pandjlocke - Posted - 03/16/2012:  06:48:35

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Sunday I will be serving Corned Beef and Cabbage at a church luncheon. I'll be out in the rain and snow mix cooking on the Paddy Wagon. But tomorrow night I'll be indoors with my traditional meal. Here it is:

Appetizers:



Cream of Potato Soup



3 Tblsp butter

1 cup chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

4 cups peeled, diced potatoes

1 10 3/4 oz can chicken broth

1 soup can water

1 cup cream

1/2 cup milk

2 Tblsp flour

Chopped chives or crisp bacon for garnish



Melt butter in large saucepan. Saute onion and delery until onion is transparent. Add potatoes, chicken broth and water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low and cook, covered, 40 - 45 minutes or until veggies are very tender. Add cream. Simmer 20 minutes.



Combine flour and milk with whisk. Add to soup; cook, stirring constantly, until soup is thick and creamy.



Serve soup hot, garnished with chives/bacon.



6 - 8 servings





Dublin Prawn Cocktail



1 lb large shrimp or prawns

1 cup water

1/2 cup vinegar

2 tsp seafood seasoning (like Old Bay)

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp garlic powder



Wash shrimp under cold running water. Drain.



Combine water, vinegar, seafood seasoning, salt and garlic powder in large saucepan; bring to boil. Add shrimp; stir well. Return to boil; cover. Reduce heat to low; cook approx. 10 minutes or until shrimp are pink and firm. Drain; rinse in cold water. Peel and devein shrimp, leaving last joint of tail intact.



Arrange shrimp on a bed of Bibb lettuce or crushed ice. Serve with Dublin Cocktail Sauce. 4 servings.





Dublin Cocktail Sauce



1/4 cup tomato catsup

1/4 cup whipping cream

1 1/2 Tblsp prepared horseradish

1/2 tsp lemon juice



Combine all ingredients; mix well. Chill until serving time.





Entree:



Rabbit (or chicken) Cooked in Stout



1 2 1/2 - 3 lb Rabbit (or chicken), cut up

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp paprika

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Salt and pepper

1/4 lb salt pork, diced

1 pound pearl onions, cleaned, peeled (I have used frozen; sometimes fresh aren't available)

1/2 lb button mushrooms, stems removed

1 1/2 cups stout (I'm pretty loyal to Guinness)

2 Tblsp chopped parsley

1 bay leaf

1/2 tap dried thyme

2 Tblsp butter

2 Tblsp flour



Wash meat; pat dry.



Combine flour, paprika, salt and pepper on piece of waxed paper. Dredge meat in flour; shake off excess.



Cook salt pork in heavy skillet until lightly browned. Remove with slotted spoon; reserve.



Add meat to pan drippings; brown well on all sides. Place meat in large casserole. Add onions, mushrooms, and salt pork to casserole.



Combine stout, parsley, bay leaf, thyme, salt and pepper; pour over meat. Cover; bake at 350 deg F 1 1/2 hours.



Remove meat from dish. Place casserole on burner if it is stove-top safe or transfer juice to a saucepan. Cook on medium 2 to 3 minutes; whisk in butter and flour stirring until thickened. Pour over meat. Serve with mashed potatoes. 4 servings.





Sides:



Mashed Potatoes



4 Russet potatoes, peeled

Water

1/4 cup chicken broth

1/4 cup cream

Salt and pepper



Place potatoes in large saucepan. Cover with water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to simmer. Cook about 20 minutes or until potatoes are tender.



Place potatoes in a large bowl. Add chicken broth, cream salt and pepper. Mash together until smooth. 4 servings.





Minted Peas



1 10 oz package frozen green peas

1 tsp dried mint

1 tsp sugar

Boiling salted water

1 Tblsp butter

Salt and pepper



Cook peas, mint and sugar in boiling water 5 - 7 minutes or until peas are tender. Drain, stir in butter, salt and pepper. 4 servings.





Soda Bread



4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

2 Tblsp sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt

1 cup seedless raisins

1 to 1 1/4 cups buttermilk

2 Tblsp softened butter



Combine flour, sugar, soda, salt and raisins in mixing bowl; stir well. make a well in the center of mixture. Add buttermilk; stir until blended. Use only enough buttermilk to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto lightly floured board; knead approx 5 times. Form into ball. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Pat into 8 inch circle, approx. 1 1/2 inches thick. With floured knife, make a large cross on top of loaf to let the demons escape while baking. (OK, it helps prevent the loaf from cracking; just seeing if you were paying attention). Spread softened butter on top of loaf. Bake in preheated 37f deg F oven 40 to 50 minutes or until golden and loaf sound hollow when tapped. Serve with plenty of butter.





Dessert:



Madigan's Velvet Trousers



1 package (1/4 oz) unflavored gelatin

1/4 cup cold water

1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup light cream

1 1/2 Tblsp honey

2 Tblsp Irish whiskey



Soak gelatin in cold water in small measuring cup. Set measuring cup in saucepan of gently boiling water. Stir until gelatin dissolves (about 3 minutes). Remove from pan of water; set aside.



Combine creams in small well chilled bowl; whip until light and thick. Slowly add honey and whiskey, mixing well. Place bowl in pan of ice water; fold in dissolved gelatin. Continue to mix and gently ffold mixture until it begins to set. Spoon into 4 small glass serving dishes; cover. Refrigerate several hours before serving. 4 servings.





-------- or ---------



Stuffed Baked Apples



4 large baking apples (example: Rome Beauty, Granny Smith)

1/2 cup prepared mincemeat

1 cup apple cider

2 Tblsp butter



Wash and core apples. Cut top off to prevent splitting. Place apples upright in small baking dish and fill cavities with mincemeat. Pour apple cider around apples and dot the tops with butter. Bake at 375 deg F 30 to 40 minutes, basting with pan juices several times while baking. 4 servings.





Happy St. Patrick's Day, everyone!

Edited by - pandjlocke on 03/16/2012 08:00:31

KE - Posted - 03/16/2012:  07:04:13

Mmmm, mmmm.  You'll be doing your namesake proud.

trapdoor2 - Posted - 03/16/2012:  08:39:22

Since tomorrow's my birthday, can I get an order delivered?

rinemb - Posted - 03/16/2012:  08:49:50

Looks like I head back to the "field" again tonight.  So my menu will be limited to what's at Walmart in Nw Kansas.  But I can build a crock pot of stew or soup.  No green beer or whisky though. I am thinking "Seasons Glory": canned cabbage, canned potatoes&greenbeans, a package of frozen chopped onion/peppers mix, and some deli hunks of corned beef.  Not proud, but its called "makin' do."   I could buy a tub of "Bob Evans" mashed potatoes, add to that some chopped parsley and a lot of butter...and have colcannon.   Lots of ways to fake it with a microwave or a crockpot.

Brad