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Hashing Out Saint Patrick’s Day

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Buck Reed, The Supermarket Gourmet

Okay, okay…I get it. We like corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick’s Day. Yet, there is an array of perfectly good Irish food we can eat on this day that might be considered more appropriate. We have coddle, Irish salmon, or my personal favorite, Irish stew. Don’t get me wrong, I like corned beef and cabbage, but I would order Irish-style bangers and mash on St. Patrick’s Day over corned beef and cabbage any time. But, I know every restaurant and bar will be serving corned beef and cabbage, as if this is the only thing they eat on the Emerald Isle. And, of course, you will probably pass up the Guinness and go for whatever beer they happen to be adding green dye to.

However, if you are one of those many who will be foregoing the bar-hopping tradition, you will hopefully be cooking at home and maybe even invite a few friends or neighbors over. Although Irish food is well known for being uncomplicated, most of you will still be making corned beef and cabbage. If you are inviting me over, I like horseradish sauce with mine. One friend of mine once made corned beef and cabbage, but the store was out of green cabbage. She was in a hurry, so she purchased red cabbage instead, and everything she served was purple. The hard part of this operation is trying to convince your guests that purple potatoes were St. Patrick’s favorite way to eat them. 

I say go ahead and have a small party. Except for a few of the more morose poets and a couple of murderous monarchs, the Irish are a mostly friendly people. And we all love that snake-chasing patron saint, so a party in his honor is more than appropriate. So, get your shamrock decorations ready, put on your “Kiss Me, I Should Be Irish” green shirt, and make some corned beef and cabbage. Even better, make extra corned beef and cabbage. It really isn’t that much extra work, and the leftovers can be turned into wonderful dishes. Here are a few ideas: 

• Make hash by chopping up the corned beef and potatoes and fry it up with just a touch of horseradish.

• Even better, add chopped beets to the above to make a red flannel hash. 

• Save the broth and make a coddle-like dish with the vegetables and a bit of corned beef and maybe a nice piece of sausage.

• Fried corned beef might become your second favorite side meat to serve with fried eggs.

• Make a corned beef and cabbage burrito for a quick on-the-go lunch (probably great for a hangover).

• As long as we are on the fusion thing: try corned beef and cabbage stir-fry or, even better, serve it up over your favorite ramen.

• Back to Irish cuisine: how about colcannon?

Need a recipe or have an idea for an article, email me at rguyinthekitchen@aol.com.

Shamrock’s Little Christmas

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Deb Spalding

On Tuesday, January 6, 2014, the public was invited to enjoy the Irish tradition of Women’s Little Christmas at Shamrock Restaurant in Thurmont.

Outside the dining room windows that day at Shamrock, diners observed beautiful soft snow falling, as they settled in the fire-warmed dining room listening contently as singers, Nita Corn and her daughter Eileen, sang Irish and holiday tunes. For the folks who ventured out, it was an enjoyable afternoon.

Shamrock’s Donna Demmon welcomed visitors by visiting each table. She explained that after the ladies in Ireland have worked to create a festive holiday for their families, they are rewarded with a girl’s outing to celebrate. 

“Ladies would go to the pub and sit and have a Guinness. The publican (man or woman who owns the pub) would serve them free corned beef sandwiches on Women’s Little Christmas. We’re serving to everyone who comes in today, ladies and gentleman, a complimentary Reuben Sandwich,” said Demmon.

Donna enjoyed visiting the folks at each table and making sure they understood the tradition that was being celebrated. She presented each table with free corned beef pinwheels.

Before the snow, Donna said that the reservations for the event were more than she had hoped, but with the weather conditions, many did not venture out. She plans to host the event annually and continue to share the tradition.

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Shamrock Restaurant’s Donna Demmon is shown serving Jackie Campbell, Carol Robertson, and Kathy Cogan corned beef pinwheels during Little Women’s Christmas.