This really should read how to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day, at home. We don’t need to tell you how to find a local Irish pub to down some Guinness and eat some traditional fare… that’s pretty easy, depending on where you live. It is, however, very fun to celebrate at home with your family. Growing up, my mother made a big deal out of this holiday. She was one of nine kids, in a family that was raised in a very Catholic Irish-American household, even though they had lots of other ethnicities in them as well. They didn’t grow up with a whole lot of money, and like them, many other large Irish American families that came over to the New York City area were large and suffering, so they decided to make this very cheap and relatively easy meal as the base for the celebration.
St. Patrick’s Day itself celebrates St. Patrick’s bringing of Christianity to Ireland, but over time it has turned into a big old party. While you’ll still see the religious affiliation in Irish American families in the New York area, who go to church when it falls on a Sunday, it is more about celebrating culture… Irish, but more so Irish American culture. Sure, there are some stereotypical behaviors such as people dressing up like leprechauns and parents giving their kids baskets full of gold (I made that up), but there are also great traditions such as bagpipers, playing traditional Irish music (like what you’d find in a pub in Ireland) and watching amazing Irish films, such as Secret of Kells.
Growing up, my mother would start cooking early, waking up before the sun rose to get the briskets in the pots of boiling water. It was all about cooking them low and slow. They’d be in there for hours, so that they’d fall apart when it was time to eat. I’d usually eat it with my hands. I loved how salty it was. It was just a pot of water with corned beef, potatoes, cabbage and the seasoning, which was similar to a pickling blend… very heavy on the salt. In the past few years, I’ve experimented with onions, carrots and other root vegetables, but you don’t need them. I’ve even seared off the brisket both before and after cooking, but it really depends on what the crowd wants. I usually cook up some big portobello mushrooms so Alana has something earthy and meaty to enjoy. She usually makes Irish Soda Bread from scratch, using one of the best recipes you’ll find. I always make way too much and end up turning the leftover brisket into a barbecue version a few days later. (That recipe is coming out next week, so stay tuned!)
We don’t consider the soda bread dessert, so we make some true treats for the room we don’t have left in our stomach when we’re finished. Alana’s mother will make Commonwealth sweets such as scones and custards, while we might make some Irish milkshakes for those who want to really enjoy their night. We make sure to use plenty of Kerrygold products, especially the butter for the soda bread. This isn’t a meal or occasion you want to stress out about because the food isn’t overly complex and if people drink enough, they won’t care how it tastes! This is a poor family’s meal and it is more about a full stomach and good company. That is where the music really helps, even during the meal. Our honeymoon to Ireland last year only excited us more, as we appreciate the culture at an even higher level now. We can’t wait to see how we’ll celebrate this year. Let us know if and how you celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. And as always, stay hungry and fit!
