St. Patrick's is a day for Irish food

Food is taken very seriously in the Irish capital, everyone is eating out, and social life is much changed. Don't expect to be invited to the "local" for a pint after work. Get used to the fact that instead you'll be having a latte at one of the tiny hip cafes with computer toys along the narrow side streets with their many twists and turns. Hitting the pubs and clubs comes much later in the evening.

Dublin's modern cuisine reflects the changing population and new directions in the country's social culture. In St. Stephen's Green, for example, there is the highly acclaimed Kevin Thornton's, upstairs in the Fitzwilliam Hotel.

So who is Kevin Thornton?

He is Ireland's only native two-star Michelin chef. He was born in 1958, in Cashil, Tipperary; at age 15 he enrolled in cooking school in Galway, then worked in London, Switzerland, France and Canada, before going back to work for Paul Bocuse, the three-star Michelin chef, in Lyon, France.

He finally returned to Ireland and in 1991 he and his wife, who is also his business partner, opened their first restaurant in Dublin. In 1995, he opened Thornton's, and was awarded the two Michelin stars. Thornton is a very serious, thorough chef. He goes off to market daily to choose his produce, paying careful attention to every ingredient he uses.

Nearby is l'Ecrivain, another local hot spot, whose chef, Derry Clarke, has just received his first Michelin star.

A stroll away, Patrick Guibault, a two-star Michelin restaurant, serves modern French food with plenty of Irish ingredients. Roly's Bistro offers updated classic Irish fare; its menu may list Dublin Bay prawns Newburg with coriander-scented wild rice; braised shank of lamb with colcannon; and sticky toffee and walnut pudding with rum-raisin sauce and caramelized apples.

In sum, modern Irish cuisine has taken its place among the city's other riches of culture, literature and visual arts. It's a cuisine that combines Irish simplicity with French training, with one of the basics of great cooking very evident: the use of the freshest available ingredients.

James O'Shea, chef and co-owner of West Street Grill, Litchfield, Conn., visits his native Ireland, especially Dublin, often enough to fully savor the flowering of Irish cuisine.

Terrine of Irish Bacon and Cabbage With Leek Puree and Mushroom Vinaigrette

(Recipe adapted from Thornton's Restaurant, Dublin, Ireland)

For the terrine:

2 carrots, diced

2 onions, diced

3 celery stalks, diced

1 bay leaf

Peppercorns, to taste

Enough water to cover bacon

2 pounds collar of Irish bacon (ham, see note)

1 pound shiitake mushrooms

1 pound oyster mushrooms

Salt and pepper to taste

2 heads savoy cabbage

3 leeks (reserve 1 teaspoon, cut julienne, for garnish; finely dice the rest)

2 tablespoons butter

Make a court bouillon by simmering carrots, onions, celery and bay leaf in water for about 30 minutes.

Simmer ham for 1 1/2 to 2 hours in court bouillon until tender; let cool in its own liquid.

Saute mushrooms until liquid is released, about 3 or 4 minutes; season to taste with salt and pepper and allow to cool. Reserve 1/3 cup mushrooms for the vinaigrette and garnish.

Peel off cabbage leaves and blanch in salted boiling water until soft, then plunge into ice water. Remove main ribs from each leaf, season with salt and pepper. Reserve 3 or 4 cabbage leaves; chop finely.

Line a standard 2-quart, 12-by-4-by-4 1/2-inch terrine (or similar size) with plastic wrap; then line terrine with prepared cabbage leaves (about 10 leaves, depending on the size of your terrine), allowing some of the leaves to overhang the edge.

Slice ham into 1-inch-thick slices; using half of the ham, form one layer on the bottom of the terrine, leaving no spaces. Next, over this layer the mushrooms. Add enough cabbage leaves to cover the mushrooms; then over this, layer the rest of the ham. Fold the overhanging cabbage from the initial layer over the top. Wrap the terrine with plastic wrap; evenly weigh down with weights on top (about 20 pounds weight, if possible). Refrigerate overnight.

To make leek puree: Cook diced leeks over medium heat in 2 tablespoons butter until softened, about 5 minutes. Add chopped reserved cabbage; puree mixture in blender, and season with salt and pepper; let cool.

For Vinaigrette:

1/3 cup reserved mushrooms

1/3 cup white wine vinegar

2/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/3 cup truffle oil, if available (or any mushroom-infused oil)

Puree mushrooms with vinegar in a blender. Drizzle in oils until emulsified, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

For garnish:

Mix 1 teaspoon vinaigrette with julienne of leek and 1 teaspoon chopped mushrooms and season to taste.

To serve the terrine:

Pipe two lines of leek puree onto each plate. Cut two slices of terrine and lay one on top of the other between the lines of puree (for a lunch main dish; for a first course, allow just one slice per serving). Place a dollop of leek-mushroom-vinaigrette mixture on top of the layers of terrine; drizzle vinaigrette around the plate and brush the terrine with the vinaigrette.

Makes 10 to 12 slices, 6 lunch servings or up to 12 first-course serving.

Note: This kind of collar of Irish bacon is a specially cured boiling ham. For information: Prime Cuts (718) 324-9262, or on the Net www.primecutsirishbutcher.com<