Go Ahead and Kiss Me...Irish Food for St. Pat's

When Zorra sent me an email asking me to join the St. Patrick's Day: Green or Irish event, I immediately wrote back and said she could count on me.

St. Paddy's is my second-favorite holiday (after Halloween, coincidentally).

I am, in fact, Irish.

One of my favorite stories my Grammy tells is how, after moving to my hometown as a child and starting school, one of the nuns told her 'you have the map of Ireland on your face'.

I've been fascinated with Ireland since I was in middle school, even plotting out my imaginary dream trip with the help of a classmate's guardian, who just happened to own a travel agency.

Our wedding had Celtic elements (if you've not heard Fieldstone, the band who played before the ceremony...and good friends of mine...you really ought to), including our wedding bands.

And it was a dream come true when we spent a week and a half honeymooning in Ireland, exploring the gorgeous country-side, doing our part to help the Irish economy, and eating some amazing food.

So I knew there were endless possibilities for this event. And yet, when it came time to make something, I found myself falling back on tradition.

I made a Lamb & Guinness Stew, and Brown Soda Bread.

The stew recipe is actually modified from Nigella's Greek Lamb Stew; swapping Guinness for the wine and potatoes for the pasta. Also, leaving out the feta.

The stew was very easy to prepare, and once everything was in the pot, I was able to walk away for the next few hours.

The soda bread recipe was the closest we've come yet to replicating the fabulous brown bread we were served at every hotel, B&B and castle in Ireland. Why I didn't think to ask one of the proprietors for their recipe, I'll never know.

And with Kerrygold Irish butter, it was a pretty good Irish meal. Or, so Matt tells me.




Tagged with: Food and Drink + Irish + St. Patrick's Day + Green + Lamb + Stew + Guinness + Soda Bread + St. Pat's Day: Green or Irish