Holiday Menu: “Green” Eating on St. Patrick’s Day

What you need:

1 cube, butter
3/4-cup, flour
1 quart, chicken or vegetable stock (homemade or canned)
2 ribs, celery (stringed and finely chopped)
1 small-medium onion (finely chopped)
1 cup, heavy cream
1 small broccoli bunch (3-4, 1″ stems)
1 carrot (sliced)
White pepper
Ground nutmeg
Sherry (optional; do not use cooking sherry)

Method:

1)  Steam broccoli until crisp-tender. Reserve some small flowerets for garnish.
If a smooth consistency is desired, process with one cup of soup until smooth and fine texture. If a coarse texture is desired, chop coarsely.
2) In a heavy large kettle, melt butter. With a wooden spoon, stir in onions and celery. Saute on medium or low heat, stirring continually until tender but not browned.
3) Add flour. Stir with a wire whisk. This will be lumpy as the flour cooks very rapidly.
4) Slowly add some of the stock and quickly whisk mixture to remove all of the lumps. Add remaining stock and stir very well.
5) Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 to 45 minutes.
The mixture must boil to cook the flour and thicken the soup.
6) Add all vegetables (including the broccoli), seasonings, sherry, etc.
Add heavy cream and 1/4-cup of sherry). Adjust all flavors to taste.
7) Heat through. Serve with flowerets sprinkled on top.

What you need:

1/2-cup, flour
1/4-tsp., salt
2 lb., beef stew meat
6 cups, hot water
3 medium potatoes
1 medium turnip
4 carrots (chopped into 1″-long sticks)
1 green pepper
1 cup, celery (sliced)
1 Tbsp., salt
2 cubes, beef bouillon
Onion

Method:

1) Mix the flour, 1 teaspoon of salt and pepper together.
Coat the meat with the flour mixture.
2) Melt the shortening in a large skillet. Add meat and brown it thoroughly.
3) Add water and heat to boiling.
4) Reduce heat, cover and simmer 2 hours.
5) Stir in the remaining ingredients and simmer for 30 minutes
or until all vegetables are tender.
6) If you’d like to thicken the stew, stir 2-4 tablespoons of flour together with 1 cup of cold water in a separate bowl or jar. Once blended, stir it into the stew, stirring constantly and heating to a boil.

What you need:

6 Italian Sausages
4 large potatoes (cut into small pieces)
1/2-head cabbage

Method:

1) Cook sausages according to package directions.
2) Add the potatoes and cook 10 minutes.
3) Add the cabbage.
4) Optional: Put a pot cover on the pan to create a little steam.
5) Serve with soda bread.

What you need:

4-1/2 cups, all-purpose flour
3 Tbsp., sugar
1 Tbsp., double-acting baking powder
1 tsp., salt
1 tsp., baking soda
6 Tbsp., butter or magarine
2 eggs
1-1/2 cups, buttermilk

Optional: Add raisins for a traditional Irish Soda Bread. If you choose this version of the recipe, reduce the flour to 4 cups and add 1-1/2 cups of raising to the flour mixture before you add the buttermilk. Bake in a grease 2-quart round casserole for 1 hour and 20 minutes.

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350° and grease a 1-1/2-quart round casserole dish well.
2) In a large bowl, mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda with a fork.
3) Using a pastry blender or 2 knives in scissor fashion, cut in the butter or margarine into the dry mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.
4) In a cup, beat the eggs slightly with a fork; remove 1 Tbsp. and reserve.
5) Stir in the buttermilk and remaining egg into the flour mixture
until the flour is just moistened (dough should be sticky).
6) Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and knead about 10 strokes
with floured fingers to mix thoroughly.
7) Shape the dough into a ball; with a sharp knife, cut a 4″ cross about 1/4″ deep in the middle of the top of the dough ball.
8) Brush the dough with the reserved egg (optional) to give the crust a glossy finish.
9) Bake the break for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted
in the center of the loaf comes out clean.
10) Cool in the casserole dish on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

This recipe serves 2.

What you need:

1-1/2 cup, strong freshly brewed black coffee
5 oz., Irish whiskey
2 small scoops, coffee ice cream
1 pt. heavy cream
2 tsp. sugar, or to taste
2 tsp., finely ground cinnamon mixed with 2 tsp. extra fine white sugar
1 egg white

Method:

1) Place chilled coffee, ice cream and sugar in blender and whip until frothy.
2) Add Irish whiskey and blend for 5 additional seconds.
3) Whip heavy cream lightly, stopping before peaks are formed
and place in a separate bowl.
4) Mix sugar and cinnamon until well-blended and set aside on a plate.
5) Whip the egg white very lightly with a fork so that it becomes
a frothy liquid without being stiff.
6) Dip chilled glasses in the egg white, then into the cinnamon mixture.
7) Pour blender mixtuer into glasses and top off with lightly whipped cream spread, evenly with a spoon on top of the Irish coffee mixture. Do not stir.

What you need:

1, 8- or 9-inch baked pie shell (cooled)
3 eggs, separated
1, 14-oz. can condensed milk
1/2-cup, lime juice
A few drops of green food coloring (optional)
1/3-cup, sugar

Tip: For a lighter filling, fold 1 stiffly beaten egg white
into the filling mixture and proceed as directed.

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 350°.
2) In a medium bowl, beat the egg yolks.
3) Stir in the condensed milk and food coloring (if desired).
4) Turn the mixture into the shell.
5) In a small mixer bowl, beat the eggs whites with cream of tartar until soft peaks form; gradually add the sugar, beating until stiff but not dry.
6) Spread on top of pie and seal carefully to edge of the pie shell.
7) Bake 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool.
8) Chill pie before serving. Refrigerate leftovers.