"st patricks day" news and stories

OK, this is a couple of days late, but on Monday's episode of Late Night with Conan O'Brien, the host mentioned that in the new edition of Good Housekeeping, there's a recipe for the St. Patrick's Day Stew that O'Brien is famous for. Only one problem: it's not O'Brien's recipe, he doesn't cook, and he has no idea who sent this to the magazine. Here's video from the episode to see Conan's reaction (March 17 episode, around the 8:10 mark, right after the monologue).

Of course, that doesn't mean that we can't post the recipe here! It's after the jump.

If all of Jonathan's excellent step-by-step instructions weren't enough to convince you that you too can cook up corned beef at home, then watch this episode of Fork You from last year so that we can walk you through the steps in live action. As an added bonus, the episode also includes a recipe for Irish Soda Bread (which was excellent but it doesn't keep well, so plan on only making the amount that you and your brunch/dinner guests can eat in sitting).

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Irish Whiskey sales in the US are a drop in the glass compared to American whiskey and bourbon, but that's changing fast. Sales in the past year have increased 20% and has been one of the fastest growing spirits categories the past five years.

Part of this is that more and more is being sent to the US, with new premium bottling's joining the fray. Besides the whiskey blends, you have Single Malts, Single Grains, and the unique Pure Pot Still whiskeys. Jameson has started shipping some of these and sales are through the roof. You may see Jameson "Gold Reserve go for $60 and the top-end Rarest Vintage Reserve at $250 and up" Every now and then I get offered a taste of these treats and Faith and Begorra, it makes me glad to be an honorary Irishman for the day today, just so I can toss one back. Of course most of the Irish whiskey isn't drunk on St. Paddys Day, but year round, as one of the premium whiskey styles in the world. So have a taste of the Irish, Sláinte!

One of my favorite food bloggers, Kim O'Donnel from the Washington Post's A Mighty Appetite, has recently started an additional food blogging endeavor. She can now also be found writing about food over at Simply Stated::Food, the food blogging wing of Real Simple Magazine.

Already, I'm finding her new blogging gig helpful, as while I was planning on cooking up a hunk of corned beef for dinner tonight, in order to eat an appropriately festive St. Patrick's Day meal, I never managed to get to the store and buy one. However, earlier today she posted a recipe for Potato-Leek-Parsley Puree for all of us who missed the corned beef boat. This Irish-themed soup will keep you in sync with the holiday and give you the opportunity to eat a vividly green meal this evening (I have a feeling that kids with adventurous palates will love this one).

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The other day I posed the question, "Corned Beef or Smoked Pork Shoulder for dinner?" Then we made Corned Beef and Cabbage. Today it's time for my Boiled Smoked Pork Shoulder and Vegetables recipe.

Boiled Smoked Pork Shoulder and Vegetables

1- 7 to 9 lb. Smoked Pork Shoulder
1 Cabbage
1 Rutabaga (Sometimes called Yellow Turnip or Horse Turnip)
1-2 lbs. of Carrots
2-3 lbs. of Potatoes (Plain White, Yukon Gold, Fingerlings, Peruvian Purple- whatever you like.)
4-6 Sweet Onions
1-2 lbs. of any Root Vegetables of your choice (Parsnips, Turnips, Celery Root, Sweet Potato or Yam, Sunchokes, Radish or Daikon, Beets, etc.- Beets need to be cooked separately)
4-6 Garlic cloves
1/2 tbs. of Black Peppercorns
2-3 Bay Leaves
1 tbs. pickling or other cooking spices (Allspice, Cloves, Mustard Seed, Coriander, Ginger, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, etc.)
1-3 Bottles of Dark Beer

Total cooking time is 3-4 hours. (apx. 25-30 minutes per pound)


Click here to follow the recipe.