Good foods, good times go together on St. Patrick’s Day!
By Betty Lou Marek
Insights
Published March 11, 2009

Saluting our Irish friends with a touch of green or hearty food can be as fun as the St. Patrick’s Day celebration, with its parades and good times. Dining out in an Irish pub is fun, but with some green frosted cupcakes or cookies and favorite Irish foods, dining at home can be a good thing as well.

Our Irish beer stew is an easy dish, with rich brown gravy, possibly served with boiled potatoes or colcannon mashed potatoes. Old fashioned corned beef and cabbage takes a bit of time, but is simple to do. Supper potatoes can stand alone, but any cooked meat or fowl can be added if you wish.

Every year we try out a different Irish soda bread, and always wonder aloud why we only make it on St. Patrick’s Day, since it is such an easy, delicious bread. Today’s recipe makes a large amount and can be made with only raisins if currants are not available. Instead of one large loaf, two can be made from the recipe. Enjoy, and as they say: “May you be long in heaven before the devil knows you are gone!”

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon caraway seeds, or to taste
currants to taste
white raisins to taste
1 egg, beaten
1 1/3 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Lightly mix flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and caraway seeds in large mixing bowl. Cut butter or margarine into flour mixture as for piecrust. Combine egg and buttermilk and add to mixture, then fold in currants and raisins. Knead until mixture holds together. Form mixture into large flat ball shape and place on greased cookie sheet. Make a cross on top of cake. Bake in a 375-degree oven for about one hour for a big loaf, or until bread is baked. Drizzle with green tinted butter cream frosting if desired and serve warm with butter or preserves. Most prefer this bread plain.

Irish Supper Potatoes
6 potatoes, medium to large, pared, cut into one-inch cubes
2 – 3 teaspoons butter
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped celery
1 cup grated carrots
2 cups beef stock or bouillon
salt to taste
2 teaspoons chopped parsley

Sauté onion, garlic, celery and carrots in butter in large heavy skillet, until vegetables are limp. Add potatoes to skillet and combine well. Add bouillon or stock and salt as needed. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley to serve as side dish.

Irish Beer Beef Stew
2 pounds beef brisket cut in one-inch cubes
1 – 2 onions, sliced
3 Tablespoons vegetable oil
sprig of parsley
thyme to taste
sage to taste
1 bay leaf
8 ounce bottle of dark beer, or more as needed
3/4 cup beef stock or more as needed
3 – 4 carrots, diced
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
salt and fresh pepper to taste
2 Tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped for garnish

Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a Dutch oven and brown the beef. Transfer meat to bowl or platter. Lower heat and brown the onions in oil using the rest of the oil if needed. Return beef to pan and add the herbs (which have been placed in cheese cloth, tied or in a closed tea ball), and the dark beer and stock as needed to cover the meat. Add the carrots and brown sugar. Cover and bring mixture to a boil. Place covered pan in oven at 325-degrees. Cook until meat is tender, about one and one-half to two hours. Adjust liquid if needed and add the rest of the stock as needed. When meat is done, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove the herbs. In small saucepan, whisk flour with about a quarter cup meat broth, as needed, until smooth, about two minutes. Add mixture to meat to make a thicker broth. Garnish with fresh parsley and serve with Irish soda bread, boiled potatoes, etc.

Old Fashioned Corned Beef and Cabbage
4 – 5 pound corned beef brisket
1 – 2 medium cloves garlic
1 – 2 medium onion, halved
2 whole cloves
black pepper to taste
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon mustard seed
1 medium head cabbage, cut into wedges

Wipe beef with damp paper towel and place in large kettle. Cover with cold water; then add garlic, onion, cloves, pepper, bay leaves and mustard seed. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer about five minutes; then skim off any froth. Cover and continue to simmer three or four hours or until meat is fork tender. Add the cabbage during the last 15 or 20 minutes of cooking. To serve, remove beef and cabbage from liquid. Slice beef and arrange on platter with cabbage wedges and parsley garnish.