With St Patricks and mother’s day on the same weekend, I decided to break them up into two posts to help plan a bit in advance.
So this week I’m going to concentrate on paddy’s day. Now the 17thof march is not just a day that we celebrate the mess that is paddy’s day. It’s also an important day in the garden it is traditionally the day the potatoes go in the ground and for me it really spells the start of the season.
This year I’m growing my potatoes in old car tyres to conserve space so I will keep everyone updated on that as the season progresses.
Potatoes:
If growing potatoes in tires, first chose a sunny spot in your garden.
Ensure there is drainage below the tire, as potatoes don't like getting water-logged, though they do need sufficient water for the tubers to form.
Early potatoes can be planted as from the middle of March, while main crop potatoes are usually planted in April, at the latest at the beginning of May but I will do all together and cover with plastic for the first few weeks. The main aspect affecting planting time is frost. Potatoes are only half-hardy and any frost will kill off emerging plants.
Fill the tire with damp earth to just over half the depth and place 4 - 5 seed potatoes in it, with the eye or shoots facing up. Cover with a couple of inches of soil.
Keep the soil moist but not wet and within about 6 weeks there should be several healthy potato plants growing. If your seed potatoes were chitted, the plants should appear sooner.
If there is any chance of a late frost, protect the young plants with straw or earth them up immediately they appear.
When the young potato plants are 2 - 3 inches high, add a second tire to the stack and add more soil, almost but not quite covering them.
Continue covering the emerging plants with soil until your stack is 3 tires high. Tubers will be forming all the way up the stack of tires.
Early potatoes are ready to harvest when the flowers have opened or the buds fallen off; dig a few tubers up and check - they should be about the size of a hen's egg. With maincrop potatoes, wait until the foliage has turned brown, cut off at the stems and wait a few days before lifting.
So with a thirst worked up getting the potatoes sorted I think it’s time for the celebrations to start.
So what kind of paddy’s day would it be without one your two Irish Classics?
Real Irish stew:
This dish is well known all over the world. The traditional recipe calls for mutton, potatoes and onions.
The traditional recipe is as follows:
1kg Potatoes
750g Breast of mutton.
Chopped parsley and thyme
5 medium onions, Salt and pepper,
375ml (3/4pt) water
To Cook: Trim the meat and cut into fairly large pieces. Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. Put layers of potatoes, meat and onion with seasoning into casserole, finishing with a layer of potatoes. Pour the liquid over and bring to the boil. Simmer gently for about two hours or bake in a slow oven Gas 2/150°C/300°F. Check during cooking, adding more liquid if necessary.
For me this is a great option but with so many good ingredients available and a little imagination this simple fair can be transformed into a stunning family favourite
Gibney’s Iirishish Stew
Ingredients
1kg beef stewing steak
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons plain flour
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato puree
500ml vegetable stock
375ml Guinness
3 carrots, chopped
1 sprig fresh thyme
Small bunch of fresh wild garlic
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method:
Prep: 30 mins | Cook: 6 hours
1. Toss the beef with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper and cayenne pepper. Toss the beef in this to coat.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a deep frying pan or casserole over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato puree into the stock; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Pour 1/3 of the stout into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavour to the stock. Pour in the rest of the stout, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover,
4. Reduce heat to low, and simmer for 5 - 6 hours until the sauce has reduced and thickened, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped wild garlic
Granny Gibney’s white soda bread:
Ingredients:
4 cups of all-purpose flour.
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
400ml of buttermilk
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425 F. degrees. Lightly crease and flour a cake pan.
In a large bowl sieve and combine all the dry ingredients.
Add the buttermilk to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead — too much allows the gas to escape.
Shape into a round flat shape in a round cake pan and cut a cross in the top of the dough.
Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes.
When done, the bottom of the bread will have a hollow sound when tapped.
Cover the bread in a tea towel and lightly sprinkle water on the cloth to keep the bread moist.
Serve with a good chunk of real butter mmmm!
Something for the kids!!!
Paddy’s day Marshmallow
Ingredients:
•Icing sugar, 1 tablespoon
•Cornflour, 1 tablespoon
•Vegetable oil for oiling tin and knife
•Gelatine powder, 25g
•green food colouring 4-5 drops (optional)
•2 Free-range egg whites,
•Granulated sugar 500g
Directions
1. Sift the icing sugar and cornflour together into a small bowl. Rub the tin lightly with just a few drops of oil and shake a little of the icing sugar mix around the tin to coat the base and sides. Set the tin to one side.
2. Bring the kettle almost to the boil, and then measure out 125ml water. Pour it into the second small bowl and sprinkle the gelatine on top. Stir with the wooden spoon until the gelatine has all dissolved. If you want the marshmallows to be tinted a nice green for paddy’s day, add the green food colouring to the gelatine and stir again. Leave the dissolved gelatine to stand near the hob.
3. Stand the food mixer on the work surface near the hob. Put the egg whites into the bowl of the mixer.
4. Put the granulated sugar in to the medium saucepan and add 250ml water. Turn the hob on low and stir with a wooden spoon until the sugar has completely dissolved and you can't see any grains left if you carefully tilt the pan. Now stop stirring. Rinse the sugar thermometer under the hot tap for a few seconds so it doesn't get too much of a shock, and then stand it in the pan. Raise the heat so the syrup comes to the boil. Meanwhile, switch on the mixer and whisk the egg whites until they're completely stiff. Stand jug with a little hot water in it near the hob.
5. The sugar needs to boil fiercely until it gets to 122C - the hard-ball stage. Watch the thermometer carefully, especially in the later stages of the sugar boiling. As the sugar gets to 122 C, immediately turn off the hob. Using oven gloves or a thick cloth to protect your fingers, take out the sugar thermometer and put it in the jug of water to cool down.
6. Pour the dissolved gelatine into the pan of syrup, stirring all the time with a wooden spoon. The syrup will bubble up a little, although not dangerously so. Stir until the mixture is well blended.
7. Switch the food mixer on low so that the egg whites carry on whisking. Very carefully pour the syrup on to the beating egg whites in a steady, gentle trickle - avoid pouring it on to the beaters or it will splash. You'll see the mixture turn creamy. After you've poured in all the syrup, leave the machine to carry on beating until the mixture turns really thick and bulky but is still pourable. If you lift up the beaters, a ribbon of marshmallow should remain on the surface for a few seconds before sinking back down in to the mix.
8. Pour the marshmallow into the prepared tin. Leave it to set in a cool place, though not the fridge - this will probably take an hour or two. You won't want to wait that long, obviously, but try and be patient.
9. Dust the chopping board with the rest of the cornflour and icing sugar mixture. Coat the butter knife in a little oil. Carefully ease the marshmallow out of the tin on to the board, helping it out where necessary with the butter knife. Make sure the surfaces of the marshmallow are entirely dusted with the icing sugar mixture - sift over extra icing sugar and cornflour, if necessary. Cut the marshmallow into squares, oiling and dusting the knife as it needs it.
Ok so not to reinforce any stereotype’s about the Irish. But what would paddy’s day be without a nice wee tipple so I can’t take credit for this one I found it on www.mybestcocktails.com
Green Star:
Ingredients :
2 oz. Bacardi
1 oz. Midori
1 oz. Orange Juice
2 oz. 7UP
Method:
1. All in shaker 1/2 shaker of ice
2.2 oz. Bacardi 151
3.2 oz. 7UP
4.1 oz. orange juice
5.1 oz. Midori
6. Not too much ice
Well enjoy the festivities on the 17th and celebrate being Irish. If you’re unlucky enough not to be well get that stew and soda bread made and you can be at least an honorary Irish person for the day!
Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh!
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