St. Patrick's Day Recipes
Champ
Champ is quick and easy to make. It is said to help bring good luck for a year.
Serves: 4
Needed:
8 medium potatoes peeled
a small bunch of scallions
1/4 pt/125ml 1/2 cup milk
salt and pepper
knob of butter for each person
Steam potatoes then mash in a food mill. Chop entirely scallion finely and cook in milk for 5 minutes. Beat this mixture into the mash potatoes until all is smooth. Add salt and pepper for seasoning if desires. Top each mound with a pad of butter.
Barm Brack
Needed:
1/2 c. lukewarm milk
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. fresh yeast
2 c. plain flour
1 tsp. mixed spice
1 egg
3 tbsp. butter
2 c. mixed fruit (currants, sultana, raisins, candied peel)
2 tbsp. caster sugar
pinch salt
Cream the yeast and the sugar and allow to froth up in the milk, which shouls be at blood heat. Sieve the flour, caster sugar, and spice and rub in the butter. Make a well in the centre and add the yeast mixture and the egg, beaten. Beat with a wooden spoon spoon for about 10 minutes until a good dough forms. The fruit and the salt should be worked in by hand and whole kneaded. Put in a warm bowl, cover and allow to rise in a warm place for about an hour until doubled in size. Knead lightly and place in a lightly greased 7" diameter cake tin and allow a further 30 minutes rising time. Bake near the top of a pre-heated oven at gas mark 6 (400 degrees F, 200 degress C) for 45 minutes. On removing from the oven brack can be glazed with a syrup made from 2 tsp. sugar dissolved in 3 tsp. boiling water.
Irish Stew
Serves:4
Needed:
2 1/2 lb/1kg boned mutton
4 large potatoes
2 large onions
3-4 medium carrots
sprig of parsley
1 pt/500 ml/2 cups water
salt and pepper
Cut the meat into 1 inch cubes. Peel vegetables and slice thinly. Chop parsley. place ingredients in a pot start with meat then layer with vegetables, layer potatoes on top. Add water and salt and pepper. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.
Note: Lamb can be used as a substitute meat. Then cooking time is 1 1/2 hours.
Baked Salmon
There is no doubt that this is an expensive dish, but it will feed eight to ten people and makes a fine party piece.
Serves: 8-10
Needed:
1 whole fresh salmon (about 5 lb.)
parsley
salt and pepper
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup dry cider
1/2 pt/250ml/1cup double cream
Clean and descale the salmon, cut off the head and tail and trim the fins. Stuff the parsley into the gullet. Butter some aluminum foil and form a loose envelope around the fish, sealing both ends but leaving the top open for the moment. Dot the rest of the butter over the salmon, season and pour over the cider and the cream. Now seal the foil along the top, leaving only a small vent. Bake in the oven for 11/4 hours at gas mark 4 (350 degrees F, 180 degrees C). When ready, take from the oven, remove the skin and reduce the sauce by boiling, stirring all the time. Serve with boiled new potatoes and fresh garden peas.
Beef in Guinness
Serves:4
Needed:
2 1/2 lb/1kg shin of beef
2 large onions
6 medium carrots
2 tbsp. seasoned flour
a little fat or beef dripping
1/2 pt/250 ml/1 cup Guinness and water mixed
sprig of parsley
Cut the beef into chunks and peel and slice the onions and carrots. Toss the beef in the flour and brown quickly in hot fat. Remove the beef and fry the onions gently until transparent. Return the beef and add the carrots and the liquid. Bring just to a boil, reduce the heat to a very gently simmer, cover closely and cook for 11/2-2 hours. Check that the dish does not dry out, adding more liquid if necessary. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve with plainly boiled potatoes.
Corned Beef and Cabbage
Serves: 12
needed:
1 3/4 lbs onions
2 1/2 lbs carrots
6 lb corned beef brisket or round, spiced or unspiced
1 cup malt vinegar
6 oz Irish stout
1 tablespoon mustard seed
1 tablespoon coriander seed
1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon dill seed
1/2 tablespoon whole allspice
2 bay leaves
3 lb cabbage, rinsed
2 1/2 lb small red potatoes
1/2 cup coarse grain mustard
1/2 cup dijon mustard
Use a 14 to 20 quart pan.
Coarsely chop enough onions and carrots to make 1 cup each. In pan, place
onions and carrots, corned beef with any liquid, vinegar, stout, mustard seed,
coriander, peppercorns, dill, allspice and bay leaves. Add water to barely
cover beef. Cover pan and bring to a boil over high heat. Simmer until
meat is tender when pierced, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Meanwhile, cut remaining onions into wedges. Cut remaining carrots into
2-inch lengths; halve them lengthwise if large. Cut cabbages in half through
cores, then into wedges. Scrub potatoes.
Add onions, carrots and potatoes to tender corned beef, place cabbage on top.
Cover and return to simmering over high heat; reduce heat and simmer until
cabbage is tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes.
With a slotted spoon scoop out vegetables onto warm serving dishes. Using
tongs and a slotted spoon, remove beef to a cutting board; cut off and
discard fat, slice meat across the grain and place on warm platters. Serve
meat and vegetables with coarse-grain and dijon mustards.
Scones
needed:
8 oz / 250 g / 2 cups self raising flour
1 1/2 oz / 50 g / 3 tbsp butter
1/4 pt / 150 ml / 1/2 cup milk
pinch of salt
Sieve flower into a bowl and rub int the butter quickly and lightly with fingertips add salt and mix in milk. Knead softly into a soft dough add a little more milk as necessary to keep moist. Role out evenly one finger thick on a cutting board.Cut out with q quick sharp motion. Cook on greased pan at 425 F for 12-15 minutes.
Irish Coffee
needed:
1/2 cup strong black coffee
1-2 teaspoon sugar
1 large measure Irish Whiskey
1-2 tbsp double cream
Fill glass half full with coffee and sugar for taste. Add whiskey and add blob of cream to float on top.
Hot Whiskey
needed:
boiling water
1-2 tsp sugar
1 large measure Irish Whiskey
slice of lemon
2-3 whole cloves
Add to glass half cup of boiling water stir in sugar add whiskey then a slice of lemon and the cloves.