St Patricks Day - Recipes

Going green, that's Saint Patrick's day.

With spring in the Northern Hemisphere, autumn in the Southern Hemisphere now, we will be thinking of St Patrick's Day 17 March 2017.

It's not too early to start thinking about what we can cook for that special day.

Instead of the Irish stew and the usual Irish way of cooking, try some scrumptious fresh green vegetables.

Good for your health and controls that weight problem, fresh green vegetables.

For an afternoon snack try making some delicious Cupcakes, the family will love these any time of the year, so let's try some before St Patrick's Day.

You can use any cupcake recipe and ice with a butter icing and add decorations of shamrock leaves and berries to decorate, that's a good start to an interesting day.

Then later in the evening, you can an Irish stew, in cooler areas, in the warmer places like New Zealand we can enjoy some nice green salads recipes, an Irish whiskey truffles, and shamrock lamingtons.

Learn how to make a Beef & Guinness Stew!

My Great Grandmother Riley would be proud of me cooking this for St Patrick's day.

Recipe for Beef and Guinness Stew?

To get the above recipe Shamrock Milkshake Cupcakes with measurements.

The abundance of fresh produce that comes with springtime in the northern hemisphere and autumn in the southern hemisphere leaves no excuse for not eating our greens.

There are so many nice greens available, you can revel in leafy salad greens if you can't find sugar snap peas you can use frozen peas, also beans, plus many other fresh frozen vegetables.

These days there are more green vegetables coming from the market gardens, also fragrant soft herbs and other spring greenery like spring onions.

Your kitchen will smell like spring with those crispy fresh aromas that come from those salad greens and spicy dressing?

Well here's a scrumptious salad that has plenty of green color in it, just like an Irish meal.

Irish Chicken Salad with Spring Greens

400 gram (14 oz) can coconut milk,

1 cup cold water,

1 red chili finely chopped with seeds removed,

3 chicken breasts,

100 grams (4ozs) snow or frozen peas,

1 green pepper finely sliced,

150 grams (6ozs) mesclun (baby salad leaves - see tip below) of what salad leaves you can buy,

Dressing:

Juice of two limes,

1 tablespoon fish sauce,

2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce,

Method:

1. To poach the chicken, place in a saucepan with coconut milk, water, and chili, and bring to the boil.

Turn down the heat and gently simmer for 10 to 15 minutes (depending on the size of the chicken breasts) until cooked.

Remove chicken and liquid to a large bowl and refrigerate to cool.

2. Cooked snow or frozen peas in boiling, salted water for 30 seconds.

Drain and plunge into ice-cold water to cool, then drain well.

3. Combine salad ingredients in a bowl.

Thinly slice the cold chicken and toss through the salad ingredients.

4. Dress with lime juice, fish sauce, and chili sauce and toss well.

You can experience with other sauces instead of the fish sauce, I like the chili sauce, be careful you do not add too much, it as it can be quite hot.

Prepare 10 minutes Cook 15 minutes Serves 4

Tip: Mesclun is a french term for a mixture of baby salad leaves, often containing a few slightly bitter leaves, such as endive, mizuna rocket or radicchio, along with red and green lettuce leaves.

1 packet lime jelly,

1 1/4 cup boiling water,

300 grams (about 10 oz) trifle sponge ( you can buy it),

2 cups desiccated coconut,

12 clover (shamrock leaves) or icing daisies,available decorating shops,

1/2 cup cream, lightly whipped (optional) you can eat it as a dessert,

Method:

1. Combine jelly crystals with boiling water in a bowl and stir until crystals dissolve.

Place the jelly mixture in the fridge for 5 to 10 minutes to cool and slightly set.

2. While jelly is cooling, trim any dark edges from sponge cake and using a cookie cutter, cut out 12 circles

to fit paper cases. Spread coconut out on a tray.

3. To make the Lamingtons, dip all sides of each sponge circle in cooled jelly mixture and then roll in coconut to coat.

4. Place Lamingtons in paper cases and decorate tops with a daisy or clover (shamrock leaf).

Serve with whipped cream if desired.

Prepare 20 mins Cook Nil unless you make your own trifle sponge Serves 12