Mushroom and Black Pudding Salad

Enjoy this Highlight from Margaret M. Johnson’s New Cookbook

We were absolutely thrilled here at Tommy Moloney’s HQ when our good friend, Margaret M. Johnson, announced her newest cookbook Delicious Ireland: Forty Years of Fabulous Food (with signed copies available at www.irishcook.com). As the title suggests, Margaret’s fourteenth book is the culmination of forty years of Irish cooking experience resulting in over 60 recipes featuring flavors from County Cork, County Offaly, County Louth, County Kildare and everywhere in between.

Margaret has very kindly shared a recipe from “Chapter Two: Mains” for Warm Mushroom & Black Pudding Salad, which is a perfect fit for our Black Pudding and Back Bacon Rashers.

Let’s dig into a delicious and healthy salad dressed to impress picky eaters and serious carnivores alike. Or, as Margaret likes to say, “Bain taitneamh as do bhéile - Bon appétit!”

What is Black Pudding?

One question we hear all the time is: what exactly is black pudding?

Despite its name, black pudding is savory, not sweet and not eaten as a dessert. Black Pudding is a type of blood sausage originating from Ireland and the United Kingdom. It is made from pork blood, pork fat or beef suet, and a cereal ingredient such as oatmeal or barley, combined with various herbs and spices. The mixture is then stuffed into a sausage casing and cooked. It is traditionally served as part of a full Irish breakfast, but is often enjoyed on crostini or crackers as a snack or in other dishes for lunch and dinner. For those of us that might be turned off by pork blood, you can try white pudding – which is made much the same way, but without any blood.

Now, you might be curious what herbs and spices are used in black pudding. This is where black pudding can get highly controversial as all butcher shops and brands have their own proprietary spice mix and all are closely guarded. Philip Harrington of Clonakilty in County Cork is credited with the creation of one of the most beloved black pudding recipes in the 1870s. Margaret tells us, “The business, including the shop and the recipe, was eventually sold to the Twomey family in 1976; and now Colette Twomey is the sole keeper of the spice mix that’s guarded with near-religious secrecy.”

While we don’t use the secret Twomey family recipe at Tommy Moloney’s, our recipes come from 1960’s County Limerick and are still made today with authentic spices imported from Ireland.

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 slices Tommy Moloney’s Back Bacon Rashers
• 12 slices Tommy Moloney’s Black Pudding
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh chives
• 1 tablespoon minced shallot
• 8 ounces mixed wild mushrooms
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Mixed greens (1 ½ to 2 cups per person)

Recipe

1. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat the olive oil. Fry the bacon on each side for 3 to 5 minutes or until browned. Roughly chop.
2. Fry the black pudding for 3 to 5 minutes or until cooked through.
3. Wipe out the pan; return to medium heat. Melt the butter.
4. Add the chives, shallot, and mushrooms; sauté for 3 to 4 minutes or until soft but not browned.
5. Stir in the lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
6. To serve, divide the mixed greens among four salad plates; toss with bacon and 2 to 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette (cover and refrigerate remaining vinaigrette for another salad). Place three slices of pudding on each salad; spoon the warm mushrooms and juices on top.

Wholegrain Mustard Vinaigrette

As a bonus, Margaret M. Johnson has included her recipe for the perfect dressing for the Warm Mushroom & Black Pudding Salad. The below portion sizes make roughly one cup. Again, you can find both of these recipes and many more, in her cookbook: Delicious Ireland: Forty Years of Fabulous Food! 

• 1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar or white balsamic vinegar
• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ½ teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

Simply combine all the ingredients in a lidded jar, shake to blend, and refrigerate until serving time.

A Taste of Home with Tommy Moloney’s

There’s nothing like the soft crackle of bacon and black pudding to let you know you are in for a special treat. 

If you still have room in your stomach after enjoying your Warm Mushroom & Black Pudding Salad, explore other recipes with Tommy Moloney’s and make sure to stock up on your favorite Irish meats while you’re at it!