A true vegetarian Irish Plate

Today I was working the early Shift. I am not so good getting out of bed so early, especially when it is still so dark in the morning, but it was good to be finishing at 2pm, then you have the rest of the afternoon to yourself. So what did I do with a few hours of my afternoon? I went into the city centre and visited a couple of High Street bookstores and scoured their shelves for Traditional Irish Vegetarian recipes. I flicked through the Irish Kitchen, the Irish Pub, The Celtic Cookbook and a few others. Other than the recipes I’ve mentioned in one of my previous blogs. There was nothing to support Traditional Irish Vegetarian cuisine. When I got back home, I also researched on some websites and blogs, and found countless veganized and vegified Irish recipes, such as Irish Stew, but none of these enticed me to recreate them at home.

So in the end I decided, why all the fuss of trying to veganize or vegify a classic Irish recipe. Why don’t I just keep this evenings meal pure, simple and still rooted in aspects of Traditional Irish Vegetarian food that promises to be both comforting and deliciously hearty.
So here is it, may I present to you Shamrock potato cake served with braised cabbage and carrots. No meat imitations or substitutes required. The shamrock is St Patrick's symbol, he used it to explain the concept of the Trinity.
And will I be having a pint of Guinness to wash down my hearty meal?. The answer is no. Firstly, Guinness is neither vegan or vegetarian as it uses isinglass (fish bladder) in the filtering process. I think there are other alternatives for both vegans and vegetarians, but I really wouldn’t know as I have not done my research in this area, and the reason I have not done my research here supports my second reason for not having Guinness tonight. And the honest reason is that I simply am not a beer drinker, never mind being a Guinness drinker. Oh McNulty would be so disappointed in me! But I hope he understands that my heart is in the right place.

To everyone celebrating St Patricks Day, I hope you have a good evening.