Well I started my 10-day corned beef cure yesterday, so it won't be available till the weekend. I'm probably the only one in the house who will touch it so I figured it would be easier to give away on a weekend!

When our kids were growing up we always celebrated St. Patrick's Day with Corned Beef & Cabbage, Irish Soda Bread, and Watergate Cake for dessert.

The Watergate Cake is not an Irish food. In fact, I question whether or not it can actually be considered "real" food, as it starts with a cake mix and ends with a packaged pistachio pudding frosting...But it was green and after I made it once, it became "tradition" and the kids expected(and loved)it.

I tried various CB&C recipes over the years, and most times I bought the soda bread (full-time working mom.)

It was one of the few days when we ate our dinner meal in front of the TV. We would always rent a movie with an Irish theme - "The Quiet Man," "Going My Way," "Finnian's Rainbow," etc.

When my kids were in grade school I'd pack a Hostess Snowball snack tinted with green coconut in their lunch box (the only time I bought store snack cakes..)and pinned a green carnation on their coats.

St. Patrick's day was a big deal for my kids - the "McK" in amck is pretty special on March 17th!

I am making Irish Soda Bread this weekend - a few neighbors have hinted that they really liked it last year, so I am going to make the effort and share a few loaves.

Other than that, I am torn between CB & C and a recipe for lamb stew made with Guinness that sounded really good.

I also made the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes yesterday, but I didn;t think there was enough ganache filling, so I ingreased it and the proportions must have been off.... they really do have a chocolate bomb (too stiff) in the middle LOL! DS#1 loves the Baileys Frosting though and has requested that I make only that for cake frosting in the future (insert eye-roll here).

So yes, I will be making something special, but I don't know what! LOL!

Alexa

My favorite holiday - great food and music and NO gifts!

We usually have a Hooley (party) if St. Patrick's Day is on Friday or Saturday and I manage a week of marathon baking and food preparation for the occasion. So since it's on Tuesday, I'll have a short to-do list.

-Oat Farls (an Irish scone) BTW, that's an L, not a T in the word "farl". I usually make these for breakfast and send a pile of them to work with hubby.
-Broonie (Irish Gingerbread)
-Calico Salad (coleslaw)
-Limerick Ham (a clove & mace flavored ham)
-Colcannon (mashed potatoes/cooked cabbage/Cheddar cheese)
-Tea Brack (a moist quick bread made with currants soaked in tea, rum and brown sugar)

-Grainlady

Not too sure yet. Probably back bacon, bangers , Boxty (Irish potato pancakes) and cabbage. That's what my Nana O'Grady used to make St Pat's morning. Dinner was always Irish Stew. I don't "do" stew so I'll have breakfast for dinner.

Although corned beef is very popular with North Americans of Irish decent, it was never served in Ireland. Beef was just too expensive so the Irish ate large amounts of pork and fish.

Other than Christmas, Paddy's Day is my FAVORITE!!! We have about 50 coming to graze and drink. Of course lots of Irish Music and Bridget and Margaret preform for all (stepdance) We dress them before the crowd comes in there wigs and all and everyone really enjoys it. We do the traditional menu and have a open bar. Looking foward to Tuesday.....I miss my parents/grandparents most at this time...the times we had in years past...what memories!!!

Well of course we will be having Corned Beef and Cabbage as my DH is 3/4 Irish.... He would really be disappointed if we did'nt have it....

He loves it!!!!!!!! I've even crocheted shamrocks to wear. (years ago)

Linda

I just realized you asked for recipes too! This is awesome....

Alexa

********************************************************

Sunday Best Irish Soda Bread by Martha Stewart

1 loaf
By adding egg, sugar, caraway seeds, and butter to a traditional Irish soda bread recipe, you create a loaf that is fit for a Sunday breakfast or brunch. Wrapped well with plastic wrap, it can be stored at room temperature until the last crumb is eaten. Like all Irish soda breads, this freezes well.

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, cold
2 cups golden or dark raisins
1 1/2 scant cups buttermilk
1 large egg
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 large egg yolk
1 tablespoon heavy cream

1. Heat oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and caraway seeds until well combined.
   
2. Using a pastry cutter or two knives in scissor fashion, cut in butter until the mixture feels like coarse meal. Stir in raisins until evenly distributed.
   
3. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, egg, and baking soda until well combined. Pour buttermilk mixture into the flour-and-butter mixture all at once, and stir with a fork until all the liquid is absorbed and the mixture begins to hold together. It should resemble a rough biscuit dough. Using your hands, press the dough into a round, dome-shaped loaf about 8 inches in diameter. Lift the loaf from the bowl, and transfer it to the prepared baking sheet.
   
4. In a small bowl, mix the egg yolk and cream together. With a pastry brush, brush the egg wash over the loaf. With a sharp knife or razor, incise a cross, about 1/2 inch deep, into the top of the loaf. Transfer to the oven. Bake, rotating halfway through, until it is deep golden brown and a wooden skewer comes out clean when inserted into the center, about 70 minutes. Remove from oven, and transfer bread from the baking sheet to a wire rack to cool.

I'm not cooking anything special for St. Patricks's Day but my neighbor will be sending over some of his leftover corned beef so I can make this salad.

REUBEN SALAD 6 servings

8 cups torn leaf lettuce
1 cup corned beef cut into thin strips
1 (8 oz.) can sauerkraut, rinsed, drained and chilled
1 cup cubed Swiss cheese (4 ounces)
1 cup rye croutons **
3/4 cup thousand island salad dressing
1/2 tsp. caraway seed

Place lettuce in large salad bowl. Arrange corned beef, sauerkraut, cheese and 1 cup rye croutons on lettuce. Combine salad dressing and caraway seeds; our over salad and toss.

**Rye croutons: Brush both sides of 5 slices of rye bread with 3 Tbs. softened butter or margarine; cut into 1/ 2 inch cubes. Place on baking sheet. Bake in 300 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until croutons are dry and crisp. Store in a plastic bag or other airtight container. Makes 2 cups.

I have a stupid MEETING on Tuesday!
I have the cabbage....may have to cook a corned beef this weekend.
Definitly going to do that soda bread though....sounds wonderful
Linda C

We're doing the Corned Beef & Cabbage, and I found a recipe for some Irish Soda Bread Muffins that I'd like to try.

I'll track down the recipe when I get home.

No special plans..only one boy and I like corned beef..sooo...That doesn't happen anymore..We eat cabbage alot, cheap nourishing food.. So it's likely that we'll have some on Tuesday..and maybe some potatoes...but what else..pork chops probably. LOL

I've got green M&M's to make something for Kamren's class. And I'll probably make something for the family that's "green" colored. Dunno...

Neither of us like corned beef, so we do the ham and cabbage and potatoes. I do love potatoes cooked in the cabbage and ham water.

Grainlady, how about that oat farl recipe, please?

I miss the St. Patricks parades in the Irish Channel. The small walking bands, the floats throwing the cabbage and potatoes and carrots. LOL.

Trudy:
Along while ago , I baked a Pizza for Mickey Shaunassey.

He was an Actor , Comedian and was playing at the after hours Club
that we went to on the weekend.
We always brought a pile of Pizza's,from our Pizzeria.

The one I made for him, was shaped like a Clover and covered with Green Peppers and Parsley.

I forget the Irish expression he blurted out but I don't think I could put it in here, anyway.

Lou

Green pizza? Lou, that's just plain WRONG. (grin) After a few green beers, though, it'd probably be OK!

Along with his Native American genetics, Dad also had a good dose of Irish, so I always celebrate St. Pat's. Plus, it's the anniversary of my divorce from my first husband, so that always makes a good reason to celebrate!

Grainlady, I also like St. Pat's, it's just fun without much required other than food.

We always had sausage, champ and soda bread when I was younger. I like colcannon better than champ and I like corned beef hash better than plain corned beef, so I'm thinking right now that I'll have corned beef hash which means I'd better cook a corned beef this weekend. I never cared for soda bread either, but I love barm brack, which is really a traditional Halloween food in Ireland. I want only dried fruit, none of the candied stuff and I like the old fashioned yeast risen kind, not the more modern stuff with baking powder or soda. Figures, huh?

So, I'm thinking I'll probably have corned beef hash, some sauteed cabbage and make barm brack for the office but keep a slice at home to have for supper.

The kids always liked green or shamrock shaped things that aren't really Irish at all, so Makayla and Bruvver and I might have to make some shamrock shaped cookies too....

Annie

I've never been a fan of corned beef and cabbage so I have never made it. Lately I have decided that I like corned beef so I want to make one this weekend. Can someone give me a T & T recipe for corned beef (pre seasoned from the store) and cabbage. I looked it up on some recipe sites and some called for 3-4 hours in the oven and some call for stove top simmering. Some add the cabbage up front, some at the end.

I need a St Patricks day 101 :->

I've got my flat cut brisket "corning" now-- this is the recipe I've used the last couple years, altered to our taste.

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Sausage, Cornng,Pastrami etc, homemade

Homemade Irish Corned Beef And Vegetables bon Appétit
=================================================================
Ingredients:
Brine:
6 cups water
2 cups lager beer
5-1/2 cups coarse kosher salt
1 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons Insta Cure no 1* (optional)( cut salt if using)
1/4 cup pickling spices
1 6- to 8-pound flat-cut beef brisket, trimmed, with some fat remaining

To brine :
Pour 6 c. water and beer into large deep
roasting pan.( I use extra lrg ziplock bag set into pan) Add coarse salt; stir until dissolved. Add sugar; stir
until dissolved. If desired, stir in Insta Cure No. 1. Mix in pickling
spices. Pierce brisket all over with tip of small sharp knife. Submerge
brisket in liquid, then top with heavy platter to weigh down. Cover and
refrigerate 4 days.

Remove brisket from brine. Stir liquid to blend. Return brisket to
brine; top with heavy platter. Cover; refrigerate 4 days. Remove
brisket from brine. Rinse with cold running water. do ahead Can be made
2 days ahead. Wrap corned beef in plastic, cover with foil, and
refrigerate.

Insta Cure No. 1 is a mixture of sodium nitrate and salt that is used
in cured and smoked sausages to prevent botulism. In this brine, its
only purpose is to prevent the meat from turning gray, so you can
certainly leave it out. You'll find Insta Cure No. 1 at
sausagemaker.com.

I cook it in the crockpot with:

couple bottles dark beer
4 bay leaves
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
2 whole allspice
tsp mixed pickling spices
couple potatoes, 2 lrg onions halved, few carrots , head of cabbage quartered, lots og pepper, tbsp horseradish,tbsp grainy mustard.

Hubby wouldn't come in the house if I made corned beef and cabbage, so none for us! I love it because I love cabbage, carrots, and turnips - I can actually do without the beef! And I don't do boiled potatoes either. His mother made it all the time, so you'd think he'd be used to it, but he has a fit because of the smell.

Once in a while I'll buy a small head of cabbage and throw some carrots in and just cook it up for myself because I'd never get to have it if I didn't. He moans about the smell so much - but once in a while I just have a hankering for cabbage! He'll eat coleslaw tho, which is weird. Just cooked cabbage he hates.

I'd have to eat the whole thing myself so it's not worth making a boiled dinner just for me.

Lisa

OAT FARLS
(source: Irrestible Irish Breads (magazine article) by Deborah Krasner)

2 c. old-fashioned oats
1-1/4 to 2-1/2 c. buttermilk
2-1/2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
1 t. salt
1 t. baking soda

1. Several hours or the night before, in large glass bowl, stir together oats and 1-1/4 c. buttermilk until combined. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and let stand in a cool place overnight.

2. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease a baking sheet.

3. In a medium-size bowl, stir together flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually beat flour mixture into oat mixture to make dough. (Add more buttermilk, if necessary, to make the dough soft enough to shape.)

4. Shape dough into a flattened 8-inch round, about 1-inch thick [on a lightly-floured board]. With a sharp knife, cut the dough into quarters. Place each quarter, or farl, onto a greased baking sheet. Bake 40 minutes or until farls are browned. Cool on wire rack. To serve, break farls with fork or fingers and butter well.

Grainlady note: I divide the dough into two rounds and pat with floured hands on a lightly-floured board to 1-inch thickness. I cut each round into 8 farls (wedges). I line the cookie sheet with parchment paper. Farls raise very little, so I can get a whole recipe of farls on one cookie sheet. Bake (the small farls) in a 350°F oven for 20-25-minutes until lightly brown. These farls are a better size - more like the size of a biscuit.

The next day the leftovers are great split open and toasted in a toaster oven. I've also patted the dough to 1-inch thickness and cut shamrock-shaped farls with a cookie cutter.

-Grainlady

So what do oat farls taste like?--gee, and I even have some Irish in me...

Thank you!

Thanks Grainlady. Those look great and thanks for your tips. I think we'd like the smaller ones too. I'm going to make these for sure.

Trudymom, oat farls are basically oat based scones. I do love oats. Smiles.

So no ccoking advice for the corned beef newbie?

Does 3 hours in seasoned water in the oven sound right? I don't want to take out the crockpot. When should I add the cabbage? The begining or the end?

Thank you for all of the great information and recipes. You guys are the best!

Oat Farls are more substantial in taste and texture than a biscuit. The oats provide the mild flavor, with a bit of tanginess from the buttermilk. Since there isn't any fat in the recipe, the crumb is coarse, not tender, like it would be in a biscuit. The overnight soak of the oatmeal in buttermilk will not only soften the oats, but it also makes them easier to digest.

-Grainlady

Hey Joan

There are as many ways to make a boiled dinner as there are cooks. In the past, I put mine in a lidded pot and simmered it for 3 - 4 hours on the stove top. Add the veggies about 30 - 45 min before you plan to serve it. I usually use potatoes, parsnips, carrots, onions and cabbage. Some poople add turnips, but I don't care for them so I leave them out.

Alexa

Joan,

Here's a good article on Corned Beef (recipe, history, etc)

I always make Corned Beef and veggies - potatoes, carrots, onions and cabbage, sometimes parsnips and turnips. I do it in the slow cooker and it comes out great. I make Irish Soda Bread for breakfast. DH will do his part by drinking Guinness.

I might try the Oat Farls recipe this year.
Clare

Leprechaun.

Local store has it for $2.99 a pound, a really good price.

It's magically delicious.

Here's the Irish Soda Bread Muffin recipe I'm going to try tonight. We made our corned beef and cabbage w/taters last night. Yum yum!

Irish Soda Bread Muffins
Recipe source: King Aurthur Flour

1- 1/2 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
3/4 cup King Arthur 100% White Whole Wheat Flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1- 1/2 cups currants (first choice) or raisins
1/2 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, to taste (I didn't use)
1 large egg (I used two egg whites to cut the fat)
1 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
6 Tablespoons butter, melted; or 1/3 cup vegetable oil (I used smart balance 50/50 blend)
sparkling white sugar, for topping

Directions

1) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers.

2) In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds.

3) In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk (or equivalent) and melted butter (or equivalent).

4) Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; honestly, this won't take more than a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon. As soon as everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.

5) Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full; the stiff batter will look mounded in the cups.

6) Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Tip the muffins in the pan, so their bottom don't get soggy. Remove them from the oven, wait 5 minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam

I'll be making colcannon, the kind with kale, not cabbage.
We'll have Irish Soda Bread and Irish music at tea time. After lots of tweaking over the years, this is my recipe. It's small because there are only two of us now.

Irish Soda Bread

2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
3/8 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 egg
3/4 to 1 cup of currants

Whisk dry ingredients together. Cut in butter. Beat egg lightly and mix with no more than 3/4 cup of buttermilk. Stir buttermilk-egg mixture and currants into flour. Add more buttermilk as needed, to make a moist but not a wet dough. Form into a round loaf. Put the loaf on a buttered baking sheet. Cut a cross in the top with a very sharp knife.

Bake in a 375 oven about 40 - 45 minutes.

I won't be cooking anything today as I'll be attending a St. Patrick's Day charity buffet lunch with my friend Anne but I'll take photos of the food....
and will wear something green.

SharonCb

Grainlady, could you post the Tea Brack recipe?

gardengrl -

Many thanks for posting the Irish Soda Bread Muffin recipe. I had some homemade buttermilk left and made 2 recipes into mini-muffins (omited caraway seed and sprinkled the top with cinnamon/sugar), after I finished making 3 recipes of Oat Farls this morning.

The muffins were a big a hit at the local radio station I took them to, warm-from-the-oven. The local guys on the radio were discussing soda bread so these proved very timely. :-)

-Grainlady

Grainlady, homemade buttermilk??? Dumb question, but does it taste better than store-bought buttermilk? Could we please have your recipe?

Thank you!

Tea Brack recipe first, then how to make homemade buttermilk. -Grainlady

TEA BRACK
(source: Irresistible Irish Breads - magazine article by Deborah Krasner)

Brack, an Irish word for bread, is often used when referring to fruited mixtures. Tea Brack is a traditional tea bread which is an easy version of barm brack.

Makes 1 loaf.

2 c. dark seedless raisins or dried currants (I use currants)
1-1/2 c. firmly packed dark-brown sugar
1-1/2 c. strong brewed tea, chilled
1/4 c. rum (I use 1/8 c.)
2 c. unsifted all-purpose flour
1-1/2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t. salt
1 large egg, at room temperature, lightly beaten

1. Several hours or the night before baking, in large glass bowl, combine raisins/currants, brown sugar, tea, and rum. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let sit overnight.

2. Heat oven to 325°F. Grease an 8-1/2x4-1/2-inch loaf pan and line with waxed paper. Grease waxed paper.

3. In medium-size bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Slowly beat flour mixture and the egg into raisin mixture just until combined to form a batter.

4. Pour batter into greased loaf pan. Bake brack 1-1/2-hours until browned and cake tester inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack 5-minutes. Turn brack out of pan and remove waxed paper. Cool brack completely on wire rack.

Grainlady note: I use two 7-1/2x3-1/2-inch loaf pans or three 5-3/4x3-3/4-inch loaf pans and reduce the baking time accordingly. This is a very moist bread - more currants than bread, almost. I like the smaller pans so I can cut the bread into thin slices that don't fall apart. If you make it in a regular loaf pan, the slices tend to split and fall apart.
--------------------------

I use a large amount of buttermilk when it comes to baking on St. Patrick's Day, so I make a homemade version of it using information from "Natural Meals In Minutes" by Rita Bingham. I use a non-instant powdered milk, but regular commercial milk works VERY well.

Homemade Buttermilk
To a 1-quart canning jar add 1/2 c. buttermilk and fill the jar with regular milk OR reconstituted powdered milk. Note: You can use commercial buttermilk as the starter, or a reconstituted liquid made from powdered buttermilk, or buttermilk from a former batch of homemade buttermilk - your choice.

Stir well and cover (I use a plastic lid designed to use with canning jars). Let stand in a warm place (at least 80°F) until clabbered, about 12-18-hours. Stir until smooth. Refrigerate.

Grainlady note: I keep mine in my oven with the light on. The temperature at the opposite side of the oven from the light is about 80°F.

You can use homemade buttermilk from a previous to culture the milk for the next batch. Just make sure you use it within 2-weeks. Older buttermilk doesn't work as well as newer buttermilk.

If you've ever used reconstituted powdered buttermilk, it's rather insipid, thin, and tasteless compared to commercial buttermilk. The homemade buttermilk is more like commercial buttermilk.