Hello all and Happy Friday! Don’t forget to set your clocks ahead this weekend! It’s spring forward time! 🙂
Happy St Patrick’s Day! You’ll find green cabbage, and beautiful red Irish potatoes in this week’s bin along with some colorful carrots and super tasty tangerines among my favorite in the bin this week!
A Little History:
- St. Patrick’s Day is observed on March 17 because that is the feast day of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland. It is believed that he died on March 17 in the year 461 AD. It is also a worldwide celebration of Irish culture and history. St. Patrick’s Day is a national holiday in Ireland, and a provincial holiday in the Canadian province of Newfoundland and Labrador.
- In Ireland on St. Patrick’s Day, people traditionally wear a small bunch of shamrocks on their jackets or caps. Children wear orange, white and green badges, and women and girls wear green ribbons in their hair.
- Many cities have a St. Patrick’s Day parade. Dublin, the capital of Ireland, has a huge St. Patrick’s Day festival from March 15-19, that features a parade, family carnivals, treasure hunt, dance, theatre and more. In North American, parades are often held on the Sunday before March 17. Some paint the yellow street lines green for the day! In Chicago, the Chicago River is dyed green with a special dye that only lasts a few hours. There has been a St. Patrick’s Day parade in Boston, Massachusetts since 1737. Montreal is home to Canada’s longest running St. Patrick’s Day parade, which began in 1824.
Check out our favorite ORGANIC St. Patty’s Day meals courtesy of The Daily Green. Yumm! As always, feel free to share your favorite recipes on our Facebook page!
Grandma Kelly’s Organic Beef Stew
A classic Irish comfort food that, like most stews, tastes even better one day after preparation. Consider sprinkling thinly sliced scallions and fresh parsley on each bowl.
Recipe courtesy of Organic Valley.
SERVINGS
6
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons Organic Valley Cultured Butter or Pasture Butter, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 Organic Prairie Boneless New York Strip Steaks (each 8 ounces), cut into 1-inch pieces
1 bottle (12 ounces) stout beer
6 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups beef stock
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 teaspoon crushed thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups finely diced carrots
PREPARATION
1) Heat 2 tablespoons butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Toss beef pieces with the flour and saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. (For better browning, do this in two batches.) Add garlic and saute 1 minute.
2) Add beef stock, beer, tomato paste, honey, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, herbs and spices. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
3) Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Cook vegetables, stirring often, about 20 minutes.
4) Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes longer.
5) Discard bay leaves. Let beef stew stand off the heat 20 minutes or longer. Spoon off any fat. Reheat before serving.
Creamy Potato Soup
Pale Ale and caraway give this rich potato soup a layer of malty, earthy flavor.
Recipe courtesy of Wolaver’s Organic Beer. Wolaver’s recommends using organic products in this recipe.
SERVINGS
4-6
INGREDIENTS
4 medium potatoes, diced
1 medium onion, chopped
1 leek, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups milk
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup sour cream
1 cup ham or corned beef, chopped (optional)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon ground caraway
112-ounce bottle Wolaver’s Organic Pale Ale
PREPARATION
1) In a large saucepan sauté onion, leeks and celery in butter, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Season with salt and pepper.
2) Add garlic, cook for 1 minute. Add flour and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Then slowly add milk, and the mixture will start to thicken.
3) Add the potatoes and half of the beer and bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 20 to 30 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Stir regularly to avoid scorching, and add milk as needed if soup is too thick.
4) Add ham, caraway, sour cream and ¾ cup of the cheddar cheese. Wisk until cheese melts and sour cream is incorporated.
Top with chopped parsley and remaining shredded cheddar.
Herb and Cheese Scones
Here’s a savory take on the often sweet scone. These can be used to top casseroles and stews too.
Recipe courtesy of Darina Allen of the Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland.
INGREDIENTS
3¼ cups unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1½ to 1¾ cups buttermilk
2 tablespoons plus 2 teaspoons freshly chopped herbs (rosemary, sage, thyme, chives, parsley, etc)
1 cup grated mature cheddar cheese
egg wash
PREPARATION
1) Preheat the oven to 450F.
2) Mix all the dry ingredients (including herbs) together in a large wide bowl, make a well in the center and pour in most of the buttermilk. Using one hand, stir in a full circle starting in the centre of the bowl working towards the outside of the bowl until all the flour is incorporated. Add more milk if necessary. The dough should be soft but not too wet and sticky.
3) When it all comes together, turn it out onto a well-floured board. Wash and dry your hands. Roll around gently with floury hands for a second, just enough to tidy it up.
4) Flip over, form it into a round and flatten to approximately 1-inch thick. Stamp out into scones with a cutter, or cut with a knife.
5) Brush the top of each one with egg wash and then dip into grated cheddar cheese, bake on a floured baking sheet for about 20 minutes in a hot oven, or use to cover the top of a casserole or stew. Cool on a wire rack.
