This St. Patrick’s Day, we’re sure there’ll be no shortage of corned beef available. You’ll find packages of vacuum-sealed brisket sitting in its brine at the grocery store. Take that home, follow the directions and you can enjoy a fine dinner.
Or you can savor chef-made corned beef at Hampton + Hudson, where Craig Richards will be offering his take on the St. Patrick’s Day standard. You can dine with him and enjoy his own cured corned beef and cabbage topped with poached eggs and a vibrant green spring onion sauce.
Chef Ryan Burke of Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards will also be serving corned beef, beer-braised corned beef to be precise, served with colcannon. “I’m Irish and colcannon is the people’s food, a combination of potatoes and kale. It’s one of my favorite things, and I like making it with cabbage rather than kale.”
His Irish ancestors would have been celebrating the feast day with pork, not beef. “When the Irish came to America, bacon was expensive but beef was cheap. Corned beef is definitely an Irish-American tradition.”
But this year, we thought maybe you’d like to bring a little more green to your table.
Smoothies are an easy way to incorporate green veggies and fruits into your diet. We liked the smoothie idea we got from Jordan Moore, creative director of beverages at Donetto and O-Ku. She blends up lime juice, agave, olive oil, cucumber, jalapeno and banana. Depending on the proportions, it can go savory or sweet.
We also liked Howard Hsu’s green smoothie, a healthy combination of ingredients that features Asian pears. “My mother, Betty Hsu, is always bringing me Asian pears, so I had to start freezing them. That’s partly how the idea popped in my head to use them,” said Hsu, co-owner of Sweet Auburn Barbecue and Lazy Betty. You’ll find his recipe here, but if you don’t have a hoard of Asian pears in your freezer, he says any apple would make a good substitute.
Other chefs, including Burke, provided delicious green ideas for a sandwich, a grain bowl and a green ice cream sandwich that will be the hit of any St. Patrick’s Day meal.
RECIPES
Have a naturally green St. Patrick’s Day with these breakfast, lunch, dinner and dessert ideas from Atlanta chefs.
Howard Hsu’s Green Smoothie
Howard Hsu, co-owner of Sweet Auburn Barbecue and Lazy Betty, offers this recipe for a nutritious combination that makes a bright green smoothie. "I make this recipe three to five times a week. It's healthy, wholesome and delicious. After all, I can't eat barbecue all the time!"
Feel free to do as the chef does and riff on this combination. “I modify the recipe quite often for fun, playing around with berries, pineapple, melons, etc. Any fruit that freezes well is a great option.”
Stuart Rogers’ Roasted Poblano and Portobello Sandwich
Stuart Rogers, executive chef of Alpharetta’s Oak Steakhouse, created a towering green sandwich that is full of rich green flavors. If a grill is easily available, use it to char the peppers and roast the mushrooms. If not, these vegetables can be prepared on your cooktop. If you happen to have a ring mold, you can follow his directions to make a handsome molded filling. If not, carefully stack the ingredients, and your sandwich will still be delicious. For the sharp cheddar, Rogers prefers Tillamook cheddar from Oregon.
Ryan Burke’s Green Grain Bowl
Ryan Burke, executive chef of Decatur’s Twain’s Brewpub & Billiards, adds a special Irish twist to this power bowl with a garnish of kale microgreens. It pays tribute to the popularity of kale in Ireland, and it doesn’t hurt that the microgreens look a lot like shamrocks. You’ll find many farmers are bringing microgreens to farmers markets these days.
Want to skip one step? Burke says it’s OK to use store-bought pesto instead of making your own.
Pesto
This spinach-filled take on pesto makes for a lighter, milder version.
Green Garlic Aioli
Green garlic will be coming to market soon. If you can’t find any, or don’t want to search, use a sliver of fresh garlic and 2 tablespoons chopped green onion instead.
Rachel Wright’s St. Patrick’s Day Ice Cream Sandwiches
Rachel Wright of Leon’s Full Service in Decatur is the queen of all things cookie and ice cream. These cookies are exactly what you want for an ice cream sandwich — sturdy but tender and not too sweet. Ice cream sandwiches aren’t a spur of the moment dessert, but they’re great to make ahead. Make your cookies, make your custard base, churn your ice cream, assemble the sandwiches, all at your own pace.
20 Irish Cream Cookies (see recipe)
1 quart Pistachio Ice Cream (see recipe)
Lay 10 cookies out on working surface, flat side up. Divide ice cream evenly between the cookies, then top ice cream with second cookie, flat side down. Can be eaten right away or wrapped individually and put in the freezer for at least 2 hours to firm up. Makes 10.
Per sandwich: 979 calories (percent of calories from fat, 55), 17 grams protein, 94 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams fiber, 60 grams fat (29 grams saturated), 325 milligrams cholesterol, 808 milligrams sodium.
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