Getting ready for St. Patrick’s Day? Not everyone opts for beer. Wine is still a possibility for our favorite Irish holiday. Wine expert Gary Twining notes that acidity is one of the major wine components to pair with food, especially with items that have astringencies (leafy vegetables in particular) and strong, spicy flavors.
We’ve pulled a few of our favorite Irish recipes from Nancy Johnson and recommended wine pairings from Twining. Click on the links for recipes previously published in TheWineBuzz.
Many Irish people protest that corned beef and cabbage isn’t a traditional Irish dish. More likely, it became popular with 19th-century Irish immigrants who found plentiful beef in the United States. Although not a traditional Irish dish, corned beef and cabbage has become an American staple on St. Patrick’s Day.
This beer-braised stew is even better the second day, so it’s a great make-ahead dish for a St. Paddy’s Day party. Although beef is used in this recipe, for a traditional Irish stew, use lamb.
With minimal kneading and no yeast, rustic soda bread is one of the easiest breads you’ll make. A tablespoon of caraway seeds or a handful of raisins can be added to the dough if desired.
Both leeks and potatoes are plentiful in Irish cooking. Leeks tend to trap dirt between their layers. To clean, chop the white part only and then swish for a few minutes in a large bowl of cold water, lifting them carefully out of the water so as not to stir up the dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Clean the bowl, add water and swish a few more times or until the water is clear. This soup is rendered silky smooth with an immersion blender, an immensely handy tool in the kitchen. If you don’t have an immersion blender, purée the soup in a food processor or serve it chunky.
