 Top of the morning to you!
This is the standard Irish greeting which should be followed by, "And the rest of the day to yourself!" Yes, I'm getting a little practice in for Saint Patrick's Day this week where everyone is Irish for a day.
In the past people have asked me if I am "Black Irish" and I had no clue what they were talking about. In this month's issue I will delve into the myths and legends of the Black Irish. Along with the Irish theme I included a potato dish recipe and cocktail aptly named after the Black Irish.
Also, included is a brief article about Steve Wozniak's stint on Dancing with the Stars which really has nothing to do with anything, except that I love the Woz!
Cheers,
Darlene
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Who are the Black Irish?
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The term Black Irish is used predominately in United States and Canada to describe those of Irish descent who have dark brown or black hair such as Catherine Zeta-Jones or Colin Farrell as opposed to the stereotypical Irish traits of the redheaded comedian Conan O'Brien. A study from Harvard University reported that 60% of the Irish population has light brown, blonde or red hair, 40% are freckled and 72% have blue or light-colored eyes.  Legend has it that the dark features
evident in the Black Irish come from a historical mishap that took place over 400 years ago. The Spanish Armada was a fleet of about 130 ships that sailed from Lisbon in 1588 with the purpose of escorting an army from Flanders to invade England. Between 17 and 24 ships of the Armada wrecked on the coast of Ireland
accounting for about one-third of the fleet's total loss of 63 ships including 5,000 men.
Many of the soldiers were killed as soon as they reached shore and others fled to
Scotland. It was estimated about 100 survivors remained in the country. Historians and scholars argue that it is highly unlikely that members of the
Spanish Armada could have made a strong enough genetic contribution to Ireland to create the so-called "Black Irish". Although after being at sea for awhile, these stranded Spaniards may have reinforced their reputation of being both sailors and Latin lovers. So really, who knows what "contributions" they may have left?
Others
believe that the Black Irish are descendants from the
Iberian peninsula who migrated to both Ireland and Britain over 2500
years ago. The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe which includes modern-day Spain, Portugal, Andorra and Gibraltar and a very small area of France. Recent genetic research (much too complicated to recount here) has supported this claim showing a strong similarity between the Y chromosomes of males from the northern regions of Spain and Portugal to Irish men with Gaelic surnames. I am sure that somewhere in the stimulus package there is money earmarked to further these studies. Until then we can only go by legends or myths shared by generations before us.
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Frozen Black Irish Cocktail
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Blend briefly with half a glassful of crushed ice. Pour into a wine or martini glass, garnish with chocolate chips or a sprig of mint and serve. |
| The Woz Cha-Chas
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Recounting from memory she says, "The Woz wearing a pink satin shirt shakes his hips across the dance floor to the sounds of Cha-Cha." It sounds like a bizarre dream but the reality is Steve Wozniak, a.k.a. "The Woz," Silicon Valley icon and co-founder of Apple computers is hoofing it with partner Karina Smirnoff to the sounds of Latin music on ABC's Dancing with the Stars. How cute is that?
Believe it or not, this is actually his second stint on reality TV. His first time documented his relationship with comedian Kathy Griffin on her reality show, My Life on the D-List.
I must admit I am a huge Woz fan. Besides the fact that I am a Macophile (Apple fanatic for the novices), I love this man's attitude about life. He belongs to a Segway polo team, wrote a joke book for computer geeks and after becoming a billionaire enrolled at UC Berkley under the alias Rocky Clark to finish his degree. And now he's a internet dance star with his Cha-Cha on youtube gathering more hits than any of his famous competitors.
Wozniak said, "If you think that you cannot possibly dance or that you are the world's worst dancer, I'm going to show that it's not true." Well, I'm not so sure about that, but I do find him to be quite the adorable nerd.
This icon is living the dream of every nerd across America - breaking out the Latin dance moves with a hot chick on the dance floor. I've got to believe his computer nerdie fans are at work this moment figuring out how to hack into the voting system or at least rig it so he stays in the game for awhile. I prefer to vote for him legitimately, not necessarily for him to win the title, but at least to keep him around for awhile to see him take on the Tango.
Wozniak has his official site at Woz.org where his is sharing his DWTS experience and now has a Vote for Woz page on Facebook and VoteWoz on Twitter. Another site, VoteWoz.com was created by an avid fan to support my dancing hero. Watch it, live it, love it!
See Steve Cha-Cha >
The Woz on Colbert nation >
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Tortilla Española
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When I lived in Madrid my roommate Encarni taught me how to make a Tortilla Española or Tortilla de Potata which is a common dish found in every bar, restaurant and home in Spain. It's nothing like the flour or corn version from Mexico that I learned how to make growing up but it's now a favorite at our home.
INGREDIENTS
4-5 White Medium Potatoes, peeled
5 Eggs
1/2 cup Onion, finely chopped (optional)
1/2 cup Olive Oil, divided
Salt & Pepper, to taste
DIRECTIONS
Slice potatoes into scallop size pieces and set aside.
Place a non-stick skillet over medium-high
heat. Add 1/4 cup olive oil to pan. When the oil is
hot (not smoking, but very hot), add potatoes, onions, salt and pepper.
Cook potatoes (and onions if used) for 15-20 minutes until potatoes are very soft
and can cut in half easily with a spatula. Set potatoes aside. In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs. Mix together cooked and drained potatoes to egg mixture and add more salt and pepper.
Clean non-stick skillet thoroughly and add remaining olive oil and heat. Pour the
egg/potato mixture in the hot pan to cook like an open omelet. Reduce
the heat slightly after a minute or so to allow the eggs to set in the
middle, but not burn on the bottom. Use a spatula to run around the
sides and bottom of the omelet to make sure it's not sticking.
When the
majority of the egg mixture has cooked on the bottom, get ready to do the "flip". Using potholders to protect both hands place
a dinner plate over the tortilla and get a firm grip on the handle of the pan. In one quick move flip
the pan over so that the tortilla is released onto the plate. Place the
pan back on the heat and quickly slide the flipped tortilla back in the
hot pan to cook on the bottom. The tortilla is done when the egg is not runny inside when poked and slightly browned like the picture above.
Cut in thick pie shaped pieces when serving a portion for dinner or in cubes with toothpicks as an appetizer.
Can be served warm or at room tempurature.
¡Buen Provecho!
 Darlene's Tips
Use about one egg and one potato person.
Potatoes should fill the bottom of the pan.
Use Olive Oil, it doesn't taste the same using substitutes. Especially do not use non-stick spray.
Serve with a salad for a light supper.
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