This Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day and what comes to mind is corned beef, cabbage and Irish soda bread. But the Irish barmbrack, which is a kind of fruitcake and bread with flavored dried fruits and spices. Although it’s usually served around Halloween to celebrate their harvests, it’s also a great St. Patrick’s Day treat.
Baked in round molds, it is sliced and grilled with butter, and served with tea.
Irish barmback
Makes a round loaf
1 cup raisins, packed
1/2 cup currants, packed
1 cup pitted prunes, cut into small pieces
1 cup dates, chopped
Place all the dried fruit in a heatproof bowl. Prepare 1 cup of strong hot tea, Irish breakfast or your favorite tea, and pour it over the fruit. Stir to combine, set on counter to cool to lukewarm, uncovered, for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan, at least 2 inches deep.
To mix together :
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups whole wheat flour (King Arthur brand is ideal for this)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
Add the dried fruit and any liquid to the bowl.
Stir until well blended. The batter will be thick and firm.
Add:
1 large egg
Mix well until combined.
Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl, mix again.
Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, patting it down.
Sprinkle 2-1/2 tablespoons coarse white popping sugar on top.
The dough should have at least a 1/2 inch clearance from the top of the pan.
Bake for 60 to 70 minutes.
Remove from oven, place on a wire rack to cool.
Slice after the barmbrack has cooled completely.
• • •
Irish stew is a dish that would likely be eaten on St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland. The addition of Guinness beer gives this stew a rich, deep flavor.
Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
New York Times
Cut into 2 inch pieces:
3 pounds chuck beef, boneless short ribs, or any boneless slow-cooked beef
Pat the beef dry and sprinkle with:
3/4 teaspoons of salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over high heat. Add the beef pieces and:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Brown everything well, remove from the pan and place on a plate.
Lower the heat to medium. If the pot looks dry, and more oil. Add and cook for 3 minutes until tender:
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, chopped
Add and cook until browned:
6 ounces bacon, diced
To incorporate:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces
2 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme
Add and stir for 1 minute to cook:
3 tablespoons of flour
Add and mix well:
14.9 ounces of Guinness beer
4 tablespoons of tomato paste
3 cups of chicken broth
Return the beef to the pot, including all the juices.
Cover, lower the heat so that it bubbles gently. Cook for 2 hours.
Remove the lid then simmer for another 30 to 45 minutes or until the beef is tender to the touch, the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Degrease on the surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and thyme.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.
Notes: Guinness beer is a rich, dark Irish beer and is essential for flavoring this stew. You cannot taste it in the finished dish, because it melts into the sauce.
There’s no non-alcoholic substitute, unfortunately, but if you must, substitute 2 cups water, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce and 2 beef stock cubes, crumbled.
Other ways to cook stew besides the stovetop are in the oven. Bake at 320 degrees for 2-1/2 hours.
Slow cooker: Reduce chicken broth by one cup. After adding the Guinness and stock to the pan, bring to a boil and be sure to scrape up the bottom of the pan. Transfer everything to a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients per recipe. Cook over low heat for 8 hours.
Pressure cooker: Cook on high for 40 minutes (this may seem longer than most, but we’re using chuck here which needs to be cooked for a long time until tender and the pieces are larger.
Flour: The stew needs to be a bit thicker, not runny or it will be more soupy. You can coat your beef in flour, but flour tends to burn when browning.
Chicken broth is preferred over beef broth to allow the Guinness flavors to come through. There should only be one dominant flavor so they don’t fight each other.
Email Audrey Wilson at [email protected]
