If you want a true taste of Ireland this St. Patrick’s Day – ask an Irish chef

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St. Patrick’s Day is on its way this coming this Friday, March 17. When I think of this special day, I fondly remember the first time I visited the exquisite Emerald Isle, the beauty of the landscape, the wonderfully welcoming people – and the unbelievably delicious Irish butter I ate! Honestly, you really haven’t lived until you tried this stuff! A pat of Irish butter leaves you with a true taste of Irish luck!

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Of course there’s more to Irish cuisine than the butter, so we recently reached out to beloved Irish cookbook author and award-winning celebrity chef Kevin Dundon, of the famed Dunbrody Country  House Hotel & Restaurant, in Ireland’s southeast. If anyone knows about Irish cuisine, it would be Dundon, also a cooking instructor who is well-versed when it comes to explaining what the foods of his beloved Ireland are all about.

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We recently reached out to Dundon – who will be visiting Canada shortly – to ask his thoughts on St. Patrick’s Day and its influence on the world today.

Q: Given how everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day, how important is this day to Ireland and the world in general?

A: I think it has to be one of the most fantastic dates for Ireland. To see St Patrick’s Day celebrated all over the  world is amazing. For a small island nation it really is a massive achievement.  We are all delighted that people  everywhere want to claim a little bit of Irishness and hopefully get the yearning to come visit and sample the real  thing!

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Q: If there was one dish that personifies Ireland, what would that dish be?

A: I would say the full Irish breakfast because it’s such an amazing  celebration of so many Irish ingredients, starting with our home-baked brown bread, scones slathered with full fat salted butter followed by eggs from our own hens, cured Irish bacon and sausages, white and black pudding from a choice  of artisan producers around the country.  All washed down with a pot of tea of course!

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Q: What are your favourite go-to foods during this time of year? 

A: Right now in Ireland its cold crisp weather, and the temperatures drop a lot once the sun goes down, so we love our  comfort foods at the moment once we get home.  Lots of slow cooked dishes like Irish stew yes but also dinners like  shepherds pie, casseroles, roasts.

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Here’s a selection of dishes Dundon selected for SUN readers to enjoy this coming St. Patrick’s Day – and any day, given how delicious they are!

Arthurstown Fish Soup

With this delicious soup, all you need is a large chunk of crusty bread! Serves 6.

3 oz. butter

1 small onion, diced

1 leek, trimmed and diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 potato, cubed

3 oz smoked salmon slices, cut into strips about 1/4-inch thick

1/4 cup dry white wine

1-3/4 cups fish stock or water

1 cup mixed fresh fish fillets (such as cod, haddock, hake and salmon), skinned and cut into bite-sized pieces

12 large fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails intake

4 oz. mussels, scrubbed

1 Tbsp. chopped tarragon

1 cup  cream

Salt and black pepper

Heat a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add butter and, once foaming, add onion, leek, carrot, potato and smoked  salmon. Sauté for 2–3 minutes until softened. Pour wine into pan and allow liquid to reduce by half. Add fish stock or  water and bring to a simmer, then add fresh fish and shellfish.

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Reduce heat and return pan to a simmer. Add tarragon and cream, then season with salt and black pepper to taste. Cover  with a lid and simmer gently for a further 2–3 minutes until fish and shrimp are tender and mussels have opened (discard any that remain closed).

To serve, ladle chowder into warmed serving bowls, piling plenty of fish and shellfish into centre of each bowl.

Potato Pie in Puff Pastry

This recipe calls for “Rooster” potatoes, considered the most popular potatoes in Ireland. You can substitute Russet  potatoes here. Serves 4.

1 sheet ready-made puff pastry

Flour for dusting

1 lb. Russet potatoes, scrubbed, dried and very thinly sliced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 Tbsp. parsley, chopped

Salt and pepper

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Egg wash

3/4 cup cream

1 egg yolk

Preheat oven to 350F. Place potatoes, garlic, parsley, and seasoning into a medium saucepan and pour in cream.  Cook  for about 10 minutes until potatoes have softened slightly.

On a lightly floured surface, roll out of pastry and using a plate as a template cut out a large circle of pastry.   The plate used must be larger than the diameter of the pudding bowl as an overhang is necessary.  Using a sharp knife,  lightly score pastry horizonaltly and vertically, ensuring that knife doesn’t fully go through pastry.

Pour potato and cream mixture into an oven-proof bowl. Brush egg yolk on the outer edge of bowl then place pastry disc  over top of bowl. Press pastry onto bowl to secure, and brush with more egg yolk. Place into a preheated oven for 15 minutes until light and golden.

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Irish Whiskey Soda Bread

Makes a 2 lb. loaf.

1/2 cup sultanas

2 Tbsp. Irish whiskey

1 lb. plain flour, plus extra for dusting

1 tsp. bicarbonate of soda

1 tsp. table salt

1-1/4 cup buttermilk

2 Tbsp, milk, for brushing

Butter, to serve

Preheat oven to 325F. Place sultanas with whiskey in a small container. Keep aside to marinate to 30 minutes or  overnight if possible. Once plump, keep in whiskey until needed.

Dust a baking tray with flour. Sift flour and bicarbonate of soda into a large bowl. Add salt. Stir to combine  ingredients. Add sultanas and whiskey. Pour in buttermilk and mix until a soft and sticky dough forms. Put dough on a  well-floured work surface and knead for a minute or two. Shape into a flattened ball and place on prepared baking tray.

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Brush loaf lightly with milk and bake for 45–55 minutes, or until it sounds hollow when tapped on base.  Remove from oven and transfer to a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes.

Serve with butter. See if you can find Irish butter in your local grocery store.

Irish Lamb Stew

Traditionally lamb stew would not have any garlic or leek and very little colouration, but for a modern take, leek are included here. Serves 8.

2 Tbsp. oil

2 lbs. diced stewing lamb

3 small onions, diced

5 carrots, diced

1 leek, sliced

4 sprigs parsley

3/4 cup pearl barley

2 Russet potatoes, roughly chopped into pieces

6 cups vegetable stock

Salt and pepper

In a large saucepan, heat oil and sear meat, 2-3 minutes. Add onion, carrots, leek, parsley, pearl barley, and potato.  Cover with vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper and add parsley stalks. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low.  simmer, covered with a lid for 80-90 minutes until lamb is cooked through and tender. You can let stew cook up to 2  hours on a very low heat or in oven at 350F. for 90 minutes. Serve stew with a sprinkle of fresh parsley.