bag squeezing it into the cooked peel to extract all the released pectin (a natural gelling agent contained in orange seeds and pith). Add sugar and stir until it is dissolved. Turn up the heat and cook at a rolling boil 10-20 minutes until setting point is reached. To test for setting, place a teaspoon of marmalade on an ice-cold plate. The jam should turn firm immediately. 

Remove marmalade from heat, skim off any foam and let stand until a skin begins to form (about 30 minutes). Stir in whiskey. Ladle into warm jars that have been sterilized in a 200 degree oven for twenty minutes. Let cool completely, then seal and store in a cool, dark place until ready to use. Screwtop jars are fine, but never use an unlined lid unless you first cover the jar with waxed paper or seal the marmalade with a thin layer of melted canning paraffin.

• 1 jar of fine quality orange marmalade 
• 2 teaspoons Irish whiskey 

Stir whiskey into marmalade and let sit one week to set flavor before using. 

• 12 oz flour 
• 1 teaspoon salt 
• 1 heaping teaspoon baking soda 
• 8 fl oz buttermilk 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sift the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Make a well in the center and pour in all the buttermilk at once. Mix quickly into a firm dough. Do not overmix or handle too much or the farls will be tough and heavy. Turn dough onto a floured board and knead lightly. Pat into a 1-inch thick circle. Cut into 4 farls with a biscuit cutter or an upturned glass. Heat a baking sheet and dredge with flour before setting the farls on top. Bake until risen and golden brown for about 45 minutes. They should sound hollow when tapped. Cool farls on a wire rack by standing them on edge, leaning against each other for support. Serve warm with butter and jam. 

To serve in the Ulster style: After baking and cooling, split farls through the middle and fry in a small amount of hot bacon fat. 

• 8 mushrooms, quartered 
• 2 boiled and cooled potatoes, sliced into small chunks 
• 4 rashers of Irish bacon 
• 4 Irish sausages 
• 4 slices of black and white Irish breakfast pudding 
• 2 tomatoes, halved 
• 2 soda bread farls 
• 4 eggs 

The secret of preparing an Ulster Fry is to cook the food in the right order, starting with the ingredients which take the longest cooking time, so that everything will be ready at once. The amounts listed above will serve two people. After each component is cooked, divide it into two portions and place on large heat-proof plates in a 200 degree preheated oven to keep warm until serving. 

Begin by frying the mushrooms and potatoes in separate oiled pans until the mushrooms are grilled and the potatoes are golden brown. Fry bacon, sausages and pudding slices in another large pan with a little cooking oil or butter. When the meats are cooked, drain them on paper towels. 

Fry farls and tomato halves in the same pan to infuse with savory flavor. Finally, add a little butter to the pan and fry the eggs sunny-side up or over-easy. 

Place eggs on hot plates with all the other ingredients and serve.

 

 

 

Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in the January/February 1995 issue of Irish America. ⬥