“May the roof above us never fall in, And the friends gathered below it never fall out.”
There is an Irish saying that goes: “St. Patrick’s Day is an enchanted time, a day to begin transforming winter’s dreams into summer’s magic.” That seems as good a reason as any other I can think of to celebrate St. Paddy’s Day because, even though we’ve had an unusually mild winter, I think we’re all ready for some summer magic, whatever that means to you.
Would it surprise you to know that the very first St. Patrick’s Day parade did not happen in Ireland, nor in Great Britain, nor anywhere in northern Europe?
It happened in Boston, on March 17, 1737, and wasn’t really a celebratory event. Irish immigrant workers decided to hold a protest march to bring attention to the low status in which they were held by just about everyone at that time, as well as the lack of jobs for the ever increasing number of Irish immigrants coming to this country. St. Patrick was the most popular and well-known Irish saint, so they decided to hold their protest march on his designated saint’s day, March 17.
Now, of course,
St. Patrick’s Day parades happen everywhere, including Ireland, and the hundreds of thousands of marchers who join in are not necessarily Irish and they’re certainly not marching as part of a protest. This is one day of the year when it’s said that “everyone is Irish on St. Patrick’s Day.” It’s a pub-hopping, beer-drinking, partying sort of day, even though poor St. Patrick himself wasn’t exactly the partying sort.
Patrick began life as Maewyn Succat, and he was British, not Irish, born to wealthy parents early in the 4th century A.D.
When he was 16, rowdy Irish raiders invaded his town, took him captive and made him a slave in Ireland, tending sheep. Maewyn dreamed one night that he would escape and return to England, so the very next day, as the story goes, he did exactly that.
He hadn’t been back long in England, however, before he had another dream, this time telling him he should become a man of God and return to Ireland to teach them about Christianity and, presumably, stop their marauding ways and bad manners.
Maewyn studied for 15 years to become a priest, changed his name to Patrick, and left for Ireland to deliver them from paganism.
The rest, as they say, is history, but if you’re wondering about those snakes he supposedly drove out of Ireland, forget it. Scientists determined some time ago that Ireland, an island that broke away from the continent millions of years ago, never had snakes in the first place, and still has none. Snakes are a symbol of evil, however. Thus, when Patrick finally all but eliminated paganism in Ireland, he was credited with driving out the “serpents of evil.”
Patrick died on March 17, 461 A.D., leaving us with a legend and a reason to celebrate the good priest’s life and work, but most of all to celebrate the fact that he changed his name to Patrick. Can you imagine celebrating St. Maewyn Succat’s Day?
RECIPES
Of course there must be corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and bread, but my favorite part of St. Patrick’s Day dinner is the leftover corned beef, which means Reuben sandwiches on March 18. There are dozens of other ways to use leftover corned beef, however, should you be among those who don’t care for Reubens. Try putting your corned beef on top of a potato, as in this tasty dish.
BAKED POTATO WITH CORNED BEEF
4 large baking potatoes (Russet)
Olive oil
Coarse kosher salt
Cooked corned beef, sliced and then cut into strips about ¼-inch thick
2 T. quality olive oil
2 bell peppers, one green and one orange (carrying on with St. Pat’s Day theme), cut into strips about ¼-inch wide
1 onion, halved and thinly sliced
1 cup heavy cream
2 t. chopped fresh parsley or chives
4 t. butter
Fresh chopped parsley or chives, for garnish
Rub potatoes with olive oil; sprinkle with coarse salt and place on a baking sheet. Pierce with a fork a few times and bake in a preheated 400-degree oven until tender, about 1 hr.
Heat the 2 T. olive oil in a skillet over med. heat; add bell peppers and onion and saute’ until the peppers are soft and the onion caramelizes, about ½ hr. Add cream, chopped parsley or chives and corned beef strips. Simmer until the corned beef is heated through and the cream thickens slightly, about 1 min. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cut a cross in each potato and press lightly on the sides to open it up slightly. Add a bit of salt and pepper and
1 t. butter to each and mash it in a bit with a fork. Top each potato with the corned beef mixture and garnish with chives or parsley. Serves 4.
There’s more than one way to enjoy a Reuben; it doesn’t have to be a sandwich. This is an easy leftover supper for two, but can be doubled or more, as needed.
REUBEN CASSEROLE
8 oz. sauerkraut, drained
1/8 t. caraway seed
1 tomato, cut into thin wedges
2 T. thousand island salad dressing (or to taste)
4-5 oz. corned beef, thinly sliced and/or cut up
1/4 cup shredded Swiss cheese
1/4 cup soft rye bread crumbs
2 t. butter, melted
Place sauerkraut in a small baking dish. Sprinkle with caraway and top with tomato wedges, salad dressing and corned beef. Distribute Swiss cheese over the top. Toss the bread crumbs with the melted butter and sprinkle over the casserole. Bake in a preheated 375-degree oven until heated through, about 25-30 min. Serves 2.
If it’s St. Paddy’s Day, there must be cabbage with your corned beef, right?
Well, this particular cabbage dish goes well with many other things (pork, salmon, veal cutlets) and is delicious any day, if you’re fond of cabbage. This will serve 8-10, which makes it ideal for a buffet, but is easily cut in half.
SWEET & SOUR RED CABBAGE
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 med. head red cabbage, shredded (about 10 cups)
2 bacon strips, diced
1 tart apple (such as Granny Smith), peeled and chopped
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup water
2 T. white wine vinegar (or use more cider vinegar if you don’t have wine vinegar)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Pinch ground cloves
In a large bowl, stir together the cider vinegar and both sugars until the sugars are dissolved. Add cabbage and toss to coat. Let stand for 5-10 min.
In a large skillet over med. heat, cook the bacon until crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon; reserve the drippings (come on, it’s not that much and adds a lot of flavor). In the drippings, saute’ the apple and onion until tender. Add water and cabbage mixture. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1/2 hr. Stir in remaining ingredients and simmer, uncovered, for 5 min. more, or until tender. Just before serving, sprinkle with the reserved bacon. Serves 8-10.
