Gearing Up For St. Patrick’s Day With Irish-Texan Cuisine
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The Lone Star State has been influenced by Irish-American culture since the 18th century. Believed to be the first Irishman in Texas, Hugh O’Connor migrated in 1767 from Dublin to New Spain (modern-day Texas). There, he served in the Spanish military and changed his name to the more Hispanicized Hugo Oconór. Oconór played a major role in reinforcing the defense of the fledgling border territory from Apache raids, and by 1770, had been made governor of Texas and had helped to establish the San José Church.
Eventually, the empresarios James Heweston, James Power, John McMullen, and Jame McGloin were permitted by the Mexican government to bring in more migrant settlers to their colonies. The Irish-Texan settlements stretched from Corpus Christi to the north and up to near the city of Victoria and Northwest of the state between the San Antonio and Nueces rivers. Eventually, these Irish settlers integrated into Texas and participated in major historical events. And throughout history, these Irish-Texans inculcated to different people their cuisines.
St. Patrick’s Day is fast approaching and, with the return to daily life towards something close to the former normalcy that we are all familiar with, I can’t wait to enjoy the different festivities that await. For me, nothing compares to celebrating St. Patrick’s Day the Texan way. Parades, green beers, and, of course, filling dishes that you can see served in various Irish pubs and restaurants across the Lone Star State.
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Here are three dishes in Texas that have a bit of the old country in them.
Beef Irish Stout Stew
A bit on the bitter side, this dish puts everything together in the most Irish-Texan way. You’ve got beef that’s quite abundant in the Lone Star State. The cuts of tenderized round or rump roast alone are making my mouth water with recipe ideas. Potatoes and carrots are quite common in both Ireland and Texas. To bind everything together, you’ve got this rich velvety dark brown sauce that’s accented with flavors from the breakfast stout Full Grown Man-Child brewed by Tupps Brewery. The balance of bitterness from the classic Irish stout and brown sugar (how long does sugar last?) is quite an experience.
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Recipe:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil (how long does vegetable oil last?)
2 pounds rump or round roast (cut in cubes)
3 large onions, sliced
¼ cup all-purpose flour (how long does flour last?)
8 carrots (peel and slice into thick pieces)
1 bunch of celery (sliced thick)
8 cups of beef stock or canned low-sodium beef stock
1 cup Full Grown Man-Child by Tupps Brewery stout (drink the rest)
1 teaspoon caraway seeds (how long do caraway seeds last?)
1 tablespoon raisins (how long do raisins last?)
1 tablespoon tomato puree
Ground salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley (minced)
Heat a heavy skillet over high heat. Pour in the vegetable oil and wait for it to heat up. Divide the cubes of meat into batches. Cook meat per batch with constant stirring until meat is slightly browned (5 minutes per batch). Finish each batch and, once done, transfer to a larger pot or, if you’re well equipped, a Dutch oven.
Now that there’s a bit of grizzle on the skillet, make sure to set it aside. Over medium heat, sauté the onions in the skillet until soft (5 minutes will do). Get your flour and add it to your skillet then stir to coat the onions evenly. Get all of the onions from the skillet and transfer them to your large pot or Dutch oven. At this point, add all of your other ingredients except the parsley. (Add a little salt and pepper then gauge taste once almost done)
Cover the pot and cook on low heat for 2 to 2 ½ hours. After the meat is tender, check the taste and you can add seasoning to taste. Sprinkle the stew with parsley.
Irish Brownies
Give a great Irish-American take on one of the most favorite snacks of all time with this recipe. Packed with bitter-sweet chocolate (What wine goes well with chocolate?) and white chocolate that blends well with the flavor profile of Chocolate Stout from the Shannon Brewing Co, this dessert is going to be perfect for St. Patrick’s Day. Despite my reluctance to pour beer into the batter, I soldiered on and found out that you really can’t taste the beer in the brownie. Instead, it makes for a rich brownie that has a bit of an Irish kick to it.
Recipe
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons unsalted butter (get to room temperature then cut into cubes)
8 ounces dark bittersweet chocolate (chopped into chunks)
¾ cup white chocolate chips (how long do chocolate chips last?)
4 large free-range eggs (get to room temperature)
1 cup granulated sugar
1-¼ cups (10 ounces) Shannon Brewing Co’s Chocolate Stout (get to room temperature and drink the foam before pouring)
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
⅛ cup confectioner’s sugar (for dusting brownies)
Get your oven up to 375F. While the oven is heating up, line a 9x13-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. Get a medium bowl and put in the flour, cocoa powder, and flour. Mix until everything is evenly combined. Set aside.
Set up a double boiler and put in butter, bittersweet chocolate, and white chocolate chips. Melt in a double boiler with heat set to low while stirring constantly until everything is melted. Remove from heat and set aside. Beat eggs and sugar in a large bowl until smooth. (3 minutes) Pour in the chocolate mixture into the egg and sugar mixture and beat until evenly combined.
Get your flour mixture and combine it with the melted chocolate mixture. Pour in the Irish stout (don’t forget to drink the foam). Notice during this part of the process that the batter will be a bit thin but don’t panic. As they say, trust the process. Add in your semisweet chocolate chips evenly on top of the batter. (some chips will sink)
Pour in the batter evenly onto the non-stick foil-lined baking pan. Place the pan on the center rack of your oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. To check if the brownies are done baking, you can insert a toothpick into the brownies and if it comes out clean you can take it out. Let the brownies cool off a bit after being taken out of the oven. Evenly dust the confectioner’s sugar before cutting up and serving.
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Irish Stout Ice Cream with Chocolate-Honey Sauce
Chocolate honey (how long does honey last?) sauce and a good Irish stout might seem a bit far-fetched but trying this out a few years back I saw the light. The whole recipe works by blending the tastes of vanilla bean, and the chocolate-honey sauce with the Fireside Imperial Stout of the Vista Brewing. The flavors, if you look at it ingredients-wise, the addition of beer kind of makes it seem a bit off but you really can’t taste it. There will be hints of cocoa, marshmallow, and molasses (how long does molasses last?) flavors from the beer that goes well mixed in the vanilla and chocolate-honey sauce. A great addition to capping off a heavy meal this St. Patrick’s Day.
Recipe:
12 ounces Irish stout
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups whole milk
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean (split in half, lengthwise)
6 egg yolks
Get a large saucepan and put over medium heat, pour in the Irish stout, and reduce till it reaches ¾ of its original volume. In a medium-sized heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, milk, and cream. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the vanilla bean halves into the pan. Bring to a light boil over medium heat. Remove from the stovetop and set aside.
In a medium bowl, put in the egg yolks and whisk. Gradually and slowly add the egg into the mixture in a steady stream to the hot cream. Set your stove to medium-low heat and cook over the mixture by stirring occasionally until the mixture thickens and reads 107F on an instant-read thermometer. (may take 5 minutes depending on your stove’s definition of medium-low)
Remove the mixture from heat and strain the mixture using fine-mesh strainers into a separate container. Cover with plastic wrap the strained mixture and press down on the surface to prevent skin from forming. Put in the refrigerator (not freezer) for 2 hours.
After chilling the ice cream in the refrigerator for 2 hours, add the reduction of the Irish stout. Whisk until well mixed then pour into the bowl of an ice cream maker. Freeze according to your ice cream maker’s specifications. Transfer in an airtight container and freeze till ready to serve.
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Chocolate Honey Sauce
Here’s a simple way to make a chocolate honey sauce to pour over your Irish stout ice cream. The syrupy mix of honey, vanilla, and bittersweet chocolate will pull together the flavors of your ice cream.
2 cups whipped cream
¼ cup natural honey
20 ounces bittersweet chocolate (chop finely)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Get a medium saucepan and put it over medium health. Pour in the cream and honey and scald. Remove the mixture from heat.
Place the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl and pour in the honey-cream mixture. Whisk until evenly combined and smooth. Add in the vanilla extract and whisk it into the mixture. Set aside to cool down to a pourable consistency. Scoop up the ice cream and pour over syrup onto your ice cream.
The shared story of Irish migrants and Texas goes a long way back. This St. Patrick’s Day, what better way to celebrate this history through the cuisine inspired by the enmeshed cultures of Ireland and Texas. These three dishes use ingredients that are mostly available all over Texas and can be sourced locally from producers. Now strike up the green, and prepare to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a full stomach and fresh pints of Irish stout!
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Looking for great ingredients? Visit your local farmers market today! Don't want to use canned stout? Find some amazing ones from your local Texan craft brewers.
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