A View of the Valley

by Linda Schwanke It kind of sucks that St. Patrick’s Day is only four days after we “spring forward” on Sunday. Not that I personally expect to be hungover but everyone planning to celebrate St. Pat’s with more than a couple drinks might be in worse shape than usual after a night out celebrating. We will probably all still be adjusting to the time change. So Friday might be tough. Add in the full moon Friday night – which apparently does not in actual fact impact human behavior but seems like it does – and it could be a wild couple days. Life has been such a wild ride these past couple years anyway, it might be a good time to cut loose.  I am feeling pretty meh about fixing a corned beef for St. Patrick’s Day. It’s a tradition that I’m thinking about passing on this year. I got to wondering what people in Ireland eat on the day, since corned beef is more an American thing than Irish, and I looked it up.  What I  found on mashed.com was that in Ireland, ham is known as loin of bacon and is a popular thing to eat always but especially on St. Patrick’s Day. Meat pies, like chicken and leek pie, steak and kidney pie, steak and Guinness pie, Shepherd’s pie, cottage pie, are all popular. Lamb stew is another meat dish that will be served on St. Patrick’s Day and throughout the spring. While they all sound like they could be really good, and many are things we eat more or less regularly, we have been trying to cut back on meat consumption for our health and the health of our planet so I kept looking. To my delight, I found something called colcannon. It’s a mash made with cabbage or kale and potatoes and/ or other root vegetables. I love cabbage in any way, shape or form so colcannon sounds like it’s right up my alley. The rest of the family, while not as enthusiastic as I about cabbage, are going along with it. I’ll make an apple/ pear salad and maybe a chocolate cake (with Guinness) to please them and we’ll be all set. I found the following on IrishCentral.com that I plan to try on Thursday: 4 lbs. (1.8kg) potatoes, or about 7-8 large potatoes (‘old’ potatoes or russet potatoes are best, waxy potatoes won’t do) 1 head of green cabbage or kale 1 cup ( 7 fl oz, 240 ml) milk (or cream) 1 stick (4oz, 120g) butter, divided into three parts 4-5 scallions (green onions), chopped* Salt and pepper Fresh Parsley or chives *Not everyone adds scallions to colcannon, but they do add something, in my opinion. Method: Peel and put them [potatoes] in a pot to boil. While the potatoes are cooking, remove the core from the cabbage, slice the leaves thinly, and put into a large saucepan. Cover with boiling water from the kettle and keep at a slow rolling boil until the cabbage is just wilted and has turned a darker green. This can take anything from 3-5 minutes, depending on the cabbage. Test it and don’t let it overcook - if anything it should be slightly undercooked. When the cabbage is cooked, drain it well, squeeze to get any excess moisture out, then return to the saucepan. Add one-third of the butter and cover. Leave it covered and in a warm place, but not on a burner, with the butter melting gently into it while you continue. When the potatoes are soft, drain the water and return the potatoes to the saucepan. With the drained potatoes in, set the burner to low, leaving the lid off so that any excess moisture can evaporate. When they are perfectly dry, add the milk to the saucepan, along with a third of the butter and the chopped scallions (if you are using them). Allow the milk to warm but not boil – it is about right when the butter has fully melted and the pot is starting to steam. With a potato masher or a fork, mash the potatoes thoroughly into the butter/milk mixture. Do NOT pass through a ricer or, worse, beat in a mixer as it will make the potatoes gluey and disgusting. Mix the cabbage thoroughly through the mashed potato. Before serving, season with a little salt and sprinkle with fresh parsley or chives. Most importantly, make a well in the center of the mound of potato and put the last third of the butter in there to melt. Have fun on St. Patrick’s Day and always.  Stay in touch. My phone number is (608) 574-3159 – call or text me anytime. You can also email me at homenewseditor@newspubinc.com or write to me at the Home News, P.O. Box 39, Spring Green WI 53588.  Visit our website at homenewsrv.com Get in touch with Gwen for sports or features at homenewssports@newspubinc.com. If you need a display ad, Dave Pronold can be reached at homenewssales@newspubinc.com or by calling him on his cell at 588-4777. Display ads, or ads that are in boxes, are due by 1 p.m. on Wednesdays. The classified ad deadline is noon Thursdays the week prior to publication for both the Buyer’s Guide and Home News. Classified rates are $13 for the first 10 words, then 30¢ per word for each additional word. Call (608) 767-3655 or email classifieds@newspubinc.com  Legal notices are due by 2 p.m. on Fridays, email them to legals@newspubinc.com Call the NewsPub central office at (608) 767-3655 for subscriptions and all other information Monday through Wednesday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 12 noon, although afternoon hours can vary. Closed Fridays.