Irish

When the weather gets cold I turn to Irish food. It is comforting and delicious. If you've never tried a Guinness Stew, I have a recipe for it; it's a favorite at my house.

There is also a dish called Dublin Coddle, which is also a type of stew using vegetables and bangers, a delicious English sausage. We love to eat this between Fall and Winter.

Before traveling to Ireland, I knew very little of their cuisine. Even after years of living in the UK for boarding school, my exposure to Irish cooking was minimal. I will say that the canteen served a lot of shepherd's pie. For four years, we were served that dish on a weekly basis. Suffice to say I've not craved it since. Hah!

Irish pub food was an eye opener though. It's a far cry from American pub faire. Ireland is coastal, so many of their offerings include fish and bitter greens. I was amazed when I first tried carrot coriander soup, salmon tarts, and Dublin coddle. It was nowhere near what I was expecting.

All in all Irish food is delicious, hearty, and very comforting.