Recipe of the Week: Simple St. Patrick’s Day favorite

There are an assortment of restaurants in Bucks County and beyond where you can find Irish food today to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. But none has as much going on as the Green Parrot in Newtown.
Winding down on nine days of Irish food, drink, dancing and balloon artists, the Parrot has events today, tomorrow and Saturday. They also have Irish dishes year-round.
Bangers and mash are always on the menu alongside shepherd’s pie and fish and chips. For the holiday week, there will be additional Irish specialties.
Like the Parrot, each of the other Irish restaurants has its own list of traditional favorites. The Irish Horne in Richboro has an ongoing menu including bangers and mash, shepherd’s pie, fish and chips and bacon-wrapped cod. There’s also an Irish-themed burger called the St. Patrick and Irish Pub nachos with herbed potatoes and drunken cheese sauce.
The Dubliner on the Delaware in New Hope offers fish and chips, braised lamb stew in a Guinness broth, shepherd’s pie, corned beef and cabbage, bangers and mash and an all-day Irish breakfast as well as an Irish bacon burger.
Farmhouse Tavern in Doylestown offers Irish stew and fish and chips year-round, plus an assortment of burgers with an Irish flare. They include the claddagh, the Dubliner, the Limerick and the Tipperary, each with different toppings.
McStew’s Irish Pub in Levittown will have Irish dancers, bagpipes and Irish music in addition to “Irish cannonballs,” a mixture of corned beef, sauerkraut, Swiss and cream cheeses that are hand-rolled and deep-fried. Look for menu specials of Irish dishes as well. Irish Rover Station in Langhorne has its own favorite Irish dishes.
Other local restaurants will offer specials from the Emerald Isle, but if you prefer to stay home and make your own Irish fare, here is a simple but hearty recipe from foodnetwork.com you might like to try. Some cooks also add potatoes.

Boiled Cabbage

4 slices thick-cut bacon (about 4 ounces), coarsely chopped
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 medium head savoy cabbage (about 2 ½ pounds), cored and chopped into 1- to 2-inch pieces

1. Scatter the bacon in a large Dutch oven and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the bacon to a paper towel-lined plate using a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Remove all but about 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat from the pot and add 2 tablespoons of the butter. When the butter has melted, add the broth, nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a generous amount of pepper. Simmer for about 2 minutes to blend the flavors.
3. Add the cabbage, bring the liquid back to a simmer over low heat and cover the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is very tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a microwave or a small pot and drizzle over the cabbage. Just before serving, top with the reserved bacon.

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