Lorie Ham
It’s almost St. Patrick’s Day again! A day to wear green, go to St. Patrick’s Day parades, and eat Irish food. But where did St. Patrick’s Day and its traditions come from? According to History.com, St. Patrick’s Day observes the death of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. The holiday has evolved into a celebration of Irish culture with parades, special foods, music, dancing, and a whole lot of green.
History.com also has an interesting list of nine surprising facts about St. Patrick’s Day, which include that there were no snakes in Ireland for Patrick to get rid of, leprechauns are likely based on Celtic fairies, and shamrocks were actually considered a sacred plant that legend says St. Patrick used as a visual guide when explaining the Holy Trinity. Also, the tradition of a St. Patrick’s Day parade began in America and predates the founding of the United States.
What Americans tend to think of as St. Patrick’s Day food, such as corned beef and cabbage, is actually an American-Irish tradition. According to an article on Allrecipes.com, in Ireland, they just eat regular Irish food to celebrate the day. And it’s St. Paddy’s Day, not St. Patty’s Day. You can find recipes for much of that food in the same article. Food like Irish soda bread, Irish fish fry, and pot roast.
If you are looking for some new recipes to try for your celebration, here are a few provided by mystery authors who write food mysteries, and just happen to have written some that involve St. Patrick’s Day!
Joyce Tremel writes the Brewing Trouble Mysteries and has a Shepherd’s Pie recipe that she has adapted from a recipe from Mullaney’s Harp & Fiddle restaurant in Pittsburgh.
Shepherd’s Pie
- 2-3 pounds ground beef or lamb (I use beef)
- 1/2 stick butter
- 2 cups chopped onion
- 2 cups baby carrots
- 2 cups chopped celery
- 1/4 tsp dried thyme
- 2 cloves minced garlic
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1/4 cup red wine
- 1 cup beef stock
- 1 cup sweet peas (optional-I make it without)
- Shredded vintage cheddar
Brown the ground beef in a pot or deep skillet with a heavy bottom. Drain and set aside.
In the same pot sauté the onions, celery, and carrots in butter until tender. Add garlic and thyme and sauté until the garlic starts to brown.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables, stirring until absorbed and cooked–don’t let it get too brown. Add the wine and beef stock and simmer until thick and bubbly, stirring occasionally. Add the meat back and if using peas, add them.
Transfer to a casserole dish and top with mashed potatoes. Top with shredded Irish cheddar and bake at 350 degrees until cheese is melted.
Mystery author Maddie Day has a recipe for Irish Cheddar Cheese Soup from her Country Store Mystery Four Leaf Cleaver.
Irish Cheddar Cheese Soup
- 24 ounces ounce Irish pale lager (I used two 12 ounce Harp Lager bottles)
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 16 ounces cream cheese
- 14 ounces Irish white cheddar cheese, shredded + extra for garnish
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 celery ribs, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 carrots, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
- ½ yellow onion, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 1 tablespoon unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 bay leaves
- Coarse salt, fresh ground black pepper to taste
- Crumbled cooked bacon, sliced chives, and freshly chopped parsley for garnish
In a large pot, heat the butter over medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots. Cook until somewhat softened and onion is starting to become translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add garlic, stirring frequently, and cook for 1 more minute, until fragrant. Sprinkle flour and mustard powder into the pot. Stir to combine and cook 1 minute. Pour half of the pale lager into the pot and scrape up any browned bits on the bottom. Pour in the chicken broth and remaining pale lager. Add thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook 10 minutes.
Maintaining low heat, remove cover and whisk in cream cheese. Remove from heat. Discard thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Use an immersion blender or transfer to a stand blender and blend until completely smooth.
Stir in Irish white cheddar cheese. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately garnished with crumbled bacon, chives, and parsley and a slice of Irish soda bread!
Mystery author Peggy Ehrhart has a recipe for Irish Soda Bread in An Irish Recipe for Murder, a novella in the St. Patrick’s Day novella anthology, Irish Soda Bread Murder. Peggy has been making soda bread on St. Patrick’s Day for ages and made an interesting change from the standard recipe switching out buttermilk with yogurt.
Irish Soda Bread
- 2 1/2 cups flour
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- 1 tbsp. caraway seeds
- 1 cup raisins
- 1 egg
- 1 1/2 cup plain yogurt
Mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl. Cut the butter in with two knives, your fingers, or a pastry blender until the mixture resembles coarse sand. Mix in the sugar, seeds, and raisins. Beat the egg and yogurt together in a small bowl and add them to the flour mixture. Stir thoroughly.
Using a rubber spatula, turn the dough out onto a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle the dough with flour and pat it into a round, dome-shaped loaf with floured hands. Using a sharp knife, cut an X 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep in the top to mark quarters. There are photos of these steps on her website.
Bake the soda bread at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until it is nicely brown. It’s delicious warm with butter but let it cool at least 15 minutes before slicing. Cut it into quarters first, and then slice the quarters.
To top off your St. Patrick’s Day meal, mystery author Leslie Budewitz has a recipe for Guinness Brownies, which was ooriginally published on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen, on March 7, 2023.
Guinness Brownies
Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction blog, by Sally McKenney
one 12-ounce bottle Guinness Stout, reduced (see below)
For the brownies:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter
- 8 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon espresso powder
For the frosting:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at to room temperature
- 2 cups confectioners’ sugar
- 2–3 tablespoons reduced Guinness
- 1 teaspoon espresso powder
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
Reduce the Guinness:
Pour the stout into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. When it boils, reduce to medium and simmer until reduced down to 2/3 cup, about 15-20 minutes, then set aside to cool at least 10 minutes. Note that the beer will continue to reduce as it cools, so don’t overdo the reduction. The brownies call for 1/2 cup; you’ll use the rest in the frosting.
Make the brownies:
Heat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×9 inch pan by buttering or spraying it – be sure to get the corners. Or line it with foil or parchment paper, leaving an overhang for lifting out the brownies – this makes cutting them easier.
Use your preferred method to melt the butter and chocolate – in a small saucepan, double boiler, or microwave. Whisk until smooth. Whisk in the sugar and 1/2 cup of reduced Guinness until completely combined. Whisk in the eggs and vanilla, then add the flour, salt, and espresso powder, and mix until the batter is thick and shiny. Pour the batter into the pan.
Bake 32 minutes. Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the pan. If it comes out wet, bake another 2 minutes. Moist crumbs clinging to the toothpick are fine. No one likes an overdone brownie! Place pan on a wire rack and cool completely before frosting.
Make the frosting: In the bowl of your mixer, beat the butter on high until smooth and creamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add the confectioners’ sugar, beating on low; when the sugar is largely incorporated, increase speed to high and beat until creamy. (You don’t want a cloud of powdered sugar in your kitchen!) Add 2 tablespoons of reduced Guinness, 1 teaspoon espresso powder, vanilla, and salt. Taste. Add any remaining Guinness, if needed. If the frosting is a little too thick, you can thin it with a splash of milk.
Frost cooled brownies. Cut and serve.
Cover and store leftover brownies at room temperature for up to 1 week. Or just bring them over to my house.
This St. Patrick’s Day put on something green, and enjoy these delicious recipes while you celebrate! If you are looking for something St. Patrick’s Day-related to read and enjoy a good mystery, check out the authors mentioned in this article. Please share with us some of your St. Patrick’s Day traditions and recipes on the Mennonite Insurance Facebook page.
