Irish for the day

Written by Joy Paoletti and Judy Vig
Monday, 08 March 2010 18:27

Everyone likes to enjoy St. Patrick’s Day and to be Irish even if it is for just one day. The festivities include parades, parties, celebrations; and wearing green, eating green and definitely drinking green.

When we were children, our father always would stop at the local bakery and bring home the best green bagels, still hot with the steam pouring from the bag; and “just out of the oven” Irish soda bread. One bread was made with caraway seeds for Mom and him, and one with just raisins for us.

Mom would start the day with a St. Patrick’s day breakfast and serve the most beautiful shade of tinted-green pancakes. She then made the traditional dinner of corned beef and cabbage, boiled potatoes and carrots, and rye bread served with spicy brown mustard. It didn’t matter that we were Italian; it was St. Paddy’s Day, and we were going to celebrate.

The Irish have observed this day as a religious holiday for more than a thousand years. It is a holy day that is observed on March 17, during the Christian season of Lent.

Irish families would attend church in the morning and celebrate with a traditional meal in the afternoon. Lenten abstinence of the consumption of meat was waived, and people would dance, drink and feast — on the customary meal of Irish bacon and cabbage.

Corned beef needs at least four hours to simmer and, depending on the amount, may need more time. But time is of the essence here.

St. Patrick’s Day is on a weeknight this year, and there will be no simmering of corned beef at 5 p.m. So we decided to change the recipe a little and give this traditional meal our “two-minute take.” We have taken corned beef and made it into a hamburger-like sandwich.

We are giving you two choices for the corned beef. You can either prepare it ahead of time, or just go to the deli counter and order it thickly sliced. We serve it on a fresh onion roll with a cabbage slaw and a garlic pickle — so delicious. Enjoy.

Corned beef burgers and coleslaw

Makes four servings

8 ounces corned beef slices

8 ounces ground beef (85/15)

1 1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1⁄2 teaspoon salt

1⁄2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/3 cup coarsely chopped parsley

extra-virgin olive oil

onion rolls or hamburger buns

Horseradish mayonnaise (use our recipe or store bought)

Preheat the grill or cast iron skillet on medium high. Place corned beef slices in food processor and pulse for two seconds to shred. In a medium-size bowl, combine the shredded corned beef, ground beef, pepper, salt, cayenne pepper and parsley. Divide the mix into four equal portions and form four (1/4 to 1/3-inch thick) burgers. Brush each side with olive oil. Grill (or cook in skillet) for three to four minutes per side to achieve a medium-well-done burger.

To serve, place 1 tablespoon horseradish mayonnaise on the bottom half of each onion roll, then the patty. Top with one teaspoon more of the horseradish mayonnaise and serve with coleslaw. Enjoy!

Horseradish mayonnaise

8 tablespoons real mayonnaise

4 teaspoons freshly grated horseradish root

Coleslaw

1 bag coleslaw mix, green and red cabbage blend

1/2 red bell pepper, sliced thin into strips

1 red onion cut in half and thinly sliced

Toss all together in a medium-size bowl

Vinaigrette dressing

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1 tablespoon sugar

Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over coleslaw mix; toss again to combine.

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