How to make Guinness stew, soda bread, bacon and cabbage and Irish coffee

Here are some traditional Irish recipes to try for St Patrick’s Day

From bacon and cabbage to a delicious Irish coffee, these recipes will be sure to add a taste of Ireland to your St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Beef with stout

recipe by:Darina Allen

Use your favourite stout for this rich, tender beef recipe. In Cork we use Beamish or Murphy's but even Cork people have divided allegiances!

Servings

6

Preparation Time

 20 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 40 mins

Total Time

 3 hours 0 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• 900g lean stewing beef, eg chuck

• seasoned flour

• 45ml olive oil

• 2 onions, thinly sliced 

• 1 tbsp sugar

• 1 tsp dry English mustard

• 1 tbsp concentrated tomato purée

• 1 strip of dried orange peel

• bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 1 sprig of fresh thyme, 4 parsley stalks)

• 125ml stout

• 425ml beef stock

• 225g mushrooms

• 15g butter

• salt

• pepper

Method

1. Cut the meat into 4cm cubes and toss in seasoned flour. Heat some oil in a hot pan and fry the meat in batches until it is brown on all sides. Transfer the meat into a casserole and add a little more oil to the pan.

2. Fry the thinly-sliced onions until nicely browned; deglaze with the stout. Transfer to the casserole, add the stock, sugar, mustard, tomato purée, orange rind and bouquet garni. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer in a very low heat, 150°C, for 2-2½ hours or until the meat is tender.

4. Meanwhile, wash and slice the mushrooms. Sauté in a very little melted butter in a hot pan. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Set aside.

5. When the stew is cooked, add the mushrooms and simmer for 2-3 minutes, taste and correct the seasoning. Serve sprinkled with chopped parsley.
   Note: This stew reheats well. You may need to add more sugar to the recipe if you find it a little bitter.

 

Perfect brown soda bread

recipe by:Michelle Darmody

This modern soda bread couldn’t be simpler, just mix and pour into a well-greased tin - enjoy with wild garlic butter

Servings

8

Preparation Time

 15 mins

Cooking Time

 60 mins

Total Time

 1 hours 15 mins

Course

 Baking

Ingredients

• 400g stoneground wholemeal flour

• 75g white flour, preferably unbleached

• 1 tsp salt

• 1 level tsp bread soda, sieved 

• 1 egg

• 1 tbsp sunflower oil, unscented

• 1 tsp honey or treacle

• 425ml buttermilk or sour milk

• sunflower or sesame seeds (optional)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200ºC.

2. Put all the dry ingredients including the sieved bread soda into a large bowl, mix well.

3. Whisk the egg, add the oil and honey and buttermilk.

4. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and pour in all the liquid, mix well and add more buttermilk if necessary. The mixture should be soft and slightly sloppy.

5. Pour into an oiled tin or tins. Using a butter knife, draw a slit down the middle.

6. Sprinkle some sunflower or sesame seeds on the top.

7. Bake for 60 minutes approximately (45-50 minutes for small loaf tins), or until the bread is nice and crusty and sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

 

Traditional Irish Bacon, Cabbage and Parsley Sauce

recipe by:Darina Allen

Is there anything more quintessentially Irish than bacon and cabbage?

Servings

10

Preparation Time

 10 mins

Cooking Time

 2 hours 0 mins

Total Time

 2 hours 10 mins

Course

 Main

Cuisine

 Irish

Ingredients

• About 2.25kg (5lb) loin, collar or streaky bacon, either smoked or unsmoked with the rind on and a nice covering of fat

• 1 Savoy or 2 spring cabbages

• 50g (2oz) butter

• Freshly ground pepper

• For the parsley sauce:

• 600ml (1 pint) full-cream milk

• A few parsley stalks

• Sprig of thyme

• A few slices of carrot (optional)

• A few slices of onion (optional)

• Salt and freshly ground pepper

• 50g (2oz) roux (50g of melted butter mixed with 50g of plain flour)

• About 50g (2oz) curly parsley, freshly chopped

Method

1. Cover the bacon in cold water in a large pot and bring slowly to the boil. If the bacon is very salty there will be a white froth on top of the water, in which case it is preferable to discard the water and start again.

2. Cover with hot water and the lid of the pot and simmer until almost cooked, allowing 20 minutes for every 2.2kg (1lb).

3. Meanwhile, trim the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut it into quarters, removing the core. Discard the core and outer leaves. Slice the cabbage across the grain into thin shreds.

4. If necessary, wash it quickly in cold water. About 20 minutes before the end of cooking the bacon, add the shredded cabbage to the water in which the bacon is boiling.

5. Stir, cover and continue to boil gently until both the cabbage and bacon are cooked — about 1¾ hours.

6. Lift the bacon onto a plate and remove the rind if you like. When the bacon is fully cooked it will peel off easily.

7. Strain the cabbage and discard the water (or, if it’s not too salty, save it for soup).

8. Add a generous lump of butter to the cabbage. Season with lots of ground pepper; it’s unlikely to need more salt, but add some if necessary.

9. You can make the parsley sauce while the bacon is cooking.  Put the cold milk into a saucepan and add the herbs and vegetables (if using). Bring the mixture to simmering point, season and simmer for 4–5 minutes. Strain the milk, bring it back to the boil and whisk in the roux until the sauce is a light coating consistency. Season again with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add the chopped parsley and simmer on a very low heat for 4–5 minutes. Taste and correct the seasoning.

 

Best ever Irish coffee

recipe by:Neven Maguire

I’ve perfected this recipe over time and believe it really is the best ever Irish coffee

Servings

2

Preparation Time

 5 mins

Total Time

 5 mins

Course

 Side

Ingredients

• 75 ml double cream (well chilled)

• 2 tbsp light muscovado sugar

• 2 tbsp whiskey

• 2 tbsp baileys

• 2 tbsp kahúla (coffee liqueur)

• 300ml freshly brewed piping hot espresso coffee

• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg, to decorate

Method

1. I’ve perfected this recipe over time and believe it really is the best ever Irish coffee. Heat the glasses if you can be bothered (to keep the coffee hot for longer), by pouring boiling water over them from a kettle, and turning them carefully so that they do not crack. Or you could take glasses straight from the dishwasher while still piping hot.

2. Place the cream in a bowl and whip lightly, then chill until needed. Heat a small, heavy-based frying pan over a medium heat. Sprinkle the sugar over the base of the frying pan and heat for 1 minute, without stirring - the sugar will caramelise.

3. Pour in the whiskey and quickly light with a match or flambé - the sugar will seize and harden, but don’t worry as it will melt again once the flames die down. Stir in the Baileys and Kahúla and cook over a high heat for 3-4 minutes until smooth, stirring constantly to help the sugar dissolve.

4. Divide the alcohol mixture between two hefty, thick-stemmed glasses, (both about 250ml/9fl oz in capacity) and then carefully pour in the coffee.

5. Then, over the back of a metal spoon, carefully pour a layer of cream on top (the spoon trick really is worth doing as it helps prevent the cream from sinking). Add a tiny grating of nutmeg and serve at once.

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