I’ve been shying away from posting about special treats themed for ‘traditional’ holidays. They tend to be repetitive and/or formulaic. But this year, an unsuspected source has blown me away – with truly innovative St. Patrick’s Day Specialties!
Irish Rice Bowl: Make it the way the source recipe suggests the first time, then start
experimenting! This is a cultural crossover dish you can truly make your own!
Actually… One of the annual celebrations I stopped regularly posting recipes for was St. Paddy’s. I mean… How many variations can you come up with for Corned Beef and Cabbage?
Refreshing and inspiring
But this year, a regularly-scheduled check of an old, faithful post theme source proved a refreshing, inspiring experience!
And where do you think I found that blow-me-away breath of creative oxygen? On on of the most conventional, conservative recipe websites ever: Delish.com!
Get a load of their latest…
Did you assume, like I did, that there was nothing new under the sun, culinarily, for traditional ‘obser-vances’ such as St. Patrick’s Day? Check your kitchen weather forecast!
Guinness Chocolate Cake
Just substitute Guinness Stout for your usual brew in a standard Beer Chocolate Cake recipe. Or segue directly to this top-rated, Guinness-focused version!
I think I’ll be buying Guinness more often in the coming weeks and months as I experiment with other ‘swicy’ and ‘swavory’ applications that can feature Ireland’s unique, ancient and best-known umami star!
St. Paddy’s Reuben
Sounds a little far-fetched… But consider the ‘natural’ parallels between the two! For St. Paddy’s version, switch out the Caraway Rye Bread in favour of traditional Irish Soda Bread. And use buttery sautéed shredded cabbage in place of sauerkraut. Definitely keep the Swiss Cheese!
Definitely serve hot, but not too juicy; you’ll ruin the bread! (See photo, top of page.)
And consider experimenting with a number of different creamy dressings. First thought, as an alter-native to the trad Thousand Islands? Ranch, of course!
Corned Beef and Cabbage ‘Bowls’
The Ramen Bowl is a perennial favourite format brings together lots of different Asian ingredients. The variations are endless! And the Asian Rice bowl is another way to unite cadres of complementary veggies and exotique flavours. Either format is a natural for St. Patrick’s Day adaptations substituting Corned Beef and Cabbage, Sautéed Cabbage other suitable toppings for the usual Asian veggies.
Make the broth in the Ramen Bowl version a lightly-flavoured Beef brew with traditional beef-complementary Asian flavourings…
Irish Nachos
No. Really! These are a little bit of work, but you can make them in big batches on large sheet pans. And you should! They’ll disappear as quickly as you can dish them out…
The Delish Test Kitchen recommends: “[L]oad our toppings onto crispy roasted potatoes instead of corn chips.” Of course, you can use any frozen Oven-Ready Fries you wish. Maggie recommends the waffle-cut, extra thick ones! “Our festive (and customizable) toppings – corned beef, horseradish, pickled jalapeños, black beans, and plenty of cheese – are best layered separately,” onto the pota-toes, ensuring a complete, full-flavoured experience in every bite…
My take
The aforementioned St. Paddy’s treats are all easy to make and require a minimum of hands-on prep. (With the possible exception of the Chocolate Cake…)
Give one or more of them a try today. And start compiling your own contemporary, creative St. Paddy’s Day traditions!
~ Maggie J.