Traditional St Patrick's Day food and drink
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St Patrick's Day is nearly here, and with it, we as a country tend to embrace our Irish traditions a little bit more as we see iconic buildings all over the world shine green for one day. It makes us realise how much influence a little country can have on the world and reminds us of all the people who left the country to spread our traditions and culture far and wide. Some of this culture was spread through our food and drink.
Simplicity and heartiness are at the centre of Irish stew. A one-pot wonder, it gives nourishment and brings people together to eat, which is an important part of the ritual of eating and socialising.
Below is a recipe for Irish Stew, a traditional meal that is both comforting, delicious and screams Ireland
Irish Beef Stew:
- 1200 grams of beef
- 4 medium onions
- 4 medium carrots
- teaspoon butter
- Salt and Pepper
- 2 ½ cups stock (beef, veg or chicken or dark beer)
- 4 potatoes (floury)
- 1 tablesp Roux
- Some chopped fresh Parsley
Cut the beef and brown it in the bottom of a heavy casserole pot then remove. Peel and cut the onions, carrots into chunks and the potatoes into quarters. Put the carrots and onions in the casserole dish and soften, then add back in the meat.
Add stock if you have it or water or a dark beer. Season with salt and pepper remembering that it will reduce and the flavour will intensify. Allow to simmer for half an hour with the lid on, then add potatoes. Cover and simmer gently for another 1 and half hours approximately on a gentle heat or in a moderate oven until meat is cooked.
Then pour off some of the cooking liquid. Very slightly thicken the liquid with roux and Check and adjust the seasoning id needed. Then pour back into stew. Allow to gentle simmer for another 15mins add the chopped parsley and serve.
Drinks:
In Ireland we produce a number of alcoholic beverages that can only be made on the island of Ireland.
Irish whiskey is one of these products. It has to be aged for at least three years in Ireland and is currently going through a renaissance in popularity. We can produce different styles of whiskey in Ireland: single malt Irish whiskey, pure pot still whiskey, blended Irish whiskey, and single grain Irish whiskey. Pot still whiskey production looks back to our history and our alcohol laws and brings the
past into the future with its flavour profile and production methods. In the malt mash it uses un-malted barley which gives the whiskey a distinct flavour and mouth feel.
Irish whiskey was extremely popular in the United States of America in pre-prohibition times and it is a very good spirit to use in a cocktail below are some classic cocktails that use this Irish spirit as their base:
The Irish Coffee: Invented by Joe Sheridan the head chef of the restaurant in Shannon airport in 1940 this cocktail is perfect for after dinner or to warm you up on a cold day
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Irish whiskey
- 2 teaspoons brown sugar
- Hot brewed coffee, to top
- Garnish: slightly whipped cream flavoured with vanilla
Instructions:
Fill an Irish Coffee mug with hot water, let sit for 2 minutes, then discard the water. Add the whiskey and sugar to the heated glass, fill with the coffee, and stir. Top with an inch of unsweetened vanilla flavoured lightly whipped cream
As well as Irish whiskey producers we also make other great products in Ireland this recipe which is an adapted version of the Tipperary. A cocktail that first made its appearance in print in 1916 in a cocktail book called ‘recipes for mixed drinks’ by Hugo R Ensslin but has been adapted to include all Irish made ingredients.
Ingredients:
- 50 ml Irish whiskey
- 30ml Valentia Island vermouth
- 15ml Stillgarden Glass 55 (herbal liqueur)
- 2 dashes off the cuff aromatic bitters
- Garnish: orange twist
Instructions:
Add the Irish whiskey, vermouth, glass 55 and bitters into a mixing glass with ice and stir until well-chilled. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Express the oils from an orange twist over the glass and discard.