A feast for St. Patrick: smoked salmon salad, chicken with dumplings, colcannon, and soda bread
You won’t find corned beef and cabbage on my St. Paddy’s Day menu (not that there’s anything wrong with that)! Here’s what I’m serving this year. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
SMOKED SALMON SALAD; serves 2
Ingredients: Two handfuls of dandelion leaves or watercress, the juice of one lemon, salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp dijon mustard, 1/2 tsp extra virgin olive oil, 6 thin slices of smoked salmon, 1 tsp of minced chives.
Toss dandelion leaves or watercress in a bowl with the fresh lemon juice, a pinch of salt and pepper, 1/2 tsp of dijon mustard, and a few drops of extra virgin olive oil. Set aside. Arrange the thinly sliced smoked salmon on a platter. Sprinkle salmon with a teaspoon of finely chopped chives. Top with the dandelion or watercress. Eat and be healthy.
CHICKEN WITH DUMPLINGS; serves 4
Ingredients: 8 pieces of chicken on the bone (breast and thighs will work best), 3 Tbsp butter, a handful of finely chopped parsley, salt and pepper, 3/4 cup of flour, 1/4 cup of yellow cornmeal, egg, 1 1/2 cups Guinness Stout, 1 cup chopped shallots, 1 tsp baking powder, a pinch of baking soda, 2 cups of chicken stock, and 2/3 cup of buttermilk.
Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat a tablespoon of butter in a deep (preferably cast-iron) skillet, and brown chicken well on all sides. (This can be done in batches if your skillet is not big enough — it should take about 10 minutes per batch to brown the chicken).
Chop up enough shallots to measure 1 cup. Sprinkle the shallots over the chicken in the pan. Add 1/2 cup of Guinness Stout and boil. Reduce the heat to a low simmer and cook about 30 minutes (until the chicken is entirely cooked through — no pink meat). Transfer the chicken to a platter (leaving the sauce and shallots in the skillet) that is safe for the oven and cover it loosely with aluminum foil. Keep it warm at a very low temperature (about 200 degrees) in the oven while you make the dumplings.
Sift together 3/4 cups of flour, 1/4 cup of yellow cornmeal, 1 tsp of baking powder, a pinch of salt, a pinch of baking soda, and a pinch of freshly ground black pepper. With your (clean) fingers, blend in 2 Tbsp of cold butter (chopped into little pieces) until your mixture is a consistency similar to cornmeal. Stir in 1 Tbsp finely chopped parsley and 2/3 cup of buttermilk (well shaken). Stir just until moistened but do not overmix!
Skim off any fat that has accumulated in the skillet by sliding a spoon across the top of the liquid. Then add 2 cups of chicken stock (homemade preferred) and 3/4 c more Guinness, and boil.
Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine 1/4 c heavy cream, 2 1/2 Tbsp flour, and 1/4 c chicken stock. Whisk until well combined. Then whisk it into the boiling sauce. Add a pinch of salt, pepper, and chopped parsley.
Drop your dumplings into the boiling gravy by the tablespoon. Try not to drop them into the skillet on top of each other — give them each room to form and grow. When all the dumplings are in, reduce the heat to a low simmer and cover the skillet (if you do not have a cover that fits, just make a cover out of aluminum foil). Cook for about 20 minutes. Just before serving, garnish with a little more fresh parsley.
COLCANNON (IRISH MASHED POTATOES) ; serves 4
Ingredients: 4 lbs of red potatoes, 11 Tbsp of butter, 5 green onions, salt and pepper, 1 cup of Irish cheddar cheese (white), 1/4 head of cabbage (roughly chopped), and 1 1/2 cups of milk.
Peel and quarter the potatoes. Boil them in a large pot of water until they are tender. Drain well. Meanwhile, boil 1/2 cup of water with 3 Tbsp of butter in a small saucepan. Add 1/4 of a head of cabbage (roughly chopped) and cook over medium-low heat about 20 minutes (or until tender). Drain well.
Chop up some washed spinach until you have 2 cups. Saute the spinach in a non-stick skillet with a Tbsp of melted butter just a minute or two, until it starts to wilt. Add the cabbage to the skillet with the spinach and cook for another minute. Then remove from the heat and pour off into a large bowl. Season the greens with a pinch of salt and pepper.
Chop 5 scallions (light and dark green parts) and add them to a saucepan with a stick of butter and 1 1/2 cups of milk. Simmer just a minute or two, then add the cabbage and spinach. When the potatoes are done, add them too, and mash with a hand-masher until smooth. Season with a little salt and pepper and toss in 1 cup of grated Irish cheddar.
Wherever you go, and whatever you do, may the luck of the Irish be there with you!
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