entertaining

march 2004

March is the month that many of us celebrate Saint Patrick's Day whether we are Irish or not. Parades abound around the world and we have had the pleasure of being in New York many times to watch that one. In case you don't know, Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland, died on March 17th in the year 465. He was known for his compassion for suffering persons and his endless zeal. Saint Patrick was a Bishop of Ireland. Patrick was canonized -- made a saint -- by the Roman Catholic Church in the year 1000. The first North American celebration in honor of Saint Patrick was held in Boston in 1737. Patrick used the shamrock in his sermons because it is small plant that grows in Ireland.

Having given you the 3-cent introduction to Saint Patrick, let's move along to making a meal that is Irish in flavor and style. Before deciding on this menu, I ate with my dear friend who also grew up in Philadelphia. She is as Irish as anyone can be and I picked her brain about her mother's recipes. The food one can eat in Ireland today may easily be from any place on the earth, but we wanted to warm the cockles of our Irish friends' hearts so we came up with my friend's memory of a favorite meal. Make a mixed green salad to go with your meal. Our web site and books have many with nutritional information. For dessert we have modified an old Irish one to make it fit into our diets. The Irish make this fool with rhubarb, apples or blueberries and whipped heavy cream. You too can use these fruits but don't use the highly saturated cream. There are many recipes for cookies on the web site or just purchase some from your favorite bakery. All you need to decorate your table are shamrocks. Mine have lived for years in my window, and bloom to cheer me up frequently. A green table cloth and maybe a few "little people' on the table and you have it made. An Irish Dinner   Lamb Stew Topped with Soda Bread Mixed Green Salad Strawberry Fool (for the recipes, click on the recipe name above) BSP