Trouble is nothing new to Ireland, with centuries of invasion, war and strife, oppression and crushing poverty, famine and mass migration. No wonder Irish food is so hearty and comforting. It’s designed to satisfy all the various hungers a weary body might have.Perfect food, then, for these troubled times in the United States.Just don’t be thinking Irish food today means soft, soggy vegetables, leathery corned beef or potato after potato after endless potato. There’s a more urbane, creative feel to today’s Irish cooking on both sides of the Atlantic.”Irish cooking is a style of cooking that uses local ingredients and is based on traditional dishes,” writes Margaret M. Johnson in her “The New Irish Table” cookbook. “New Irish chefs came to recognize that there was nothing wrong with the basic ingredients of their cooking … but that they had to learn to broaden their tastes and apply more sophisticated, international cooking techniques to the marvelous bounty of their homeland.”Johnson, a resident of Westhampton, N.Y., has a new cookbook, “Tea & Crumpets,” to be released in May. She first began visiting Ireland in 1984. She has been back more than 50 times since.The biggest change, she said, had been immigration – people moving to Ireland from around the world to seek better opportunities. They have helped give Irish food a more global stamp, she said.”In the smallest Irish village you’ll likely find a Chinese take-away,” she said.While Johnson said she hasn’t personally encountered the same sort of global aspect to Irish cooking here – finding a Buffalo chicken wing on an “Irish” pub menu in America drives her crazy – there are American restaurants seeking to expand the definition of Irish food.Take the work of James O’Shea, who for nearly 19 years has been drawing New Yorkers to his clubby West Street Grill in Litchfield, Conn. O’Shea, born in County Kerry, Ireland, has long been an advocate for the new Irish cooking, yet he stressed that the key to the cuisine remains locally sourced, fresh foods.”They’re using local ingredients from as close as possible to where they live,” he said. “There are more farmers markets, more people growing vegetables. It’s all about local, sustainable and the environment.”Freshness is vital too. O’Shea recalls his grandmother turning up her nose in the afternoon at an egg laid that morning. Too old for her. Nor was his mother fooled when O’Shea tried to switch a piece of farmed salmon for Irish wild salmon.”I wrapped it in seaweed and slowly steamed it. She said it was very good but not the real thing,” he said. “People know the lineage of taste. … People know where these things are from. Everyone needs to know where their ingredients come from.”One of executive chef Jeanne Carlson’s challenges is convincing customers at the Chicago restaurant Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro that their misconceptions of Irish food belong in the past.”Contemporary Irish is not that different (from) contemporary American,” said Carlson, who is of Swedish descent. “We’re using traditional Irish ingredients and techniques in a new way.”So buttermilk mashed potatoes, a traditional dish, might get jazzed up with Japanese wasabi root, Dijon mustard or black olives, she said. Lamb shanks are dosed with stout and bedded on roast garlic and parsnip puree.s fresh as they can get it,” she said. “It’s all about local, local, local besides organic and free-range. They like to eat food from within a 50-mile radius of where they’re dining.”

This recipe is from Margaret M. Johnson’s “The New Irish Table.” Cod fillets may be substituted for the haddock. Hard Irish cider is available at liquor and wine shops. If you can’t find hard cider, substitute a wheat beer.

HADDOCK FILLETS IN CIDER-Yield: 4 servings

2 tablespoons flour1/2 teaspoon salt1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper4 (6-ounce) haddock or other white fish fillets4 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, minced1 shallot, mincedFennel fronds, coarsely chopped4 slices lemon1 1/4 cups Irish hard cider1 tablespoon butter

Procedure:1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, salt and pepper in shallow bowl. Coat fish in seasoned flour; place in greased baking dish. Sprinkle with parsley, shallot and fennel fronds. Place lemon slices atop fish. Pour cider over fish; dot with butter. Cover pan with foil.2. Bake until sauce is bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven; heat broiler. Remove foil; pour off 1 cup sauce for serving. Place fish under broiler, about 4 inches from heat source. Broil until fish is lightly browned, 4-5 minutes. Place a fillet on each plate; spoon reserved sauce over the top.Nutrition data per serving: 195 calories, 20 percent of calories from fat, 4 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 106 mg cholesterol, 5 g carbohydrates, 33 g protein, 414 mg sodium, 0 g fiberSource: “The New Irish Table” by Margaret M. Johnson

This recipe comes from chef Dirk Flanigan of The Gage restaurant in Chicago. Have your butcher bone and tie the pork shoulder for braising. Flanigan uses Jameson whiskey in this dish. Colcannon is a traditional Irish potato-and-cabbage dish.

WHISKEY-BRAISED PORK WITH COLCANNON-Yield: 6 servings

PORK:1 (3- to 4-pound) pork shoulder, boned and tied2 teaspoons salt1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste1/4 cup vegetable oil1 each, chopped: yellow onion, carrot3 sprigs fresh thyme2 cloves garlic, smashed1 bay leaf1/2 teaspoon dry mustard1 1/4 cups whiskey2 quarts chicken broth1 teaspoon brown sugar1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

COLCANNON:1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cooked and peeled3/4 cup whipping cream1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, divided2 teaspoons freshly ground pepper1/2 teaspoon salt1 small savoy cabbage, very thinly sliced2 leeks, sliced1 yellow onion, diced10 sprigs parsley, chopped

Procedure:1. For pork, preheat oven to 325 degrees. Season pork with salt and pepper. Heat oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add meat; brown on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove meat to plate. Add onion and carrot to Dutch oven. Cook until vegetables are lightly caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add thyme, garlic, bay leaf and dry mustard; cook 1 minute. Add whiskey; cook, stirring up browned bits, until liquid reduces by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, brown sugar, nutmeg and black pepper to taste. Add meat; cover. Roast until meat is tender, about 3 hours.2. Meanwhile, for colcannon, mash potatoes in large bowl. Mix in cream and half the butter. Season with pepper and salt; set aside. 3. Melt remaining butter in large skillet over medium heat; add cabbage, leeks and onion. Cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 8 minutes. Fold vegetables into potatoes; stir in parsley. Keep warm.4. Remove braised pork from oven; cool 10 minutes. Transfer meat to cutting board. Strain liquid into fat separator (or skim off fat); return liquid to pan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced by 3/4, about 15-20 minutes; set aside. Cut pork shoulder into thick slices. Spoon colcannon onto dinner plates. Place pork slices atop colcannon; spoon reduced juices around the plate.Nutrition data per serving: 898 calories, 55 percent of calories from fat, 54 g fat, 24 g saturated fat, 228 mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrates, 62 g protein, 2,161 mg sodium, 5 g fiberSource: Chef Dirk Flanigan, The Gage restaurant, Chicago.

This recipe was developed by executive chef Jeanne Carlson from Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro in Chicago. She prefers to make the dish with Guinness stout and serves it with roast garlic and parsnip puree (see accompanying recipe). Mashed potatoes would work as well.STOUT-BRAISED LAMB SHANKS-Yield: 6 servings

6 (1-pound) lamb shanks1 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper1 cup flour1/4 cup vegetable oil6 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces1 onion, thinly sliced1 clove garlic, minced1 tablespoon caraway seed2 cups stout beer3 (14 ounce) cans beef broth1 cup tomato paste1/2 cup golden raisins4 sprigs fresh thyme

Procedure:1. Season lamb with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Pour flour into shallow pan; coat lamb in flour, shaking to remove any excess. Heat vegetable oil over medium-high heat in Dutch oven. Cook lamb shanks, in batches, until well-browned on all sides, 6-8 minutes per batch. Transfer shanks to platter.2. Add carrots and onion to Dutch oven; cook, stirring, until caramelized around the edges, about 8 minutes. Add garlic and caraway seed; cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add stout; bring to boil over high heat, stirring up browned bits. Cook until reduced by half, about 5 minutes.3. Stir in beef broth, tomato paste, raisins, thyme and remaining 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Add reserved shanks and any juices to pan; bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer; cover tightly. Cook, turning meat occasionally, until meat is tender and falling from bone, 2 hours. Remove shanks to platter. Cook sauce to thicken slightly, about 15 minutes. Remove sprigs of thyme; serve sauce over shanks.Nutrition data per serving: 536 calories, 30 percent of calories from fat, 18 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 147 mg cholesterol, 41 g carbohydrates, 51 g protein, 1,603 mg sodium, 6 g fiberSource: Executive chef Jeanne Carlson of Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro, Chicago

A recipe from Jeanne Carlson, executive chef at Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro in Chicago. Serve in place of potatoes.

ROASTED GARLIC AND PARSNIP PUREE-Yield: 8 servings

1 head garlic, top third cut off1 teaspoon olive oil4 pounds parsnips, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces1 1/2 teaspoons salt, divided1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, softened3/4 cup whipping cream1/2 teaspoon white or black pepper

Procedure:1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Place garlic on square of aluminum foil; drizzle top with olive oil. Wrap in foil; bake until soft, 30-40 minutes. Unwrap garlic; cool. Squeeze cloves into small bowl.2. Meanwhile, put parsnips in large saucepan; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with water. Bring to boil over high heat; reduce heat to medium. Cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain, reserving cooking liquid.3. Place parsnips in food processor with roasted garlic, butter and cream, in batches if necessary; puree. Add parsnip cooking liquid, if needed, to make the puree smooth. Season with remaining salt and the pepper.Nutrition data per serving: 285 calories, 46 percent of calories from fat, 15 g fat, 9 g saturated fat, 46 mg cholesterol, 37 g carbohydrates, 3 g protein, 465 mg sodium, 10 g fiberSource: Executive chef Jeanne Carlson of Mrs. Murphy and Sons Irish Bistro, Chicago

A woman died in a fiery crash this afternoon at a gas pump at a 7-Eleven in the 1400 block of West Colorado Avenue, Colorado Springs police officer John Ressler said. Photo by Courtesy of Jon Massey