photo by: Fotolia/Brent Hofacker

Many folks celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by gathering around the table to enjoy some delicious Irish cuisine. And you can’t go wrong with a couple of classics: a hearty stew and soda bread.

Irish Stew

For added flavor, substitute chicken, veal or beef stock for the water.

Yields 6 servings.

Ingredients:

1 lamb or beef shoulder (about 3 pounds)

4 cups boiling water

1 cup sliced onions

1 cup sliced turnips

1 cup sliced carrots

4 medium potatoes, quartered

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, optional

3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour

1/4 cup cold water

Chopped fresh parsley, optional

Directions:

Wipe lamb with clean, damp cloth. Cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces and place in large stockpot. Add boiling water and onions. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

Add turnips, carrots, and potatoes. Season with salt and pepper and add rosemary, if desired. Cover and continue simmering for another 40 minutes, or until meat and vegetables are tender.

Transfer meat and vegetables to serving platter and keep warm.

To make gravy, combine flour and cold water in small bowl and whisk until smooth. Stir into juices in stockpot and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, or until gravy reaches desired consistency.

Ladle gravy over meat and vegetables before serving. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, if desired.

Irish Soda Bread

Yields 2 loaves.

Ingredients:

4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup butter, cold

1 cup raisins

1 egg, beaten

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Lightly grease two 8-inch pie or cake pans; set aside.

In large mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, caraway seeds, baking soda and sugar. Using pastry blender, cut in cold butter. Stir in raisins.

Make well in center of dry ingredients. Add egg and buttermilk and stir until dough forms.

Turn dough out onto lightly floured board, and knead for 3 to 5 minutes, or until smooth. Divide dough in half, and pat each half into circle. Place dough in prepared pans. Using knife, cut crisscross in top of each loaf.

Bake for about 30 minutes, or until loaves sound hollow when tapped.

Remove from pans to cooling rack and brush tops with melted butter. Cover with towel until cool. Cut in wedges and serve with additional butter and jam.

— Excerpted from Mother Earth News. To find more recipes and food articles from Mother Earth News, visit motherearthnews.com.