I have gathered together four traditional Irish recipes and two that may or may not be traditional, but which really looked good! The first recipe is for Corned Beef And Cabbage which, for our family, is fast becoming the traditional St. Patrick's Day meal. Following that is a recipe for Irish Stew, an obvious traditional Irish meal! Next, try the Irish Cabbage And Bacon recipe which is a simple yet tasty dish. I also found a recipe for Barmbrack which is a traditional Celtic bread.

The next two recipes may not be traditional in the national sense, but they really looked like something I would enjoy putting together at home. Donegal Crab Pie is the first recipe and is a crabmeat based dish in a puff pastry pie shell. And the last recipe is a dessert that really looked great. It is called Nolan Irish Cream Pie. In my opinion, this one is a must-try!

Finally, since there is absolutely no way I can include all the Irish recipes I have discovered, at the bottom of this page I have included a number of Links For More Irish Recipes. Some of these recipes on these pages simply look fantastic and I really think it would be worth your while to browse through them (especially if you like Irish cuisine).

Enjoy!

Corned Beef And Cabbage

Ingredients:

• 5 pounds corned brisket of beef
• 6 peppercorns, or packaged pickling spices
• 3 carrots, peeled and quartered
• 3 onions, peeled and quartered
• 1 medium-sized green cabbage, quartered or cut in wedges
• Melted butter (about 4 tablespoons)

Directions:

• Place the corned beef in water to cover with the peppercorns or mixed pickling spices (in supermarkets, these often come packaged with the corned beef). Cover the pot or kettle, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 5 hours or until tender, skimming occasionally.
• During the last hour, add the carrots and onions and cover again.
• During the last 15 minutes, add the cabbage.
• Transfer meat and vegetables to a platter and brush the vegetables with the melted butter. Serve with boiled parsley potatoes, cooked separately. (The stock can be saved to add to a pot roast or stew instead of other liquid.)
• Serves 6, with meat left over for additional meals.

Irish Stew

Ingredients:

• Lamb Meat
• Onions (2 per pound of meat)
• Carrots
• Parsnips
• Turnips
• Brown Sugar
• Potatoes (4 per pound of meat)
• Stock
• Wine or beer (optional)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Bay Leaves
• Basil

Directions:

• Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes.
• Chop the onions coarsely.
• Brown the onions and the meat.
• Slice the carrots, parsnips, and turnips.
• Saute the veggies a little while then add a little brown sugar to glaze them.
• Peel and thickly slice the potatoes.
• Place the potatoes into a casserole dish with the meat and onions, and add the stock (and wine or beer if you desire).
• Add salt and pepper, a few bay leaves, and some basil (and other herbs if you want).
• Cover the dish and bake the potatoes and meat in a 350 oven for about 40 minutes, then add the carrots etc.
• It needs to cook for about 1 or 1.5 hours.
• Mash some of the potatoes in the liquid and serve!

Irish Cabbage and Bacon

Ingredients:

• 1 large or 2 small cabbages
• 12 or 16 strips of bacon
• 4 whole allspice berries
• 10.5 oz beef or chicken broth (one soup can)
• pepper, liquid or dry
• salt

Directions:

• Cut the cabbage in half and boil for 15 minutes in salted water.
• Drain, and soak in cold water for 1 minute, then drain well and slice.
• Line the bottom of a casserole with half of the bacon strips, then put the cabbage on top and add the seasonings. Add enough stock to barely cover the cabbage, then put the remaining strips of bacon on top. Cover and simmer for one hour, until most of the liquid is absorbed. Serve hot with the potatoes you caught along with the cabbages.

Barmbrack

Ingredients:

• 1 pound flour
• 1/2 grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt
• 2 ounce butter
• 3/4 ounce dried yeast
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 well beaten eggs
• 1/2 ounce sultanas
• 1/2 pound currants
• 4 ounce chopped candied peel
• 1/2 pint of milk

Directions:

• Sift the flour, nutmeg and salt together and rub butter into flour.
• Cream the yeast in a cup with a teaspoon of sugar.
• Add the rest of the sugar to the flour mixture and mix well.
• Warm the milk slightly and add to the yeast and add most of the beaten eggs (saving enough to brush the top of the loaf).
• Add liquid to the dry ingredients and beat well until batter is stiff.
• Fold in currants, raisins and peel.
• Put into a greased 8 inch cake tin so that the mixture only half fills the tin. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place until mixture has doubled in size (about 1 hour).
• Brush top of the dough with a little beaten egg to give a glaze and bake at 400F for approximately 1 hour (stick a knife or skewer in the center and if it comes out clean, then it's done).

Donegal Crab Pie

Ingredients:

• ½ lb cooked crab meat
• 1½ lb puff pastry
• 1 egg white
• 1 tbs finely chopped celery
• 2 tbs finely chopped parsley
• ¼ pt dry cider
• salt & pepper
• 6 eggs
• ½ pt milk
• 2 pinches nutmeg

Directions:

• Line a pie tin 12" across and 1" deep with the pastry and chill in a fridge for 1 hour. Also chill pastry for top of pie & brush with egg white.
• Flake crab meat & put into pie followed by celery, parsley, and seasoning. Beat eggs and milk together and add them + nutmeg.
• Put pastry on top and bake in oven at 430F, Gas 7, for 25 mins. Serve at once.

Nolan Irish Cream Pie

Ingredients:

• 4-5 brownies crumbled
• 1/2 cup Bailey's Irish Cream (or you can find a non-alcoholic variety)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla
• 1 pkg. small package clear gelatin
• 2 pkg. eight ounch packages of cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• shaved dark chocolate (to taste)

Directions:

• Take your brownies and crumble them up and press them into the bottom and sides of a pie pan for your crust.
• Gently warm the Bailey's and the vanilla in a pan on the stove and then add the gelatin and stir to dissolve, letting it simmer for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and cool down.
• Blend together the cream cheese and the sugar until creamy and smooth.
• In a mixing bowl, whip the cream until you have stiff peaks. Fold the Bailey's and the cream cheese mixture into the whipped cream.
• Spoon your filling over your brownie crust and let it set up in the fridge for three hours.
• When you are ready to serve it, top with some shaved dark chocolate and pour a wee bit o' Bailey's over the top.

Links For More Irish Recipes!