It’s St. Patrick’s Day! And we all know that you don’t have to be Irish to celebrate the ancient feast day of the patron saint of the Emerald Isle. But if you want to do it right, be prepared to pass up ‘fancy’ and complicated in favour of simple, wholesome and traditional. And have a beer…
Nothing says St. Patrick’s Day like traditional Irish Stew! Serve with
Colcannon for an unbeatable Irish Feast! Stout beer,
like Guinness, is a mandatory ingredient…
Now, let’s get one thing straight. One tradition we won’t be fiddling with is the one where St. Patrick allegedly banished all the snakes from Ireland. Cooking up and devouring a grand old Irish comfort food feast is infinitely more fun than snake charming. And if, you don’t agree, you’re off my guest list!
The Cocktail…
That’s a bit of a trick question. It’s Fine Old Irish Whiskey, of course – the only kind spelled with an ‘e’ before the ‘y’ at the end – and a British bastardization of the original Erse ‘uisce beatha’, which means ‘water of life’. Serve it any way you like, with the less adulteration, the better.
The Appetizer…
A nice Boxty – a small Potato Pancake made with Buttermilk. You can serve it a million ways or just eat it plain as a snack. For this dinner party, top it with a little sautéed Cabbage and a dollop of minced Corned Beef. Presto! Irish Bruschetta!
The Entrée…
Irish Stew, of course! Use your favourite family recipe. Or Google an arm-long list… Whatever else you put into the pot, make sure you pat dry your Beef or Lamb before braising. A light coating of flour will help brown the meat in a couple of tablespoons of oil before adding liquid, and that’s pure flavour! Once the meat is nicely browned, add chunky Carrots, Onions and Potatoes. Be generous with the Salt and Pepper, and don’t forget the Parsley, Thyme and Rosemary.
Throw in a handful of ‘soup’ Barley and cover the solid ingredients with rich, brown Beef Stock. No, wait a minute… Make sure at least a pint of Irish Stout gets in there before you top up with stock. Bring to a boil then turn down to a simmer for at least three hours.
Serve the Stew with that inimitable Irish side, Colcannaon. It’s Mashed Potatoes, Boiled Cabbage, Onions, Butter, Salt and Pepper. But you can jazz it up from there as much as you want. Again, there’s a zillion different recipes on the Internet. Go for it!
The Dessert…
Only one thing will do… A Chocolatey, rich Guinness Layer Cake with Chocolate Butter Cream Frosting. Make your own fave Chocolate Cake substituting Guinness or other Irish Stout for all liquids, both in the Cake Batter and the Frosting. Enhance both with a good dash of Vanilla Extract and a little dash of Almond Extract (if you have it).
The After Dinner Drink…
Irtish Coffee. Natch. Use your own fave formula. If you want to experiment, try to stick to a basic five-to-one ratio of Black Coffee to Irish Whiskey and do try a totally non-traditional teaspoon of Maple Syrup for sweetness, rather than plain old sugar. Most Irish Coffee recipes specify a dollop of Heavy Cream on top, too.
And there you have it!
Try any or all of these traditional Irish favourites and make your St. Patrick’s Day a little greener!
~ Maggie J.