Observer Online | A Taste of Ireland for St. Patrick's Day

Posted March 14, 2008

A Taste of Ireland for St. Patrick's Day

The patriotic colors of the Irish will be flying high on Monday, with Irish flags, green clothes and shamrocks on table linens and lapel pins. St. Patrick's Day is a noble and proud tradition that all Irish descendents celebrate with food and especially drink. Our family "Top o' the Morning" breakfast when the boys were growing up had everything colored green, from the scrambled eggs to the orange juice (yes, it was a lovely color of Kelly Green). We even had mint jelly for the toast. Then for dinner, we had a humorous "green" meal, with spinach pasta with green alfredo sauce, a green salad, lime Kool-Aid and a pistachio pudding or mint chocolate chip ice cream pie for dessert. Needless to say, the kids loved it.

Beyond all of the antics in the Loughin kitchen (my husband is Welsh, and my ancestors are Scotch-Irish), there are many wonderful and hearty Irish recipes that I have collected over the years. We usually have corned beef and cabbage made in the slow cooker for our "traditional" Irish meal (you don't really need a recipe for that one). My favorite dessert is still Patti Hall's Irish Cream Cake-it will not last long in your household unless it is carefully hidden in the refrigerator. I have made this on St. Patrick's Day for many years, and it is one of my most requested recipes. The Irish Potato soup is hearty, and as most soups, is best made the day before so that the flavors will blend and intensify. Just reheat and serve with the traditional Irish bread.

Irish Cream Cake

1 pkg. white cake mix

6 oz. pkg. instant vanilla pudding

1 1/2 cup Irish cream liqueur (Bailey's)

1 cup miniature chocolate chips

4 eggs

1/2 vegetable oil

Glaze

1 cup Irish cream liqueur

3 cups powdered sugar

Combine cake mix, pudding, liqueur, chocolate chips, eggs and oil, and mix well. Pour into a greased and floured bundt cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes, but remember that the thickness of your bundt pan will cause the baking time to vary. Check to see if it is springy and brown on top before removing. While cake is still warm, combine glaze ingredients, and poke holes in the cake while it is still in the pan. Generously pour the glaze mixture over the holes in the cake. Allow the cake to cool at least two hours before removing from the pan. Keep covered in the refrigerator.

Traditional Sweet Irish Soda Bread

4 cups flour

1/3 cup sugar

1 Tbsp. baking powder

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1/3 cup butter

1 cup currants or raisins

1 3/4 cup buttermilk

1 egg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and grease two baking sheets. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Using a pastry blender, gradually cut in the butter, mixing until the dry ingredients resemble coarse crumbs. In a separate bowl, combine the buttermilk and egg. Make a well in the dry ingredients, and slowly mix in the buttermilk mixture. Add the currants. Stir until the mixture forms soft dough. Turn the dough onto a floured surface, and knead gently for about 10 times. Shape the dough into four rounds, and place two on each cookie sheet. Score the top with a large "x" and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Immediately remove to a cooling wire rack. Serve warm with butter.

Loughin Irish Slow Cooker Stew

1 Tbsp. vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup sliced carrots

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 lbs. stew beef, or boneless lamb, cut into small pieces

3 cups coarsely chopped green cabbage

3 1/2 cups coarsely chopped redskin potatoes

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. parsley, chopped

1 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. red pepper

4 cups beef broth

1 cup red wine

14-oz. can diced tomatoes

Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet, and add the onions, carrots and garlic, and sauté for about 4 to 5 minutes on a medium-high heat, but don't burn. Put in slow cooker. Add meat pieces to the skillet, and sauté for about 2 minutes, stirring to absorb flavors. Put in slow cooker. Add the rest of the ingredients, and cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or on high for 4 to 5 hours. Serve with warm Irish soda bread.

Gaynelle's Hot Irish Oatmeal Cake with boiled topping

1 1/2 cups water, boiling

1 cup Quaker quick-cooking oats

1/2 cup butter or margarine

1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 1/2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon

1 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. salt

Boiled then broiled topping

1/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup flaked coconut

1 cup chopped nuts

6 Tbsp. butter or margarine

1/4 cup light cream

1/4 tsp. vanilla

Pour boiling water over the oats and mix well. Set aside to cool. Cream butter and sugars together, and beat in eggs one at a time. Add a little bit of the warm oatmeal to the egg mixture, and blend. Then stir in the rest of the soaked oatmeal. Stir in other dry ingredients, and mix well. Turn into a well-greased 13 by 9 inch cake pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes. Cool in pan. While cake is baking, combine all ingredients (except vanilla) for the boiled topping in a nonstick saucepan. Stir and as soon as it begins to bubble and boil, remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Spread on hot cake, and put cake pan under the broiler for about 4 to 5 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

Homemade Irish Cream

4 eggs

1/2 pint heavy cream

1 1/4 cup good whiskey, or more if preferred

2 tsp. instant coffee

2 Tbsp. chocolate syrup

1/2 tsp. almond extract

1 Tbsp. vanilla extract

14-oz. can condensed sweetened milk

Blend well in a blender, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours. Re-blend and serve over crushed ice chips. This recipe contains uncooked eggs, so use very fresh eggs from a reputable supplier

Irish Cream of Potato Soup with Sausage

1 lb. mild sausage, loose

3 Tbsp. margarine

2 cups onions, chopped

3 Tbsp. flour

5 cups water

4 cups potatoes, chopped

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1/2 tsp. seasoned salt

3 Tbsp. parsley

1 pint sour cream

Sauté loose sausage in a non-stick skillet until done, drain and set aside and let cool. Cook onions and margarine until tender in the same skillet, stir in flour and mix until well blended. Gradually add the water and mix well over medium heat. Add the potatoes and seasonings and simmer for 20 to 35 minutes until the potatoes are tender. Break up the softened potatoes with a long fork, but don't completely smash. At the end, stir in the sour cream, sausage and parsley. This soup gets better if allowed to cool in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat gently and serve. Add more salt and pepper if needed.