by Joan Saunders –
When I was growing up my mom was a kindergarten teacher. You get the picture – there were themes as the year progressed: decorating cookies at Christmas, heart-shaped cakes for Valentine’s Day and Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day.
I thought I’d left that all behind when I moved out, but then I had my own kid, and I quickly reverted to thematic events. Apparently it’s in my genes. Once, for a winter dinner party, I strung cords across the ceiling of the dining room and draped ivy that I dragged in from the garden across the grid to replicate a Greek taverna. It was picturesque until suddenly warmed-up and newly awakened bugs started dropping from the vines onto the table. I quickly discovered that guests don’t really appreciate spiders in their wine or their hair.
So I’ve tried to scale back a bit as we move through the year. But as I still enjoy creating events, and generally like to cook, I can (and do!) use any excuse to shift over to a celebratory meal.
And in March, we head towards St. Patrick’s Day. It’s not all about green beer; as the weather is often erratic, it’s the perfect time to put together a hearty stew which develops intense flavour with a base of dark beer. While the recipe calls for onions, carrots and celery, I often add turnips, mushrooms or peas to ramp up the veggie quotient. Served with mashed potatoes, the rich broth really comes into its own.
There are many recipes for Irish soda bread and it’s a wonderful, easy to make accompaniment. The dough is sticky but that’s OK; it doesn’t have to be perfectly round. Its rustic style is both charming and very forgiving. Serve it with the stew or just with some Irish farmhouse cheese. This quick bread is one you can come back to again and again, whether it’s St. Patrick’s Day or not.
And while I try to, as I say, “celebrate every day,” it is diverting to mark occasions throughout the year. I promise that no ivy or wayward spiders will be part of any more events. At least I hope so.
Beef & Guinness Stew
Adapted slightly from Allrecipes: www.tinyurl.com/qu3ul6ru
4 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
2½ pounds / 1.13 kg boneless stewing beef
salt
black pepper
2 onions, chopped coarsely
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.9 ounce/440 ml) can dark beer (such as Guinness)
¼ cup tomato paste
4 sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried
3 carrots, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 stalks celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 tsp white sugar
2½ cups chicken stock, or as needed to cover
4 cups mashed potatoes (optional)
Step 1: Cook and stir bacon in large stew pot over medium-high heat until bacon is browned and crisp, 3-4 minutes. Transfer bacon to plate, reserving fat in pot.
Step 2: Season beef cubes with 1 tsp salt and pepper to taste. Turn heat to high under pot and sear beef pieces in hot fat on both sides until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove meat. Turn heat down to medium; cook and stir onions in pot until lightly browned, 5-8 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt.
Step 3: Cook garlic with onions until soft, about 1 minute; pour beer into pot and stir, scraping up any bits. Add beef, bacon, tomato paste, thyme, carrots, celery, sugar, ½ tsp pepper and enough chicken broth to cover.
Step 4: Bring stew to gentle simmer, stir to combine; reduce heat to low and cover pot. Simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours. Stir occasionally. Skim fat if desired.
Step 5: Remove cover and raise heat to medium-high. Bring to low boil and cook until slightly thickened, 15-20 minutes. Remove thyme sprigs, adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with mashed potatoes if desired.
Brennan’s Irish Soda Bread
Adapted slightly from Allrecipes: www.tinyurl.com/pu9al3lp
1 cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour
1 tbsp white sugar
½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
Step 1: Preheat oven to 400°. Grease baking sheet. In bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.
Step 2: Gradually stir the buttermilk into the flour mixture until the dough just comes together; turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface. Knead a few times, and shape into a round. Place the dough on the prepared baking sheet. With sharp knife or scissors, cut an X shape into the top of the dough to release the steam and help the bread keep its round shape.
Step 3: Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown, 30-35 minutes.
