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© Bryanna Clark Grogan 2005
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A COUNTRY-STYLE VEGAN ST. PATRICK'S DAY DINNER FOR MARCH 17TH
In North America, we are used to celebrating St. Patrick's Day in a rather gaudy and raucous fashion, with parades, paper shamrocks draping everything in sight, and nauseating offers of everything from green beer to green bread!
The Irish celebrate their patron saint's day as a religious holiday in their native country, however, with most people attending church services.
We might take this opportunity to celebrate the wonderful simplicity and freshness of traditional Irish cookery on this day, with a country-style menu that features not only the ubiquitous potato, but the fresh produce (particularly greens), hot quick breads and apples of the Emerald Isle.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN Saint Patrick’s DAY Soup
Serves 4
Get your greens into the menu by starting with this creamy soup.
1 T. Earth Balance
1 medium potato, peeled and diced
1 small onion, sliced
1 c. sliced mushrooms
1 lb. cleaned, dried, and trimmed fresh spinach
OR 1/10 oz. packg frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
5 c. chicken-style vegetarian broth
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 c. Irish oatmeal (steel-cut oats; **see definition below) OR rolled oats
Salt (about 1 tsp.) and freshly-ground black or white pepper to taste
Tofu Sour Crème (Homemade, or Tofutti)
Melt the Earth Balance over low heat in a non-stick heavy pot. Add mushrooms and onions and stir- fry until softened. Chop spinach finely.
Add the broth, spinach, cloves and diced potatoes. Stir in Irish oatmeal and bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Puree the soup right in the pot with a hand immersion blender, or in batches in a blender (remove the central cap of the blender top and cover it loosely with a folded tea towel while you blend very hot liquids, in order to avoid an explosion of hot soup). Return to the pot. Taste for seasoning and heat through.
Serve into wide soup dishes with a dab of tofu sour crème floating in centre.
** Definition of Irish oatmeal from foodsubs.com:
“steel-cut oats = Irish oats = Scotch oats = pinhead oats = coarse-cut oats = steel-cut oatmeal = Irish oatmeal = Scotch oatmeal = pinhead oatmeal = coarse-cut oatmeal = porridge oats = porridge oatmeal Notes: These are groats that have been chopped into small pieces. They're chewier than rolled oats, and grain aficionados often prefer them for hot oatmeal cereals and muesli. Substitutes: rolled oats (less chewy, takes less time to cook) OR whole oat groats (takes much longer to cook)”
BRYANNA’S SIMPLE IRISH-STYLE VEGAN Baked Mushrooms
Serves 4 as a main dish
Mushrooms have always been an important part of the Irish diet. This simple, but delicious recipe makes a no-fuss and festive main dish.
Earth Balance
16 large cremini (brown) mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped onions
1/2 c. wholewheat breadcrumbs
4 oz. vegetarian sausage
1 tsp. chopped fresh sage (or a generous 1/4 tsp. dried, crumbled)
salt and freshly-ground black pepper
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
Remove stalks from the mushrooms, chop the stalks and set aside. Brush mushroom caps with melted Earth Balance. Saute the onions in a bit of Earth Balance in a non-stick skillet to soften. When tender, mix onion with breadcrumbs, “sausage”, sage and salt and pepper to taste. Divide among the mushrooms, packing the stuffing into the caps. Place mushrooms in a shallow ovenproof dish, pour 4 tablespoons of water (or white wine) into the bottom of the dish, and bake for 15-20 minutes. Serve hot.
IRISH Baked Parsnips
For centuries, parsnips have been enjoyed in rural Ireland..
2 and 1/2 lbs. parsnips, peeled and sliced
3 T. vegetarian broth
salt and freshly-ground pepper
Pinch nutmeg
2 T. Earth Balance
Preheat the oven to 350-375 degrees F.
In a saucepan, cook parsnips in a very little gently boiling water until slightly tender, about 15 minutes. Drain.
In an ovenproof casserole dish, combine parsnips and broth, and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Dot with Earth Balance and bake until browned and tender, 30 to 35 minutes.
BRYANNA’S IRISH Apple MashED POTATOES AND "BACON"
Serves 4
In Ireland, apples show up everywhere!
1 lb. cooking apples (not really sweet ones)
2 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes
1 T. vegan light or white sugar
Earth Balance
Salt and white pepper
1 pckg. Yves Veggie “Canadian Bacon”
Peel the potatoes and cut into even chunks. Cook in salted, boiling water until tender but not falling apart. Meanwhile peel, core, and slice apples. Place in a shallow saucepan with a tablespoon of water, and the sugar. Cook until soft. When the potatoes are cooked, drain and mash thoroughly. Beat in the apples and a little Earth Balance to taste. Taste for salt and pepper. Serve with pan-fried Yves Veggie “Canadian Back Bacon” slices alongside.
BRYANNA’S IRISH SODA BREAD 1 large or 2 small loaves
Called "soda bread" in Ireland and "bannock" in Scotland and parts of Canada, this simple quick bread has become richer over the years. This early version contains no fat (see below for richer version), but is tender and delicious. It makes a great substitute for yeast bread if you run out, by the way-- you can even toast it.
4 c. wholewheat pastry flour
OR use 1 c. oat flour (grind rolled oats in a DRY blender) and 3 c. wholewheat pastry flour OR 1/2 white pastry or cake flour and 1/2 wholewheat pastry flour
1-4 T. unbleached or white beet sugar or Sucanat
1 and 1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
OPTIONAL: up to 1 c. dried currants or raisins
1 T. caraway seeds (don't use dried fruit if you use these)
1/2 tsp. freshly-ground nutmeg
1 and 7/8 c. soymilk or other non-dairy milk mixed with 2 T. lemon juice or vinegar
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
NOTE: This dough is NOT at all like a yeast bread dough-- it's more like a drop biscuit dough. It is soft and sticky. Use wet hands and a wet surface for best handling.
In a medium bowl mix the dry ingredients. Stir in the soured soymilk and mix briefly. Knead for 30 seconds. Pat into 1 large or 2 smaller rounds. about 1 and 1/2" thick. Place on a nonstick or lightly-oiled and floured cookie sheet, or two round cake tins. Cut a 1/4"-deep cross in the top of each loaf with a razor blade. Bake for 10 minutes, then reduce the heat to 375 degrees and bake about 30 minutes more, or until crusty. Use right away or cover with a clean tea towel and cool on a rack.
RICHER VERSION: With your fingers, cut 2-4 T. very cold non-dairy margarine (Earth Balance preferred), oil, or Spectrum shortening into the dry ingredients until crumbly.
BRYANNA’S VEGAN IRISH Oatmeal-Apple Crumble with Whiskey Cream Sauce
Serves 4
This is lower in fat than most Irish recipes, but just as delicious!
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
(NOTE: You could mix in some chopped rhubarb, fresh or frozen, if you like)
1/4 to 1/2 c. vegan sugar
2/3 c. rolled oats
1/3 c. wholewheat flour
1/3 c. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3 T. Earth Balance
Irish Whiskey Cream Sauce:
2 c. Silk or Westsoy organic non-dairy creamer
2 T. golden syrup or maple syrup or agave syrup
2 T. Whiskey (preferably Irish) OR use some whiskey, bourbon or rum extract to taste
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Oil an 8-inch square baking pan and arrange the apples slice on the bottom. Sprinkle with the vegan sugar.
Rub the topping ingredients together in a small bowl with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle over the fruit. Spread evenly over the apples and bake for 40 minutes.
Mix the syrup and whiskey into the soy creamer.
To serve, divide apple crumble onto plates and spoon cream sauce over the top.
