"Feasting Irish style"
From Staff Reports
For those who want to celebrate the holiday with more than a green beer or an Irish coffee, www.holidayrecipe.com offers some alternative ideas. Here are the Georgia Guardian's suggestions:
Saint Patty's dill dip
Serve this green-accented spicy dip with raw veggies or crackers. To reduce the fat, use lowfat or fat-free mayonnaise and sour cream.
8 ounces mayonnaise
1 (8 ounce) package sour cream
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/4 teaspoon onion salt
1/2 teaspoon Worchestershire sauce
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1 tablespoon dried parsley
1/2 teaspoon monosodium glutamate
1/4 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
1 green bell pepper
In a medium-size mixing bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, dill weed, seasoning salt, onion salt, Worchestershire sauce, onion flakes, parsley flakes, monosodium glumate and hot pepper sauce. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours.
To serve, slice off top of green pepper and gently clean out insides, spoon dip into pepper and sprinkle with dill weed.
- submitted by Pat Simons
Irresistible Irish soda bread
Unlike so many recipes of Irish soda bread, this recipe does not require kneading. However, it does taste best if made the day before or several hours before eating.
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/3 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg, slightly beaten
2 cups buttermilk
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted.
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan. Combine flour, baking powder, sugar, salt and baking soda. Blend eggs and buttermilk and add all at once to the flour mixture. Mix just until moistened. Stir in butter and mix well. Pour into prepared pan.
Bake for 65 to 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the bread comes out clean. Cool. Wrap in foil for several hours or overnight.
- Submitted by Karin Christian
Irish lamb stew
Eat Irish all week with this hearty lamb stew. The recipe makes 10 servings and ages well.
6 thick slices of bacon
6 pounds boneless lamb shoulder, cut into 2-inch pieces
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion
1/2 cup water
4 cups beef stock
2 teaspoons white sugar
4 cups chopped carrots
2 large onions, cut into bite-sized pieces
3 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut in bite-sized pieces
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
1 cup white wine
Saute bacon in large frying pan, reserve fat and bacon. Put lamb, salt and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
Put meat into stock pot. Leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan. Add garlic and yellow onion to frying pan and saute until onion begins to turn golden. De-glaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water. Add the garlic and onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours or until tender. Add remaining ingredients to pot and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
- Submitted by Danny O'Flaugherty
Chocolate mint pie
1 1/2 cups crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
1/4 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 quart ice cream, mint chocolate chip or vanilla preferred
4 tablespoons creme de menthe
1 cup crushed cream-filled chocolate sandwich cookies
3 egg whites
1 pinch salt
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons creme de menthe
1/3 cup white sugar
Combine 1 1/2 cups cookie crumbs and melted butter or margarine. Press firmly over bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie pan. Freeze the crust.
Spread half the softened ice cream in crust. Drizzle 2 tablespoons creme do menthe and sprinkle 1/2 cup cookie crumbs over the ice cream. Repeat. Freeze until firm.
In a clean bowl, beat egg whites until foamy. Add salt and cream of tartar and beat until slightly stiff. Gradually beat in sugar until peaks form. Fold in 2 teaspoons creme de menthe. Spread meringue over pie and seal to edges. Freeze up to 24 hours.
Just before serving, broil until top is golden.
- Submitted by Jan Bittner
