The Immigrant's St. Patrick's Feast
by Liz Waters (c) 1995

It is said that everyone is Irish on St. Patricks Day, and it is true enough
that those who think fondly of the Emerald Isle gather on this date to dine
on corned beef and cabbage . Ironically corned beef and cabbage is more
common among Irish-Americans than among true Irishmen and women.



Corned Beef and Cabbage

1 4 lb. corned beef
4 large carrots, cut in 1 inch chunks

8 small onions, chopped
1 tsp. dry mustard
large sprig of thyme and 3 sprigs of parsley, tied together
1 head of cabbage
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
dash of Tabasco sauce

Put the corned beef into a saucepan with the carrots, onions, mustard powder
and herbs.
Add enough cold water to immerse the meat and bring to to the boil.Simmer,
covered, for an hour. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage cut in quarters
and add to the pot.  Cook for a further 1-2 hours or until the meat and
vegetables are tender. Serve the corned beef and cut into slices surrounded
by the vegetables, potatoes and freshly made mustard for an accompaniment. 

In Ireland itself, in this time of Lent, you would be far more likely to come
across colcannon on the table.
Here is a great colcannon recipe for you!




Colcannon

2 1/2 lbs. potatoes (we like Yukon Gold potatoes in this dish)
1 small spring cabbage
1 C milk
1/4 C chopped green onions
1/2 stick unsalted butter
salt and freshly ground pepper
Scrub the potatoes and leave the skins on.
Put them in a saucepan of cold water, and add  a good pinch of salt and bring
to the boil.
 When the potatoes are about half c
ooked, strain off 2/3 of the water. Put a
lid on the pan and allow them to steam over low heat until they are cooked. 
Discard the dark outer leaves of the cabbage and wash the rest.  Cut into
quarters and remove the core and cut finely across the grain.  Cook in a
little boiling salted water until soft.   Drain and season with salt and
pepper and a little of the butter. When the potatoes are just cooked, put the
milk into a saucepan with the green onions. Bring to a boil.  Pull the skin
off the potatoes and mash quickly while they are still warm and beat in
enough of the hot milk to make a fluffy puree. Stir in the cooked cabbage and
taste for seasoning.  Colcannon may be prepared ahead up to this point and
reheated later in a 350 degree Fahrenheit oven. 
Cover with tinfoil before reheating so that it does nott get crusty on top.
Pile the colcannon into  a heated bowl.  Make a well in the center of the
colcannon and put a half a stick of real butter to melt in the well.




Dunderry Lodge  Wheaten Soda Bread

1 1/2 lb. stone ground whole wheat flour
1/4 lb. bread flour
1 tsp. salt
1 C buttermilk
2 tbps. baking soda

Grease 2  1 lb. sized loaf pans Preheat the oven to 425 degres Fahrenheit
Sift the flours, soda, and salt into a large bowl, adding any bran from the
sifter last Make a well in the center and pour in almost all the buttermilk,
and stir to make a stiff but not sticky dough, adding more buttermilk if
needed. Turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead for 5
minutes. Divide into two equal pieces and shape into loaves. Add to the pans.
Level off the tops and press the dough well into the corners of the pans.
Bake in preheated oven for 25 minutes and then tip the loaves from the pans.
Return to the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Loaves are done
 when they thump
hollow on the bottoms. Let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

Since Irish children often have toffee as a special even-though-its-Lent St.
Patricks Day treat here is a favorite dessert from England, Ireland, and
Scotland, using toffee




Sticky Toffee Pudding

1/4 C unsalted butter
2/3 C granulated sugar
1 C flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 egg, lightly beaten
6 oz. (2/3 C) pitted dates
1 C boiling water
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp vanilla extract

Toffee Sauce
1/4 C b butter
1/3 C brown sugar
2 tbsp. double cream
Lightly grease an 11x7 inch cake tin
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and soften the butter in a large mixing bowl.
Add the sugar and  cream until smooth, pale and light.  Sift the flour and
the baking powder onto the plate. Beat the egg with a little flour and then
add to the creamed mixture.
 Continue beating for a few minutes. Then mix in the rest of the flour Flour
the dates lightly and chop finely. Put into a bowl and pour the boiling water
over them. Mix in the soda and vanilla. Gradually blend this mixture into the
batter. Mix well. Transfer to the prepared tin and spread out evenly. bake in
preheated oven for 40 minutes.  To make the toffee sauce, melt the butter in
a small saucepan and add the sugar and then the cream.
Simmer gently for three minutes. Cut the hot pudding into squares and cover
with the sauce. Place under a hot grill until it bubbles, taking care as this
burns easily.
Serve at once.