With Valentine’s Day and Lunar New Year festivities over, and Black History Month wrapping up, it’s time to look ahead to see what else we can celebrate.

Of course, among the upcoming occasions is St. Patrick’s Day on March 17.

It’s time to pay tribute to the country that gave us the lovely Saoirse Ronan, Pierce Brosnan, Liam Neeson, Oscar Wilde, Enya, and funny videos of Irish people eating strange Canadian food. Like ketchup chips. (Who came up with that weird idea?)

Or poutine. (Who came up with that weird idée?)

And desserts. (Why are all Canadian desserts gooey?)

So moving away from odd Canadian cuisine for a moment, here’s a recipe for a comfort food classic: Irish stew.

It comes courtesy of Vancouver’s Edge Catering executive chef Jasmin Porcic.

If your strong suit isn’t cooking, or you simply don’t have the time (and/or patience), you can always order in.

Edge Catering is offering St. Patrick’s Day Irish Dinners featuring Guinness Irish stew; the traditional Irish dish of colcannon mashed potatoes, with butter, bacon, leeks, green onion, cream, and kale; mushy peas and steamed carrots; and to finish things off, it’s B.C. meets the Emerald Isle with an Irish cream Nanaimo bar ($24 per person or $48 for two). (Maybe these Irish versions of Nanaimo bars would be more appealing to the select individuals in the videos above who took a disliking to the B.C. versions?)

There are also Guinness Scotch beef pies (4 packs for $25), which can be frozen; Guinness Beer  (440 millilitres each, four-pack for $16); and Irish cream Nanaimo bars (six packs for $18).

Check out all the details at their website.

But if you want to try making it yourself, Porcic is generously sharing the instructions:

Guinness Irish Stew

Recipe Yields: 10 Serving

Description: Pork tenderloin, bacon, flour, oil, garlic, beef stock, beer, wine, tomato, sugar, herbs, Worcestershire, onion, carrot, parsnip, celery, parsley. 

Ingredients

150 grams chopped bacon

1450 grams cubed pork tenderloin

36 grams all-purpose unbleached flour

50 millilitres canola oil

400 millilitres beef stock

100 millilitres Guinness beer

250 millilitres red wine

32 grams tomato paste

12 grams sugar 

1 1/2 grams thyme leaves

1 1/2 grams rosemary

30 millilitres LP Worcestershire

1/10 grams bay leaves

400 grams onion diced large

150 grams carrot diced large

150 grams parsnip diced large

150 grams celery diced large

2 grams pepper black ground

2 grams parsley

Method:

Heat a large pot with oil and brown the meat in small batches.

Salt meat after browning and set aside.

Brown bacon rendering most of the fat.

Add flour to make roux.

Return meat to pot.

Add garlic and sauté, then add stock, Guinness, wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire, and bay leaves.

Stir to combine and bring mixture to a simmer.

Reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

Roast onions, parsnip, celery, and carrots in oven with oil and salt and pepper.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, and the parsnips to the stew.

Simmer uncovered until vegetables and meat are very tender, about 40 minutes.

Discard the bay leaves and remove any excess fat.

Add more salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle with parsley for garnish.