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

Hi Everyone,

So March is finally here and Ireland is covered in snow! Looks like we’ll all be in our Aran sweaters for the St. Patrick’s Day! With only two weeks to go, I hope you’re all set for the forthcoming celebrations. After covering what to wear for the big day, it’s time to think about what we’re going to eat so I’ve complied my top St. Patrick’s Day food picks for your perusal. Enjoy!

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

1.The Full Irish Breakfast

It’s going to be a long day so a hearty breakfast is essential. And 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!)

Additional extras such as beans, mushrooms and tomatoes are all optional.  Have I managed to whet your appetite? Well, if you’re living in the States we have an Irish breakfast food basket which can be delivered to your door in time for St. Patrick’s Day! It’s brimming with all the meat essentials as well as real Irish Kerrygold butter, scones and everybody’s favorite Barry’s Tea.

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 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.

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, it is 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
• 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 in to one mixing bowl.
3. Add buttermilk and stir until large moist clumps form.
4. Gather dough in to a ball and knead until dough becomes smooth and holds together.
5. Roll in to a large bowl and lightly flour the outside. Place dough ball on a non-stick baking sheet and shape in to 6-inch diameter by 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 in to 8 wedges and serve with lots of butter!

Why not send a true taste of Ireland to a loved one this St. Patrick’s Day? The Flavors of Ireland food basket (pictured below) has homemade Irish preserves and Bewley’s tea-the perfect companions to your freshly baked soda bread. There’s also farmhouse cookies, homemade Irish fruitcake and irresistible Butlers chocolates. 

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! Irish Coffee is particularly popular as a winter warmer at Christmas but I love one post parade on St. Patrick’s Day. After all this is Ireland and chances are there’s still going to be a chill in the air (and more often than not some rain!)

The story of how the Irish coffee came to be goes 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’s 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!

Well I hope all that talk of St. Patrick’s Day food has tickled your taste buds! Remember there’s still time to order any of our Irish food baskets in time for the big day! And if you use the promo code BLOG10 at the checkout, you’ll get a 10% discount!

See you next week.

Slán go fóill!

Lulu.