Ballymaloe Cooking School

Arriving at the Ballymaloe Cooking School for the second time this semester, I was a little nervous. The first time I went there, I was chopping cilantro (called Coriander in Ireland) and I rubbed my eyes.  They burned and stung. Tears streamed down my face from the spicy leaf.  For a month after, my eyes were always red and I couldn't wear my contact lenses. I had to go to the doctor and get antibiotic eyedrops. Needless to say, I was hesitant to cook here again. Was I going to lose a finger?

We headed into the demonstration where Rachel Allen, a famous cook with her own TV show and author of several cooking books, taught us how to make an Irish Christmas dinner.  At the mention of the word "coriander", I flinched.  I was staying clear of anything green and spicy.  The Christmas dinner included turkey, stuffing, salmon, curry, pickled cucumbers and dessert.  We all looked around at each other.

Cooking with Father Linnane

While Thanksgiving dinner is set in stone in America, Christmas dinners usually vary in what to have.  Typically, I have ham or turkey but stuffing is reserved for Thanksgiving.  I had heard of Italian families having fish but not Irish.  There weren't even potatoes. It didn't sound like what I expected an "Irish" Christmas dinner would be.  However, after preparing all of the food and having NO injuries, I discovered all of the food did come together and it tasted delicious. I tried salmon for the first time!