Colcannon (and Bubble & Squeak) is like junk food to me. It’s the highly seasoned combination of buttery mash and sauted leeks and cabbage, browned in the oven, that has me salivating and always wanting more.
I know that’s odd, since when do people enjoy cabbage as much as junk food? In Colcannon I do…
Colcannon
- 2 cups mashed potato
- 2 leeks chopped
- 1 cup curly greens (cooked- I sauted the chopped leeks and chopped savoy cabbage[any cabbage or kale will do] together in a pan)
- ½oz margarine
- lots of salt and pepper!
Mix potatoes, greens and leeks (you can also use onion instead) and margarine well together, put in a flat baking tin or pie dish and bake until nicely browned.
(From Health for All Wartime Recipes circa 1942)
How much does Colcannon cost to make? For the pie dish above which is enough for two generous portions, it cost me less than £1 so essentially 50 p per person.
The 1940's Experiment 
Oh I so agree. Why isn’t this junk food? Or maybe the question is, why would anyone eat junk food when they could have colcannon. I get a huge rush from the stuff every time. It’s like savory creamed chips.
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Oh yes, yes, YES (and that WAS an impression of Meg Ryan in ‘When Harry Met Sally’ because Colcannon is, let’s face it, rather ORGASMIC!!!! C xxxx
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oh Ditto Ditto Ditto….I might see if this works with Chard…I have rather a lot arrived in the Veg Box this week!
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Oooooo!!! You’ll have to let us know how it tasted!!! xx
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any brassica works and I love carrot and or parsnip mashed in too. If the good Lord didn’t want us to eat why did he make it taste so good?
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Looks yum! I’ve never made it and it seems an odd combo, but this Yank is going to try it. It looks beautiful and I love pretty food. I usually do an Irish Lamb Stew for St. Patty’s Day, but I think I should try this too. Plus me fella’s gone veggie on me and he could eat this!
Oh and just to be clear when it says: “greens and onion” you did cabbage for the Greens and Leeks for the Onion?
Thanks,
~ Tam Francis ~
http://www.girlinthejitterbugdress.com
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Ah yes typo-I’ve changed it! Sorry I tend to charge through things!!!
Yes you can use leek or onions but onions were fairly scarce during the war if you didn’t grow your own so leek was used quite often instead of onions…greens…any kind of cabbage or kale 🙂
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YUM!!!! I tried it tonight for St. Patty’s day and success! The whole family LOVED it. I don’t know if I cheated, but I made my garlic mashed potatoes (roasted garlic mashed into them with green onion, sour cream and butter), then mixed with the sauteed onion and cabbage. WOW! Super yum! I served it with blood orange buttered carrots with fresh parsley! Thanks for the recipe. It’s one I’ll not just save for St. Patty’s Day!
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Love this stuff Carolyn, but the Chef in me won’t allow me to use margarine so it’s butter all the way.
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Carolyn – I tried this last night and it was AMAZING!!! I will be finishing it off for lunch today, and making another batch for supper tonight… Who knew cabbage could be so good. I didn’t have leeks so I used half an onion instead and it was wonderful.
Your blog is amazing – I have started to follow the Ration’s Diet this week and I can tell you that it is the first time in YEARS that I am able to eat without feeling guilty. Even dessert, because I know that the sugar and margarine that I used to make the pumpkin pie is within my allowance, so no need to feel guilty. Also, as I know that certain things last me a week, I am actually able to stick to portions rather than eating the whole pie in three days. It has been a real eye opener for me.
I am excited to see how my health fares on the rations diet.
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