St. Patrick’s Day is a celebration enjoyed by Irish and Irish wannabes alike. From coast to coast, at the core of the fun is satisfying, easy-to-prepare fare.

Thumbing through Kevin Dundon’s book, “Modern Irish Food” (Beazley), sparked devilish hunger pangs. Dundon, an award-winning Irish chef and PBS television personality, features recipes for what he calls “modern Irish house cooking.” He explores the classic dishes of his homeland, giving them appealing updated twists.

I love his beautiful-but-simple apple tart. Use refrigerated prepared dough, such as Pillsbury Pie Crusts, and then layer thin apple slices on top, slightly overlapping the slices in concentric circles to cover the dough. The flavor of the tart-sweet apples shines through in this scrumptious finale, the crust offering a pleasing texture contrast that compliments the fruit and corrals the rich juices.

But before the dessert, a traditional Irish stew is a must. To accompany the cozy dish, Irish Guinness Brown Bread is an irresistible partner. Cookbook maven and Food Network star Ina Garten has a recipe that comes close to the real deal. Her formula calls for a 9-by-5-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan. My pan is slightly smaller, with the same depth but is only 8 1/2-by-4 1/2-inches. So, when I bake it, I make two, the second one baked in a tiny loaf pan. That puny loaf is for this baker’s secret pleasure.

Simple Apple Tart

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

INGREDIENTS

1 (15-ounce) package refrigerated crusts (2 rolled crusts in rectangular box), chilled

Juice of 1 lemon

5 to 6 medium-sized Pink Lady apples; see cook’s notes

6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter, melted, divided use

1/3 cup turbinado sugar, divided use

2 tablespoons honey

For serving: Whipped cream or ice cream

Cook’s notes: Pink Lady apples are delectable in this tart. I sometimes find them at my local supermarket, but if you prefer, substitute Gala apples. Turbinado sugar is raw sugar that has been steam-cleaned. The coarse crystals are a honey-brown color and have a subtle molasses flavor. It’s often sold in the natural food section of the supermarket and is available at natural food stores.

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Unroll one of the pie crusts and place on parchment paper. Unroll second pie crust and cut out a ring 1/2-inch-wide around the edge of the crust. Cut crosswise into three pieces to make them easier to transfer. Transfer to edge of crust that is on the pan and press in place (so now you have a double layer of crust around the edge). Pinch to make a ridge around the edge about 1/2-inch high. Prick with tines of a fork at 2-inch intervals. Place in refrigerator.

2. Squeeze lemon juice into a medium-large bowl. Peel, core and cut apples into thin slices, placing them as you work in the bowl with the juice and tossing them from time to time to prevent browning.

3. Remove crust from refrigerator and lightly brush with butter. Arrange apple slices in two concentric circles overlapping them slightly (start with the outside circle). Brush with half of the remaining melted butter. Remove 1 tablespoon of the sugar and set aside to use as garnish; sprinkle remaining sugar over apples. Bake 12 minutes.

4. Remove from oven (and shut oven door). Brush apples and rim of tart with remaining butter. Drizzle apples with honey. Return to oven and bake 15 to 17 minutes longer. Remove from oven and sprinkle with reserved sugar. Cool at least 20 minutes before serving. If desired, serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Source: “Modern Irish Food” by Kevin Dundon

Irish Stew

Irish Stew often calls for lamb, generally hearty chunks of lamb shoulder. This recipe uses pieces of beef; they attain lovely tenderness with long simmering. The stew can be prepared up to 2 days in advance. Cool, cover and then refrigerate it. Bring to a simmer before serving.

Yield: 4 to 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

1/4 cup vegetable oil

2 pounds stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces

6 large garlic cloves, minced

7 cups beef stock or canned beef broth

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon dried thyme

1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

2 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 large onion, chopped, see cook’s notes

2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook’s notes: If you wish, substitute pearl onions for the chopped onion. Peeled and frozen, they are generally available in many supermarkets. Or peel fresh pearl onions by boiling in water with the skin in place for 1 1/2 minutes, then transfer them to an ice bath to stop the cooking process; once cool, the skins should easily come off by squeezing the onion between your fingers.

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oil in a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add beef and sauté until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef broth, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine and scrape up browned bits on the pot. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 10 minutes. Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt the pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowls. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Source: Bon Appetit magazine

Ina’s Irish Guinness Brown Bread

Serve this delicious brown bread with honey butter. To make the honey butter, combine room temperature unsalted butter with honey to taste; you can use a mixer to do this or stir by hand with muscle and determination. My favorite combination is unsalted Irish Kerrygold butter mixed paired with clover honey and topped with coarse salt.

Yield: 1 loaf (see story)

INGREDIENTS

1 cup McCann’s quick-cooking oats (not instant), plus extra for sprinkling

2 1/4 cups whole wheat flour

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup dark brown sugar, lightly packed

2 1/4 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 (11- to 12-ounce) bottle Guinness extra stout beer, at room temperature

1 cup buttermilk, shaken before measuring

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus extra for brushing pan

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

For serving: Honey butter (unsalted butter combined with honey to taste, topped with a smidgen of coarse salt)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. In a large bowl, place oats, whole wheat flour, all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir with whisk to combine. Set aside.

2. In a separate bowl, whisk together beer, buttermilk, melted butter, and vanilla. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour wet ingredients into the well. With your clean fingers, stir batter from middle of bowl to the outside, until it is well mixed. It will look more like cake batter then bread dough.

3. Brush a 9-by-5-by-2 1/2-inch loaf pan with melted butter. Pour batter into pan and sprinkle top with oats. Put the bread in the oven, immediately turn the temperature down to 400 degrees and bake for 45 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Turn bread out onto cooling rack and allow to cool completely. Slice and serve with honey butter.

Source: Adapted from Ina Garten, Food Network

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

Comedian, actor, and TV host Stephen Colbert and his wife Evie McGee Colbert have written a lovely cookbook, “Does This Taste Funny?” (Celadon Books). The recipes sound delicious and the photos make me hungry. I dogeared many pages, signals meant to remind me to return to them and test them out.

The easy-to-prepare swordfish was my first try, and it paid off big time. Because that scrumptious fish is expensive, my thought was that it would make a great entrée for a special company meal. The swordfish is broiled with butter, quick and easy. The accompanying mustard sauce can be cooked up while the fish broils; it includes white wine, capers, heavy cream, and of course, Dijon mustard.

And as for the expense, I decided to offer smaller swordfish portions, about 8 ounces, and load up the menu with rice, vegetables and a big salad. Delicious.

Kitty’s Swordfish with Mustard Cream Sauce

Yield: 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

4 swordfish steaks, about 1 inch thick and about 12 ounces each, serve a smaller amount if desired

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, divided use

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/3 cup heavy cream

1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

1 1/2 teaspoons drained caper, coarsely chopped

Optional garnish: Lemon wedges

Cook’s notes: Be aware that broilers in home ovens vary, and the Colberts note that in a tip next to the recipe. The instructions advise placing the rack in the highest possible position. That would be too high in my oven, a position that would put the fish less than three inches from the broiler element. Instead, I opt for the position that’s a little over 5 inches from the broiler, placing the top of the swordfish about 4 inches from the broiler.

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to about 5 inches below the broiler element (see cook’s notes). Preheat broiler. Place swordfish in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper on both sides. Dot each with 2 1/2 tablespoons of butter.

2. Broil the fish for approximately 5 minutes on each side, basting with butter before you turn them over. When it is time to flip the butter should be rich nutty brown. (In my oven I broiled for 5 minutes, basted, flipped, and cooked 3 more minutes.)

3. Meanwhile, prepare the sauce. Stir wine, cream, mustard, and capers in a small saucepan and bring to a boil on medium-high heat, then lower heat and gently simmer until sauce is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter. Serve the swordfish topped with sauce. If desired, accompany each served with a lemon wedge.

Source: “Does This Taste Funny” by Stephen Colbert and Evie McGee Colbert (Celadon Books)

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.

Beef short ribs are first rate candidates for preparing in a slow cooker. They turn out tender and juicy without supervision. Generally, they are slow-cooked in a wine mixture and served over mashed potatoes. This rendition switches it up in a delicious way, using a balsamic mixture as its sauce.

Serve it over rice and accompany it with either broccoli or broccolini.

Honey Balsamic Short Ribs

Yield: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS

6 bone-in beef short ribs, each about 12 ounces, about 4 1/2 pounds total

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

4 peeled shallots, halved

4 garlic cloves, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon fresh oregano leaves

Pinch of dried red pepper flakes

1 cup balsamic vinegar

1 cup pomegranate juice (without sugar added), red wine, or low-sodium beef broth

1/2 cup honey

1/4 cup water

1 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup toasted pine nuts

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

For serving: cooked rice

DIRECTIONS

1. Season the short ribs with salt and pepper; place them in the slow cooker. Add shallots, garlic, thyme, oregano, and dried red pepper flakes. In a small bowl or measuring cup with a handle, place balsamic, pomegranate juice, honey, and water; stir to combine and pour over ribs.
2. Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 4 to 6 hours. Use a large spoon to skim off and discard excess fat from the surface of the sauce. Use tongs or two forks to shred the meat, discarding bones. Toss the meat into the sauce to coat well.
3. In a bowl, combine feta, pine nuts, dill, and lemon juice. Mix to combine. Spoon meat and sauce over cooked rice and top with the feta mixture.

Source: “Half Baked Harvest Quick and Cozy” by Tieghan Gerard (Clarkson Potter)

Award-winning food writer Cathy Thomas has written three cookbooks, including “50 Best Plants on the Planet.” Follow her at CathyThomasCooks.com.