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| St. Patrick |
Corned Beef and Cabbage is a traditional American way to celebrate St. Patrick's day, but not so in our family. I don't ever recall my Irish grandparents serving that dish, and green beer has never touched these Irish lips!
After my first trip to Ireland in 1987 I tried to bring more of the Irish food which I experienced there to our St. Patrick's day celebrations.
Irish cuisine includes more fish than one would imagine, until you realize that Ireland is an island nation surrounded by the sea and it's bounty. Salmon is frequently on the menu. Beef cattle and sheep graze the interior grasslands of Ireland and make a delicious contribution to the Irish table. Cheese, butter and dairy products are plentiful and pair well with abundant servings of fresh Irish Potatoes - which are more like small red potatoes than Idaho russet potatoes. Cabbage, turnips and other root vegetables bring flavor to Irish stews and meat pies. Apples, Rhubarb and fruit jams are frequently found in Irish recipes for desserts.
A Irish feast to celebrate St. Patrick's Day in our home now might include:
Apple slices and Cheddar cheese
Colcannon - mashed potatoes, cooked shredded cabbage, butter and milk
Baked Salmon - if the holiday falls on a Friday in Lent - or
Braised Beef in Guinness - beef, carrots and a flavorful sauce
Irish Soda Bread and butter
Rhubarb Fool - Rhubarb sauce mixed with whipped cream - or
Strawberry Trifle - cake chunks with jam, vanilla pudding and whipped cream
Irish Breakfast Tea with milk or
Guinness Beer
Many of my favorite Irish recipes come from Irish Cooking by Helen Walsh.
May the road rise up to meet you, may the wind be always at your back,
May the sun shine warm upon your face, and the rain fall soft upon your fields,
and until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Amen
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