creative cooking
Irish Stew
An Irish
celebration
2 pounds lamb or beef
stew meat
11/2 pounds potatoes
5 medium onions
Salt and pepper to taste
11/2 cups water
St. Patrick’s day is rich in tradition, tastes
By Kathleen Furore
GROWING UP IN Sligo, a town on Ireland’s north-
west coast, Costco member Joe Banks remembers
low-key St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. “It was mostly
a religious holiday over there,” the 49-year-old Oak
Park, Illinois, resident recalls. “It wasn’t as big a
thing as it is here today.”
Indeed, the once primarily religious event has
become a “big thing,” as green-clad revelers flock to
parades and feast on corned beef and cabbage, Irish
stew and fadge (potato bread), and sip Irish coffee
every March 17.
Banks—who has introduced his 12-year-old
daughter, Rose, and her friends to his homeland’s
traditions—will do all those things this St. Patrick’s
Day. “A few years ago I went to Rosie’s class and told
the story of St. Patrick’s Day,” he says. “I took Irish
candy—Irish chocolate and some packets of jelly
tots, which are little sugar jelly candies.”
This March 17, as in years past, the Banks fam-
ily will convene in an Irish restaurant for the family-
friendly féile (festival) featuring Guinness beef stew,
corned beef and cabbage, and soda bread.
A wee bit o’ history
St. Patrick was born in southwest England
around AD 389, which means this patron saint of
Ireland wasn’t even Irish!
When he was 15, Irish raiders kidnapped Patrick
and took him to Ireland. He escaped and returned to
Britain, where he dreamed an angel told him to
become a missionary. He became a priest, and in 432
the pope sent him to Ireland, where he converted the
country to Christianity, according to Ruth Moran,
manager of publicity and communications for
Tourism Ireland (
www.tourismirelandinfo.com).
Historians believe Patrick died on March 17,
sometime between 460 and 490. After he became a
national apostle in 688, churches were told to honor
his memory on March 17.
The Irish identification with the shamrock even
began with St. Patrick. Legend has it he used the
three-leafed shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to
a pagan king, Moran notes.
Trim the meat and cut
into fairly large pieces.
Peel and slice the potatoes and onions. Put
layers of potatoes, meat,
onion and herbs and
seasoning into a pot,
finishing with a layer of
potatoes.
Pour the water over the
meat and vegetables, and
bring to the boil. Simmer
gently for about 2 hours
or bake in a slow oven at
300F. Check during cooking, adding more liquid
if necessary. Makes 4
servings.
Tips: Lamb is traditionally
used in Irish stew, but
beef stew meat is a tasty
option. Carrots and pearl
barley can be added for
extra color and interest.
A good Irish stew should
be thick and creamy, not
swimming in juice.
Recipe is courtesy of
MARCH 2010 ;e Costco Connection 45
Kathleen Furore is a freelance writer based in Oak
Park, Illinois. She specializes in writing about food
trends and traditions for a variety of publications.
PHOTOS COURTESY DISCOVERIRELAND.COM
www.discoverireland.com.
Making merry in modern times
The earliest big St. Patrick’s Day parades were in
New York City and in Boston in the 1700s—little
surprise, given the large number of families with
Irish roots in those cities. Today, St. Patrick’s Day
festivities happen worldwide (even in Japan!). In the
U.S., Chicago, New York, Boston, Savannah, Miami,
San Francisco and New Orleans are among the
major cities that honor the saint.
And in the country that once considered March
17 a religious holiday? St. Patrick is the focal point
of a Dublin festival that includes street theater, fireworks, pageants, exhibitions, music, dancing and a
parade, Moran notes. C
