Tomorrow is Saint Patrick's Day and I thought I would gather as many of my Irish related recipes in one spot as possible so as to make it easy for you to find them. This is by no means all of them, but I do think that I am giving you a nice variety of them to choose from!

I suppose there are not too many people who cannot claim to have at least a small portion of Irish DNA in themselves, which gives most of us much to celebrate when it comes to Saint Patrick's Day. I had my DNA done several years ago with the end result that I was 27% Irish. 

I would have to say that the Irish are some of the most wonderful and humble people you could ever want to know. Living in the UK, I was blessed to be able to call a few Irish people friends.  You could not ask for a better friend. They are the cream of the crop.

Their food is also incredibly humble, what I would call country cooking. Straightforward and without pretense, homey fare based on unsophisticated yet delicious raw ingredients. That is what I love most about it.  It is simple and wholesome food.

Aside from fresh seafood and shellfish, which you can enjoy in abundance in Ireland, dried fruit and potatoes figure massively in Irish cooking.  A goodly portion of their breads, cakes and desserts make fabulous use of this.  You won't see any of the shellfish on here as I am allergic to shellfish and typical Irish seafood is just not easy to come by here in Canada. 

I do hope that you will enjoy the examples of recipes I have shared with you however. I know that I certainly have!

 BREADS & SCONES

WHITE IRISH SODA BREAD (NON-FRUITED) - Quick, easy and very delicious, this is the white bread version of a non-yeasted Irish quick bread.  You will see some versions containing dried fruit and you are certainly welcome to add some. Having said that, it is pretty tasty just on its own.  I enjoy it sliced and spread with butter and jam or with soups, or stews for mopping up all that delicious gravy. 

TRADITIONAL IRISH SODA BREAD - A simple classic bread in Irish households. This yeast free whole meal bread is perfect served with soups and stews, salads, etc. Its also pretty delicious served sliced and spread with butter and jam, marmalade and honey.

SMALL BATCH IRISH SODA BREAD - This is a small batch version of the traditional Irish soda bread, made for the smaller family to enjoy without having a lot of waste or leftovers. Every bit as delicious as the full batch.

BOXTY - This delicious potato bread/potato cakes is also known as Potato Farls. This is a very simple recipe and very authentic in its simplicity. Composed of only three ingredients. Potatoes, flour and salt. These are traditionally cooked on the stove top in a flat surfaced griddle pan. At one time they would have been baked on a grill pan over an open fire.

IRISH SODA BREAD MUFFINS - Small individual soda breads baked in a muffin tin. Loaded with plenty of dried currants and caraway seed.  These are fabulously easy to make a incredibly tasty! Again, quick and easy to make, bake and eat! 

IRISH TEA BRACK - A non yeasted heavily fruity bread. You begin the night before by soaking a quantity of dried fruit in Irish breakfast tea overnight. The next morning you add the remaining ingredients and bake. This is heavy, yet beautifully fruited bread that is fabulous thinly sliced, spread with butter and served up with copious amounts of hot tea.

TRADITIONAL IRISH BARMBRACK - A fruity yeasted bread that is traditionally enjoyed sliced and buttered.  This makes for a fabulous tea time treat, or even a breakfast treat.  Its delicious any time you choose to enjoy it. 

IRISH HONEY SCONES - These lovely scones are filled with the nuttiness of whole wheat and are gently sweetened with honey. They are simple, but don't let that simplicity fool you into thinking these are nothing special.

SOUPS, STEWS & MAIN DISHES 

BALNAMOON SKINK - A delicate Irish version of a delicate soup made with fresh vegetables, enriched and lightly thickened with a mixture of cream and egg.  This makes great use of the early Spring Vegetables and is light enough that although satisfying, it leaves you with room for the main course.

SMALL BATCH IRISH STEW -  A delicious lamb stew for the smaller family.  Cubes of lamb are layered in a casserole with onions, carrots and seasonings, then topped with wedges of potato and covered with stock. Cover tightly, pop into the oven and then let the oven do the work. Quite simply delicious. 

IRISH STEAK AND GUINNESS STEW - A hearty stew made with lean cubes of stewing steak, carrots, parsnips, turnips and onions, cooked in a delicious Guinness gravy until deliciously fork tender.   Plan ahead as this takes a good 2 1/2 to 3 hours to cook, but then again the best things in life are worth waiting for.

IRISH HUNTER'S PIE - Buttery mash lines a pie dish that is filled with chunks of simmered lamb. The juices of the lamb are then made into a gravy which is poured through the top of the pie to moisten the filling, with any excess being served on the side.  Simple vegetables accompany this tasty dish.

BOILED BACON AND CABBAGE - There is nothing out of the ordinary here  . . .  it's just simple imgredients . . .  cured pork, a few vegetables, water  . . .  pepper.  Cabbage.Simple ingredients put together in a simple way with extraordinarily delicious results!  I made a mustard sauce to serve with it, and boiled new potatoes . . .  but a parsley sauce is just as delicious.

CORNED BEEF WITH PARSLEY SAUCE - Tender slices of juicy perfectly cooked corned beef, served thinly sliced with a variety of fresh and tasty vegetables on the side and a deliciously lush and creamy parsley sauce!

DUBLIN CODDLE - A Coddle is a traditional Irish dish usually associated with the city of Dublin. Hearty and delicious it is a stew-type of dish created with good pork sausages, salty bacon, pearl barley, onions, potatoes and herbs.

POTATOES 

CRUSHED NEW POTATO COLCANNON - There is something pretty wonderful that happens when you combine cabbage and potatoes and Ireland. Humble ingredients put together in a most delicious way, this is considered haute cuisine in many multiple Michelin star restaurants. In short this is a beautiful side dish well deserving to be served on any table!

TRADITIONAL IRISH CHAMP - Mashed potatoes with warm milk, spring onions and butter beaten into them.  It's so tasty.   The Irish know how to do potatoes and do them well!

PUDDINGS AND CAKES

IRISH WHISKEY AND GINGER CAKE - A dense and moist cake chock full of lovely ginger flavor! With the consistency of a pound cake, this cake is studded with plenty of candied ginger and loads of ginger flavor that really shines through.

IRISH MARMALADE CAKE - A sweet and moist marmalade flavored loaf studded throughout with sticky sweet sultanas.  A delight when sliced, buttered and enjoyed with a nice refreshing hot drink. 

IRISH BOILED FRUITCAKE -  A plain cake, beautifully moist and stuffed with loads of fruit. Dried Currants and sultana raisins are boiled in a mixture of golden syrup and tea. A few other simple ingredients are added prior to baking in the oven to create a delicious moist and fruity cake that is a great keeper, and quite simply delicious. 

IRISH BLAEBERRY PUDDING -  A sweet blueberry/blaeberry/billberry fruity filling is topped with a light and delicious cake batter then baked to perfection. Delicious served warm and spooned out into bowls with a topping of cream, custard or ice cream.

IRISH APPLE CAKE - A delicious apple cake with a cake/scone base, topped with plenty of sliced apples. A topping of crumble is sprinkled on top prior to baking to perfection. Delicious served warm and sliced in wedges, along with lashings of warm custard.

BERRY BUTTERMILK COBBLER - Frozen fruit baked into a buttermilk batter, served up warm,  with a simple custard flavored with Irish Cream.  Not only is this simple to make, but also very quick.  You can have everything ready to mix together ahead of time and just do the final mixing at the last minute so that it can bake while you are enjoying your main course. 

FLOURLESS CHOCOLATE CAKE WITH A BAILEY'S CHOCOLATE SAUCE - You will want to make the cake for this the day before.  It needs several hours in the refrigerator to set up properly for cutting. (I like to leave it overnight.)  It's rich and delicious.  Top with a scoop of really good Vanilla ice cream and a spoonful of Bailey's Chocolate sauce for the perfect finish.

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I have been craving Beef Stew all week.  It's a winter thing I guess, and having just come through having had a bad cold I was really craving some sort of comfort food.

In the UK they make things called Hot Pots in the winter months.  This is usually with lamb, but I have also seen them made with other meats such as pork or chicken.  This is the ultimate in comfort food.

 

Meat and vegetables layered in an oven proof casserole dish with some stock, and then baked until everything is meltingly tender.  Usually there is a thatch of sliced potatoes on top, but not always.

Today I decided to make myself a hot pot of sorts using some steak I found in my freezer, and why not! I was really pleased with how it turned out as well. This is sized for two to three people, but could certainly be made large enough to feed many more than that.

 

Its not a recipe as much as it is a technique.  Meat it browned and then layered up with a variety of vegetables. A flavor filled stock is poured over top and then the whole thing is baked long and slow until everything melts in your mouth.

You can thicken the juices to make a delicious gravy if you wish. 

 

 

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp oil
• 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
• 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 small onions quartered
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
• 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy

 

 

 

 

Yield: 2-3

Author: Marie Rayner

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Beef Steak Hot Pot

Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 2 HourTotal time: 2 H & 20 M

Tender pieces of beef with plenty of vegetables cooked long and slow. You can make a delicious gravy with the pan juices. I like to serve this with boiled or mashed potatoes!

IngredientsUSMetric

• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp oil
• 10 ounces (285g) top round or stewing steak cut into pieces
• 1/2 tsp each garlic powder, salt, black pepper and summer savory (or thyme)
• 1/2 small white cabbage cut into wedges
• 1 large parsnip, peeled and thickly sliced
• 1/3 of a small turnip (rutabaga/swede) peeled and cut into thick half moons
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
• 2 small onions quartered
• 2 cups beef stock
• 1 TBS tomato ketchup
• 1 TBS sweet pickle juice or Worcestershire sauce
• 1 TBS HP or other steak sauce
• 1 heaped TBS to thicken the gravy

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 350*F/180*C/gas mark 4.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a heavy based oven proof casserole until the butter begins to foam. Add the pieces of steak and brown them well on both sides.
3. Mix together the herbs and seasonings.
4. Place the onion quarters around the steak in the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with a bit of the seasoning.
5. Layer in the vegetables one at a time on top of the steak, sprinkling each layer with the seasoning mixture, and ending with the wedges of cabbage.
6. Whisk together the beef stock, ketchup, pickle juice, and HP sauce. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole tightly.
7. Place into the preheated oven. Roast for about 1 1/2 to 2 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.
8. Remove from the oven. Using a slotted spoon remove the meat and vegetables from the juices to a platter. Set aside and keep warm.
9. Whisk the flour into the remaining juices and cook, whisking constantly over medium high heat until the gravy thickens.
10. Serve portions of the meat along with the vegetables with some of the gravy spooned over top.

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