Lamb kebabs, couscous and minted yogurt
are Middle Eastern, but Guinness is serving
the dish on St. Patrick’s Day. Photo courtesy
Guinness.

Kebabs (variously spelled kababs, kabobs and kebaps) are meat dishes of Persian origin. The concept spread throughout the Middle East and to Greece. The word means “roasted meat.” In different countries the meat can be skewered, sliced from a roast or served in other preparations.

In North America, “kebab” is a shortcut for skewered meat chunks that are grilled or roasted. The term is more properly “shish kebab,” shish being the Armenian word for skewer. (Thus, “fruit kebab,” “vegetable kebab” and other non-roasted-meat kebabs are misnomers. Use the word “skewer” instead.)

If there is no qualification, shish kebab is made with lamb, the leading meat in the Middle East.

While lamb roasts, stews and other preparations are common in Ireland, Justin O’Connor, Executive Chef at the Guinness Storehouse, designed this Mediterranean-inspired lamb kebabs recipe for St. Patrick’s Day. It will be featured at the Guinness Storehouse restaurant in Dublin. If it’s good for Guinness on St. Patrick’s Day, it’s good for everyone!

The lamb can be oven-roasted or grilled.

GUINNESS-MARINATED LAMB KEBABS RECIPE

Ingredients

 
Ingredients For Marinade

Couscous is enriched with the flavors of apricots, mint and parsley. Photo courtesy Guinness.

Ingredients For Minted Yogurt

 
Preparation

1. Slice Meat. Slice the loin into 8 pieces; cube and marinate overnight in a fridge.

2. Slice Vegetables. Dice the peppers, wedge the onions, season and coat in olive oil. Add to the marinating lamb and continue to marinate for 2 to 3 hours. Prior to cooking, preheat oven to 360°F.

3. Skewer. Skewer the lamb and vegetables evenly onto 4 skewers. To cook, place in the oven for 8 minutes or char grill until evenly cooked.

4. Plate. Serve the skewers with couscous, vegetables of choice and a bowl of minted yogurt. Use extra mint leaves (from the minted yogurt) to garnish the couscous. Dried apricots are another Middle Eastern-inspired choice.

Do You Know Your Lamb Cuts?

Take a look at our Lovely Lamb Glossary.

Oysters and bubbly are not just for New Year’s Eve. Oysters on the half shell are a favorite in Ireland. While they’re popular bar food with a beer, you can create a real celebration with sparkling wine.

Whether with Champagne or the lighter and more affordable Cava and Prosecco sparklers, invite friends over to toast to St. Patrick’s Day.

Alexandra Shapiro, owner of the Flex Mussels restaurants in New York City, offers these tips:

Champagne and oysters. Photo courtesy
Champagne Bureau.

The best oysters we know are from Willapa Oysters, which are harvested to order and overnighted to you.

With an abundance of protein and minimal calories, the bubbly-bivalve combination is much healthier cocktail party option than, say, sugar-laden Margaritas and fat-laden nachos.

Forget the old wives’ tale that oysters are best when there’s an “r” in the month. This advice came from the days before refrigeration—much less overnight shipping—when oysters spoiled more quickly in the warmer months.

Everything you need to know about oysters.

Top off your knowledge of sparkling wines.

Yesterday’s St. Patrick’s Day recipe was potato and rosemary rolls. Here’s an Irish stew recipe that those rolls are looking forward to.

This particular recipe is for busy folks who use a slow cooker, courtesy of Spice Islands.

SLOW COOKER BEEF STEW RECIPE

Ingredients

It cooks while you’re at work or doing chores or errands. Photo of beef stew courtesy Spice Islands.

Preparation

1. Mix. Combine flour, sugar, garlic powder, salt, rosemary and pepper in a small bowl.

2. Add. Place frozen vegetables in the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle with flour/spice mixture. Add stew meat, wine, bay leaf and tomatoes.

3. Cook. Place lid on slow cooker and cook on High for 4 to 6 hours or on Low for 8 to 10 hours. Remove bay leaf before serving.

4. Enjoy. Serve with green leafy vegetables, a big salad, and mashed potatoes, noodles or rice.

Find more of our favorite beef recipes.

You can make Irish soda bread for St. Patrick’s Day with this recipe. It’s delicious for breakfast and lunch.

We’re also partial to this Irish brown bread recipe, with raisins and Guinness.

But if you want something less sweet for the dinner table, try this Potato Rosemary Rolls recipe, courtesy of Spice Islands. Don’t wait for St. Patrick’s Day (March 17th): Whip up a batch today!

POTATO ROSEMARY ROLLS RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

You can vary the garnishes on these potato rosemary rolls, to include poppy or sesame seeds. Photo courtesy Spice Islands.

Preparation

1. Make dough. Preheat oven to at 375°F. Combine 1-1/2 cups flour, yeast, sugar, onion, salt and rosemary in a large bowl. Heat milk, potato flakes, water and oil until very warm (120° to 130°F). Stir into dry ingredients. Stir in enough remaining flour to make a soft dough. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth and elastic, about 4 to 6 minutes. Cover; let rise 10 minutes.

2. Divide into rolls. Divide dough into 12 equal portions. Roll each piece into 12-inch rope; tie a loose knot in the center of each rope.

3. Raise dough. Place rolls 2 inches apart on a greased baking sheet. Cover. Let rise in warm, draft-free place until doubled in size, about 20 to 40 minutes.

4. Bake. Brush tops of rolls with egg. If desired, sprinkle with sesame seed, poppy seed or rosemary. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes or until done. Remove from baking sheet; cool on wire rack.

Find more recipes in our Gourmet Bread Products Section.

Don’t like beer? Mix up some Irish Coffee Martinis on St. Patrick’s Day.

This creamy cocktail recipe is courtesy McCormick. Whip it up in just five minutes.

Want the real deal? Here are the history of Irish coffee, the original recipe and recipe variations, including Irish Hot Chocolate for the kids.

IRISH COFFEE MARTINI RECIPE

Ingredients Per Drink

Martinis work for St. Patrick’s Day, if they’re Irish Coffee Martinis. Photo courtesy McCormick.

Ingredients For Vanilla Whipped Cream

 
Optional Irish Whiskey Whipped Cream

 
Preparation

1. Make whipped cream. In a medium bowl, beat whipped cream ingredients with an electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. Makes about 2 cups.

2. Optional rim garnish. Wet outside rim of martini glass with peppermint extract. Dip glass in green sanding sugar or uncolored coarse sugar to lightly coat rim.

3. Mix and shake. Fill cocktail shaker half full with ice. Add first 4 ingredients; shake until well mixed and chilled. Strain into martini glass.

4. Garnish. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and optional green sprinkles.

The toast: sláinte (SLON-teh), or “health” in Gaelic.

There are numerous food approaches to St. Patrick’s Day beyond a plate of corned beef and cabbage and a beer or two.

From now through St. Patrick’s Day, March 17th, we’ll present a daily recipe.

We’re starting out with that corned beef and cabbage, but this one has a holiday twist: a Guinness marinade and champ potatoes.

Champ potatoes are a variation of the traditional Irish dish, Colcannon, made with mashed potatoes, shredded kale or cabbage and onions.

What is corned beef? Corning refers to curing or pickling the meat in a seasoned brine. The word refers to the “corns” or grains of kosher (or other coarse) salt that is mixed with water to make the brine. Typically, brisket is used to make corned beef; the dish has many regional variations and seasonings.

How do you make a better corned beef and cabbage? Marinate it in Guinness! Photo courtesy Guinness.

Irish immigrants adapted corned beef from their Jewish neighbors on New York’s Lower East Side as a cheaper alternative to Irish bacon, precipitating the now-traditional Irish-American dish, corned beef and cabbage. Smoking a corned beef, and adding extra spices, produces pastrami.

This recipe is courtesy Justin O’Connor, Executive Chef at the Guinness Storehouse in Dublin. It will be served at the restaurant on St. Patrick’s Day. This recipe serves 6.

GUINNESS-MARINATED CORNED BEEF & CABBAGE WITH CHAMP POTATOES

Ingredients

A Savoy cabbage. The flavor is similar to the
common white cabbage, but it’s much
more handsome. Photo by Christa Richert | SXC.

Preparation

1. Cook Beef. Place the beef and Guinness into a pot and cover with cold water. Add onion, cloves, bay leaves and peppercorns. Cook for 2 to 2-1/2 hours, or until tender

2. Cook Potatoes. Cook the potatoes in salted water; drain and mash. Add two-thirds of the butter, half the cream and the green onions. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3. Cook Cabbage. Boil the sliced cabbage in salted water for 5 minutes and drain; add 2 tablespoons of butter and season.

4. Make Cream Sauce. Take 100ml of the cooking stock and place in a pot, add the other 200ml cream and simmer for 2 minutes whisking in 50g butter.

5. Serve. Carve the corned beef and plate several slices with a serving of potatoes and boiled cabbage; finish with the cream sauce.

A Brief History Of Cabbage

While the best-known cabbage dishes may be cole slaw (Holland), corned beef and cabbage (Irish-American), kimchi (Korea), sauerkraut (Germany) and stuffed cabbage (Eastern Europe), the leafy green vegetable is native to the Mediterranean.

Cabbage is part of the Brassicae botanical family, the group of cruciferous cancer-fighters that also includes bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, collards, horseradish, kale, kohlrabi, mustard greens and radishes.

Find more of our favorite beef recipes.

Not your mother’s corned beef hash.
Photo courtesy Delmonico’s Steakhouse & Restaurant.

When life gives you corned beef, make corned beef hash. If you’ve got leftover corned beef from St. Patrick’s Day, you can make this delicious gourmet corned beef hash recipe for brunch this weekend.

Hash is a mixture of foods cut into small pieces. Corned beef is typically mixed with chopped onions and diced potatoes. The addition of grated beets creates “red flannel hash.”

Corned beef hash is most often served with fried or poached eggs—it’s nice to mingle soft yolk with the hash—and toast. Some restaurants add hash browns or home fried potatoes.

But we’ve got something special for you: Corned Beef Hash Eggs Benedict. Created by Chef William Oliva of Delmonico’s Steakhouse Restaurant in New York City (the birthplace of Eggs Benedict), this version will dazzle.

If the recipe is too fancy for you, simply turn the leftover corned beef into a conventional hash for breakfast, or use it to make stuffed peppers for dinner.

Leftover pork, poultry, roast beef and veal can also be “hashed,” as can tofu.

We’ve presented a number of cocktails for St. Patrick’s Day, but we’ve saved the best for last. This one contains our favorite food: ice cream.

It’s easy to whip up a Tipsy Leprechaun, a more sophisticated stout float that also contains Irish whiskey and Irish cream liqueur.

The recipe comes from R Lounge, a new lounge/restaurant with a beautiful view of Times Square in New York City.

TIPSY LEPRECHAUN COCKTAIL RECIPE
Ingredients Per Cocktail

 
Preparation
1. Glaze a pint glass with chocolate syrup
2. Blend ingredients and add to glass.
3. Garnish with cherry.
4. Consume.
5. Have another.

We can’t wait to celebrate! Tipsy Leprechaun
recipe and photo courtesy R Lounge in Times Square, New York City.

Want more ice cream? Here are recipes for Chocolate Stout Float and Chocolate Stout Ice Cream

Irish coffee. Photo courtesy Home Essentials.

There are two more days to plan for St. Patrick’s Day. Even if you aren’t Irish, it’s a reason to celebrate with friends and family.

If you do nothing else, treat yourself to an Irish Coffee, which was invented in Ireland—for trans-Atlantic airline passengers on layovers (the history).

Our drink of choice on St. Patrick’s Day is the green-hued Appletini, also known as an Apple Martini or Green Apple Martini. It’s one of our favorite cocktails.

The Appletini turned up during the Martini renaissance of the 1990s. By the turn of this century, lounges offering hundreds of different “Martinis” could be found in major cities from coast to coast.

It’s questionable whether removing the vermouth, adding other ingredients to gin or vodka and serving the cocktail in a Martini glass actually results in a Martini. But the question was lost in the wave of Martinis produced for the cocktail culture revival—from chocolate and espresso to apple pie and dulce de leche.

However, we did not remonstrate when served our first Appletini, a combination of vodka, apple schnapps (liqueur) and optional ingredients including apple juice/purée, sweet and sour mix or lemon-lime soda.

An Appletini for St. Patrick’s Day. Photo
courtesy UltimatVodka.com.

The recipe was expanded to the Spiced Apple Martini, which includes spiced apple cider; the Rumpletini, made with rum; and the Caramel Appletini, made with both apple and butterscotch schnapps.

Here’s a very fine Appletini recipe, courtesy of Ultimat Vodka.