Sunday Suppa: getting our Irish on?

For several years now my fiancé and I have enjoyed eating yummy and frequently new recipes together on Sunday. I have had more time on Sundays to make a longer meal and it always leaves plenty of leftovers so on Monday nights we could always sit on our asses and relax. I’ve decided to dedicate Sunday blogs to our Sunday Suppas.

Today I decided it would be a good idea to try something a little Irish as a nod to St. Patrick’s Day this week. I’m sorry corned beef lovers, I did not choose to make corned beef as honestly I’m not even sure what it includes. I searched the web for the obvious and came across a recipe for Soda Bread, which I have also never had, and Beef and Guinness Stew. Stews I can totally rock out on; baking, well, I’m still practicing.

The process of creating the Soda Bread went as expected except thankfully my cat didn’t do his usual jumping on the floured counter spreading his lovely hair protein on everything. As soon as I started to knead the bread I knew that this was not going to be as pretty looking as it should be. I popped the knurly bread into the oven anyways as I dislike wasting food and with the thought that maybe it would taste better than the way I have made it look. The bread ended up being very dense. It tasted ok and was suitable for soaking up stew juices however, there was plenty leftover and it will stay that way.

I modified the stew recipe by adding baby potatoes and some beef broth. The stew turned out as it should, but the flavor was really subtle. It definitely did not have the POW that stews with wine can have. While sipping the Guinness beer we decided that this was not a super flavorful beer and that maybe using a different dark beer such as a chocolate stout might have amped up the stew a little more.

I was trying to create a festive Irish mood, but tonight’s dinner just didn’t do it. I am looking more forward to turning our milk green and setting up an elaborate booby trap to try to catch a leprechaun. Traditions must live on!  Stay tuned.