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Irish Soda Bread with a delicious golden crust on the outside, moist and fluffy on the inside, and generously studded with plump raisins is the best quick bread loaf you’ll ever have! It’s perfect for all your St. Patrick’s celebrations but just as good all year long.

Here are a few helpful tips on how to make the best Irish Soda Bread at home:

• Quick breads use baking powder as the leavening agent. Check the expiration of your baking powder and make sure it’s fresh to ensure a full rise.
• Preheat your oven before you start preparing the batter. You don’t want the batter to stand too long before it goes into the oven as it may cause the middle of the bread to sink.
• For a moist, tender crumb, do NOT overmix the batter. Once you add the liquid to the flour mixture, stir just until the dry ingredients are moistened. Overmixing the batter will result in peaks, tunnels, and tough texture. A few lumps here and there are GOOD.
• Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture instead of pouring the liquid ingredients all over. This will help you combine the wet and dry ingredients uniformly, preventing overmixing.

Ingredients

Recipe and photos by onionringsandthings.com©

Not just for St. Patrick’s Day, Irish stew (AKA Guinness stew) is the pinnacle of comfort food, worthy of being celebrated all year long.

With its signature rich flavor from Guinness stout, this stew is an absolute go-to dinner to cozy up to any time you need an extra touch of hearty comfort. Ready to try your hand at this warming recipe? Read on for all my top tips on how to perfect it.

How To Make Irish Beef Stew

INGREDIENTS

• Beef: I like beef chuck stew meat for this recipe because it has tons of beefy flavor as well as ample connective tissue, which breaks down into gelatin during cooking, turning the meat tender and succulent and lending body to the broth. What’s more, chuck is one of the more affordable cuts you’re likely to find.
• Aromatics: I use onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, cooked gently until soft and sweet (but not browned), to lay down a strong flavor foundation for my stew.
• Potatoes: Russets are my go-to for this stew. Their high starch content serves as a natural thickener, obviating the need for a roux and other starchy thickener.
• Broth: I use beef broth for an added layer of beefiness, and I stick with low-sodium broth for more control over the stew’s salt level.
• Beer: For Irish stew, nothing compares to Guinness. This classic Irish stout contributes tons of roasty, malty flavor—you might discern echoes of caramel and coffee—and pairs stunningly well with the beef. In addition, Guinness adds body to the broth while giving it a rich brown color. Is there anything Guinness can’t do?
• Thyme: I use fresh thyme to bring a bit of herbal brightness to the rich stew.

STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

Kick off the proceedings by seasoning the beef generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper (don’t be shy!).

Now that the beef is well seasoned,Return the beef along with any accumulated juices to the pot.

Add the potatoes, broth, beer, and thyme, scraping up the flavor-packed browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat so the broth sits at a simmer. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook, adjusting the heat as needed to maintain a simmer (don’t let the stew boil!), until the beef and potatoes are tender, about 30 minutes.

Hold off on garnishing with parsley until the stew is in the bowls.

Recipe Tips

• Brown the beef in batches: Browning the beef well is a critical step in building tons of savory, complex flavor. To do this, the beef needs space in the pot; otherwise, it will steam instead of sear. So, take your time and work in batches. In the process, you’ll be building a layer of caramelized browned bits (known as “fond”) in the bottom of the pot, which will eventually dissolve into the broth, infusing it with tons of robust umami flavor.
• Simmer, don’t boil: Stew meat needs to be cooked over low heat, i.e., simmered, for a long time to become tender. Don’t be tempted to accelerate this process by cooking at a boil—you’ll only wind up with shoe leather.
• How do you thicken Irish stew? If your stew isn’t as thick as you’d like, continue simmering it for a few minutes more with the lid off until you reach your desired texture. The starchy potatoes naturally thicken the dish slightly, but you can also try mashing and stirring a few of them into the stew to thicken it further.

What To Serve With Irish Beef Stew

I love to serve this stew with crusty sourdough bread or Irish brown bread, but if you’re looking to double down on the potatoes, you could serve it with a heaping bowl of mashed potatoes alongside.

Storage

The cooked and cooled stew can be refrigerated for up to 4 days. You can also freeze it for up to 1 month, but note that freezing stew with potatoes may affect the texture once thawed and reheated.

it’s time to put a good sear on it. The aim is a deep brown color, so you’ll want to cook it in two batches to avoid crowding the pot. Grab a large Dutch oven and heat 2 Tbsp. oil over medium. Using tongs, place half of the beef in the pot, leaving space between each piece. Cook until seared on all sides, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining beef.

On to the aromatics. Add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the pot, followed by the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper.

Yields: 6 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes

Ingredients

• 3 tbsp.extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 lb.beef chuck stew meat, cubed into 1″ pieces
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2medium carrots, peeled, cut into rounds
• 2celery ribs, finely chopped
• 3garlic cloves, minced
• 3medium russet potatoes, peeled, cut into large chunks
• 4 c.low-sodium beef broth
• 1(11.2-oz.) bottle Guinness
• 2 tsp.fresh thyme
• Finely chopped fresh parsley, for serving

Directions

1. In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, heat 2 Tbsp. oil. Season beef with salt and pepper. Working in batches if needed, add beef to pot and cook on all sides until browned, about 10 minutes total. Transfer beef to a plate.
2. In same pot over medium heat, heat remaining 1 Tbsp. oil. Cook onion, carrots, and celery, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 7 minutes; season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute more.
3. Return beef to pot, then add potatoes, broth, beer, and thyme. Scrape bottom of pot to release any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce heat to medium-low and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper. Cover and let simmer until beef and potatoes are fork-tender, about 30 minutes.
4. Divide stew among bowls. Top with parsley.

Source: Delish©

Photo credit: © parker feierbach

St. Patrick’s Day is known as more of a, shall we say, adult holiday—what with all the booze and strong flavors (hello, corned beef and cabbage)—but we’re here to tell you: It can also be totally family-friendly. We think one of the best ways to do that is to add some light-hearted, fun desserts to your holiday spread in the form of Irish-inspired or Pinterest-worthy themed desserts. These St. Patty’s Day desserts are sure to be beloved by all, kids and adults alike.

When it comes to conventional Irish desserts, we’ve got to admit we’re taking some liberties. Our fave on this list, Irish soda bread, doesn’t usually contain any add-ins, much less the chocolate chips we’ve included (but they’re delicious!). What’s more standard is our Irish apple cake—we love fruit desserts because they feel slightly lighter, so we’ve included scones, apple crumble, and apple crisp too. They’re great for a little something sweet after a hearty Irish-themed dinner.

Looking for something over-the-top cute for your celebration? Everyone will love our shamrock cookies, our leprechaun bait, our pot o’ gold cups, or our Irish potato candy (coconut truffles that just look like potatoes). Kids will flip over them, and even miserly adults who don’t care for adorable can enjoy—they count as something green, so there’s no fear of getting pinched!

St. Patrick’s Day Cookies

Looking for an easy dessert to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day? Look no further than these shamrock-shaped cookies. Our sugar cookie recipe and simple royal icing makes these ridiculously easy to make and decorate—you don’t have to be a baking whiz to create these festive cookies. If you’re in need of an adorable (and delicious) good luck charm this St. Paddy’s day, you can’t go wrong with snackin’ on these cookies all day long.

Ingredients

For the cookies

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for surface
• 1 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 Tbsp. milk
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

For the royal icing

• 5 cups powdered sugar
• 1/3 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup milk, plus more for thinning 
• 1/4 tsp. almond extract (or vanilla) 
• Green food coloring  

Directions

1. Step 1In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy and pale in color. Add egg, milk, and vanilla and beat until incorporated, then add flour mixture gradually until just combined. Shape into a disk and wrap in plastic. Refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Step 2When ready to roll, preheat oven to 350º and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a clean work surface and roll out dough until 1/8” thick. Use a shamrock cookie cutter to cut out shapes and transfer to prepared baking sheets. Freeze 10 minutes.
3. Step 3Bake cookies until edges are lightly golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Let cool completely. 
4. Step 4Meanwhile, make icing: In a large bowl, combine powdered sugar, corn syrup, milk, and extract. Add more milk a teaspoon at a time, if necessary, to thin out frosting. You want it to be thick enough that it holds its shape when piped for outlining the cookies. Add green food coloring until desired color is reached. 
5. Step 5Transfer about ⅓ of the icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe around the edges of cookies to create a border. 
6. Step 6Add 1 tablespoon milk to remaining icing to create a thinner consistency for flooding the cookies. Add more milk 1 teaspoon at a time to thin it out more, if necessary. 
7. Step 7Transfer icing to a piping bag fitted with a small round tip. Pipe icing into center of cookie to fill it in completely. Use a toothpick to pop any air bubbles or help the icing spread into corners. Let dry at room temperature.

Try this link: delish.com/cooking/g26291458/easy-irish-desserts/

Photo ©PARKER FEIERBACH