PITTSFIELD — Fair or not, St. Patrick’s Day has earned a reputation as an alcohol-forward holiday.
From a hot mug of liquor-spiked coffee to a certain brand of molasses-tinged beer, for many the day is traditionally punctuated by the libation or two (or more).
- By Margaret Button, The Berkshire Eagle
The math worked — Guinness beer is sold in four-can packs and there are four editors in the features department. No, we weren't planning an after-hours party, we were looking at food page ideas for St. Patrick's Day. Features editor Lindsey Hollenbaugh, herself of Irish descent, had decreed corned beef and cabbage — and most other Irish food — as already well-covered and, well, a bit boring.
Calendar editor Meggie Baker mentioned Guinness beer — and after some research on recipes using Guinness beer, we were off and running ... to the store to get the ingredients for our dishes. Jen Huberdeau, Eagle online editor, used her can of Guinness to create not one, but two main dishes — a rack of lamb and a hearty Guinness beef stew. Meggie Baker made a Guinness chocolate bread with a Bailey's Irish Cream glaze. Lindsey was all about Guinness macaroni and cheese, and I dedicated my can to a Guinness chocolate cheesecake. Unfortunately, due to having a sick child, Lindsey didn't have the time — or energy — to make the mac and cheese. Fear not, the Guinness wasn't wasted.
Below, are the recipes we tried and what we thought about them.
Rack of lamb
"Every home cook has one or two dishes they want to make, but aren't sure they can pull off. For me, the rack of lamb was one of those dishes. I'd eaten lamb chops at restaurants, but it wasn't a dish served when I was growing up. It wasn't until a few years ago that I mustered up the courage to try any recipe involving this cut.
This recipe was my introduction to the rack of lamb. It was simple, enjoyable and helped put this cut of meat into our dinner menu's rotation and encouraged us to explore other recipes, as simple and more complex than this one."
— Jennifer Huberdeau
Makes 4 servings
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup of Guinness
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 French cut rack of lamb (8 ribs, 1 pounds)
1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon of black peppercorn
DIRECTIONS:
Position rack in center of oven. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray broiler pan and rack with nonstick cooking spray.
Combine Guinness, mustard, parsley and thyme ins a small bowl. Mix well.
Sprinkle both sides of lamb with salt and pepper; spread with stout mixture. Place lamb, bone side down, on prepared broiler pan.
Roast 45 minutes for medium rare (internal temp of 145 degrees) or to desired doneness. Cove with foil, let stand 10 minutes before slicing. Cut into 8 pieces.
Guinness beef stew
"When traveling, our family tends to seek out Irish pubs to dine in. It may be because of our Irish roots, or just because the food is familiar and comforting when traveling.
"Three years ago, we found ourselves ducking into an Irish pub to escape a rainstorm that happened quite suddenly during a visit to Alexandria, Va. As we dried out near the fireplace, we warmed our bones with bowls of hearty Guinness beef stew and warm cornbread. This recipe, although a little time consuming, is the closest I've ever come to replicating the stew we ate that night."
— Jennifer Huberdeau
Makes 6 servings
INGREDIENTS:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
3 pounds boneless beef chuck roast, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of tomato paste
2 teaspoons of chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 11-ounce bottle Guinness
1 cup reduced-sodium beef broth
3 carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 medium Yukon Gold potatoes (1 pound), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Head 2 tablespoons of oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Cook beef in two batches, about 10 minutes or until browned on all sides. Remove beef to large plate.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to Dutch oven; heat over medium heat. Add onions and celery; cook about 10 minutes or until softened and onions are translucent, stirring occasionally. Add flour, garlic, tomato paste, thyme, salt and pepper, cook and stir 1 minute. Add Guinness; use wooden spoon to scrape browned bits from bottom of Dutch oven; stir in broth.
Cover and bake 1 hour. Stir in carrots and potatoes; cover and bake 1 hour 20 minutes or until beef and vegetables are tender. Stir in parsley.
Baileys chocolate Guinness bread
(Courtesy HomemadeHooplah.com)
This recipe is super easy to make and absolutely delicious. The end result is rich and super moist- it could be baked in a couple of small cake tins without changing the recipe at all (just sub a Baileys frosting recipe instead. There's plenty to be found online.) The glaze recipe makes a lot of glaze, so either plan to make two loaves or split the recipe in half. Also, it's fine to consider the cream-to-Baileys ratio in the glaze to be subject to personal preference.
— Meggie Baker
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 55 minutes
Total time: 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings: 1 loaf
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup walnuts chopped
1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
1/2 cup brown sugar packed
1 egg
1 cup Guinness
Baileys glaze:
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons Baileys
2 tsp half and half cream
DIRECTIONS:
For the bread:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9x5 pan with baking spray.
In a large bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, salt, and white pepper. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer (or hand mixer and large bowl), beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape the edges of the bowl, then mix in egg. Add beer and mix for 30 seconds, just enough to break apart butter mixture into the beer.
Slowly add dry ingredients in with the wet ingredients, mixing gently in between. When all dry ingredients have been added, mix until just combined, when dry ingredients are no longer visible.
Gently fold in chocolate chips and walnuts, then pour batter into prepared loaf pan.
Bake for 45-55 minutes or until a tester comes out clean with a few moist crumbs.
Let bread cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
For the glaze:
In a small bowl, whisk together powdered sugar, Baileys, and cream.
If you'd like the frosting to be thinner, add a small splash of baileys until desired consistency is reached. If you'd like the frosting to be thicker, add 1 tbsp powdered sugar at a time until frosting is thick enough.
Once bread has cooled, drizzle Baileys glaze on top of bread.
Guinness chocolate cheesecake
"This cheesecake, while costing about $20 for the ingredients, was well worth every penny. It was easy to make and came out moist and was densely chocolate, although not too sweet. I used chocolate bars that were 86 percent cocoa, I might try a slightly less dark chocolate next time — and there will be a next time!"
— Margaret Button
(Courtesy joanne-eatswellwithothers.com)
Makes 1 9-inch cheesecake
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
12 ounces dark chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons heavy cream
3 (8-ounce) packages of lowfat cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup Greek yogurt
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 cup Guinness
DIRECTIONS:
Mix the graham cracker crumbs, cocoa powder, sugar and melted butter together in a medium bowl. Pour into the base on a 9-inch springform pan and press down into the bottom of it. Store in the freezer while you make the filling.
Preheat oven to 350.
In a double boiler, melt the dark chocolate and heavy cream, stirring together until combined. Set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the cream cheese on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
Mix in the sugar, Greek yogurt, eggs, vanilla extract, chocolate/cream mixture, and Guinness, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Pour this mixture into the springform pan.
Bake for 60 minutes. Turn off the heat and leave the cheesecake in the oven, with a wooden spoon in the oven door to hold it slightly ajar. Let sit for 60 minutes.
Allow cake to cool completely and then chill in the fridge overnight before serving.
- By Bob Luhmann, Special to The Eagle
I have a long-standing connection to Ireland that dates to my family buying a farm in County Donegal in 1973. At age 22, I sold my motorcycle — my only possession of any real value — and flew to Ireland. I huddled in our Irish cottage for the months of November, December and January and read "The Lord of The Rings" in front of warm turf fires during those cold, wet and windy months.
Ireland was a very different place then than it is now. Very few of my neighbors in that remote glen in Donegal had refrigerators or central heat. Almost no one had a telephone and quite a few didn't have cars. You'd see more tractors than cars parked in front of the local pub. It wasn't unusual for our closest neighbor to walk the 10-kilometer round trip for groceries to supplement the potatoes, carrots, cabbage and turnip her husband had grown the previous season for her family of nine. When I went to the wee markets in our area, the only fresh vegetables offered were the same as our neighbors had grown. There was a plentiful amount of good Irish mutton, though. All of which is a very roundabout (and Irish) way of saying that was when I first started making Irish stew during that very Irish winter of 1973-74.
I first had Irish stew in the pub of McFadden's Hotel, located in the closest village. I had met some people that were about my age, of which there were very few at that time, as there was so little work. Beyond having Irish stew for the first time that evening, I learned two Irish lessons. The first lesson is the custom of rounds. For the uninitiated, rounds is when everyone takes turns buying drinks for the table. Everyone is obligated to participate in each round, which leads to the next lesson, called the craic. The craic is everything that contributes to a good time, but absolutely must include good conversation. Needless to say, the best craic is quite often the result of rounds in a pub! I must admit, in my younger days there were nights I held on for dear life, and anything else I could grab on to, to steady myself on the way out of a pub while observing the local custom with the fervor of a convert.
I wasn't in Ireland for St. Patrick's Day in 1974, but in conversation on the subject with my neighbors I learned that most of them had never heard of corned beef, much less eaten it. The primary meats that my neighbors cooked, when they either could afford it or they'd raised it, were pork, chicken and mutton, perhaps a bit of lamb in the spring. Beef was still quite dear. At one time in Ireland, mostly in the south, a great deal of corned beef was produced, but that was mostly in the days of landlords and tenants. The tenants couldn't afford beef, which was for the landlords to do with as they wished. To this day, corned beef is virtually nonexistent in Donegal. As a matter of interest, corned beef refers to the large grains or "corns" of rock salt used in the curing process of the beef.
As I said before, Ireland has become a very different place. Now when I go to the same wee markets I used to frequent during that winter, there's a very good selection of fresh vegetables and meats, including good Irish lamb. I almost always make a pot of Irish stew whenever I'm there, using lamb instead of mutton. It's what I often make for St. Patrick's Day, served with wheaten bread from a recipe I developed several years ago.
Have a go at the recipes and mess with them as you see fit, but it's best to invite good friends over for the best craic!
IRISH LAMB STEW
Prep: 30 minutes
Cook: 2 hours
6 to 8 portions
INGREDIENTS:
4 slices thick-cut bacon (called streaky bacon in Ireland), cut into small dice
Additional of your favorite cooking oil as necessary
3 pounds trimmed, boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon more or less of salt, adjusted at the end to taste
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 tablespoons white flour
2 medium onions, roughly diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 1/2 cups dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste
4 sprigs fresh rosemary, tied with cotton twine in a bundle
2 bay leaves
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
3 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 pounds size "C" new potatoes, unpeeled and cut in half
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, or as needed
Additional rosemary sprigs for garnish
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
Cook, while stirring, the bacon over medium heat in a Dutch oven or heavy oven-safe stew pot until bacon is crisp, 3 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and transfer bacon to a plate.
Turn the heat to medium high and working in batches sear the lamb cubes in the bacon fat until nicely browned, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add additional oil, if needed.
Turn the heat down to medium and add flour, stir until seared lamb is coated, about 30 seconds.
Add wine, tomato paste, salt, reserved bacon, sliced garlic, rosemary and bay leaves and enough chicken stock to generously cover and bring to a simmer, place the cover on the stew pot and place in the oven for 1/2 hour.
Remove the pot from the oven, remove rosemary sprigs and bay leaves, add vegetables and enough stock so that liquid is not quite covering the stew, as the vegetables will be giving off liquid as they cook. Bring stew back to a simmer on the stove. Place the pot covered back in the oven for 45 minutes.
Add more stock if necessary, adjust seasoning and serve in shallow bowls, garnished with rosemary sprigs.
IRISH WHEATEN BREAD
Prep: 30 minutes
Bake: 45 minutes
Serves: 6 to 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 cup white flour (and more for sprinkling on top)
2 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon baking soda
4 tablespoons cold salted butter
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 425 F.
Blend the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into small pieces and work it into the dry mix until the butter appears to be mostly worked in.
Make a well in the center of the mixture and pour in 2 cups buttermilk.
Blend in buttermilk with a rubber bowl scraper until the mixture is fully blended, blend in additional buttermilk until the dough is sticky and still coming off the sides of the bowl. Don't over blend.
Divide the bread dough between two 9-by-5-inch loaf pans that have been sprayed with oil.
Smooth the tops of the dough so that the dough is slightly higher along the sides of the pan. With a paring knife, create a generous slit the length of the dough and sprinkle it with flour.
Place pans on the middle shelf of the oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Remove pans from the oven and place on cooling racks for at least 15 minutes before removing bread. Allow the bread to cool for at least 45 minutes before slicing.
Note: The brand of whole wheat flour makes a difference. I've used Hodgson Mill's Whole Wheat Graham Flour and King Arthur's Whole Wheat Flour. The Hodgson Mill flour makes a bread with a coarser crumb and is more rustic, while the King Arthur flour makes a moister bread with a finer crumb. I tend to use slightly less buttermilk when using King Arthur flour. Whichever you use, Irish butter is all but essential for the recipe and generously lashing on the slices.
Bob Luhmann has lived and worked in the Berkshires for over 30 years. He was the chef de cuisine at The Captain Linnell House, his family's critically acclaimed restaurant in Orleans on Cape Cod for 10 years, mostly in the 1980s. He opened and directed the food service at Kimball Farms Lifecare Community for 11 years. He also has given talks at the cheese counters at Nejaime's Wine and Cheese in Stockbridge and at Guido's Fresh Marketplace in Pittsfield.
Are you of Irish descent? If you answered yes, I'd believe you. Some 10.8 percent of Americans, a whopping 36 million of us, claim to have some form of Irish ancestry. That's just over half of the 70 million people in the world who claim to have Irish ancestry. Not bad for Ireland with a current population of just over 5 million people.
I'm proud to say that I'm among those claiming Irish ancestry. My Irish roots come from my paternal and maternal grandfathers. With a keen interest in my ancestry, I've been researching my paternal great-grandfather Michael Keron Smith, who was born in Birr, Offlay, Ireland in 1889 and arrived in the United States in 1891. My great-great-grandmother Mary Canon Smith, a widow of a year, boarded a boat with her sons, John, 7, and Michael, 2, to make a life in America. It's unclear as to how and why she made her way to Dalton, but a marriage to Robert Dwyer, followed in 1892. Robert, a widower, had two daughters, Anna and Bella. Together, they had three children — Henry, Joseph and Helen. Mary would die several days after Helen's birth. Fortunately, as it was not always the case, my great-grandfather remained in the care of his stepfather until he turned 18.
Michael Smith, my great-grandfather would spend several more years in Dalton, but eventually end up in North Adams, married to Gertrude Lanoue with whom he had three children — my grandfather, Joseph, William and Gertrude. William died on Dec. 20, 1944, during the Battle of the Bulge. Gertrude, known most of her life as Sister Mary Bernard, and who I knew as my "Auntie Sister," entered religious life with the Sisters of St. Joseph at Mont Marie in Holyoke at 19. She took her final vows at 22 and lived at Mont Marie until her death in 2001.
My great-grandfather died in 1972, six years before I was born and unfortunately I know only know a few things about his life. He lived in North Adams for 50 years, where, he retired as a night watchman at Sprague Electric. I know where he lived, on Church Street and that when he died, 150 of the Sisters of St. Joseph attended his funeral.
I also know I did not grow up eating corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day. This Irish-American tradition did not find its way to me through either side of my family. And some 22 years ago, when I spent St. Patrick's Day in Dublin, Ireland, as part of a two-week college travel course, I dined on smoked salmon and capers, while many of my classmates enjoyed a more traditional Irish meal of ham and potatoes.
But who am I to say what you should enjoy on St. Patrick's Day? In fact, corned beef and cabbage, made in slow cooker, is an easy meal to make any time of the year. You just pop it in the slow cooker with the potatoes and let it cook, low and slow for six hours before adding in the cabbage.
SLOW COOKER CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
(Recipe adapted from mccormick.com)
INGREDIENTS
5 medium russet (or 8 small red) potatoes
5 large carrots (or 2 cups baby) carrots
1 small onion, quartered
1 corned beef brisket, rinsed and trimmed (4 pounds)
2 tablespoons mixed pickling spice
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 head cabbage, cored and cut into wedges
DIRECTIONS
Place potatoes, carrots and onion in 6-quart slow cooker. Place corned beef brisket over vegetables. Sprinkle with pickling spice and minced garlic. Add enough water (about 8 cups) to just cover meat. Cover.
Cook 6 hours on low. Add cabbage. Cover. Cook 1 to 2 hours on low.
Remove corned beef brisket to serving platter. Let rest for 5 to 10 minutes. Slice thinly across the grain. Serve with vegetables.
- By Robert Luhmann, Eagle Correspondent
On St. Patrick’s Day, when it’s said everyone is Irish, one of the first things many people think of on this side of the Atlantic is digging into a heaping plate of corned beef and cabbage.
On the Irish side of the Atlantic, you may be surprised to learn corned beef and cabbage is not a tradition on St. Patrick’s Day. In fact, St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland was strictly a religious holiday with no grand parades and a day the pubs were ordered closed until 1970. Furthermore, when I first traveled to Ireland in 1973, the good people I had the privilege to befriend in County Donegal weren’t familiar with corned beef at all.
“What?!” you say. “There wasn’t corned beef, there were no grand parades, and the pubs were closed on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland?!”
‘Tis true, but Ireland has come to embrace all the festivities we think of for St. Patrick’s Day and more. It took a significant nudge from the Irish Tourist Board, a large shove from the folks at Guinness and — how shall I say? — the general receptiveness of the Irish for a good party to make it the celebration it is today. It has evolved into a nationwide week-long festival at this point. Corned beef, meanwhile, is still not standard fare in Ireland on March 17.
The festival honoring Ireland’s patron saint has been celebrated since 1631, approximately 12 centuries after his death. March 17, 461 was purportedly the day of his death in Saul, County Down, Northern Ireland, where he had established his first chapel and began his missionary work converting the Emerald Isle’s people to Christianity. The facts of his life are a bit murky, though, given 5th-century record keeping anywhere in rural Europe.
March 17 does land conveniently in the middle of Lent, which allowed the 17th-century Catholic church to proclaim a day free from the prescriptions of abstinence leading up to Easter. St. Patrick’s Day, landing where it does, provided an opportunity for letting off steam in the middle of the rigors of abstinence.
At the time, this welcome reprieve allowed observant Irish, who had been forbidden to eat meat during the 40 days of Lent, to indulge in meat, commonly bacon, for that one day. It would have been rare for those earliest celebratory meals to include potatoes, as that crop had only been introduced to Ireland into County Cork 42 years earlier by Sir Walter Raleigh in 1589.
Irish bacon is quite different from the bacon we’re accustomed to. Irish bacon is cut from the back of the pig and is similar to Canadian bacon, whereas the bacon commonly found here is from the fattier belly and called streaky bacon in Ireland. Not only is Irish bacon considerably leaner, but it’s generally cured, not smoked, and due to its far leaner composition is not cooked to a crispy consistency.
Fast forward to 1845, when the sudden onslaught of a potato blight wiped out almost all of Ireland’s staple crop for the next several years with catastrophic effects in a country where so many were dependent on the potato to simply survive. Roughly one million Irish souls left this earth due to starvation-related causes during the potato blight years. Another estimated 80,000 lost their lives on the “coffin ships” while emigrating to the Americas.
Ireland eventually lost over 25 percent of its population due to the effects of starvation and those seeking refuge through emigration in response to the horrendous living conditions. The effects of those years are still felt today as Ireland’s population remains less than it was in 1841.
During the great emigration, those predominantly Irish-Catholic immigrants who cleared customs through Ellis Island overwhelmingly settled in many of the same neighborhoods as Jewish immigrants in New York City and environs, where they bonded as both groups were subjected to a great deal of discrimination.
It was in those mixed neighborhoods that early Irish immigrants adopted the plentiful and affordable corned beef as their own from their Jewish neighbors, serving it with their familiar inexpensive and nutritious cabbage and potatoes. Thus, began the tradition of serving corned beef, as a substitute for Irish bacon, on the day celebrating Ireland’s patron saint among Irish Americans. Ironically, corned beef had been a considerable export from the south of Ireland decades previously, but unaffordable in most of Ireland and, therefore, unknown.
Because the world certainly doesn’t need another recipe for corned beef and cabbage, I’d like to share my variation of an old Irish recipe for an apple cake, which uses plain soda bread as a base. This old recipe was passed on to me by a friend from County Donegal, Tom Curran, after I asked his siblings and him for help with a recipe for this article. I could write a book from the informative and often hilarious responses from Tom and his seven siblings.
APPLE TREACLE BREAD
In the text for the original recipe, the author notes that many years ago it would have been baked in a pan above an open fire in Ireland. Sadly, I’ve had to break with authenticity as open fires are forbidden by my condo association and, not having a fireplace, I had to resort to baking this creation in a 9-inch springform pan in my electric oven.
While the original recipe is called an apple cake, it’s really a plain soda bread topped with sliced apples and is not what we generally consider a cake. I decided to make it with an Irish treacle bread rather than a soda bread to sweeten it somewhat. Irish treacle is what we call molasses, but there’s only two tablespoons in this recipe, making the bread barely sweet. Call it bread or cake, eat it plain, buttered or with whipped cream whenever you like!
INGREDIENTS:
For the topping:
2 large baking apples (I use Honeycrisp), peeled, cored and thinly sliced.
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
Juice of one-half lemon
For the bread:
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup of oatmeal
4 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
2 tablespoons molasses
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup raisins
DIRECTIONS:
Position an oven rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 425 F. Thoroughly butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.
Mix the ingredients for the topping in a bowl and set aside.
Mix the flour, salt, baking soda and oatmeal in the bowl of a stand mixer using the paddle attachment on low speed. With the mixer running, begin adding the butter about a tablespoon at a time and continue to blend until fully incorporated.
Warm the jar of molasses in the microwave in 10 second intervals until liquid enough to blend with the buttermilk. Blend 2 tablespoons of the molasses with the buttermilk in a separate bowl.
Stop the mixer and make a well in the middle of the flour mixture to add the buttermilk mixture.
Continuing on low speed, blend the dough, stopping once after about 30 seconds to scrape down the bowl and to add the raisins, until it forms a ball after about 30 seconds more.
On a floured surface, gently knead the dough for a minute or so until the dough becomes soft and pliable.
Press the dough into the buttered springform pan and top with the apple mixture, lightly pressing down on the apple slices with a spatula so they bake together.
Bake for 45 minutes, remove to a cooling rack, lightly pressing the apple topping with a spatula once again and cool for about 10 minutes before removing the springform pan. Allow to cool for at least 30 minutes more before serving.
- By Robert Luhmann, Eagle correspondent
Everyone is Irish on St. Patrick's Day.
This is truer than I thought when I discovered it's estimated up to 80 million people worldwide possess some Irish heritage. This number is especially stunning considering in 2020 that wee island in the middle of the North Atlantic has an estimated population of just over 4.9 million. So, it's not surprising that on St. Patrick's Day, pubs are jammed with people throughout the world celebrating their Irishness, real or imagined, by "the wearing of the green" and donning "Kiss Me I'm Irish" buttons. My guess is that slogan has something to do with the proliferation of Irish DNA.
In my house, any reason to celebrate is mostly concerned with the menu. If your meal revolves around corned beef and cabbage, Irish stew or whatever you choose, there comes the possibility of a dessert other than more Guinness. This year, I'm going to make Banoffee pie, an Anglo/Irish dessert little known on this side of the Atlantic.
Banoffee pie, from banana and toffee, is a wonderfully rich, lactose bomb based on a filling of, believe me when I tell you, caramelized sweetened condensed milk producing the toffee. This filling is poured on to a digestive biscuit butter crust, layered with sliced bananas and, if that isn't rich enough, topped with whipped cream and grated chocolate. It's a 1970s classic originally developed in 1971 at The Hungry Monk Restaurant in East Sussex, England, during the creamy, rich dessert epidemic that swept through Great Britain and Ireland when English trifle and blancmange were found on dessert menus everywhere. In those days, in Ireland, creamy rich desserts were so prevalent, servers in restaurants wouldn't ask if I'd like dessert, they'd ask if I'd like pudding.
I'm not much of a dessert maker and I'd never made this dessert before. I began my research through my old friend, and sometimes nemesis, Google. I kept coming across recipes that called for boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk in a pan of water for three hours. Apparently, this method was a step in the original recipe. This thoroughly English method seemed both time-consuming and somehow just plain wrong. It turns out this method is wrong, as in Noel Coward's "only mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun" wrong. As I searched, I kept coming across reports of exploding cans using this method. I rejected this method for several reasons, but primarily I found the possibility of a can of scalding hot sweetened condensed milk exploding in our kitchen a bit off-putting.
While searching, I messaged friends in Ireland. Bridget Coyle, my lovely longtime friend and very practical neighbor in Donegal, came through with a recipe provided by her son-in-law, Ian Connor, which didn't involve an unstable IED in its method. This was followed by an almost identical recipe from my friend, fellow music lover and local food market owner, Pat McClafferty, graciously provided by his sister, Helena. I added a shot of Bailey's Irish Cream to the whipped cream topping as it is, well, St. Patrick's Day and all, but otherwise followed the recipes with but a tweak or two. If you need another reason to try this recipe, it pairs well with a pint of Guinness.
BANOFFEE PIE (DONEGAL VERSION)
County Donegal, noted for its remoteness, has been described as more like a country than a county among many. Consequently, the people of Donegal have their own ways, so it's not surprising I received two almost identical recipes from friends in Donegal not found elsewhere in my Google search.
This dessert is best made the day of serving.
INGREDIENTS:
For the crust:
9 digestive biscuits (I use McVities)
3 ounces unsalted butter
For the toffee filling:
3 ounces unsalted butter
1/3 cup light brown sugar
One 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the topping:
10 ounces heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
1 1/2 ounces Bailey's Irish Cream
2 large just-ripe bananas
2 ounces dark chocolate grated
DIRECTIONS:
Pulse the digestive biscuits in a food processor or put in a large freezer bag and crush with a rolling pin until finely crushed. Melt the 3 ounces of butter in saucepan and add the crushed biscuits off the heat. Butter the sides of an 8-inch springform pan and, using a small rubber spatula or spoon, press the mixture into the bottom of the pan. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 15 minutes.
Melt the other 3 ounces of butter in a small non-stick saucepan over low heat. Add the light brown sugar and stir to combine. Add the condensed milk and bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. While stirring frequently, allow the mixture to boil for about 2 minutes until the mixture is light brown, the color of dulce de leche. Do not over boil or the mixture will become grainy and fudge-like. Add the vanilla and allow to cool for a few minutes before pouring into the prepared springform pan. Put back into the refrigerator and allow to cool and set for at least 3 hours. The pie can be made ahead up until this point.
Whip the cold whip cream in a bowl with the sugar and Bailey's until soft peaks form.
Slice bananas into approximately 1/2-inch slices and arrange on the toffee mixture. Spoon or pipe the whipped cream on top, reserving about a 1/4 cup.
To serve: Remove from the springform pan, spread the 1/4 cup topping around the sides of the pie ensuring the banana slices are covered so they don't brown. Garnish with grated chocolate and cut into slices.
- By Lukas Southard, The Berkshire Eagle
There are some parts of animals that even the most carnivorous eater does not try. In kitchens and butcher shops, most of these parts are referred to as offal, or the internal organs of the animal. We’re talking about the liver, kidneys, heart, stomach lining (tripe), brain and tongue.
I happen to love these parts. They tend to require a little more care and attention in preparation than a normal muscle cut. One advantage of these parts is they usually are cheaper to buy. Offal also tends to have extra health benefits when eaten.
For example, livers are great sources of iron, vitamins and minerals. Hearts are incredibly lean meat that also contain high amounts of vitamins and minerals. Kidneys have a lot of omega-3 fatty acids. Beef tongue is high in zinc.
Tongues are great to eat. Once you get over the visuals, tongues provide a lean, flavorful cut of meat that is incredibly versatile in how it can be prepared.
In Mexico, tongue (lengua) is cooked and chopped up in tacos. In Brazil, tongues are braised or stewed with beans and other meats to make feijoada. My absolute favorite thing to do with tongue is to simply corn (brine) it just like our friends of Irish descent do with a brisket.
The long cold soaking of the tongue allows it to be super flavorful and great to serve warm with braised cabbage or cold as a deli meat in many Eastern European countries.
I put my tongue in a brine this past weekend in preparation for St. Patrick’s Day in a couple weeks. Most likely, I will pull it out of the brine a couple days before our dinner and then smoke it low. But the easiest way to cook it would be to boil it like corned beef until it is tender.
One note, I use pink curing salt in my recipe. It is a specialty ingredient that is not necessary. Pink salt adds sodium nitrate to the brine and is an extra preservative. It also allows the meat to maintain its color better after cooking.
Corned Beef Tongue
INGREDIENTS
1 whole beef tongue, unpeeled
2 garlic cloves, crushed
2 tablespoons black peppercorns, whole
1 tablespoon coriander seeds, whole
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
3 cloves, whole
2 bay leaves
2 quarts water
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup salt
1 teaspoon pink curing salt No. 1 (“Prague powder”)
DIRECTIONS
Toast spices briefly in a medium saucepan until they begin to smell aromatic. Add water, salt and sugar.
Heat brine until the sugar and salt have dissolved and remove from heat.
While the brine is allowed to cool completely, poke the tongue all over with a paring knife or metal skewer so the brine will penetrate the tongue's outer skin.
Once cooled, pour the brine over the tongue into a large plastic container, thick freezer bag or bucket. The bucket should be deep enough to weigh the tongue down with a bag filled with water so that it will remain submerged. If that doesn’t work, be sure to turn the tongue every day while it brines.
Leave tongue to brine for at least a week and no more than 2 weeks.
When ready to cook, rinse the tongue in cold water and bring a pot of water to a boil. Simmer the tongue in unsalted water (the tongue should be salty enough from the brine) until the skin starts peel away. Remove from the water and let it cool enough to peel the outer skin away with tongs.
Slice thin and enjoy with a pint of Guinness and boiled cabbage.
- By The Culinary Institute of America
St. Patrick's Day traditions in the United States run deep. We eat corned beef and cabbage, we drink green beer, and we shame our co-workers into wearing green sweaters to the office. If you're looking for a change of pace this year (except for the sweaters, which are mandatory), maybe a menu swap is in order.
The Culinary Institute of America's recipe for Bangers and Mash is a rustic, hearty dish that will easily earn its place among your holiday traditions. Creamy potatoes, homemade gravy, and sausage are classic comfort foods on the Emerald Isle, and this recipe helps you make every component from scratch.
You may be skeptical, but homemade sausage is incredibly easy to prepare. If you've ever made a meatloaf or meatball, you've basically made sausage.
The recipes we've included here call for the sausages to be stuffed into casings, which you can buy from your butcher, or even on the Internet. You can use a sausage stuffing machine or stand-mixer attachment to fill the casings or, if you don't mind a little hard work, you can even stuff the sausages by hand.
For a super simplified version, though, you can skip the casings entirely. Prepare the filling as written, then form it into patties that you can cook like a hamburger. You can also roll it into sausage link-shaped logs and wrap tightly in plastic wrap. Refrigerate them to help them firm up a bit, then remove the plastic and cook them like you would any other sausages.
The meat for your sausage will need to be finely ground, which you may be able to do at home if you have the right equipment. If not, you can ask your butcher to grind it for you.
Once you have your sausage squared away, it's all about the velvety buttermilk whipped potatoes and stout-onion gravy. Stouts, like Guinness, are bold and rich, with enough bitterness to help cut through the creaminess of the dish. You can use any beer — or even red wine — for the gravy, but for St. Patrick's Day, the Dublin-bred Guinness is almost a requirement. Just don't spill it on your green sweater.
Bangers and mash with buttermilk whipped potatoes and stout-onion gravy
Start to finish: 3 hours, 30 minutes (Active time: 2 hours)
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
8 links sausage of either Duck Chorizo or Chicken Sausage (recipes follow)
2 cups cooked white beans
Stout-Onion Gravy (recipe follows)
Buttermilk Whipped Potatoes (recipe follows)
Fried Root Vegetable Chips (recipe follows)
DIRECTIONS:
Lightly oil a grill or grill pan and heat to medium-high. Grill the sausages, turning occasionally, until they are browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer to indirect heat or a 350-degree F oven until cooked through, about 15 minutes.
In a medium bowl, combine the beans and about 1/4 cup of the stout gravy.
Serve the cooked sausages with the beans, whipped potatoes, stout gravy, and root vegetable chips.
Duck chorizo
Servings: Approximately 16
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 cup red wine
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
Meat from 1 1/2 pounds duck legs, skin removed
6 ounces pork belly, cubed
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon ground cumin
5 black peppercorns, cracked
3/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
Lamb casings, as needed (optional)
DIRECTIONS:
Place the wine in a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the wine has reduced by about half, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool completely.
Heat the oil in a small saut pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until it is fragrant and softened, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool.
In a medium bowl, combine the duck meat, pork belly, red pepper flakes, cumin, peppercorns, paprika, and salt. Add the cooled wine and garlic. Mix to coat the meat.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. Chill until the meat is nearly frozen, but not solid, about 1 hour.
Prepare an ice water bath and set aside.
Set the bowl of a stand mixer over the ice bath, and pass the chilled meat mixture through the 1/4-inch plate (small or medium) of a meat grinder into the bowl. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix on low speed until the mixture is sticky, about 1 minute.
Take a small portion of the mixture and cook in a hot saute pan until cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add more to the mixture, as needed.
Stuff the mixture into the casings, and twist to make 3-inch links, if desired. Alternately, divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form into patties. Refrigerate until needed.
Chicken sausage
Servings: Approximately 16
INGREDIENTS:
1 pound, 8 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cubed
8 ounces pork fatback, cubed
1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted and ground
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon cold water
Natural hog casings, as needed
DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, combine the chicken thighs, fatback, salt, pepper, garlic, fennel, coriander, and red pepper flakes.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and transfer to the freezer. Chill until the meat is nearly frozen, but not solid, about 1 hour.
Prepare an ice water bath and set aside.
Set the bowl of a stand mixer over the ice bath, and pass the chilled meat mixture through the 1/4-inch die of a meat grinder into the bowl. Transfer the bowl to the mixer and use the paddle attachment to mix on low speed until the mixture is sticky, about 1 minute. Add the water and mix to combine, for 30 seconds.
Take a small portion of the mixture and cook in a hot saute pan until cooked through. Taste for seasoning and add more to the mixture, as needed.
Stuff the mixture into the casings, and twist to make 3-inch links, if desired. Alternately, divide the mixture into 8 equal portions and form into patties. Refrigerate until needed.
Buttermilk whipped potatoes
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS:
4 russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/4 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Place the potatoes in a large saucepan and cover with cold water by about 3 inches. Add the salt, and bring to a boil over moderate heat. Cook until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork or skewer, about 18 to 20 minutes.
Drain the potatoes and shake off any excess water. Transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet and transfer to the oven. Bake until the potatoes are dried slightly, about 15 minutes.
Place the butter in a large bowl. Place a food mill on top of the bowl and process the potatoes through the mill. Alternately, use a potato ricer or masher to mash the potatoes until smooth.
Add the buttermilk and milk, stirring to combine. Season with salt, to taste.
Stout-onion gravy
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons butter
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup stout beer (Guinness)
1 cup low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
DIRECTIONS:
Melt the butter in a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent, about 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and continue to cook until the onions are golden and caramelized, 6 to 8 minutes more.
Sprinkle the flour over the onions and stir to combine. Cook until the flour is well-incorporated and the mixture has thickened, about 2 minutes.
Add the beer and use a wooden spoon to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Simmer until the gravy has thickened, for 10 to 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve warm until needed.
Root vegetable chips
Servings: 8
INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds assorted root vegetables, such as yuca, sweet potato, taro, salsify, or lotus
Vegetable oil, as needed for frying
Kosher salt, to taste
DIRECTIONS:
Peel the root vegetables. Use a mandoline, vegetable peeler, or chef's knife to slice the vegetables as thinly as possible.
Fill a large, heavy-bottomed pot with about 2 inches of oil. Heat over medium heat until a thermometer reads 350 degrees F.
Use a slotted spoon or gently lower the sliced vegetables into the oil. Fry, turning occasionally, until they are golden brown and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes.
Transfer to a towel-lined tray and sprinkle with salt. Cool slightly before serving.
Nutrition information per serving of duck chorizo: 117 calories; 69 calories from fat; 8 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 37 mg cholesterol; 155 mg sodium; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 9 g protein.
Nutrition information per serving of chicken sausage: 151 calories; 124 calories from fat; 14 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 569 mg sodium; 0 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 0 g sugar; 6 g protein.
Nutrition information per serving of potatoes: 95 calories; 32 calories from fat; 4 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 10 mg cholesterol; 255 mg sodium; 14 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 2 g protein.
Nutrition information per serving of gravy: 53 calories; 27 calories from fat; 3 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 8 mg cholesterol; 139 mg sodium; 4 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 1 g protein.
Nutrition information per serving of chips: 302 calories; 34 calories from fat; 4 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 264 mg sodium; 65 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 3 g sugar; 2 g protein.
This article was provided to The Associated Press by The Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park, New York.
- By Sara Moulton, The Associated Press
St. Patrick's Day, aka the Feast of St. Patrick, is devoted not only to "the wearing o' the green," but the eating of the green. Both customs nod to the color of the shamrock, one of the great totems of Ireland, of which Patrick is the patron saint.
Like the shamrock, mint is green, which helps to explain why recipes for lamb with a sweet-and-sour mint sauce abound in Ireland (and throughout the British Isles). My version of the sauce isn't sweet — I'm no fan of sweet in my savory — but it is bright green, deeply flavorful and refreshing, a tangy complement to some thin and crispy lamb chops.
The lamb chops available in our supermarkets usually come from America or New Zealand. American chops tend to be larger and milder in flavor, but either kind would be delicious here. I call for these rib chops to be pounded, which creates more surface area, which means a more delicious crust on the chops once they've been seared in the skillet. The easiest way to pound them (or any thin piece of meat) is to sprinkle the chops liberally with water on both sides, put them into a ziplock bag or between two pieces of plastic wrap, and then pound them with a meat pounder or rolling pin until they're uniformly 1/4-inch thick. (The water keeps them from sticking to the plastic and shredding.)
If you don't want to spring for rib chops — they can be a tad pricey — use shoulder chops instead. Shoulder chops are tasty, but the bone in the center of the chop will prevent you from pounding them. Because they're thicker than the pounded rib chops, they require a little more cooking time.
What to serve with these chops? Irish tradition calls for potatoes. Just slice some Yukon Golds about 1/4-inch thick, toss them with oil, salt and pepper, and roast them in a 400 F oven until golden.
Seared lamb chops with mint herb sauce
Start to finish: 40 minutes.
Servings: 4
INGREDIENTS:
For the sauce:
1/2 cup finely chopped mint
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons fresh lemon zest
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt
Eight trimmed, Frenched rib chops (about 2 ounces each)
Black pepper
DIRECTIONS:
In a small bowl combine the mint, parsley, 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, shallot, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic and salt; set aside.
Working with one chop at a time, sprinkle it generously on both sides with water. Place the chop in a large re-sealable bag or between two sheets of plastic wrap and pound the chop using either a meat pounder or a rolling pin until it is 1/4-inch thick. Repeat the procedure with the remaining chops. Pat them all dry.
In a large skillet heat half the remaining oil over high heat. Season half the chops with salt and pepper on both sides and add them to the pan. Saute until nicely browned, about 1 minute a side. Transfer to a platter and keep covered loosely with foil. Pour off the fat, add 1/4 cup water and simmer to clean the pan. Dump off the water and wipe out the skillet. Repeat the procedure with the remaining chops and the remaining oil. Transfer the chops to the platter and let them rest for 3 minutes before serving. Add any juices from the platter to the herb mixture.
To serve, transfer two chops to each of four plates and top each portion with a heaping spoonful of the mint herb sauce.
Nutrition information per serving: 515 calories; 424 calories from fat; 47 g fat (13 g saturated; 1 g transfats); 71 mg cholesterol; 380 mg sodium; 3 g carbohydrate; 1 g fiber; 20 g protein.
Sara Moulton is host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows, including "Cooking Live." Her latest cookbook is "Home Cooking 101."
- By Lindsey Hollenbaugh, Berkshire Eagle Staff
Yes, I'm Irish, but please, don't kiss me.
Or serve me a frothy green-dyed beer, or will me to wear a light-up shamrock necklace next Tuesday.
On St. Patrick's Day, I'll wear some green, call my father to wish him a happy day and to let him know I'm thinking about him and our shared Irish genes, and that's usually about it. And then, of course, there's the corned beef.
I grew up with a gag-inducing fear of the misunderstood leathery meat. My Polish mother, who can cook practically anything and make it delicious, took little joy or inspiration from my father's yearly request to have the chosen food of his early 20th-century ancestors. She would put the platter of quivering pink meat on the table with an almost apologetic shrug, as my sister and I found the least fatty piece to push around our plates until finally excused from the table.
We grew up and my mother found a creative solution to avoid cooking the meat for just one, hitting up at least one corned beef and cabbage dinner a year for my father, sponsored by some church group or local organization.
But about five years ago I decided to take back the corned beef tradition and make it my own.
I was in the middle of planning my wedding, going through old photos of family for a remembrance table — honoring those no longer with us — when I came across the last photo we have of my father's mother holding my sister and me. It's a perfect shot, a moment in time just months before a heart condition would take her forever from our lives. I was only 3.
That picture is pretty much all I have of my grandmother, Elizabeth Kaine. That and a collection of tiny spoons marking places she visited or dreamed of going. I hear she was the kind of woman who liked to have fun, drinking her favorite Manhattans and sometimes chain-smoking over a rowdy card game. She would have been fiercely proud of my sister and me — I'm told by more than one relative — two smart, stubborn women making it in predominately male professions. And she would have taken full credit for our successes, I hear.
I also know she was proud to be Irish. She came from a long line of O'Kaines (the O' dropped by our ancestors when they came to this country in an effort to hide their immigrant status) and liked wearing a shamrock pin on St. Patrick's Day — the same one my father now wears.
She also cooked corned beef and cabbage once a year on St. Patrick's Day — the only day of the year my German grandfather would give in to the cuisine of her Irish roots. My father remembers her boiling potatoes with the cabbage.
So it worried me that day five years ago that I was letting some of that tradition go. What would my future children know about their Irish heritage, besides perhaps an almost-translucent complexion, which is no fan of the sun, passed on by me? I had to do something.
I set out on a search for the perfect corned beef and cabbage recipe. I avoided asking my mother and instead hit the Internet. My not-yet-husband looked at me questionably when I purchased my first package of tri-tip corned beef that March.
"We're eating it," I said. "I've got years to figure this out before I torture our future children with their birthright."
On St. Patrick's Day we toasted to my grandmother over corned beef and cabbage fresh from the slow cooker and were amazed at the results. No longer was it the chewy monster of my youth, instead this salty, moist meat was perfect with the tender cabbage and potatoes and a side of spicy brown mustard. Even my husband, Irish only through osmosis, gobbled down the dinner.
He wasn't even mad that I'd used a perfectly good beer to make the main dish.
Maybe this year, I'll try making it with a green beer instead.
Slow-cooker Corned Beef and Cabbage
Makes 8 servings
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
10 baby red potatoes, quartered
1 onion, peeled and sliced
3 cups of water
1 corned beef brisket (or tri-cut) with spice packet
1 bottle of beer (we use Yuengling in our house)
1/2 head of cabbage, cut into four sections
Place the carrots, potatoes and onion into the bottom of the slow cooker. Pour in water and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket then sprinkle on the spices from the packet. Cover and cook on high 7 to 8 hours.
An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for one more hour.
Reuben Casserole
Makes 6 servings
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com
If you're like our family and end up with way too much corned beef leftover, plan on making this casserole the next day. It's a new family tradition at our dinner table.
6 slices of rye bread, cubed
1 (16 ounce) can of sauerkraut, drained and rinsed
1 pound of leftover corned beef (just shred with your hands)
3/4 - 1 cup Russian dressings
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spread bread cubes into the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking dish. Spread sauerkraut evenly over bread crumbs then layer corned beef over sauerkraut. Pour dressing evenly over all.
Spray aluminum foil with cooking spray and use to cover baking dish, sprayed side down. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove cover, sprinkle with cheese and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes, or until cheese is melted and bubbly.
Irish Soda Bread
Here's a perfect, easy Irish Soda Bread from my Polish mother. This one she cooks perfectly, any time of the year.
3 cups of self rising flour
3/4 cup of sugar
3/4cup of raisins
1 stick of melted margarine/butter
2 eggs
1 and 1/3 cup of buttermilk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add all ingredients together in a bowl and mix (no kneading just mix). Pour ingredients into a greased 8x8 baking dish. Bake for 50 minutes. Check to make sure the bread is done with a toothpick.
- By Margaret Button, The Berkshire Eagle
Spring is definitely on its way. There is a certain warmth in the air, bunches of tight daffodil buds have popped up at the market (I love putting a vase of them on my counter and watching them burst into full bloom), the days are getting longer (How do I reset the clock in my car?) and Cadbury mini eggs are available, which means Easter is just around the corner.
St. Patrick's Day, another harbinger of spring, is Thursday and, to my knowledge, there isn't a drop of Celtic blood in me — a few drops of Irish whiskey, maybe, but no ancestors from the Emerald Isle. Even so, I'll wear a shamrock pin and earrings to work at the market on Sunday, and hopefully come across some corned beef and cabbage along my way (which by the way, is an American dish, not Irish; lamb is more their thing).
When I was in elementary school, St. Patrick's Day was a big thing. Everyone made sure they wore Kelly green clothing that day and our moms sent in green cupcakes and shamrock cookies. By the time my son was in school, it wasn't that popular, but tradition is tradition, at least with me, and I made sure he was properly attired and arrived at school with green frosted shamrock-shaped cookies.
My mom's homage to St. Patrick's Day was to make loaves of Irish soda bread, although to be honest, she made it throughout the year whenever she felt like eating it. I love her recipe because it's really easy to make and it doesn't have caraway seeds in it (not one of my favorite spices). I almost never have golden raisins or dried currants in the pantry — or raisins for that matter — so I use whatever I do have, which is often dried cranberries or candied fruit. By the way, because I also never have buttermilk on hand, I put 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice (or vinegar) in a measuring cup before pouring in enough regular milk to make the 1 1/2 cups needed in the recipe and let it sit for 5 minutes.
IRISH SODA BREAD
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 1/2 cups seedless raisins
3 cups flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan. In medium bowl, combine buttermilk, butter, egg and raisins. In large bowl, combine the dry ingredients and blend well. Add the buttermilk mixture to the dry mixture and mix until combined.
Spoon into the prepared pan and bake for 50 to 55 minutes. Leave in pan 1 minute. Remove to wire rack to cool.
By Sara Moulton
The Associated Press
With St. Patrick's Day looming, my first thought was that nothing would be more fitting than to salute the patron saint of the Emerald Isle with a fish dish dressed in a very green sauce, one that came by its color honestly, with no artificial food coloring allowed. A second later, it occurred to me that actually making such a dish might be easier said than done.
The problem is that bright green vegetables and herbs can quickly turn gray when cooked. They don't like to be heated for very long and they hate acid. Meanwhile, fish — that most subtly flavored of proteins — cries out for acid.
It took bumping into several walls, but I eventually arrived at a sauce that filled the bill. This gem is packed with fresh green herbs — 4 cups (about two bunches) of parsley complemented by a quarter cup of fresh tarragon. For my first trial run, I finely chopped the herbs with a knife. The resulting sauce was mostly white with flecks of green. In pursuit of greater greenery, I confidently reached for a blender.
I threw in the whole herbs, unchopped, and pressed start. Nada. The herbs just sat on top of the blade. The third time around, I coarsely chopped the herbs before adding them to the blender. This brought them closer to the blade, but they still didn't turn into the puree I wanted.
I'd been planning right along to add cream to the sauce at the end of the process. Now, as I climbed into the ring for the fourth round, I tried adding the cream (along with a little water) to the herbs in the blender at the beginning. Bingo! There it was, finally... a puree green as an Irish hillside.
Still, I had to be careful not to overcook it. The key is to cook the puree in a skillet with a wide bottom, which allows it to heat up in a matter of minutes. And as long as you wait until the last moment to add the fresh lemon juice, then serve the dish right away, the sauce will stay green, green, green rather than turning gray.
If you'd prefer to keep this recipe meat-free, omit the prosciutto. If you're not a fan of tarragon, swap in basil or dill. However you customize it, this salmon will put one and all in a holiday mood.
Prosciutto-wrapped salmon with fresh herb sauce
Start to finish: 55 minutes (40 minutes active)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets
2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 cups packed fresh parsley leaves and thin stems, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup packed fresh tarragon leaves, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 cup minced shallots
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Directions:
Heat the oven to 350 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with kitchen parchment.
Wrap the middle section of each of the salmon fillets with a quarter of the prosciutto slices. Season the exposed part of each fillet with salt and pepper.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium-high, heat the oil. Add the salmon, reduce the heat to medium, and brown the salmon on all 4 sides, about 3 minutes total. Transfer the salmon to the prepared baking sheet, retaining the skillet. Bake on the oven's middle shelf until slightly undercooked at the center, about 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a blender combine the parsley, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cream, cornstarch and 1/4 cup water. Blend until the mixture forms a smooth puree. Set aside.
Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil remaining in the skillet, then heat over medium. Add the shallots and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the puree and bring to a boil, stirring. Add the lemon juice, then season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 1 minute. If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little water.
Spoon some of the sauce into the center of 4 serving plates. Set one salmon fillet onto each. Serve immediately.
Nutrition information per serving: 490 calories; 290 calories from fat (59 percent of total calories); 32 g fat (10 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 160 mg cholesterol; 770 mg sodium; 8 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 44 g protein.
Sara Moulton is the host of public television's "Sara's Weeknight Meals." She was executive chef at Gourmet magazine for nearly 25 years and spent a decade hosting several Food Network shows.
Berkshire Eagle Staff
If you're looking to toast to your Irish roots — because we're all a little bit Irish on St. Patrick's Day, right? — with something a little more creative than a pint of classic ale, the folks at George's Liquors in Pittsfield have a few ideas.
We asked the Elm Street liquor store for a few fun, holiday-themed cocktails to get you in the spirit — just add a dash of greenery to your wardrobe and you're ready to celebrate!
To make a Lucky Charm, just add Cointreau, Blue Curacao, orange juice and ice to a cocktail shaker, shake well and serve in a glass rimmed with rainbow sprinkles. Sláinte!
Or if you'd rather wrestle with a Dirty Leprechaun — yes, that's the drink's name — try this classic St. Patrick's Day shooter, especially if you enjoy the intense licorice flavor of Jagermeister, according to the drink masters at George's. Dirty Leprechauns are made with Midori, Bradys Irish cream liqueur and Jagermeister. Pour each layer very slowly over the back of a spoon to prevent them from mixing — and your shot will look as if a leprechaun with muddy feet ran across the top of it! For an extra-dirty look, mix the layers together.
Those drinks not tickling your Irish fancy? Try one of these Irish twists on classic cocktails:
The Shamrock-arita
Ingredients:
1 oz. Cuervo Gold Tequila
½ oz. melon liqueur
2 oz. lime juice
1 oz. simple syrup
Directions:
To make simple syrup, mix equal parts hot water and sugar until sugar is dissolved.
Combine all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice, shake and strain the ingredients into an ice-filled glass.
Garnish with a lime wedge.
Tipsy Leprechaun
An easy and yummy cocktail made with Guinness, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Bradys Irish Cream Liqueur and ice cream
Ingredients:
1.5 ounces Jameson Irish Whiskey,
1 ounce Bradys Irish Cream Liqueur
3 ounces Guinness Stout
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 ounce chocolate syrup
Optional garnish: Maraschino cherry
Directions:
Glaze a pint glass with chocolate syrup. Blend ingredients and add to glass. Garnish with cherry.
- By J.M. Hirsch, The Associated Press
I'm ashamed to admit this, for I am no fan of fast food, but I've always had a soft spot for McDonald's shakes.
It doesn't matter that I know what's in them. It doesn't matter that I understand how bad for me they are. It doesn't matter that I know I can make far better shakes at home using far better ingredients. The draw of the drive-thru shake as an occasional indulgence is nonetheless strong. Sometimes too strong.
It's an affliction that goes way back. Once, during high school, a friend and I were driving from Connecticut to New Hampshire. For reasons only the minds of teenage boys could muster, we decided to challenge ourselves to stop at every McDonald's we passed and order shakes.
We made ourselves so very, very sick.
I've mostly gotten over my shake problem. These days I average one about every couple years. Which doesn't mean the desire is gone. What I really need is a way to satisfy that urge without requiring a highway pit stop. So with St. Patrick's Day on the horizon, I decided to try my hand at recreating that most cultish of all McDonald's shakes — the Shamrock shake (formally called the McCafe Shamrock Shake).
It's just as delicious. No drive-thru needed.
Fast food-style creamy vanilla-mint milkshake
Creme fraiche is a cultured dairy cream similar to sour cream, but thicker and less tangy. In this recipe, it provides both a rich mouth feel, as well as a deep creamy flavor. If you have trouble finding it, substitute an equal amount of full-fat vanilla Greek yogurt.
Start to finish: 10 minutes
Servings: 2
Ingredients:
2 cups vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon peppermint extract
Pinch salt
4 drops green food coloring
Whipped cream, to top
Green candy sprinkles, to garnish
Directions:
In a blender, combine the ice cream, milk, creme fraiche, corn syrup, vanilla extract, peppermint extract, salt and food coloring. Blend until smooth, then divide between 2 tall glasses. Top with whipped cream and candy sprinkles.
- By Katie Workman - The Associated Press
Cabbage is almost as popular on St. Patrick's Day as green beer! And that's because cabbage — unlike green beer! — is a quintessential part of Irish cuisine (along with bacon and potatoes).
Tenant farmers in the 17th century were forced to pay substantial rents to their landlords, so they relied heavily on crops of cabbage and potatoes to get them through the year. The more prosperous farmers also grew pigs, so they were able to season their vegetables with the pork parts that weren't needed elsewhere. When the potato famine hit, cabbage became an even more critical food source.
And so on St. Patrick's Day, it's customary to eat cabbage in some form. And fair enough. It remains one of the most affordable and durable vegetables around, a reliable source of something green in the colder months. And when paired with its old compatriot bacon, it's actually pretty delicious.
Here the bacon is crisped up in a large, heavy pot, then some onions are quickly sauteed in a bit of the remaining fat. Then the cabbage is added, along with the beer of your choice, and in 30 minutes you have a dish that may be modest in cost and appearance, but quite grand in flavor. This would go very well with corned beef, but also with roasted chicken, salmon, a steak, or pretty much anything.
Simple beer-braised cabbage with bacon
Start to finish: 45 minutes (15 minutes active)
Servings: 8
Ingredients:
6 strips bacon, halved crosswise
1 cup chopped yellow onion
1 medium (about 2 pounds) green cabbage, quartered, cored and thinly sliced
12-ounce bottle or can beer (any variety)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
Directions:
Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the bacon and cook until crisp, turning as needed, 5 to 6 minutes in all. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels.
Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan, then return it to medium heat. Add the onion and saute for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the cabbage and toss occasionally in the pot for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the cabbage begins to wilt and is well mixed with the onions.
Pour in the beer and bring to a simmer over medium-high. Partially cover the pot, reduce the heat to medium-low, then simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is tender and most of the liquid is evaporated. Crumble the reserved bacon and stir it into the cabbage. Serve hot or warm.
Nutrition information per serving: 140 calories; 80 calories from fat (57 percent of total calories); 9 g fat (3 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 15 mg cholesterol; 280 mg sodium; 10 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 4 g protein.
Katie Workman has written two cookbooks focused on easy, family-friendly cooking, "Dinner Solved!" and "The Mom 100 Cookbook."
- By Michelle Locke, Associated Press
Coffee, Irish whiskey and cream.
Taken separately they’re a tasty trio. But combine them just the right way and in just the right proportions and they get even better, transforming into a drink that can perk up the grayest day.
We’re talking Irish coffee, of course, a drink that’s especially popular around St. Patrick’s Day, but good any time you want to add some zing to your caffeine.
The secret, says Larry Silva, general manager of the Buena Vista Cafe in San Francisco — which serves up 2,000 Irish coffees a day — is how you put the drink together.
At the Buena Vista — the original source of the drink in the U.S. — Irish coffee starts with a stemmed, 6-ounce glass that’s been preheated with hot water. And both of those elements are critical. A bigger or smaller glass would throw off the coffee-booze balance. A cold glass results in a tepid cocktail. There was a bit of a hitch a few years back when Libbey Glass stopped making the type the Buena Vista uses. Silva had to scramble to find another source but, happily, Libbey has since reinstated the product.
For a touch of sweetness, the Buena Vista recipe adds two cubes of sugar, though other recipes call for brown sugar. The cream, meanwhile, should be fresh and just slightly whipped — nothing from an aerosol can.
As for the whiskey, the Buena Vista is currently using Tullamore Dew. In general, what you are seeking is a smooth whiskey that won’t fight with the other flavors, says Silva. This isn’t the time to pull out that peaty Scotch. But don’t be afraid to use something good.
"Using a premium spirit elevates any cocktail," says John Concannon, a California vintner who has teamed with Ireland’s Cooley Distillery to develop Concannon Irish Whiskey, which also makes a good Irish coffee.
The whiskey, made and aged in Ireland, is matured in bourbon barrels, then finished off with some time in wine barrels that have been used to age Concannon Vineyard’s flagship petite sirah wine. "Because of the unique barrel finishing in the distilling process, Concannon has a complexity and character all its own, making for a one-of-a-kind Irish coffee experience," Concannon said via email.
Though it seems likely that people have been introducing a drop or two of whiskey into coffee for a while, the drink as a cocktail was popularized in Ireland at the Foynes port, precursor to Shannon Airport, in the 1940s when chef Joe Sheridan decided to pep up some coffee with Irish whiskey to cheer chilly travelers. The drink was much appreciated and one of the passengers is said to have asked, "Was that Brazilian coffee?" Sheridan jokingly answered, "No, that was Irish Coffee," and a tradition was born.
San Francisco newspaperman Stanton Delaplane tried the coffee while flying from Shannon Airport in 1952 and on his return got together with Jack Koeppler, then-owner of the Buena Vista, to recreate the drink. The trickiest part was getting the cream to float on top, something that was solved by whipping the cream just a bit, then pouring it carefully over the back of a spoon into the cup.
St. Patrick’s Day has a special resonance for Concannon since his great-grandfather and winery founder, James Concannon, was born on March 17 in the Aran islands off the coast of Ireland. The winery, based in the Livermore Valley region east of San Francisco, will be celebrating this year with traditional, live Irish music and a toast (with wine) to their founder.
And they’ll be busy at the Buena Vista, too. Last year, thirsty revelers sucked down 3,640 Irish coffees.
Take that, green beer.
Looking to brew a little Irish cheer yourself this St. Patrick’s Day? Try this classic recipe, or the chocolate-laced variation.
Depending on which version of the "original" Irish coffee you subscribe to, it is sweetened with either 2 sugar cubes or 1 teaspoon brown sugar. For a rich and chocolaty take on Irish coffee, stir 2 tablespoons of milk chocolate bits into the coffee at the same time as the sugar. Once the chocolate bits have melted, proceed with the recipe.
IRISH COFFEE
Start to finish: 5 minutes
Servings: 1
Boiling water
Hot coffee
2 sugar cubes or 1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 1/2 ounces Irish whiskey
1/4 cup heavy or whipping cream, lightly beaten (but still pourable)
Fill a large coffee cup with boiling water to preheat it. Let it stand for about 1 minute, then empty the glass.
Fill the glass three-quarters full with hot coffee. Add the sugar, then stir until dissolved. Stir in the whiskey.
Top the coffee-whiskey blend with the lightly whipped cream. To do this, hold an overturned spoon over the coffee, then slowly pour the cream over it. The goal is for the cream to float on top of the coffee; do not mix it in. Part of the Irish coffee experience is drinking the hot coffee through a layer of cool cream.
(Recipe adapted from The Buena Vista Cafe, San Francisco)
- By Michele Kayal, Associated Press
On a normal day, thirsty revelers easily drain two kegs of Guinness at Boston's Black Rose tavern. Come St. Patrick's Day on Sunday — an official holiday in Bean Town — and they'll plow thorough 55 kegs.
"It's pretty crazy over there," says Keenan Langlois, corporate chef for The Black Rose and the seven other restaurants in Boston's Glynn Hospitality Group. "People start early and spend all day there."
And these days, not all of that Guinness is going down parched gullets. With what he says is the largest Guinness account in the state of Massachusetts, Langlois figured it was time to use it as an ingredient in food, too. His Black Rose burger stacks prime beef with Irish bacon, shredded cabbage and Guinness-spiked ketchup. And he's not alone.
Chefs have long known that the hearty Irish stout, brewed in Dublin since 1759, can add complexity to stews, soups, dips and even desserts. They use its bitterness and toasty malt flavor to offset rich, fatty meats, and echo its notes of chocolate and coffee in cakes and ice cream. Its creaminess offers a great platform for cheese, they say, especially Irish blues.
"It has a rich spectrum of uses," says Paul Hartley, author of "Guinness: An Official Celebration of 250 Remarkable Years" (Hamlyn, 2009). "It's this rounded velvety feel and it fuses with all the right things. Like oysters and blue cheese and chocolate. From time to time, I marinate chicken in Guinness and lime and grill it. It brings all that to life."
Hartley's idea of the perfect St. Patrick's Day starts with Guinness-marinated Irish bacon, moves onto crepes with Guinness-poached mushrooms for lunch, and ends with a dinner of Irish "beef cobbler," that is, Guinness-braised beef served with scones.
Pastry chef Alice Medrich would add dessert. Medrich has laced Guinness through chocolate cupcakes, reduced it to a syrupy essence, concocted creamy, egg-yolk-based ice cream from it and made Guinness granita to scrape over vanilla ice cream. She sometimes uses it for the contrast of bitter and sweet, but also exploits its notes of coffee and chocolate to layer flavors. Exhibit No. 1? Her stout float with chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup and Kahlua.
"It's building the flavors," says Medrich, author most recently of "Sinfully Easy Delicious Desserts" (Artisan, 2012). "There's a lot of chocolate-coffee-malty things going on in the Guinness. The Kahlua picks up on the coffee notes in the Guinness. So everything's working together."
Carbonation makes beer a natural friend of salty, fatty cheese, says Janet Fletcher, author of the upcoming "Cheese & Beer" (Andrews McMeel, April 2013). Stout, in particular, she says, offers elements of caramel that complement varieties such as Gouda, and creaminess that boosts triple-cream cheeses.
That creaminess also makes it a good match for mild blue cheeses, Fletcher says, such as Ireland's soft, supple Cashel Blue. And though she says she prefers hoppier beers with cheddar, she admires the historic pairing.
"It's been the cornerstone of many a pub lunch for centuries," she says. "There's the pleasure of knowing you're having a classic."
The possibilities are seemingly endless. In its "100 ways to cook." column, the food blog Endless Simmer showcased recipes such as onion soup with a Guinness-based broth, mashed potatoes with Guinness gravy and even Guinness lasagna.
"In recent years people are cooking a lot more creatively with Guinness than they used to," says the site's editor Brendan Spiegel, pointing to the lasagna — which incorporated Guinness into a salsa verde topping — as the funkiest recipe. "I don't know what it wouldn't go with. It's definitely a wintery flavor, which is why it works for St. Patrick's Day. You wouldn't mix it with fruit or something you're trying to make light and summery. It's for hearty cuisine."
Not everyone is enamored of Guinness.
"It's just not very interesting," Peter Begg, head of food development for Jamie Oliver Ltd. and a fan of craft beers, writes in an email. "It's OK to drink with oysters and to cook with a beef stew, but that's about it really."
Perhaps it's a question of familiarity breeding comfort rather than contempt. Author Hartley loves it for its iconic status. And its longevity.
"Every time I go to a food exhibition and I see three- or four-thousand new products, the next year when I come back there will only be a few left," he says. "But the Guinness will still be there."
CARAMELIZED ONION
& GUINNESS DIP
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 16
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 large sweet onions, diced
1 cup cold Guinness
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 pound extra-sharp cheddar cheese (preferably Irish), cubed
Crackers, chips or bread, to serve
In a large skillet over medium, heat the olive oil. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned and caramelized, about 20 minutes. If the onions begin to char before they caramelize, add a tablespoon or 2 of water. Set the onions aside and allow to cool.
Once the onions have cooled, in a food processor combine them, the Guinness, salt, pepper, cayenne and cheddar. Pulse until combined and smooth. Serve with crackers, chips or bread. Also makes a great spread for a roast beef sandwich.
Nutrition information per serving: 130 calories; 90 calories from fat (69 percent of total calories); 10 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 30 mg cholesterol; 3 g carbohydrate; 0 g fiber; 1 g sugar; 7 g protein; 240 mg sodium.
(Recipe by Alison Ladman)
IRISH CHOP SUEY
Start to finish: 30 minutes
Servings: 6
Six 12-ounce bottles Guinness
1-pound package wide egg noodles
1 1/2 pounds 90 percent lean ground beef
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon brown mustard
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and ground black pepper
3 scallions, chopped (white and green parts)
In a large stockpot over medium-high, bring the Guinness to a boil. Add the egg noodles and cook until al dente according to package directions. Drain the noodles, but reserve 3 cups of the liquid (add water if needed to have 3 cups). Set both aside.
Meanwhile, in a large, deep skillet over medium-high, combine the ground beef, onion and garlic. Saute until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat. Stir in the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and reserved Guinness. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and black pepper. Stir in the egg noodles and serve topped with scallions.
Nutrition information per serving: 680 calories; 130 calories from fat (19 percent of total calories); 15 g fat (6 g saturated; 1 g trans fats); 135 mg cholesterol; 74 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 4 g sugar; 36 g protein; 270 mg sodium.
- By America's Test Kitchen
You can make a decent corned beef dinner by buying a corned beef brisket, simmering it in a pot of water for a few hours, and adding vegetables at the end of cooking. But you can make superb New England-style corned beef if you skip the commercially made stuff and "corn" the meat yourself.
When this curing process is done properly, the meat isn't just generically salty; it's seasoned but balanced, with complex flavor thanks to the presence of aromatics and spices. Although the process takes several days, we found that it's almost entirely hands-off: After a six-day soak in a brine made with both table and pink curing salt, and flavored with sugar, whole spices, and garlic, the seasonings had penetrated to the core of the meat.
To break down the brisket's collagen, we gently simmered the meat in a low oven, adding carrots, potatoes, and cabbage to the pot while the meat rested so that they simmered briefly in the seasoned cooking liquid.
Pink curing salt No. 1, which can be purchased online or in stores specializing in meat curing, is a mixture of table salt and nitrites; it is also called Prague Powder No. 1, Insta Cure No. 1, or DQ Curing Salt No. 1.
In addition to the pink salt, we use table salt here. If using Diamond Crystal kosher salt, increase the salt to 1 1/2 cups; if using Morton kosher salt, increase to 1 1/8 cups. Choose a uniformly thick brisket. The brisket will look gray after curing but will turn pink once cooked. This recipe requires refrigerating the brined brisket for six days.
HOME-CORNED BEEF AND CABBAGE
Servings: 8-10
Start to finish: 4 hours (not including days of brining)
INGREDIENTS:
Corned beef:
3/4 cup salt
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 teaspoons pink curing kosher salt No. 1
One 4 1/2-to-5 pound beef brisket, flat cut, fat trimmed to 1/8 inch
6 garlic cloves, peeled
6 bay leaves
5 allspice berries
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
Vegetables:
6 carrots, peeled, halved crosswise, thick ends halved lengthwise
1 1/2 pounds small red potatoes, unpeeled
1 head green cabbage (2 pounds), uncored, cut into 8 wedges
DIRECTIONS:
For the corned beef, dissolve salt, sugar, and curing salt in 4 quarts water in large container. Add brisket, 3 garlic cloves, 4 bay leaves, allspice berries, 1 tablespoon peppercorns, and coriander seeds to brine. Weigh brisket down with plate, cover, and refrigerate for 6 days.
Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 275 F. Remove brisket from brine, rinse, and pat dry with paper towels. Cut 8-inch square triple thickness of cheesecloth. Place remaining 3 garlic cloves, remaining 2 bay leaves, and remaining 1 tablespoon peppercorns in center of cheesecloth and tie into a bundle with kitchen twine. Place brisket, spice bundle, and 2 quarts water in Dutch oven. (Brisket may not lie flat but will shrink slightly as it cooks.) Bring to simmer over high heat, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook until fork inserted into thickest part of brisket slides in and out with ease, 2 1/2 to 3 hours.
Remove pot from oven and turn off oven. Transfer brisket to a large oven-safe platter, ladle 1 cup of cooking liquid over meat, cover, and return to oven to keep warm.
For the vegetables, add carrots and potatoes to the pot and bring to simmer over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until vegetables begin to soften 7 to 10 minutes.
Add cabbage to pot, increase heat to high, and return to simmer. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until all vegetables are tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
While vegetables cook, transfer brisket to cutting board. Slice brisket against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Return brisket to platter. Using slotted spoon, transfer vegetables to platter with beef. Moisten with additional broth and serve.
Nutrition information per serving: 462 calories; 224 calories from fat; 25 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 102 mg cholesterol; 1726 mg sodium; 19 g carbohydrate; 5 g fiber; 7 g sugar; 41 g protein.
For more recipes, cooking tips and ingredient and product reviews, visit https://www.americastestkitchen.com. Find more recipes like Home-Corned Beef and Cabbage in "How to Braise ."
- By Elizabeth Karmel, The Associated Press
For me, St. Patrick's Day isn't just an excuse to drink Irish whiskey and Guinness. It's also an excuse to bake with them!
Not too long ago, I had an idea to bake a chocolate cake spiked with Guinness, then topped with a whiskey glaze. The affinity between the chocolate and the Guinness was amazing.
When I created the recipe, I started with my aunt's chocolate pound cake, which my mother had remembered as spectacular. My aunt's basic cake was good, but tastes have changed and I thought it was a bit reserved. I wanted this cake to be luscious and moist and very chocolatey! So I increased the cocoa to a whole cup, substituting an additional 1/2 cup of cocoa for an equal amount of the flour.
For additional richness, I mixed Guinness with an equal amount of half-and-half. And to tie all the flavors together — a hint of freshly grated nutmeg. You don't really taste it, but it highlights all the other flavors.
The first time I made the cake, I made the Irish whiskey glaze and it was good. But I thought that it was wasteful to have to buy both Guinness and Irish whiskey if you didn't already have it on hand. So I changed the glaze to a Guinness glaze. You can buy a single can of Guinness in almost every grocery store, and having Guinness in both the cake and the glaze is not only delicious but economical, as well.
The glaze is an essential part of the cake, as you poke holes in the cake when it is still warm and slowly spoon the glaze over the cake until the holes are filled with it. That way, once the cake is cooled and sliced, each piece has rivets of deep chocolate glaze set into the top of the cake.
For anyone who is nervous that the cake will taste like beer... It does not. The Guinness adds a stouty richness that makes the cake the best chocolate cake you have ever eaten. It is so good that I had to make it three times when I visited my sister and her large family because each time I made it, it was gone before everyone could have a slice. This is the best way I know to celebrate St. Paddy's Day, the Ides of March, or anytime you want a great piece of chocolate cake.
Chocolate Guinness cake with chocolate Guinness glaze
Start to finish: 2 hours (15 minutes active)
Servings: 12
For the cake:
Ingredients:
1 cup cocoa powder, plus extra for the pan
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups granulated sugar
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/2 cup Guinness, room temperature
For the glaze:
2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
6 tablespoons Guinness
2 tablespoons half-and-half or heavy cream
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Directions:
Heat the oven to 325 F. Coat a 12-cup Bundt pan very well with cooking spray. Sprinkle in a bit of cocoa powder, turning to coat evening, then overturning to discard any excess.
In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat together the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat until smooth. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 cup of cocoa powder, the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and nutmeg. In a 2-cup liquid measuring cup, stir together the vanilla, half-and-half and Guinness.
With the mixer running on low, alternate adding the liquid and dry ingredients to the sugar-butter mixture, mixing just until everything is mixed and smooth. Transfer to the prepared Bundt pan, tapping it gently on the counter to release air bubbles. Smooth the top, then bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted at the center comes out clean.
Meanwhile, prepare the glaze. In a medium bowl, whisk together all ingredients until smooth. Set aside.
When the cake is done, let it cool in the pan for 25 minutes. Set a wire cooling rack over the pan, then invert it so the cake stands on the rack. For ease of cleanup, set the rack over a rimmed baking sheet or a sheet of kitchen parchment. Use a tooth pick to poke deep holes all over the top of the cake.
Spoon glaze over the top of the cake and wait until it seeps into the holes. Spoon more glaze into the holes, then wait 10 minutes. Spoon the remaining glaze all over the top so it covers the holes and drizzles down the sides.
Nutrition information per serving: 500 calories; 180 calories from fat (36 percent of total calories); 20 g fat (12 g saturated; 0.5 g trans fats); 115 mg cholesterol; 190 mg sodium; 76 g carbohydrate; 3 g fiber; 50 g sugar; 7 g protein.
Elizabeth Karmel is a barbecue and Southern foods expert. She is the chef and pitmaster at online retailer CarolinaCueToGo.com and author of three books, including "Taming the Flame."
- By Alison Ladman, The Associated Press
Chicken and dumplings is a wonderfully simple, deliciously comforting dish — a thick, meaty stew bubbling away beneath a patchwork of moist, pillowy dumplings.
So we decided to channel that comfort for a dish suited for St. Patrick's Day. Taking inspiration from classic Irish ingredients and dishes, we came up with this over-the-top savory lamb stew with a rich broth made from beef stock, Guinness beer and fresh rosemary.
And dolloped over the top? Soda bread-style dumplings that are at once hearty and tender.
Like most stews, this one only improves with age. For a do-ahead option, prepare the stew as directed, but chill it after the pureeing and recombining steps. When ready to serve, return the stew to a simmer, then proceed with the dumpling portion of the recipe.
Guinness lamb stew with walnut Irish soda bread dumplings
Start to finish: 1 1/2 hours
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 pounds lamb stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 pound mixed mushrooms, sliced
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon finely minced fresh rosemary
12-ounce bottle Guinness beer
3 cups low-sodium beef stock
1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1 1/2 cups white whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter, melted
Directions:
Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Heat a large Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high. Add the lamb and sear until well browned. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the lamb to a plate. Add the mushrooms to the pot and cook until well browned and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer mushrooms to a bowl and set aside.
Add the onion, carrots, celery, potato, cumin and rosemary to the pot. Cook until beginning to brown, 6 to 8 minutes. Return the lamb to the pot. Add the Guinness and broth. Cover and cook for 45 to 60 minutes, or until the lamb is tender and the vegetables are cooked through. Using tongs, transfer the chunks of lamb to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Working in batches if necessary, ladle the vegetables and broth into a blender and blend until smooth. Return the mixture to the pot, along with the lamb and mushrooms. Return to a low simmer.
In a medium bowl, stir together the walnuts, both flours, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and baking soda. In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, egg and melted butter. Gently mix the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture. Using a spoon or a cookie/ice cream scoop, dollop the dough on top of the stew. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the dumplings are cooked through.
- By Elizabeth Karmel, The Associated Press
Here's a cocktail in honor of St. Patrick's Day. But you're going to have to cut me some slack.
Why? Because I know what you're expecting. Any cocktail for this holiday should include either Guinness beer or Irish whiskey, right? Logically, that makes sense. But my whiskey of choice is always bourbon, so I tend to gravitate to cocktails built on that. The good news is that if you want to stay true to the spirit of the holiday, you could substitute Irish whiskey.
Because Irish whiskey is triple distilled, it's smoother and lighter than other varieties, such as Scotch whisky. And that means it mixes well.
So why did I go with bourbon? To me, the major difference between an Irish whiskey like Jameson and a good bourbon is that bourbon has more flavor (think rich round vanilla and brown sugar notes) and complexity (toasted oak, smooth and soft), often with a hint of sweetness. And those flavors mix well in cocktails without being lost to the other ingredients (which I think a lighter whiskey would).
And so I give you the bourbon slush! Never heard of it? Not surprising. It's from Northern Kentucky and I had never heard of it until I was introduced to it by my friend, Kat, who grew up in the region. Just beware: It is a potent cocktail. You will want to drink many of them, but try to show restraint or you will be regretting it in the morning. Or as Kat, says, "It goes down so smoothly that it can sneak up on you!"
This drink is great for parties because it is made in advance and is easily doubled, tripled, or whatever you need. I think it screams, "Bring out the punch bowl!" And, if you feel the need to add a little green for the Irish in you, some fresh mint would be just the thing.
There is no need to splurge on a rare bottle of bourbon — or Irish whiskey — for this. Because you are adding so many ingredients and freezing it, your favorite reasonably priced bottle of brown "water" will do the trick.
KAT'S BOURBON SLUSH
Start to finish: 10 minutes, plus freezing
Servings: 24
Ingredients:
2 cups strong black tea, hot
2 cups sugar
12-ounce can frozen lemonade concentrate
6 ounces (half a 12-ounce can) frozen orange juice concentrate
750-milliliter bottle bourbon
5 cups cool water
Ginger ale, to taste
Directions:
In a freezer-safe pitcher, stir together the tea and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. Add the lemonade and orange juice concentrates, as well as the bourbon, then stir until dissolved. Cover the pitcher with plastic wrap, then freeze overnight, or at least 6 hours. The slush is ready when it is firm throughout; it won't freeze solid.
When ready to serve, scoop 1/2 cup of the slush into julep cups or tumblers, then top with ginger ale. Store the slush in the freezer between servings.
Elizabeth Karmel is a barbecue and Southern foods expert. She is the chef and pitmaster at online retailer CarolinaCueToGo.com and author of three books, including "Taming the Flame."
- By Sara Moulton, The Associated Press
With St. Patrick's Day looming, let's whip up some champ, a rich and rustic Irish dish of mashed potatoes flecked with scallions and topped with butter. It couldn't be simpler, but as always, the devil is in the details.
Let's start with a champ primer. The dish is a relative of the better known colcannon, and both dishes — served as sides to a variety of meat dishes — date back at least several hundred years. But while colcannon adds kale — or sometimes cabbage — to the mashed potatoes, champ uses scallions or leeks.
The classic potato to use in this dish is the russet, also called the baking potato. Here in the U.S., the most famous russet is the Idaho. High-starch and thick-skinned, russets cook up fluffy and light. If, however, you're looking for creamier texture and a more intense potato taste, you ought to go with Yukon Golds. A cross between a baking potato and a boiling potato, Yukon Golds happen to make tasty champ.
Whichever potatoes you choose, don't peel and cut them before cooking. You want to boil them whole in their skins. Otherwise you end up with water-logged potatoes. And don't worry about needing to peel a hot potato. You won't burn yourself if you hold the potato with a clean kitchen towel and peel it with your other hand.
Now, on to the flavorings. It's not enough to simply mash scallions into the potatoes. You want to draw out as much flavor from those oniony greens as possible. To do that, we steep them in milk for a bit. Start by adding the chopped scallions to a saucepan of cold milk, then bring the whole thing to a boil. Once the milk boils, you pull it off the heat and let the scallions steep while the potatoes cook.
Half a cup of milk brought my champ to the degree of firmness I liked, but you're welcome to add more if you want a looser texture. Likewise, you can make the dish richer by using cream instead of milk.
Make sure the butter is at room temperature, not cold, when you mix it in. You don't want it to cool down the potatoes. And by all means, finish your champ the proper Irish way with an extra little pat of butter right in the middle of the mound of potatoes. This allows you to dip each bite of the potato into the butter.
CHAMP
Start to finish: 1 hour (25 minutes active)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 pounds russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, scrubbed but not peeled
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup finely chopped scallions (white and green parts)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, at room temperature, plus extra
Directions:
Place the whole potatoes in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold salted water to cover by 2 inches. Set the pan over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are very tender, about 20 to 40 minutes, depending on their size.
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, combine the milk, scallions and salt. Bring just to a boil, then immediately remove the pan from the heat and set aside to steep.
When the potatoes are tender, drain them and let them cool briefly until you can peel them. To do this, hold each potato in a kitchen towel while peeling. Peel the potatoes, then place them in a medium bowl. Using a potato masher or large fork, mash them to the desired consistency and stir in the milk mixture and 4 tablespoons butter. Mix well, then season with salt and pepper.
Spoon some of the champ onto to each serving plate and top each portion with a pat of butter.
- Alison Ladman, Associated Press
This classic Irish quick bread — no rising time needed — lends itself to numerous creative variations.
Traditional recipes often call for nothing but flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk or yogurt. Currants are a common addition, but that's just the start. Any number of seeds, nuts, chopped dried fruit and even chocolate can be added.
For our take on soda bread, we decided to have a little of everything. We started with a rich take on the classic recipe, studding it with currants and caraway seeds. But then we also show you how to swap those out to make an oatmeal-rye version with walnuts and fresh thyme and chives. And for a sweet finish, we created a chocolate variation, adding a generous 1/2 cup of cocoa powder, dried cherries and dark chocolate.
To create your own variations, start with the basic recipe and leave out the caraway seeds and currants. Add 1 to 2 teaspoons of seasonings and about 1 cup of dried fruit, nuts or seeds.
IRISH SODA BREAD THREE WAYS
Start to finish: 1 hour
(20 minutes active)
Servings: 12 (per variety)
4 cups white pastry flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (optional)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup dried currants, plumped in hot water
1 egg
1 2/3 cups buttermilk or plain regular yogurt (not Greek style)
Heat the oven to 400 F. Coat a loaf pan or a 9-by-9-inch baking pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and caraway seeds, if using.
While stirring, mix in the melted butter until small lumps form and the butter has been evenly distributed. Gently stir in the currants.
In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and buttermilk.
All at once, pour the egg-buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture.
Stir gently but thoroughly, just until the flour mixture is moistened. Do not over-mix the dough or the bread will be tough.
Scoop the dough into the prepared pan and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until a wooden skewer or cake tester inserted at the center comes out clean.
Allow to cool in the pan for 5 to 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack. Serve warm with butter or jam.
Nutrition information per serving: 270 calories; 60 calories from fat (22 percent of total calories); 7 g fat (4 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 44 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 10 g sugar; 6 g protein; 300 mg sodium.
•
OATMEAL-RYE SODA BREAD WITH HERBS & WALNUTS
Follow the recipe above, but instead of white pastry flour substitute 2 1/2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour, 1 cup oatmeal and 1 cup rye flour. Omit the caraway seeds.
In place of the currants, stir in 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives and 1 cup chopped toasted walnuts. Bake as directed.
Nutrition information per serving: 300 calories; 130 calories from fat (43 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 36 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 5 g sugar; 8 g protein; 300 mg sodium.
•
DOUBLE CHOCOLATE CHERRY SODA BREAD
Follow the main recipe, but sift 1/2 cup cocoa powder into the dry ingredients in the first step.
Also, increase the sugar to 2/3 cup and omit the caraway seeds.
In place of the currants, stir in 1 cup chopped dried cherries and 1 cup chopped dark chocolate.
Bake as directed.
Nutrition information per serving: 370 calories; 120 calories from fat (32 percent of total calories); 14 g fat (8 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 35 mg cholesterol; 60 g carbohydrate; 6 g fiber; 20 g sugar; 7 g protein; 300 mg sodium.
The day doesn’t have to be devoid of festive drinks for the estimated more than one-third of Americans who don’t drink. Others may have volunteered to be their friends the designated driver this Friday.
Maybe you do drink, but you’re throwing a party. Having a few non-alcoholic options on hand for guests can make those who abstain feel validated, especially when social events often seem to revolve around boozy cocktails.
Keeping in mind the growing popularity of non-alcoholic spirits, most every cocktail these days can be converted into its sober-friendly counterpart.
We checked in with a couple of local proprietors to get some ideas about festive drinks you can make at home for St. Patrick’s Day.
Skip the booze and try one of these options this Friday for St. Patrick's Day.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTIONPerhaps unsurprisingly, it’s the busiest day of the year for one local restaurant, Patrick’s Pub in downtown Pittsfield.
The restaurant’s co-operator Tucker McNinch said staff will be decked out in their verdant best, and Andy Kelly will provide music throughout service.
You can ask the barkeep for this non-alcoholic drink that McNinch conceived. Or, make it at home by following the recipe below.
THE GUAVA MULE
Recipe provided by Tucker McNinch
INGREDIENTS:
2 ounces guava juice
1.5 ounces honey simple syrup (make the syrup using one part honey one part water)
3 ounces ginger beer
1 ounce lime juice
DIRECTIONS:
Make the simple syrup by heating the honey and water together, once cooled add the syrup with other ingredients, and shake or stir.
Up the street at Methuselah Bar & Lounge, owner Yuki Cohen conjured up several drink ideas of the non-alcoholic ilk.
Yuki Cohen provides a fun alcohol-free recipe for a copycat Shamrock Shake.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY METRO CREATIVE CONNECTIONLEPRECHAUN TWERK (aka a copycat Shamrock Shake)
Recipe provided by Yuki Cohen
INGREDIENTS:
1/2 pint vanilla ice cream
1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract
5 drops liquid green food coloring
Whipped cream
Green sprinkles
DIRECTIONS:
Mix ice cream, milk and extract in blender, pour onto glass, add whipped cream and sprinkles.
GRAPE SANGRIA
INGREDIENTS:
1 quart grape juice
1 1/4 cups orange juice
1 quart lemon lime sparkling water
Slices of cucumber or lime wheels, or any kind of citrus wedge
An optional addition is the use of frozen grapes for ice cubes
DIRECTIONS:
Combine all liquid ingredients into large bowl. Mix. Pour into glass and add fruit garnish with the frozen grapes.
SHAMROCKTINI
Ingredients:
5 ounces chilled sparkling grape juice
1 ounce Torino non-alcoholic creme de menthe
1 slice of lime or apple slices
DIRECTIONS:
Pour the juice onto a 6-ounce martini glass, add the non-alcoholic creme de menthe, garnish, serve.
Staffers at The Berkshire Eagle had a few ideas of their own.
POT OF GOLD HOT TODDY
INGREDIENTS:
1 1/2 cups hot tea
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 lemon wedge
DIRECTIONS:
Mix together the honey, cinnamon, nutmeg and lemon juice in a large mug. Pour in the hot tea to heat the overall mixture. Sprinkle the top with bee pollen in order to evoke the feeling of a pot of gold.
HONEST TO GUINNESS
Brew or buy cold brew coffee
Make molasses simple syrup — heat one part molasses and one part water and stir until the substances are married.
Fill a Collins or pint glass three-quarters of the way up with ice and cold brew. Mix in one ounce syrup, or another amount that suits your taste. Top with whipped cream. Optional: sprinkle with grated nutmeg.