Bubble and Squeak

When I was at a conference a few years ago, I was approached by a woman I had never seen before.  She gave me a huge hug and claimed very emphatically, “We are RELATED!”  She had looked at my badge and saw that my last name was Curlee.  Her family name was McCurley.  She explained that many of the McCurleys had simplified their name to Curlee or Curley in later years.  Well, I pointed out that Curlee was my husband’s last name and that she and I were not truly blood relatives.  But it didn’t matter.  She was happy to have met a family relative (but, really, I was not!).

So with St. Patrick’s Day this week, I decided to make some corned beef, cabbage, and potatoes to honor Tom’s paternal and maternal Irish background.  At that time, we already knew his Irish ancestry from his mom’s side.

My corned beef turned out so-so on Wednesday, but the veggies weren’t bad.  I had some substantial leftovers and decided that I would try to make another Irish dish with those.

In Googling Irish dishes, I stumbled upon Bubble and Squeak.  If there was ever a recipe calling for leftovers, I certainly found it.  The recipe is, as follows:

• 6 T. butter or oil
• 1/2 c. finely chopped onion
• 1 pound of leftover mashed potatoes (about 2 cups)
• 1 c. of leftover vegetables (cooked cabbage, cooked carrots, etc.), finely chopped
• leftover roast, corned beef, or bacon, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• fried or poached eggs (optional)

All of the above are mixed together and fried like hamburger patties.  The mashed potatoes are the magical ingredient, holding the mixture together.  Eggs are optional as a garnish on top.

I tried the recipe, using bacon, potatoes, cabbage, carrots, and freshly minced onions.  The consensus in the house was that the fried patties were very tasty.  I decided against the eggs on top, which really didn’t seem like a good idea.

Considering how easy the recipe is, I might even make it again sometime.  Here is a picture of the finished product:

But why the name Bubble and Squeak?  According to my friend Wikipedia, the name is derived from the sounds made while the mixture is cooking in the pan.  Patties might bubble, but do they squeak?  In the early days, the mixture was cooked over a fire, so perhaps there was at least some crackling while the patties were being fried.

The Oxford English Dictionary indicates that its first recorded use was in 1762 when it was served at a banquet with tongue and something called Eddowes Cow Bumbo. (I’ve looked, but have not been able to find out what ECB was.  Maybe it’s better that way.)

In the beginning, the recipe did not include potatoes.  Bubble and Squeak was merely a mixture of cabbage with beef or pork.  Since pork was less expensive than beef, it might have been used more often.

Just as there are many versions of pizza around the world, there seem to be different versions of Bubble and Squeak internationally.  Colcannon from Northern Ireland is a potatoes and cabbage recipe, but supposedly creamier than Bubble and Squeak.

At any rate, my Irish cooking was an experiment.  I have another whole year to perfect my technique and find some new Irish recipes.