Smoked Corned Beef

Corned beef is not traditionally eaten in Ireland on Saint Patrick's Day, but my Irish grandmother always made it so I'm continuing the tradition.




3 lb corned beef brisket, wash and pat dry
1 smoker bag, Savu beef bag preferred

Preheat oven to 475 and position oven rack to lowest setting. Place brisket in smoker bag, fat side up. Seal bag by double folding opening and turn up corners. Place bag in roasting pan and put in oven. Bake 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 375 and cook 1 hour and 45 minutes, total cooking time of 2 hours.

Remove roasting pan from oven and let meat rest in pan up to one hour. Remove meat from bag and slice against grain. Serve warm with colcannon or steamed Brussels sprouts. Serves 6.

Chef's Note: The smoked flavor of this beef makes an excellent substitution for pastrami and a delicious Reuben Sandwich.

Irish Teacake

1 1/2 c dried currants *
1 c strong tea, cooled
1 c brown sugar
2 c self-rising flour
1 egg
Butter for serving, softened

Place currants, tea, and sugar in medium bowl. Stir to combine and let soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 350. Line one 9 x 3 loaf pan with parchment paper, including a cover, and set aside. Stir flour and egg into currant mixture and bake 1 hour. Remove paper cover and bake 1/2 hour more or until pick incerted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes, remove to rack to cool completely. Serve with lots of butter.

Chef's Note: *Zane grapes are used to make dried currants, which are much smaller and sweeter than California raisins. Currants are usually available at Christmas time for making English puddings and such, but unfortunately I had not bought any soon enough to have them for Saint Patrick's day this year. So I substituted dried blueberries for currants in this recipe. Blueberries aren't Irish but came in closer to the correct taste than a raisin would have.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

A traditional Irish soda bread only contains four ingredients; flour, salt, buttermilk (or sour milk) and baking soda. If you add fruit, it's a cake. If you add seeds, it's a seeded bread not a soda bread.





4 c (16 oz) all purpose unbleached flour
1 t baking soda
1 t salt
14 oz buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425. Lightly grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan.

Sift dry ingredients in large bowl. Add buttermilk and stir with a wooden spoon to form a sticky dough. Place on floured surface and lightly knead, just until dough comes together. Do not over knead as bread will become tough when baked. Shape dough into a mound, place in prepared cake pan, and score an X in top of loaf.

Cover the pan with another pan and bake for 30 minutes. Remove cover and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until golden and top sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from pan and cover lightly with a tea towel sprinkled with water. Do not seal bread in an airtight container as it will lose its crust. Let bread rest 4 to 6 hours before serving. Best eaten the day it's made.

Parmesan Pasta with Chicken and Spinach

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
1 T olive oil
1 box Parmesan Cheese Pasta Roni
1 2/3 c water
2/3 c milk
2 T butter
1 t Italian seasoning
1/2 t garlic powder
4 c fresh spinach leaves
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in large nonstick skillet. Season cubed chicken with salt and pepper and cook until no longer pink and juices run clear. Add water, milk and butter. Bring to boil. Add contents of Pasta Roni (pasta and seasonings), Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Stir until pasta is tender and sauce has thickened, approximately 6 minutes. Add spinach, cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer 5 minutes. Uncover, stir and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 5 as a main dish.