Stokes Sauces: St Patrick's Day Celebrations

The Feast of St Patrick is a cultural and religious festival celebrated by many hundreds of thousands of people in every corner of the world on 17th March.

And would you believe it, they're playing England at Twickenham in the last of the Six Nations RFU - what a feast that promises to be.

Did you know:

‘Why is the Shamrock the National Flower of Ireland ?’
It's said to be because St. Patrick used it to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans.

'What is the custom of drowning the shamrock ?'
Well, the shamrock that has been worn on a lapel or hat during the day of celebrations is put in the last drink of the evening.

'Why is St Patrick known for driving the snakes from Ireland?'
It is perfectly true there are no snakes in Ireland, but there probably never had been. The island was separated from the rest of the continent at the end of the Ice Age. Driving the snakes from Ireland was probably symbolic of putting an end to pagan practices.

Your own 3 course Feast of St Patrick

We'll start with Mussels, then an Irish Stew and 'green crisp cakes' to have with an Irish coffee.

Why mussels?
This double-shelled mollusc with an inky blue-black curved shell is native to Ireland and has been eaten there since ancient times. And, thanks to sweet Molly Malone, mussels are associated with Ireland throughout the world.

In Dublin’s fair city,

Where the girls are so pretty,

I first set my eyes on sweet Molly Malone.

As she wheeled her wheel-barrow,

Through streets broad and narrow,

Crying, “Cockles and mussels, alive, alive, oh!”

“Alive, alive, oh,

Mussels with Chilli Bacon

You'll need:

a small knob of butter
6 rashers of smoked bacon, diced
2 shallots sliced finely
a sprig or two of fresh thyme leaves
1.5 Kg small pan-ready mussels
a glass of dry cider
2 tbsp crème fraîche
1 tbsp Stokes Chilli Jam

Here's how:

Heat the butter in a large pan and fry the bacon gently for 4 minutes. Add the sliced shallots, thyme and Chilli Jam for another minute. Gently add the mussels and the cider and turn the heat right up with the lid on. After 6 or 8 minutes check that all of the mussels have opened, discarding any that haven't.

Drain the cooking liquor into a smaller pan, add the crème fraîche and a little more butter for the sauce to pour over the plated mussels and serve with sourdough bread.

Irish Stew

This is a hearty Irish feast in one bowl that can be cooked long and slow using mutton or as an ordinary stew with cubed shoulder cuts of lamb for succulent flavour.

You'll need:

2-3 potatoes per person
500 g cubed shoulder cut of lamb
500 g carrots sliced.
1 small onion finely chopped.
a small cup full of pearl barley
2 vegetable stock bouillons
2 tbsp of Stokes Tomato Ketchup
1 tsp of Stokes Mint Sauce

Here's how:

Put all your cubed lamb into a large flame proof pan and just cover with water. Add the pearl barley, bring to the boil and simmer for half an hour until the lamb is cooked. Add the carrots, onion, stock bouillons and cook for a further half an hour. Now add the potatoes, ketchup and mint sauce, cover and cook for a further hour or until the potatoes are soft when prodded with a sharp knife.

The only other thing you'll need is a good hunk of bread to soak up the juices.

Green Krispies & Irish Coffee

You'll need:

6 cups of Rice Krispies
60 ml of margarine
1/2 tsp of vanilla extract
1 tsp of green food colouring
1 250 g pack of mini marshmallows

Here's how:

Line a baking tray with baking parchment and rub it well with buttered kitchen roll. Melt the margarine gently in a large pan adding the marshmallows while stirring. Remove it from the heat and add the vanilla extract and food colouring, then the cereal, coating it thoroughly. Spoon and flatten the mixture in the baking tray and set aside to cool.

To finish ... Irish Coffee

Pour piping hot coffee into a warmed glass until it is about 3/4 full.

Add the brown sugar and stir until completely dissolved.

Blend in Irish whiskey.

And top with a collar of double cream by pouring gently over back of a warmed, wet spoon.

"I have simple tastes.
I am always satisfied with the best"

...was Oscar Wilde thinking of Stokes ?

More foodie thoughts for the week: