Irish recipes for St. Patrick’s Day

Conni's Cooking Corner

By Conni Attwell

"If you're Irish come into the parlor, there’s a welcome there for you"..tra la.  Here are some authentic Irish recipes for St. Patricks Day.

(courtesy of 'A Little Irish Cookbook')

Dublin Coddle:

1lb best sausages          

8 slices streaky bacon

1 cup stock or water    

6 medium potatoes

2 medium onions         

Salt and pepper

Cut bacon into 1 inch squares. Bring the stock to the boil in a medium saucepan which has a well-fitting lid, add the sausages and the bacon and simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove the sausages and bacon and save the liquid. Cut each sausage into four or five pieces, Peel the potatoes and cut into thick slices. Slice the onions. Assemble a layer of potatoes and half the sausages and bacon. Repeat the process once more and then finish with a layer of potatoes. Pour the reserved stock over and season lightly to taste. Cover and simmer gently for about an hour. Delicious.

Soda Bread:

4 cups plain flour        

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking soda         

1 cup sugar (optional)

2 cups buttermilk or sour milk

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Now work quickly as the buttermilk and soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly - too much handling will toughen it, while too little means it won't rise properly. Form a round loaf as thick as your fist. Place it on a lightly floured baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a floured knife. Put at once near the top of the oven for 30 - 45 mins. When baked the loaf will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Wrap immediately in a clean tea towel to stop the crust from hardening too much.

Potato Farls: 

(also known as potato cake or potato scones)

2 tsp butter     

2 cups mashed potatoes

Pinch of salt    

1 cup plain flour

Melt the butter and mix into the potatoes with the salt. Work in the flour quickly but thoroughly and knead lightly. Divide in two and roll out each half on a floured board to form a circle about the size of a large dinner plate, Cut in quarters (farls) and cook about 3 minutes on each side in a heavy frying pan in a little bacon fat.

Enjoy with a glass of Irish coffee (strong coffee, sugar and a good measure of Irish Whiskey).