St. Patrick’s Day Traditions – Corned Beef & Cabbage

My family couldn’t possibly be less Irish. In fact, we’re Jewish, with Russian, German and Spanish heritage in the mix, but nary an Irish eye a-smiling to be found. And while we don’t have much chance to speak with a brogue or  wear “Kiss Me, I’m Irish” buttons, we do like to celebrate any holiday we can with good food. So when St. Patty’s day rolls around, we get cooking.

Sure, the Irish don’t necessarily have a ton of dishes that come readily to mind when one thinks of great world cuisines, but the country has brought us some amazingly comforting dishes. These are foods that are warm, filling, and almost suffuse your entire body with a sense of well-being, no matter how much delicious cream might be lurking in the potatoes. Personally, I’m a sucker for a heavy plate of corned beef and cabbage, which is about as traditional as it gets for St. Patrick’s Day (understanding, of course, that corned beef isn’t anything even faintly resembling Irish food but somehow has become the plate of choice for the holiday), but I won’t turn up my nose at a bowl of colcannon or some delicious soda bread with a hefty schmear of butter, either. And apparently I’m not the only one. There are bloggers and sites around the web with a little of the Emerald Isle in their hearts as they whip up their own versions of these uber-tasty recipes.

Here are a few of our favorites below:

David Leite is always a pretty tasty stop and serves up his take on making your own corned beef brisket! Sure, you could buy it at the grocery store, but how much more delicious would it be if you made it yourself? Not to mention the ridiculous level of awesome you’d achieve in doing so.

If you want to go a bit more traditional this St. Patty’s Day, Poppytalk is throwing down with a delicious take on colcannon that includes brussels sprouts instead of cabbage. It’s thick and rich and sticks to your ribs in a way that few dishes can. In short, it’ll keep you warm until spring hits in full force!  Though I’d recommend adding a little bacon just to put it completely over the top.

Of course, no St. Patrick’s Day would be complete without tacos, right? Amy, from Amy’s New Kitchen, is a Latina who married an Irishman, so corned beef tacos just seem like the natural place to go. Essentially a reuben on a tortilla, these are far more tasty than one might imagine them to be! And you needed something to do with the leftover corned beef anyway, right?

And if all else fails, there’s always green beer!