On March 17, the Irish — and a whole bunch of people around the world who pretend they are Irish for an evening — will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. That’s just a few days away, so I thought this would be a good time to present Irish-themed recipes one could prepare for the occasion.
For those who don’t know, St. Patrick’s Day, also known as the Feast of St. Patrick, marks the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. He lived from 385 to 461 AD and is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland. Legend suggests St. Patrick used the three-leaved shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans in Ireland, which is how that plant and the colour green became national symbols.
Today, St. Patrick’s Day is both a religious and cultural celebration, with parades held in numerous cities around the world, from Dublin to Boston and Brisbane. The tradition of having a few drinks on St. Patrick’s Day, even though it falls within Lent, a 40-day period before Easter where Christians give up their vices, came about because in Ireland, the Feast of St. Patrick was a one day reprieve from Lent. After church services, it was acceptable to go out and have a pint or two.
I call today’s recipes Irish-themed, because they are not necessarily traditional, but incorporate food and drink one would find in Ireland.
The first one is a creamy dip that one could bring to a St. Patrick’s Day party to serve as an appetizer with vegetables and crackers or bread for dipping. Its key flavourings are pale green leeks, which add a pleasing mild onion flavour, and tangy and fabulous aged Irish cheddar cheese, which is sold at many supermarkets.
Ireland is well known for its salmon. When I visited that country many years ago, I had delicious mussels in the seaside town of Dingle. That inspired me to create a recipe where local salmon fillets were baked and topped with mussels steamed in a decadent Irish whiskey cream sauce. Serve the fish with boiled miniature potatoes, a steamed green vegetable and, if you must, some of that Irish whiskey. The recipe serves four, but could be expanded if you’re feeding a larger crowd.
It’s hard to imagine St. Patrick’s Day without Guinness, Ireland’s and the world’s most famous stout, a dark beer. You might simply sip one before dinner, but I incorporated Guinness into the batter of a dense and chocolatey cake. I suggest you serve wedges of the cake with ice cream or whipped cream. Also, because Guinness is purported to be a good pairing for dark chocolate, you could serve a glass of it with the cake, too.
Irish Cheddar and Leek Dip
This rich cream dip is flecked with leeks and tangy cheese. Serve with crackers, sliced baguette and/or raw vegetable sticks and florets.
Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking time: Seven minutes
Makes: about 3 cups
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup very finely diced leek, white and pale-green part only
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 cup regular or lower-fat sour cream
1 cup regular or lower-fat mayonnaise
100 grams Irish cheddar cheese, grated
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce, or to taste
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Place the oil in a small pot set over medium heat. Add the leeks and cook until very tender, about six minutes. Stir in garlic and cook one minute more. Remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.
Place the sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl and whisk to combine. Mix in the leeks, cheddar, parsley, Worcestershire, salt and pepper. Transfer the dip to a serving bowl, cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The dip can be made up to a day in advance of serving.
Baked Salmon With Mussels in Creamy Irish Whiskey Sauce
This decadent recipe sees quickly baked salmon topped with mussels steamed in a whiskey-spiked cream sauce. Serve the fish and mussels with boiled miniature potatoes and a steamed green vegetable, such as green beans or asparagus.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: About 15 minutes
Makes: Four servings
4 (5 to 6 oz.) salmon fillets
1 Tbsp olive oil
• salt and white pepper to taste
1/4 cup Irish whiskey
1 medium garlic clove, minced
1 cup whipping cream
1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill, plus 4 sprigs for garnish
20 to 24 fresh mussels (see Note)
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a shallow baking pan with parchment paper. Place the fish in the pan in a single layer, skin-side down. Brush the tops of the fish with the oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake the salmon 12 to 15 minutes, or until just cooked through.
While the salmon bakes, add the whiskey to a medium-sized pot, set over medium heat and reduce it by half.
Add the whipping cream, bring it a simmer, and simmer it until lightly thickened, about two minutes. Add the dill, mussels and salt and pepper to the cream mixture. Cover and cook until the mussels open, about three minutes.
When baked, set a piece of salmon in the centre of each of four shallow bowls. Set five or six mussels in each bowl and spoon over the cream sauce. Garnish with dill sprigs and serve.
Note: Before cooking the mussels, rinse them in cold water and pull off any beard-like material attached to the shells. Examine them and discard any that do not close tightly when squeezed or tapped, a sign they are dead and should not be eaten.
Chocolate Guinness Cake
Guinness, the famous Irish beer, adds a rich colour to this moist and chocolatey cake. This recipe is from the book Everyone Can Cook Everything.
Preparation: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 75 minutes
Makes: 12 servings
1 cup butter, cubed
1 cup Guinness beer
2/3 cup cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups granulated sugar
1 1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream
• cocoa powder or icing sugar for dusting
• vanilla ice cream or whipped cream
Place the butter, Guinness and 2Ú3 cup cocoa powder in a medium pot over medium heat. Cook just until the butter melts, whisking to combine it with the Guinness and cocoa. Remove from the heat. Cool the mixture to room temperature.
Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a nine-inch springform cake pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of the pan and place in the pan. Whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a bowl until combined. Add the beer mixture and beat thoroughly. Add the eggs and sour cream and beat until well combined. Spoon and spread the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 75 minutes, or until the cake springs back when gently touched in the centre. Cool the cake on a baking rack to room temperature.
Unmould the cake and place on a cake plate. Dust the top lightly with cocoa or icing sugar. Serve wedges of cake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream.
Eric’s options: If serving the cake with whipped cream, make it extra rich by flavouring the whipping cream with a splash or two of Irish cream liqueur.