St. Patrick’s Day falls on a Wednesday this year, on March 17th. Wednesday isn’t exactly a day you imagine going out drinking with your friends and family (especially this year, even with things looking up!) so we thought we’d bring you some warm, traditional Irish dishes to make your week a little bit cozier, while keeping with the theme of the holiday!
Soda Bread
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups of buttermilk
1 cup of dried currants
4 cups of all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
1/4 cup of sugar
6 tablespoons of cold butter
2 teaspoons caraway seeds
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 teaspoon of baking soda
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 350°F. Then, grease a large cookie sheet in an even coating of butter or whatever other option you prefer. In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. With a utensil like a fork or spatula, cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in your currants and caraway seeds, then buttermilk until flour is evenly moistened.
On a well-floured surface, knead dough 8 to 10 times just until combined. Shape into a flattened ball; place on cookie sheet. Cut 1/4-inch-deep "X" into top. Bake loaf 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Set bread aside on a wire rack and wait to eat until cool.
Potato Leek Soup
Ingredients:
3 cups of mashed potatoes
6 cups of chicken broth
4 sprigs of fresh thyme
1 tablespoon of olive oil, plus more for serving
4 leeks (white and light green parts only), sliced into half-moons
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 bulb of fennel, cut into 1/4-in. pieces
1 stalk of celery, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon of lemon juice (optional)
Directions:
Heat oil in a large pot on medium. Add leeks, garlic, fennel, and celery, season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook. Cover the pot and stir occasionally until very tender for 13 to 15 minutes. Add mashed potatoes, broth, and thyme. Simmer the mixture and stir occasionally until heated through for about 5 minutes.
Remove and discard the thyme. Using an immersion blender (or standard blender, in batches), puree the soup until smooth. Stir in lemon juice and serve with cracked pepper and a drizzle of oil if desired.
Guinness Beef Stew
Ingredients:
4 cups beef stock
3 large carrots, peeled and diagonally sliced into bite-sized pieces
1.5 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 pounds of beef chuck roast, trimmed of excess fat and cut into bite-sized pieces
1 large white or yellow onion, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/3 cup flour
1 (12 ounce) bottle Guinness beer
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Season the beef with a few generous pinches of salt and pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add half of the beef to the pan. Cook until seared, turning the beef every 30-45 seconds or so until all sides are browned. Remove beef from the pan with a slotted spoon, and transfer to a clean plate. Add an additional 1 tablespoon oil to the stockpot, and repeat this process with the remaining half of the beef, transferring it afterwards to the plate as well.
Add the onion to the stockpot (adding extra oil if needed, but usually there is leftover drippings/oil from the beef) and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and sauté it for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Then, stir in the flour until it has evenly coated the onions, and cook for 1 minute, stirring occasionally. Gradually stir in the Guinness, and use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any of the stew that sticks to the bottom of the pan. Stir in the beef stock, carrots, potatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, thyme, and the cooked beef (along with any of its accumulated juices). Continue cooking until the stew reaches a simmer. Then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer over low for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is tender and the potatoes are soft.
Remove bay leaf and season with additional salt and pepper if needed. Serve warm garnished with chopped parsley if desired.
Happy St. Patrick’s Day, residents, and we hope you enjoy some of these themed traditional Irish recipes!
