One of the members of the Test Kitchen is of Irish descent and originally from New York City. So to say St. Patrick’s Day was a big day for her growing up is an understatement.
She’s talked about the corned beef they always ate, the Irish soda bread recipe that’s been in her family forever, watching the parade march up Fifth Avenue and other Irish goodies she enjoyed.
For St. Paddy’s Day, I thought it would be fun to make an Irish-inspired meal to make her feel a little closer to home.
Corned beef is a traditional Irish dish. Back in the day in Ireland, beef was a luxury item that most Irish could not afford. As the Irish immigrated to the United States, they found that corned beef was a low-cost meat in their new country. Since it was readily available and inexpensive, the Irish-Americans began preparing corned beef.
So no St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without corned beef or Rose Mary Mogan’s (Sauk Village, IL) Glazed Corned Beef & Cabbage N Irish Stout Beer.
“Today my husband and I decided to add a new twist to our traditional corned beef and cabbage dinner with carrots, bell peppers, garlic, and onions,” explains Rose Mary. “I cooked the corned beef with an Irish stout beer (his suggestion) and then glazed it after it was cooked (my suggestion).”
The outcome was a delicious meal! I love the recipe overall, but I especially loved the glaze for the meat. The mix of flavors from the ketchup, sugar, vinegar and other goodies is amazing. Serve with Rose Mary’s Dan’s Favorite Irish Soda Bread and you have a traditional St. Paddy’s Day feast.
While beef stew may not be a normal St. Patrick’s Day dish it’s a staple in Irish cuisine and a great alternative if your family isn’t a fan of corned beef. Donegal, Ireland native Racquel Sweeney shared her delicious recipe for an Irish Guinness Beef Stew that’s quite good.
I love how Racquel incorporated Guinness into the recipe. Guinness is a rich stout beer that originated in Ireland and is still very popular in the pups. If you find yourself in Dublin, make sure to tour the Guinness brewery and learn how to pour the perfect pint. It’s quite fun. The Guinness, combined with Merlot, adds amazing flavor to the stew meat.
After the meal, it’s nice to end the evening with something sweet and Nor M’s (Western Massachusetts) Irish Banoffee Pie is just the thing. “It’s a traditional and popular pie in Ireland and England,” shares Nor. “The pie is full of caramel, bananas, coffee flavored whipped cream and shaved chocolate.”
Honorary Test Kitchen member Bonnie ^O^ (St George, UT) tested this pie and loved it. “This pie is rich, sweet and topped with the most decadent coffee flavored whipped cream and shaved chocolate,” thought Bonnie. “I usually make a cake for special occasions. This pie is a welcome change and looks just as good as any fancy cake!” I can’t think of a better way to end the evening than with a nice slice of this pie.
If you’re making a special dinner this year, try one of these tasty recipes or, check out our collection of St. Patrick’s Day recipes for a bit of inspiration. May the luck of the Irish be with you this St. Patrick’s Day. Happy Pinching!