Lulu’s Top St.Patrick’s Day Food Picks

Happy Friday everyone! I hope you’re all looking forward to a nice relaxing weekend. I’m sure some of you are planning your at home St. Patrick’s Day celebration next week so what better time to share a few Irish food favorites for your family feast!

Lulu’s Top St. Patrick’s Day Food Picks

1.The Full Irish Breakfast

It doesn’t get much heartier than a full Irish! The Irish breakfast originated as a big feed to start a hard day’s work on the farm. The ingredients would all have been fresh from the farm and cooked in butter in a pan. The essentials are as follows;

• Rashers (bacon)
• Sausages
• Black  white pudding
• Eggs
• Homemade soda or brown bread with butter
• Jam
• Tea-(of course!)

2. Potato Cakes

For some, the potato cake is an essential part of the full Irish breakfast. In fact, our friends in the north of Ireland always include fried potato bread AND soda bread as well as everything else to give us the traditional Ulster Fry. There’s no doubt this version of the Irish breakfast will keep you going way past lunch! Apart from being a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, potato cakes are the best side ever and go with just about everything!

Potato Cake Recipe

Ingredients:

• 8 oz cooked potatoes
• 0.88 oz butter (melted)
• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 4 oz  butter (for frying)
• 3 spring onions

Method:

• Boil the potatoes until tender then mash until smooth.
• Add the melted butter and stir in the flour, salt and pepper and chopped up spring onions.
• Turn the mixture onto a floured surface and press it out with your hands until it is a circle about 1cm/half-inch thick.
• Using a pastry cutter or the rim of a glass,  cut the mixture into rounds, about 7.5cm/3inches in diameter.
• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a moderate heat and, when the foam subsides, fry the potato cakes for about 3 minutes on each side, or until they are golden.
• Lift them out with a spatula and drain on kitchen paper.
• Pile them up on a warm serving plate – they won’t be around for long!

3. Irish Stew

For me, St.Patrick’s Day wouldn’t be complete with a bowl of homemade Irish stew. Ireland’s original peasant food was borne out of necessity. Vegetables and cheap cuts of meats cooked slowly and in large quantities to make it last. These days, the meat traditionally used is a lamb and everyone has their own variation on this classic Irish dish. Watch the video below as me and The Irish Store team show you how to make my mother’s very own recipe. The ultimate St.Patrick’s Day food!

4. Soda Bread

This is an absolute must-have on your St.Patrick’s Day food list. Not only is it an essential part of your full Irish breakfast, but it is also the perfect accompaniment to your bowl of Irish stew.

Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons caraway seeds (optional)
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• A teaspoon of sea salt
• 1 ½ cups of buttermilk (or milk substitute)

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Mix flour, caraway seeds, baking soda and salt into one mixing bowl.
3. Add buttermilk and stir until large moist clumps form.
4. Gather dough into a ball and knead until the dough becomes smooth and holds together.
5. Roll into a large bowl and lightly flour the outside. Place the dough ball on a non-stick baking sheet and shape into 6-inch diameter by a 2-inch small mound.
6. Cut a 1-inch deep X across the top, extending towards the edges.
7. Bake for approximately 35 minutes until bread is golden brown and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.
8. Remove from baking sheet and allow to cool completely.
9. Slice into 8 wedges and serve with lots of butter!

5. Irish Coffee

Ok so this one’s not strictly St.Patrick’s Day food but the big day just wouldn’t be the same without a tipple of some kind!

The story of how the Irish coffee came to go back to 1943 and the town of Foynes in County Limerick. A flight from Foynes to Botwood in Newfoundland was forced to turn back due to bad weather. The passengers were brought to the airport bar where the bartender, Joe Sheridan served them all coffee with a shot of Irish whiskey to warm everyone up. When asked if the coffee was Brazilian, Joe replied: “That was an Irish Coffee!” The rest is history.

Joe Sheridan Irish Coffee Recipe

Ingredients

• Cream
• Coffee
• Sugar
• Whiskey

Method:

Pre-heat a clear stemmed Irish coffee glass with very hot water. Empty the water, and add 2 teaspoons of brown sugar. Add some freshly brewed rich coffee and stir. When the sugar melts, add a generous measure of Irish whiskey (about 2.5cl). Stir again, then wait for the brew to still. Take a hot teaspoon and pour gently whipped fresh cream slowly over the back of the spoon. Your cream should be “half whipped” i.e. not too stiff and not too liquid. The perfect Irish Coffee should look pretty much like Ireland’s other famous drink – Guinness!

You can make your preparation even easier with our pair of Irish Coffee Recipe Glasses by Galway Crystal. There are handy measures for each ingredient, and a scattering of lucky Irish shamrocks on each beautifully crafted crystal glass to wish you health to drink. Slainte!

Thanks so much for dropping by. See you next week when I’ll be sharing some of our favorite St. Patrick’s Day memories from The Irish Store Family.

Take care of yourselves and each other,

Slán go fóill!

Lulu