Monday, March 17, 2014

Let's Get Irish

Oh yeah! Everyone's Irish today! In the happiness of this day I am going to help those who aren't familiar with Irish-ness to wet their palate. I have IRISH RECIPES! So for the curious... For the ones who wish they knew what to ingest on this fabulous day... Enjoy...


IRISH COFFEE...


Prep Time: 4 minutes

Total Time: 4 minutes

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 4 ounces strong, rich hot coffee
  • 1 ounce Irish whiskey
  • 2 tsp brown sugar
  • 1 ounce lightly whipped double cream

Preparation:

  1. Pour the sugar then coffee into a warm Irish coffee glass, mug, or other heat-proof stemmed glass. 
  2. Stir until dissolved
  3. Add the Irish whiskey and stir again.
  4.  Float the cream on top by pouring it over the back of a spoon. Do not stir again, instead drink the coffee through the cream.

IRISH MARTINI...

Prep Time: 3 minutes

Total Time: 3 minutes

Yield: 1 Cocktail

Ingredients:

  • 2 ounces vodka
  • 1/2 ounce dry vermouth
  • 1/2 ounce Irish whiskey
  •  Lemon Twist for garnish

Preparation:

  1. Pour the Irish whiskey into a chilled cocktail glass.
  2. Swirl around the glass in order to coat the inside and dump the excess whiskey.
  3. Pour the vodka and dry vermouth into a cocktail shaker half-filled with cracked ice.

Now I am aware of the whole Corn beef and Cabbage tradition, but let's say you don't like that (I don't)...

THE DUBLIN CODDLE... Irish sausage, bacon, and potato hot pot!

Total Time:

Prep Time:

Cook Time:
4 hrs 15 mins

15 mins

4 hrs

Serves: 4-6

2 kg potatoes
2 large onions, peeled and sliced thickly
450 g good quality pork sausages
450 g bacon, piece thick cut
500 ml water
1 ham stock cube or 1 beef or 1 chicken stock cube, if ham stock isn't available
3 -4 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
salt (to season)
coarse-ground pepper (to season)

Directions:

1
Peel the potatoes. Cut large ones into three or four pieces: leave smaller ones whole. Finely chop the parsley. Boil the water and in it dissolve the bouillon cube.
2
Grill or broil the sausages and bacon long enough to colour them. Be careful not to dry them out! Drain briefly on paper towels. When drained, chop the bacon into one-inch pieces. If you like, chop the sausages into large pieces as well. (Some people prefer to leave them whole.).
3
Preheat the oven to 300F / 150°C In a large flameproof heavy pot with a tight lid, start layering the ingredients: onions, bacon, sausages or sausage pieces, potatoes. Season each layer liberally with fresh-ground pepper and the chopped fresh parsley. Continue until the ingredients are used up. Pour the bouillon mixture over the top. On the stove, bring the liquid to a boil. Immediately turn the heat down and cover the pot. (You may like to additionally put a layer of foil underneath the pot lid to help seal it.).
4
Put the covered pot in the oven and cook for at least three hours. (Four or five hours won't hurt it.) At the two-hour point, check the pot and add more water if necessary. There should be about an inch of liquid at the bottom of the pot at all times.
5
To Serve. Guinness, bottled or draft, goes extremely well with this dish (indeed, adding a little to the pot toward the end of the process wouldn't hurt anything). Another good accompaniment is fresh soda bread, used to mop up the gravy!

What's a meal without dessert!?!?!?!

BLARNEY STONE BARS!

TOTAL TIME: Prep: 15 min. Bake: 20 min. + cooling...
MAKES: 42 servings
 
 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter, softened
  • 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tablespoon milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 3/4 cup English toffee bits
  • 1/3 cup chopped pecans
  • 4 drops green food coloring
  • 3/4 cup vanilla frosting               
  •  
  • Directions

  • In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, milk and vanilla. Combine flour, oats, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture. Fold in the toffee bits and pecans.
  • Spread into a greased 9-in. square baking pan. Bake at 350° for 20-24 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack. Add food coloring to frosting; spread over the bars. Cut into diamond shapes. Yield: about 3-1/2 dozen.

So there you have it... Coffee, alcohol, main meal AND dessert! Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick's Day!
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