COOK WITH ME, I'M IRISH
Kiss me: I'm Irish.
You see this slogan on a lot of T-shirts lately, and especially today, of course. In my case, it happens to be true. I am Irish, though I likely won't don a T-shirt that announces it. Pale skin and freckles are enough of an announcement, I think.
There is an inherent wisdom to the timing of St. Patrick's Day that has nothing to do with St. Patrick himself or even with the intent of the holiday. Celebrated in this country since the 1700s as a way for Irish immigrants to pay tribute to their heritage, St. Patrick's Day officially commemorates the day of the saint's death, March 17, 1461. He is credited with bringing Christianity to Ireland and the only snakes he drove out of the country were symbolic ones, those that stood for the paganism that thrived prior to his successful efforts.
What is reflected in the holiday is the season: Green decorations mirror spring's green hills and pastures; flavors of the season, especially chives, leeks and lamb are echoed in many of the holiday's traditional dishes.
And as far as kisses go, isn't that what spring fever is all about?
This soup, similar to Scotch Broth, is a perfect spring tonic. I like to serve it in small cups as an appetizer before Irish stew, corned beef and cabbage or other traditional St. Patrick's Day fare.
Irish Lamb Broth
with Farro
Makes 8 to 10 servings
2?? pounds meaty lamb necks
-- Kosher salt
6 tablespoons semipearled farro, soaked in water overnight and drained
2 leeks, white part only, cleaned and minced
1 green garlic, cleaned and minced
2 carrots, peeled and minced
1 small parsnip, peeled and minced
6 cups thinly shredded cabbage
-- Black pepper in a mill
3 tablespoons very fresh mint leaves, cut into thin slivers
Put the lamb into a soup pot, season with salt and add 12 cups water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, partially covered, for 2 hours. Skim the surface of the simmering water to remove foam and other impurities.
After the soup has been simmering for 90 minutes, add the barley and continue to cook 30 minutes longer; stir in the leeks, garlic, carrot, parsnip and cabbage and season again with salt. Cook for 45 minutes; remove from the heat and cool slightly.
Use tongs to remove the lamb from the liquid, being sure to remove any bones that have fully separated from the meat. Remove all the meat from the bones, discard the bones, chop the meat and stir it into the soup. Reheat, season with several turns of black pepper, taste and correct the seasoning.
Ladle into soup cups, top each portion with a bit of shredded mint and serve.
If you are serving a big group on St. Patrick's Day, you might offer two main courses, corned beef and cabbage, naturally, and lamb stew. This version is very easy to prepare and is both rich and delicately evocative of early spring. You'll want to serve some sort of potato dish alongside, anything from simple boiled new potatoes to the colcannon that follows this recipe.
Lamb Stew with Leeks, Green Garlic and Mustard Bread Crumbs
Makes 8 to 10 servings
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
3 cups coarse bread crumbs from good hearth bread, such as Village Bakery's Sebastopol Sourdough
2 tablespoon minced Italian parsley
-- Kosher salt
-- Black pepper in a mill
1 leg of lamb, boned, outer layer of fat removed
4 tablespoons all-purpose white flour
6 large leeks, white and pale green part only, cleaned
6 to 8 green garlics, cleaned and trimmed
3 or 4 small thyme sprigs
1 cup dry white wine
1 cup water or meat stock
First, make the bread crumbs. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet set over medium low heat. When it is foamy, stir in the mustard and add the bread crumbs. Stir and turn the bread crumbs to thoroughly and evenly coat them with the mustard and butter. Continue stirring and turning for several minutes, until the bread crumbs just begin to take on a bit of color and start to become crisp. Remove from the heat and set aside.
Cut the meat into strips about 1??-inches long by ?? inch wide. Put the cut meat into a bowl, season generously with salt and pepper, add the flour and toss until all the meat is evenly coated.
Cut the leeks and the green garlics into thin rounds.
Arrange half the lamb in a clay pot or other large ovenproof pot and set the thyme sprigs on top. Spread the leeks and garlic evenly over the lamb, season with salt and pepper and top with the remaining lamb, spreading it evenly on top of the leeks. Add the wine and water or stock. Spread the bread crumbs over the top.
Put the pot with the lamb in the middle of a cold oven, set the temperature to 300 degrees and bake for 3?? hours.
Remove from the oven and let rest, without uncovering it, for at least 15 minutes and as long as 30 minutes.
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