Corned Beef

Posted by Michele at 7:20 AM 0 comments

If you are Irish American, nothing screams out "St. Patrick's Day" like corned beef and cabbage alongside a Guinness. Why corned beef you ask?  Many Irish immigrants longed for the traditional salted pork (read: BACON!) and cabbage.  Corned beef reminded them of the homeland, and the American tradition of corned beef and cabbage was born!

Here's my take (which we eat on days other than St. Patrick's Day).  Enjoy it with a side of Colcannon!

You will need:
3-4 lbs corned beef (with the fat untrimmed)
1.5 lbs potatoes, cubed
1 lb baby carrots
Half head of cabbage, sliced into ribbons
1 large onion, diced
2/3 full stalk of celery (about 6 ribs), diced
2 tbsp olive oil
Seasonings (salt, pepper, Montreal steak seasoning, peppercorn blend)
1 bottle of Guinness (approximately 12 oz)
2 tbsp cornstarch
Large, cast iron Dutch oven

Season the beef to taste.  My preference is salt, pepper, and Montreal.

In a large, cast iron Dutch oven , heat the oil and sweat the onions and celery for approximately 5 minutes.

If needed, slice the beef so that it fits the pot, fat down.  (For the above slab, I cut it into thirds and filled the bottom of the DO.)

Layer over the carrots and potatoes.  Finish with the cabbage.  Pour the Guinness over SLOWLY (be careful to not spill it, since it will try to sit on the cabbage).

DO NOT STIR.  Put the top on the oven and reduce the heat to low (2 on the electric range). Leave it alone!  Don't check it!  Don't touch it!  Let it cook, unimpeded, for 4 hours.   Turn the heat off but keep covered; it will continue to cook, courtesy of the cast iron.  Leave it on the burner for an hour.

Plate it by covering the bottom of the plate with cabbage, piling the sliced corned beef in the center, and surrounding the plate with your root vegetables .

To make the gravy, pull out about a cup and a half of liquid from the pot (include onions and celery if desired) and place in a pan over high heat.  Pull another quarter cup of liquid and whisk in the cornstarch, then add the dissolved mixture into your pan, whisking rapidly.  Bring to a boil and whisk for 3-5 minutes, until thickened.

Best served with colcannon and soda bread, with gravy drizzled over the top.  Enjoy this tradition with a pint of Guinnes , and be grateful for time with good foo , good friends, and amazing family!

☘ Happy St. Patrick's Day! ☘

Irish Soda Bread

Posted by Michele at 12:00 AM 0 comments

(originally found here)

My soda bread recipe hasn't changed much since I first started making it, but I've added a few helpers!  ☘ ♥ 🧒 👧 ♥ ☘

This year,  we used dates and raisins, and that seemed to be quite the hit!   Regardless what fruit you use, this is a perfect addition to every meal.

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

In a large bowl, mix together:
4 cups of (gluten free) A. P. Flour
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
1 cup of raisins 
1 cup of diced dates

Let your flour mixture sit while you melt:
1/2 cup (1 full stick) of butter
Let the butter cool but still remain warm.

Put a hole in the flour mixture and pour in:
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
the melted butter from above. 


Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until sticky.   Dust with flour to make the dough formable.  Place on a greased cookie sheet in a circle.  Bake for 45 minutes or until cooked.  A crisp exterior will form, but the bread will spring to the touch.

(Keep in mind that the batter will spread out as it bakes.)

Let the bread sit for 5 minutes before removing to a cutting board.  Cool for an additional 10 minutes before slicing.  We love to cover it with Irish butter while it's still warm!  

Colcannon

Posted by Michele at 3:03 PM 0 comments

3lbs. potatoes (washed, skin on, diced)
1/2 large heat of green cabbage (sliced into thin strips)
1/2 cup butter (1 stick) (sliced)
Salt to taste

In a large pot, bring to a boil the potatoes and cabbage with enough water to cover.  Salt to taste (I use about 1 tablespoon).

When tender (15 to 20 minutes), remove and drain.  In a large mixing bowl, put the butter pieces and cover with the potatoes and cabbage.  Use a potato masher to loosely mash, then whip with the mix attachment until smooth.

Taste and salt appropriately.

(Makes about 8 cups.  This makes amazing potatocakes if you have leftovers!)

Irish Cream

Posted by Michele at 10:08 AM 0 comments

makes approximately 36 ounces

Mix the following in a blender until will mixed and smooth:

14oz Irish Whiskey (for this, I love Jameson Cask Stout Edition)

8oz of heavy whipping cream

14oz of sweetened condensed milk (you can make your own!)

3/4oz (about 1tbsp) dark coffee (we roast our own, but Backyard Beans Punch in the Face is awesome!)

1oz melted chocolate or chocolate syrup (this is an outstanding use for any leftover ganache you have from making Irish Explosion Cake ☺)

1/4oz each (about 1tsp) vanilla and almond extracts (optional)



Refrigerate after opening.  This will keep for 3 months (if it lasts that long!)

Sweetened Condensed Milk

Posted by Michele at 10:05 AM 0 comments

Quick and Dirty (half the time of the below recipe):

12oz evaporated milk

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

Combine sugar and milk and bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves.  Whisk continuously until thickened.  Remove from heat and cool.

Truly Homemade:
(dairy free option!)

2 cups full fat milk (or any high fat milk substitute you choose for dairy free...  I've used coconut milk to do dairy free and it was great!)

1 cup granulated sugar

Combine sugar and milk and bring to a boil, whisking until the sugar dissolves.  Reduce heat to medium and whisk continuously until thickened.  (This will take some time.). Remove from heat and cool.

Gluten Free Eggplant Parmesan

Posted by Michele at 9:26 AM 0 comments

Ingredients:
1 large eggplant
4 eggs
4 cups of gluten free Italian style breadcrumbs (I use a combination of Aleia's GF Italian  breadcrumbs, Aleia's plain or 4C plain GF breadcrumbs, and Watusee chickpea GF breadcrumbs)
corn oil (enough for frying)
a jar of marinara sauce (the best is when I have enough homemade to use, but a close second is Rao's eggplant marinara; for everyday use, I just use the Wegman's tomato basil sauce.)
shredded parmesan cheese
mozzarella cheese (I prefer the small balls, ovoline or ciliegine)


Heat the oil over medium heat and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice the eggplant to the thickness that you like.

Create an egg wash by whisking together the eggs.

Dip the eggplant slices in breadcrumbs, then egg wash, then another breadcrumbs.  Drop the eggplant in the hot oil and fry on each side until lightly browned, approximately 1 minute on each side.  Do not overcook the eggplant.

In a large, baking disk, place a thin layer of sauce.  As the eggplant is fried, remove it to the baking dish (do not drain).  Arrange the eggplant in a single layer.  Pour over sauce to cover and place a mozzarella ball over each piece (more if desired).  Create a second layer of eggplant and cover with sauce and cheese.  Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese over the very top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until the cheese is melted, bubbly, and lightly browned.




****We enjoy serving this with pasta and garlic bread or, alternately, with sweet corn muffins and asparagus.  It also makes a great accompaniment to polenta and spinach florentine.*****

Gluten Free Irish Soda Bread

Posted by Michele at 10:51 AM 0 comments

Nothing says Happy Saint Patrick's Day (or Happy St. Brigid's Day... or Happy St. Clare's Day... or, well, any day really!) like Irish Soda Bread (or, as it was known in my house, "bread").  Whether you make it as a bread to accompany dinner and go sans fruit or you make it the traditional way with dried fruit galore, there is nothing better than a slice of warm soda bread topped with a melting pat of butter... Yum!

Heat your oven to 375.

In a large bowl, mix together:
4 cups Gluten Free Flour (if you aren't GF, feel free to use regular All Purpose... My favorite GF is the Wegman's blend of AP.  It works like a dream.)
1 cup of sugar
2 tsp of baking powder
1 tsp of baking soda
1 tsp of salt
2 cups of dried fruit (raisins, cranberries, dates, currants.... whatever makes you happy!)

Let your flour mixture sit while you heat and melt
1/2 cup (1 full stick) of butter
Let the butter cool but still remain warm.

Put a whole in the flour mixture and pour in
2 cups of buttermilk
2 eggs
the melted butter from above
Use a spatula or wooden spoon to mix until sticky.   (At this point, because I rarely measure and sometimes add too much buttermilk- as if that is possible- I sprinkle in enough flour until the mixture is tacky.  It should be able to be taken out in large spoonfuls and make a pile on the cookie sheet, so not runny, but it can't be too stiff or "bread like" or it will cook up dry.)

This recipe allows me to make 2 rectangular piles and 2 circular piles, but you can make one big loaf or a bunch of small ones.  It's to you.  Pile the batter on a greased cookie sheet (it will spread out so keep that in mind if you are putting more than one loaf on a pan).

Bake at 375 for half an hour, then turn the heat off and let it sit for another 5 minutes before removing.  Cool on wax paper until you can slice and pick up a piece without burning your fingers, then lather on the butter and enjoy!