St. Patrick’s Day takes place a week before Lent is over. Lent is the six weeks of the year when people of Christian faith would refrain from eating sweets, drinking alcohol, or any of that indulgent nonsense. So after several weeks of depriving yourself, it’s no wonder that St. Patrick’s Day devolved into an all-out booze fest.
These days, there’s a movement towards celebrating an alcohol-free St. Patrick’s Day however, with the likes of the “Paddy’s Day Unlocked” event taking place in Dublin (“locked” is one of the many slang words we have in Ireland for “drunk”). When I still lived in Ireland, I’d avoid St. Patrick’s Day gatherings, as they were all about excess and overdoing it.
If, like me, you’d prefer to eat your calories on St. Patrick’s Day, rather than drink them, check out these five traditional Irish recipes.
Irish Pancakes
For a lighter start to the day, whip up a batch of these light and delightful pancakes, which are traditionally served rolled up, with just a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkling of sugar, the simple taste is but unforgettable.
This is the taste of an Irish childhood, wherein you’ll be 10 again. We would usually make up these pancakes on, the aptly titled, “Pancake Tuesday,” the tradition which stems from preparation for Lent. For religious folk, this was a day in early February when you’d use up those lovely baking ingredient staples in your kitchen, as you wouldn’t be indulging in any treats for the Lent period ahead.
If you’re not religious but you love pancakes, it’s just Pancake Tuesday, and who doesn’t love an excuse to make pancakes. A crowd-pleaser and perfect start for St. Patrick’s Day. Here’s a recipe I tried and rested recently, from the Irish Food Board.
Irish Breakfast Omelette
The typical “Full Irish Breakfast” is a plate piled high with pork sausages, eggs, rashers, black pudding, white pudding, mushrooms, beans, toast. Ridiculously chirpy Irish chef Donal Skehan does a grand job championing Irish ingredients and recipes, and the full Irish he makes is no exception.
Donal’s take on the full Irish is an Irish breakfast omelette, which means you can include or leave out whichever ingredients you like. Here, Donal goes with rashers, black pudding and baby potatoes.
What are rashers? That’s what we call slices of bacon. What’s black pudding? Currently doing the rounds as a newly christened superfood, black pudding is erm … made from pig’s blood and oats, sorry.
A lazy Sunday would usually be the day to tuck into a hearty Full Irish Breakfast, but it’s allowed on a lazy St. Patrick’s Day.