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Chef Gilligan's Thanksgiving roast turkey with sage and onion stuffing

Happy Thanksgiving! Here's Chef Michael Gilligan's delicious recipe for roast turkey with sage and onion stuffing. FULL STORY >

Irish beef and onion pie

Here at IrishCentral we believe that whenever possible a terrific recipe should be tried and tested by us before we offer to you. That’s the case with this particular recipe, which has passed our own taste test with flying colors, probably because it’s been created by Jamie Oliver, one of the world’s most famous chef’s, for his latest book "Jamie’s Food Revolution." FULL STORY >

Chef Gilligan’s Thanksgiving smashed sweet potatoes

A recipe for an interesting twist on a delicious classic Thanksgiving side dish: sweet potatoes. FULL STORY >

Thanksgiving dinner veggies: Sweet and spicy Brussels sprouts

Looking for a veggie side dish for this year's Thanksgiving dinner? How about spicing up some delicious Brussells sprouts! FULL STORY >

Chef Gilligan's apple and sausage stuffing

For most people the thing that makes the Thanksgiving meal is the sides, whether it is cranberry sauce out of the can or aunt fanny’s green bean casserole, but this year you are going to dazzle your friends and family with a great stuffing made with Italian sausage and apples. FULL STORY >

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Soda bread is one of the most popular types of Irish food. In soda bread, baking soda is used for leavening instead of yeast. Soda bread is traditionally made up of flour, bread soda, salt, and buttermilk. Other possible ingredients are raisins, egg or various forms of nuts. Soda bread can dry out quickly and is typically good for two to three days; it is best served warm or toasted. Irish food features other traditional bread as well such as blaa, which is a doughy, white bread bun. Blaa is a versatile Irish food, since it may be eaten at breakfast with butter (the usual form) or at other times of the day with a wide range of fillings, such as ham. Another traditional Irish food is boxty, a potato pancake. There are many versions of boxty, but all contain raw potatoes that have been finely grated. The most popular version uses flour, baking soda and buttermilk, and sometimes an egg. Almost all versions of boxty are served fried. Historically, the potato has been very important to Irish food, since it came to be the main crop of the poor, which meant that if there was a bad harvest, the poor would not have enough to eat. Potato blight caused the Great Irish Famine of the late 1840s. Some Irish food is meant to be eaten for dessert. Goody is made by boiling bread in milk with sugar and spices. Goody is eaten on St. John’s Eve, which occurs around the time of the summer solstice. In recent years, shellfish dishes have become a bigger part of Irish food. An oyster festival is held in Galway every year. One example of an Irish shellfish dish is Dublin Lawyer, which is lobster cooked in whiskey and cream. In recent years, Irish food has also come to include fresh vegetables and handmade cheeses. These days, Irish beer no longer necessarily means Guinness, since 63% of the beer now sold in Ireland is lager. Stout, including Guinness stout, accounts for 32%, while ale makes up the remaining 5% of Irish beer. At the beginning of the nineteenth century, Irish beer was made at over 200 breweries in Ireland. Today, there are about twelve breweries. Irish beer historically did not have hops, since hops are not native to Ireland. The famous Irish beer Guinness stout is made from water, malt, barley, hops and brewer’s yeast. Guinness gets its dark color and taste by flaking some of the barley, Flaking means steaming and rolling. The color of Guinness is a dark shade of ruby. This Irish beer claims to have fewer calories than skim milk or orange juice. Guiness was stronger in the nineteenth century. Another Irish beer is Harp Lager. Harp was first produced in 1960. One of Harp’s advertising slogans was “Harp stays sharp.” Smithwick’s is Irish beer in the red ale style. The original brewery for Smithwick’s was on the site of a Franciscan abbey where monks had brewed ale since the 14th century. One variation of this Irish beer is Smithwick’s Draught, which has a ruby red tone with a stable, slightly thin head. Smithwick’s Draught is produced using hops and special roasted, malted barley. Its texture is smooth and refined, with a bitter and complex finish. Another variation of this Irish beer is Kilkenny Cream Ale, which is similar to Smithwick’s Draught, but with a stronger, more bitter taste and a cream head reminiscent of Guinness.

Chef Gilligan's Thanksgiving roast turkey with sage and onion stuffing

Irish beef and onion pie

Chef Gilligan’s Thanksgiving smashed sweet potatoes

Thanksgiving dinner veggies: Sweet and spicy Brussels sprouts

Chef Gilligan's apple and sausage stuffing

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