St. Patrick’s Day is cause for celebration, and many people will be visiting local restaurants to do so. Hosting a traditional St. Patrick’s Day dinner can help you to draw in customers and increase revenue. Here are some of our favorite Irish recipes to help inspire your holiday menu.
Slow-Cooker Corned Beef And Cabbage
Ingredients:
4 large carrots, peeled and cut into matchstick pieces
10 baby red potatoes, quartered
1 onion, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
4 cups water
1 (4 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet
6 ounces beer
1/2 head cabbage, coarsely chopped
Directions:
Place the carrots, potatoes, and onion into the bottom of a slow cooker, pour in the water, and place the brisket on top of the vegetables. Pour the beer over the brisket. Sprinkle on the spices from the packet, cover, and set the cooker on High.
Cook the brisket for about 8 hours. An hour before serving, stir in the cabbage and cook for 1 more hour.
Irish Stew
Ingredients:
2 medium-sized onions, chopped
Oil, for frying
1-ounce butter
1 sprig dried thyme
2 1/2 pounds best end of lamb neck, cut into large pieces
7 carrots, chopped lengthways into 2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons pearl barley
5 cups Chicken Stock, recipe follows
Salt (recommended: Fleur du Sel)
Freshly ground black pepper
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, and bay leaf)
12 medium potatoes
1 bunch parsley, leaves finely chopped
1 bunch chives
Serving suggestion: Herb Butter, recipe follows
Stock:
Chicken carcass
1 onion
4 cups water
3 stalks celery, roughly chopped
Bay leaf
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Herb Butter:
1 stick butter
1 small bunch parsley, finely chopped
1 small bunch chives, finely chopped
1 sprig thyme
Directions:
In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, cook the onions in oil and butter, on medium-high heat until they are translucent. Add the dried thyme and stir. Add the lamb and brown on a high heat to seal in juices. Add carrots, and pearl barley. Pour in the Chicken Stock so that it almost covers the meat and vegetables. Season with salt and pepper, and add Bouquet garni. Cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours, being careful not to boil. Place potatoes on top of the stew, cover and cook for 30 minutes until the meat is falling beautifully off the bones and the potatoes are fork tender.
Serve the stew in large flat soup bowls, and drizzle Herb Butter over the potatoes or garnish with parsley and chives.
Stock:
Yield: 6 servings
Preheat the stockpot. Combine ingredients in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan and cover with water. Bring to boil and simmer for approximately 30 minutes. Then let it cool down and skim off the fat.
Herb Butter:
Yield: 6 servings
Melt butter in a small saucepan. Add parsley, chives and thyme.
Skillet Stout Brownies
Ingredients:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup milk stout beer
1 large egg, room temperature
2 large egg yolks, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup baking cocoa
1/2 teaspoon salt
Vanilla ice cream, optional
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Place chocolate in a large bowl. In a 10-in. cast-iron skillet or other ovenproof skillet, combine butter and stout. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Simmer 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Pour over chocolate; stir with a whisk until smooth. Cool slightly. In another large bowl, beat egg, egg yolks and sugars until blended. Stir in chocolate mixture. In another bowl, mix flour, baking cocoa and salt; gradually add to chocolate mixture, mixing well.
Spread into skillet. Bake until set, 25-30 minutes. Cool completely in skillet on a wire rack. If desired, serve with vanilla ice cream.
