May love and laughter light your days, and warm your heart and home. May good and faithful friends be yours, wherever you may roam. May peace and plenty bless your world with joy that long endures. May all life’s passing seasons, bring the best to you and yours.
This old Irish blessing is offered to everyone in celebration of St. Patrick’s Day tomorrow. When I was growing up, we always celebrated St. Patrick’s Day and I loved all the tradition of its magic, its fairies, leprechauns, shamrocks, and of course, all the stories that went along with the day.
My dad always said there were only two kinds of people in the world: those that were Irish, and those that want to be, and so today I offer a traditional Irish stew made with beef instead of lamb, n and an Irish potato cake for dessert. Give it a try. Happy St. Patrick’s Day to all.
Beer Braised Irish Stew and Colcannon
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 (3 lb.) beef chuck roast, trimmed of fat and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 cup coarsely chopped onion
1 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1 (12 fluid ounce) can or bottle dark beer
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
Colcannon:
3 slices bacon
2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut in chunks
2 cups thinly sliced cabbage
1/4 cup milk, warmed
2 tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
2 tbsp. minced fresh green parsley
Preheat oven to 325 F. Heat vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until very hot, and brown the meat in 2 batches, stirring to brown the cubes on all sides.
Return all the meat to the Dutch oven, sprinkle with flour, and stir lightly to coat the meat with the flour. Stir in onion, carrots, dark beer, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper, garlic and Worcestershire sauce; bring the mixture to a boil and cover. Place the Dutch oven into the preheated oven, and cook for 45 minutes; uncover, stir the stew, and cook until the beef is very tender and the liquid is reduced by half, about 45 more minutes.
About 30 minutes before the stew is ready, make the colcannon: Place the bacon in a large, deep skillet, and cook over medium-high heat, turning occasionally, until evenly browned, about 10 minutes. Drain the bacon on a paper towel-lined plate. Crumble the bacon and set aside.
Place potatoes into large pot and cover with salted water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and allow to steam dry for a minute or two. Place cabbage into microwave-safe bowl, add 1 or 2 tbsp. of water. Cover and microwave on High for about 2-1/2 minutes, uncover and stir the cabbage. Cover and microwave for another 2-1/2 minutes, until cabbage is slightly tender but not mushy. Drain excess liquid, and set cabbage aside, covered.
Place the potatoes into a large bowl, and add milk, butter, salt and pepper. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the cabbage, crumbled bacon, and parsley until well combined. To serve, place a scoop of colcannon onto a plate, make a hollow, and fill with braised beef stew.
Irish Potato Cake
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/8 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground nutmeg
2/3 cup shortening
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
Sift the flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg together. Set aside. In a large bowl, cream together the shortening and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture alternately with the potatoes and milk. Stir in nuts and raisins.
Pour into prepared pan. Bake in preheated oven for 90 to 120 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into centre comes out clean.
Cathi Litzenberger is The Morning Star’s longtime food columnist.
