A Tale of Dragons & Daffodils

Happy St. David's Day! Red dragons and daffodils, symbols of Wales, are gracing my table in honor of this special day. Although this is a day not widely celebrated in the United States, it is important to my family. You see, St. David is the patron saint of Wales. He is the only patron saint I am aware of that is the native of the country he is a saint of. My grandmother, lovingly referred to as Mimi, was born and raised in south Wales. She came to America after marrying my grandfather, an American soldier who was stationed in Wales during World War II. Mimi bravely left her homeland alone to be with her new husband as a 21 year old lady. She freely speaks about her family whom she left behind and gives me regular updates about them. Although I have spent little time in Wales I feel a kinship with my relatives that still live there and long to return for a visit.

In celebration of this treasured Welsh heritage, each year we pin daffodils, the national flower, to our shirts. This year we made daffodils out of tissue paper to wear. The daffodils on the the table were gifts from friends who were lucky to have early blooms. (Our own daffodils always seem to bloom after March 1.) I am grateful of their kindness to share with us for this special day. It is also traditional for Welsh people to wear leeks pinned to their shirts. It is said that St. David encouraged the Welsh people to pin leeks their shirts during a battle with the Saxons so they could tell who was with or against them.

The Welsh flag features a red dragon. Both Janie and Ian have one (souveniers from my mom's last trip to Wales) and we decided they would look festive on the table today too. Tonight we will celebrate by eating shepherd's pie (made with grount turkey) and Welsh cakes.

Welsh Cakes

Pice ar y maen

1 pound flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch allspice

1 pinch salt

4 oz. butter

4 oz. lard

7 oz. sugar

4 oz. raisins

2 eggs, beaten

Milk to mix

Chunky sugar to sprinkle

1.) Sift together the flour, baking powder, allspice adn salt in a large bowl.

2.) Cut in the butter and the lard.

3.) Add the sugar and raisins.

4.) Add beaten egg to the mixture with a little milk to make a stiff dough.

5.) Roll out to 1/4" thickness. Cut into 2 inch rounds with a cookie cutter or drinking glass.

6.) Cook on a greased griddle for about 3 minutes on each side. They should look golden brown.

7.) Sprinkle with sugar and serve warm.