It’s St. Paddy’s Day – Eat Like the Irish!

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Even if decking yourself in green on St. Patrick’s Day isn’t your thing, odds are you can get down with some traditional Irish foods, especially since March 17th is also “Eat Like The Irish Day!”  Here are some classics to try to give yourself a little luck o’ the Irish, courtesy foodnetwork.com.

Corned Beef
Tyler Florence treats brisket to a flavor-packed brine, before slow-cooking it in a Dutch oven for hours on end. In the end, he achieves fall-apart  Corned Beef and Cabbage you’ll want St. Patrick’s Day or any day.
Shepherd’s Pie
For a comforting main dish that is the stick-to-your-ribs cure on any cold winter night, Melissa d’Arabian’s recipe for the meat-and-veg classic,  Shepherd’s Pie, is a go-to. Pile a garlicky mashed potato topping, plus a good sprinkling of cheddar, over a meaty base fortified with dark beer for super-rich flavor.
Irish Soda Bread
Bread baking is notoriously a whole to-do, but Ina’s easy-to-make Irish Soda Bread doesn’t call for any kneading, rising or waiting. Simply throw the ingredients in the mixer to bake a loaf that gains a subtle sweetness from orange zest and currants.
Colcannon
Serve up a traditional Irish side that one-ups mashed potatoes. Tyler Florence’s  Colcannon recipe is made with mashed potatoes and cabbage, and it’s killer against that corned beef you already have in the works.
Cabbage
Throughout history, plentiful and nutrient-rich cabbage has been a mainstay in Ireland. Ina Garten’s  Sauteed Cabbage celebrates this sturdy vegetable, by sauteing it simply with butter, salt and pepper.

Interesting Food Facts about Irish Cuisine

      1. In 2010, the average Irish person aged 15+ drank 11.9 litres of pure alcohol, according to provisional data. That’s the equivalent of about 44 bottles of vodka, 470 pints or 124 bottles of wine.
      2. There is a famous Irish dessert known as Drisheen, a surprisingly delicious black pudding.
      3. Traditional dishes include Irish stew, coddle, and Irish breakfast.
      4. The leprechaun, famous to Ireland, is said to grant wishes to those who can catch them.
      5. The first fish and chips was served in Dublin in the 1880’s by Italian imigrants.

Did You Know…?

St. Patrick is well known for being the patron saint of Ireland and having a day named for him that most of the world uses as an excuse to get incredibly drunk. However, St. Patrick, despite popular belief, was not actually Irish.

St. Patrick’s Day has been celebrated in North America since the late 18th century.

One of the shortest St. Patrick’s Day parades in the world lasts only 100 yards, from one pub to another, and is held in Dripsey, County Cork, Ireland.

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Photo Credit:  Elena Mayne / Shutterstock.com