Celebrate St. Patrick's Day with Irish Fare
When St. Patrick’s Day comes around each year, many of us, Irish or not, indulge in some Irish traditions of one sort or another. Why not add traditional Irish seasonings and dishes to the celebration? If you’re planning a get-together with family and friends on this holiday, add to the fun with some traditional Irish dishes.
A good place to start is with one of the most traditional Irish dishes of all — potato soup. Potatoes are the foundation for many Irish dishes. Introduced into Ireland in the late 1500s, at first the potato was a garden crop. As it grew abundantly, it soon became the main crop grown in Ireland — and the most commonly eaten food, especially by those who couldn’t afford meat. It’s a good source of many vitamins and minerals, vitamin C in particular.
Here’s a basic Potato Soup:
More potato main dishes to start your St. Patrick’s Day meal:
Cheesy-Yogurt Potato Bake
Butternut, Parsnip and Potato Pancakes
Vegan Stuffed Potatoes
Vegetable Potpie
Or try this refreshing Roasted Potato and Cucumber Salad to complement another main dish.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
The Irish meat pie made with meat and a mashed potato crust known as shepherd’s pie is a a time-honored Irish tradition that has become an American favorite as well.
This Shepherd's Pie is a vegetarian twist on the original. The inside-out technique of putting the green vegetables on top of the casserole, instead of inside, adds color to the dish. Also, the vegetables pick up crunchiness as they bake.
Bread making has been, and continues to be, a meaningful part of daily life in almost every Irish home. Irish cottage kitchens had only open hearths, not ovens, so the bread recipes that were created were baked on griddles or in large kettles over the fire. Ireland is known for traditional soda bread, with its distinct aroma and taste. It's a favorite with locals and tourists alike.
These Irish Soda Bread Rolls are easy for you to make in your oven, and will fill your kitchen with the sweet aroma of this Irish classic. Buttermilk gives soda bread its famous crumb. It’s best served hot from the oven, with lots of butter.
Eat Your Greens!
In keeping with the central motif of St. Patrick’s Day, you can emphasize the "green" — leafy foods like spinach, parsley, or mint.
Here are some leafy dishes that you can creatively employ as a side, as a lunch offering, or as an appetizer:
Spinach Salad with Tarragon Vinaigrette
Spicy Potatoes and Spinach
Spinach with Peanut Sauce
Spinach-Avocado Salad with Lime Vinaigrette
St. Paddy's Day Olive-Cheese Cookies
Perhaps you’ll be out celebrating and won't be making Irish fare for dinner. You might still want to add a little fun by serving these Ginger-Pear Waffles for breakfast at the start (or end) of your celebration. Just add a few drops of green food coloring to the batter to make it "Irish."
A breakfast of these delicious waffles offers a great opportunity to enjoy a cup of Irish Breakfast Tea.
If your idea of party food tends toward sweet fare, there are plenty of options. If you want to finish off a meal with the fresh flavor of a minty dessert, try this Coconut Chocolate Mint Custard.
And you can turn many of your desert favorites "Irish" for a day with a few drops of natural green food coloring. Cupcakes with green icing, a batch of shamrock-shaped green cookies and the like will especially boost the spirits of any little leprechauns you may be celebrating with. (Adding a few drops of natural green food coloring to milk makes quite a statement 
without changing the taste of the beverage you might offer to accompany your cookies or dessert.)
Don’t forget to add to the fun with some decorations; shamrocks, Irish flags, and little pots of gold (chocolate coins, of course) create a merry setting. Let yourself get in the spirit of the holiday, and make this the most enjoyable — and most delicious — St. Paddy's Day ever.
