St. Patrick's Day legends

Guess what? Saint Patrick was not Irish-- he was a nobleman born in Britain about 400 A.D.  Patrick came from a religious family but was an atheist as a young man.  The legend goes that he was kidnapped by Irish pirates and found his faith while enslaved in Ireland.  After 17 years as an Irish slave, St. Patrick escaped and went home, but he returned to Ireland later as a missionary.

March 17 is believed to be the day of his death.  Unlike most unlucky saints, St. Patrick simply died of old age.

Legend credits St. Patrick with teaching the Irish the Holy Trinity by showing them the shamrock, a three-leafed plant.  The green shamrock was once sacred in pagan Ireland, representing rebirth, eternal life, and the "three goddesses."

Oh yes, the snakes.  The absence of snakes in Ireland gave rise to a legend that Patrick sent the serpents into the sea after they "attacked" him during a 40-day fast. (Maybe he was just in a bad mood, trying not to think about corned beef and cabbage.) 

Biologists say that post-glacial age Ireland didn't have any snakes to start with, just like New Zealand, Iceland, Greenland and Antarctica.  The poisonous adder and other snakes live across the way in Scotland and England, but terrestrial serpents can't migrate across open water.  But it makes a good story, even if there was nothing for St. Patrick to banish.

And everyone knows about leprechauns-- rosy-cheeked, boozy little men in green from Irish folklore. Hiding pots of gold and playing tricks on people on their way home from the pub.  They were not invented by Hollywood. The first recorded mention of a leprechaun goes back to the 8th century, coming from the word luchorpán, meaning "little water spirits."

There's also the Irish fairy Cluricaune, a cunning spirit who haunts cellars, where he drinks and smokes. These little men take it upon themselves to "guard" your wine and beer.

Cluricaunes supposedly keep the kegs and bottles neat and chase off intruders.  But the deal is they get to tipple from the cellar, and unfortunately they have a tremendous thirst.

How dull the world would be without the charming and entertaining Irish. When all is said and done, the best thing about St. Patrick's Day is the excuse to make corned beef, cabbage and potatoes once a year, even though this classic meal is more American than Irish.

The most affordable meat available to poor Irish American immigrants in the 19th century was corned beef. Brisket was tough and cheap. The brine for making corned beef is similar to the brine used for pickles. Corned beef is essentially pickled beef.

I used to boil up corned beef and cabbage into a soupy mess on the stove top.  But the best way to cook beef brisket ("corned" or not) is roasting in a heavy Dutch oven.  While the delicious smell drives you crazy for several hours, that pink slab of unappetizing meat is transforming into something fork-tender and succulent. A caramelized brown sugar and mustard glaze gives the finishing touch.  The condensed broth makes a nice salty gravy for the spuds.

If you don't gobble it all up, what could be better than a corned beef and Swiss cheese sandwich for lunch?  Happy St. Patrick's Day!