Feast day of St. Patrick

Frank Haughton has been bringing Irish cheer and great food to Prague for nearly two decades. The owner of Caffrey's, a pub and restaurant on Old Town Square, Haughton has come full circle now that the James Joyce pub is back, now on U obecního dvora in Old Town, after a five-year absence. This March marks its one-year return, and to celebrate that occasion, and a little holiday known as St. Patrick's Day, both venues will feature several days of live music and special menus between March 15 and 20.

"New customers are coming and returning all the time, and we now have an eclectic mix of expats, Czech regulars and some tourists who manage to find us," Haughton said of the James Joyce. While Irish pubs in Prague are often tourist traps that charge exorbitant prices, Haughton says he's made a point of maintaining reasonable prices to keep his establishments a cut above the rest. "Economic circumstances have driven prices down in many pubs, and the Irish pub which previously was regarded as expensive is now priced to suit everyone," he said.

Both Caffrey's and the James Joyce pub will feature special Irish-Czech fusion menus on St. Patrick's Day to celebrate the "coming together of Ireland and the Czech Republic."

If that particular fusion cuisine sounds strange to you, a look at the particulars might spark your appetite. One dish will include Czech speck dumplings filled with Irish bacon and served with two types of cabbage, sauerkraut and Irish, with mild Irish mustard and parsley sauce. Another will feature classic Irish lamb stew, but with the addition of rosemary dumplings.

Irish cuisine has been popular with Czech customers, Haughton said, pointing to a recent monthlong promotion that served honey, whiskey and mustard-glazed Irish bacon with colcannon, which he describes as Irish-style mashed potatoes, often including either kale or cabbage.

But it's the simple dishes Haughton misses most from native Ireland.

"When I get a yearning, it's usually for something like a nice plate of creamy mashed potatoes topped with Irish sausages, gravy and two fried eggs," he said. "My favorite meal is probably steak and chips with fried onions and mushrooms. Of course, I do have a more sophisticated side, but we won't talk about that!"

Corn your own beef

St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner, but there's still time to make your very own corned beef at home. This is an impressive dish that will be especially welcome since you can't stop in a supermarket and pick one up, and what's more, while it may take a long time to brine the meat, the preparation is relatively simple.

First off, make sure you can get your hands on a big piece of brisket. Expat butcher Robertson's will take orders online, or ask a Czech butcher for bůček, and just make sure you specify beef. Give yourself at least two days to really brine the meat. The saltpeter is what allows the meat to keep its pink hue.

Ingredients:

1 4-5 pound beef brisket

1 onion, chopped

1 carrot, chopped

1 celery stalk, chopped

Brine:

3 quarts water

1 cup salt

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons saltpeter (ledek, in Czech)

1 teaspoon black pepper cloves

3 bay leaves

5 cloves

1 cinnamon stick

Directions:

Bring water to a boil and add in all brining ingredients until sugar and salt is dissolved. Take brine off the heat and let it cool completely.

In large roast bag, add brisket and pour brine over.

Put bag in a pot, and leave in fridge for five days.

When you're ready to eat the corned beef, remove the brisket from the brine.

Place in a deep pot and cover with water.

Add carrot, onion and celery.

Simmer on low heat for three hours.

Claire Compton can be reached at
ccompton@praguepost.com