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Planning A Saint Patrick's Day Dinner
"The misconception is that Irish food is all about bacon and cabbage," says Rachel Allen, author of four cookbooks. "Irish food today is about our fantastic cheeses and our produce. We've got amazing vegetables and dairy. We're becoming much more aware of eating in season now." She recommends choosing Saint Patrick's Day dinner options like homemade pork sausage with a potato and cabbage dish called Colcannon, hearty Irish stew and apple cake. In her latest book, Rachel's Food For Living, she offers up many of these authentic Irish recipes.
Tatnuck Meat Market in New England can barely keep up with the orders for Saint Patrick's Day dinner corned beef each year. Tom Lowe at Lowe's Variety and Meat Market sells about 1,600 pounds of grey corned beef in March. "Red flannel hash is basically corned beef, cabbage, carrots, turnips, potatoes, beets," explains Kevin Flanagan, another New England meat market owner. "Beets? Irish? Hey, the Irish never had corned beef in Ireland. Corned beef isn't really Irish. It's an American tradition anyway - not Irish." Regardless, people instinctively associate corned beef and cabbage with Irish culture.
Lest not we forget what drinks to serve with our special Saint Patrick's Day feast! A typical accompaniment to any Irish table would be something like Guinness or Murphy's. The Guinness brewery originated in St. James's Gate, Dublin circa 1725 and remains the top-selling beer in Ireland. Murphy's Irish Stout, based in County Cork since 1856, is the fastest growing stout in the world, available in 70 countries now. It's a fallacy that green beer is representative of an authentic Irish celebration. Some people think it's cute to mix a few drops of green food coloring in a lighter beer like Harp, but you're best served with Irish lager, Irish stout or Irish ale. The most popular lagers sold in Ireland include Harp and Heineken. Irish stouts like Guinness, Murphy's and Beamish are heavier, darker beers. Smithwick's is the most heralded Irish red ale. For Irish whiskey, look for Bushmills or Jameson.
What Saint Patrick's Day dinner would be complete without a tasty Irish dessert? Irish chef Damien Brassel of Knife & Fork in Manhattan recommends serving a bottle of whiskey. Cathal Armstrong, an Irish chef at Restaurant Eve in Alexandria, Virginia, recommends apple-based desserts like crumbles, pies, cakes, fritters, dumplings or soufflés. For an Irish-American take on desserts, try a Guinness Cake. With any luck, your St. Patty's Day dinner will inspire your children to carry on Irish customs and traditions of their own one day.
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