This Thursday is St. Patrick’s Day and what comes to mind is corned beef and cabbage and Irish soda bread. But Irish barmbrack, which is sort of a fruitcake and bread with flavored dried fruit and spices. Although usually served around Halloween to celebrate their harvests, it is also a great St. Patrick’s Day treat.
Baked in round pans, it is sliced and toasted with butter, and served with tea.
Irish Barmback
Makes one round loaf
1 cup raisins, packed
1/2 cup currants, packed
1 cup pitted prunes, snipped into small pieces
1 cup dates, chopped
Place all the dried fruit in a heatproof bowl. Brew 1 cup strong hot tea, Irish breakfast or your favorite tea, and pour it over the fruit. Stir to combine, set on counter to cool to lukewarm, uncovered, for one hour.
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Lightly grease an 8-inch round cake pan, at least 2 inches deep.
Stir together:
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 cups while whole wheat flour (King Arthur’s brand is great for this)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
Add dried fruit, along with any liquid in the bowl.
Stir until thoroughly combined. The batter will be thick and stiff.
Add:
1 large egg
Mix thoroughly till combined.
Scrape down sides and bottoms of the bowl, mix again.
Spread the mixture into the prepared pan, patting it down.
Sprinkle 2-1/2 tablespoons coarse white sparkling sugar over the top.
The batter should have at least a 1/2 inch clearance from the top of the pan.
Bake for 60-70 minutes.
Remove from the oven, turn on to a wire rack to cool.
Slice after the barmbrack has cooled completely.
• • •
Irish stew is a dish that would probably be eaten on St.Patrick’s Day in Ireland. Adding Guinness beer gives this stew a rich, deep flavor.
Irish Beef and Guinness Stew
New York Times
Cut into 2 inch chunks:
3 pounds beef chuck, boneless short rib or any boneless slow cooking beef
Pat beef dry and sprinkle with:
3/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
Heat oil in a heavy pot over high heat. Add beef chunks and:
2 tablespoons olive oil
Brown well all over, remove from pot and place on a plate.
Lower heat to medium. If the pot is looking dry, and more oil. Add and cook for 3 minutes until soft:
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 onions, chopped
Add and cook until browned:
6 ounces bacon, diced
Stir in:
3 carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 bay leaves
3 sprigs thyme
Add and stir for 1 minute to cook it off:
3 tablespoons flour
Add and mix well:
14.9-ounce Guinness Beer
4 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups chicken broth
Return beef into the pot, including all the juices.
Cover, lower heat so it bubbles gently. Cook for 2 hours.
Remove the lid then simmer for another 30-45 minutes or until the beef falls apart at a touch, the sauce has reduced and thickened slightly.
Skim off fat on the surface. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove bay leaves and thyme.
Serve with creamy mashed potatoes.
Notes: Guinness Beer is a dark, rich Irish beer and is a key to flavor this stew. You cannot taste it in the finished dish, as it melds into the sauce.
There is no non-alcoholic substitute for it, unfortunately but if you must, replace with 2 cups water, 1 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce and 2 beef bouillon cubes, crumbled.
Other ways to cook the stew besides on the stove are in the oven. Bake for 320 degrees for 2-1/2 hours.
Slow cooker: Reduce chicken broth by one cup. After adding the Guinness and broth into the pot, bring to a simmer and ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot well. Transfer everything into a slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients per recipe. Cook on low for 8 hours.
Pressure cooker: Cook on high for 40 minutes (This might seem longer than most but we are using chuck here which needs to be cooked for a long time until tender and also the pieces are larger.
Flour: Stew should be a little thicker, not watery or it will be more like soup. You could coat your beef with flour but the flour tends to burn when you are browning.
Chicken broth is preferred over beef broth to allow the Guinness flavors to come through. There should only be one dominant flavor so they don’t fight each other.
Email Audrey Wilson at audreywilson808@gmail.com.
