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Padraig Harrington’s champions dinner features some Irish cooking!

All champs are well fortified after a good 'ol Irish feed!

DECLAN O'KELLY

IrishCentral.com Staff Writer

Published Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 1:18 PM

Updated Wednesday, August 12, 2009, 2:08 PM

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Read more: Culture and Lifestyle, Ethnic and Regional Cuisines, Food and Cooking, Irish Food and Cooking, Padraig Harrington, Golf, Sports, Foods, Fruits and Vegetables, Hazeltine National Golf Club

Harrington flew the Irish flag with pride in his menu selection at the champions dinner at the PGA championship at Hazeltine on Tuesday Night

Padraig Harrington set an Irish menu at this year's champions dinner on Tuesday night when he hosted the annual get together of USPGA winners past and present at Hazeltine golf course

Harrington, who won the USPGA title at Oakland Hills last year, called in the help of his wife Caroline to prepare the menu and confessed he wasn’t the biggest fan of Irish cuisine!

He even said he didn’t like bacon and cabbage (known more commonly in the U.S. as corned beef and cabbage).

WHAT!

"I don't like it," Harrington was quoted in a Canadian Press article. "When it comes to Irish food, you're limited in what you can choose."

Well, it’s pretty clear that Mr. Harrington hasn’t been keeping up to tabs with Chef Gilligan’s latest recipes, isn’t it!

Maybe he hasn’t tried bacon and cabbage Gilligan style! That might change his mind.

Click here for Chef Gilligans take on corned beef and cabbage

We’ll forgive you this time Padraig, because in fairness, you represented us like the great Irishman you are with the menu and sneaked the smelly cabbage on to the appetizers options.

Potato and leek soup

For starters, Padraig had leek and potato soup, and you don’t need me to explain the importance of the spud to us Irish. Not my favorite soup, but not the worst either. Solid effort off the tee Padraig.

Another option was warm cabbage salad with bacon and Roquefort. You might not love it Padraig, but you got it on the menu, wouldn’t doubt ya Paddy boy!

Then for mains the champs had an option of Irish Beef Stew braised in Guinness with colcannon, or grilled salmon with Irish champ and seasonal vegetables (beef or salmon in plain man’s talk).

For anyone who has ever attended a wedding, a funeral or any function that involves a gathering of Irish people together, beef or salmon are staples on the entrée list.

Like his five wood at the 17^th at the British Open last year, Padraig just hit the perfect one with this choice.

Irish beef stew

There’s nothing like a good Irish stew to give former champs the strength to muster another challenge for the Wannamaker trophy.

And Irish stew braised in Guinness! Brilliant! Sticks to your ribs and gives you energy for days.

Tiger would have had to hit the gym for a workout after that dish. Or else he could have elected grilled salmon with Irish champ.

The healthier option, and no less succulent, this dish is a good one for the non-meat eaters and is very hearty Irish fare, like a solid layup at a long par five (and if you have heard about the length of some of the par 5’s at Hazeltine, you’ll know what I mean).

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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.

Padraig Harrington’s champions dinner features some Irish cooking!

All champs are well fortified after a good 'ol Irish feed!

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