Who’s Cooking: Michele Fitzpatrick, Long Beach

Michele Fitzpatrick, a homemaker, lives in Long Beach with her husband and four children.

Where did you get your love of cooking?

My grandmother was a great baker, and my mother was a wonderful cook. From the age of 12 or 13 we were taught to make dinner for all 6 or 7 of us at home — shepherd’s pie, lots of soups and stews. My mom introduced us to so many new things. I grew up in County Clare. You’d talk to people who’d never heard of pasta Bolognese in Ireland at the time. She introduced us to that, to Indian rice, to lots of different ethnic foods.

What kind of baking did you do?

Making your own brown bread was a huge thing. They’re not what people call soda breads here, but we have what we call brown cakes, griddle breads or farls. They’re homemade breads you’d cook on top of the stove. We also made lots of potato cakes — all very hearty food.

What was the attitude toward food in your parents’ home?

We never had snacks, like the way people snack here. We ate three, maybe four meals a day, and it was very traditional, with family. We always had enough for an extra person. Sometimes at lunch my mother would invite people passing who needed to eat. It was very wholesome and inclusive.

Did you expose your kids early to Irish cooking?

We started with baking. We run the gamut: bread and scones, lots of different types of biscuits (what you call cookies). You can accomplish so much with recipes and working with children in the kitchen. If we don’t have eggs, we’ll use applesauce. Willow, my 15-year-old, makes elaborate merengues and macaroons. Abaigeal is 13 and she’s a workhorse of “Let’s make more cookies and plenty of bread.” Devin is 10 and was born with Down syndrome. It’s amazing to see him work with them. He’ll read the numbers for them, and for him to have something come out of the oven an hour later, it’s very empowering.

Any tips for making shepherd’s pie?

You can actually put in whatever you want. It’s quite a basic, flexible recipe. Some people put in sweet potatoes or mix sweet and white potatoes, or add turnips and other vegetables. I have some friends who are Italian and put in their family sauce instead of tomatoes.