With St. Patrick’s Day coming on a Saturday this year, we have a chance to celebrate all weekend long. And there is much more than corned beef and cabbage and green beer to a St. Patrick’s Day celebration. With 2 whole days and six meals to celebrate with, you can do both a formal dinner and casual meals and try out some great recipes that will become family favorites to use all year long.
Americans enjoy trying dishes from all over the world and if you have not tried Irish Cooking, then what are you waiting for.
Have you ever had the pleasure of a full Irish breakfast? This is the type of breakfast that keeps the farmers of Ireland going from sunrise to lunch with energy to spare. This is the way to start off your St. Patrick’s Day celebration on Saturday morning. It is simple to do, just make sure you use genuine Irish ingredients. You can check the web sites and order the correct ingredients from there.
Irish bacon. This is completely different from what you are used to. It is cut from the shoulder and much leaner than American. And Irish sausage, yes both of them not either or. Irish Sausage is truly a gastronomic experience.
Eggs.
Grilled Tomatoes ( slices)
White Pudding and Black Pudding These may take some getting used to. It is better to buy these than try to make your own, but you should know what is in them first. Forget what our pudding is like, it is nothing like this. These are really sausages. White Pudding is basically made with pork, fat, bread and oatmeal. Black Pudding basically has the same ingredients with one more added and that is blood, either beef, lamb, or pork.
For beverages, Irish Tea or coffee and juice.
St Patrick’s Day Dinner is going to be the traditional corned beef, cabbage and boiled potatoes, so lunch has to be something light or no one will make it to dinner. Something like Bangers and Mash, which is simply Irish Sausage and mashed potatoes or fish and chips.
Make the St. Patrick’s Day dinner something special. Get CD’S of Irish Music and DVD’S of traditional Irish Movies for entertainment afterwards.
Make the table special with a centerpiece of shamrocks and figures of leprechauns and maybe an Irish cottage or two. And to really make it special make place cards with some Irish Sayings in Gaelic such as
Éirinn go Brách —– Ireland Forever
Cha deoch-slàint, I gun a tràghadh. —–It’s no health if the glass is not emptied.
Ge milis am fìon, tha e searbh ri dhìol.—-The wine is sweet, the paying bitter
An làmb a bheir, ‘s I a gheibh.—-The hand that gives is the hand that gets.
Chan fhiach cuirm gun a còmhradh.—–A feast is no use without good talk.
You can find many more on this and on other sites. http://www.hp.europe.de/kd-europtravel/gaelic/proverb.htm
If you want to create a parlor game for after your St. Patrick’s dinner to go along with the Irish Coffee, write the Gaelic word on one piece of paper and the English on another and see who can match more of them up. It will probably be a lot of guess work, but it will keep everyone busy.
Speaking of Irish Coffee, here is how to make it the right way. First of all you must use the right type of glass and if possible get ones made specifically for Irish Coffee. The glass needs to be thicker since you will be putting hot liquid into it and too thin and it will break for sure. The glass needs to be tall and thin, sort of like a champagne flute, but a little wider. Put a shot of Irish Whisky in first, then add strong black coffee. Now, here comes the tricky part, whip cream until it is just starting to firm up. Pour it into the glass over the back of a tablespoon. This will make it sit on top and not mix in. Then sip the coffee through the cream on top. Do not mix the cream in. The taste will not be the same.
After the feast on St. Patrick’s Day, you will not be up to a big breakfast and lunch on Sunday, so do a brunch with an Irish Flare. Do your favorites and serve Irish Tea, Soda Bread and some of the regular Irish Breakfast items, buffet style.
For dinner, try one of these traditional recipes, all tried and true and easy to do. http://www.free-recipes.co.uk/free-recipes/recipe-09193.asp
