Traditional Irish Colcannon

Yay! Here's recipe number two from our early St. Patrick's Day celebration dinner. It just wouldn't be St. Pat's Day for me, if I didn't make a big old pot of Colcannon. When I say that this dish makes plain old mashed potatoes seem like sawdust, I am not telling tall tales. Although it might be said that the Irish have a bit of a knack for that. ;~)

It's rich. It's creamy. And it's made with heavy cream and the most delicious butter known to man... (Kerrygold) Irish Butter. Just take a peek at the pics below and you'll see why it is that I say that. It also has Leeks and Kale mixed in and they add the most wonderful sweet and savory goodness to the potatoes. I promise you this... Once you've tasted Colcannon, you'll never want plain old boring mashed potatoes again. (OK... That may be one of those tall tales - or not.)

This is how it's done...

Traditional Irish Colcannon

• 1 Medium Bunch Curly Kale, washed and chopped coarsely
• 1 to 2 Leeks, rinsed well and chopped
• 3 Lbs Red Skinned Potatoes, cut into equal sized cubes
• Heavy Cream
• Butter (Irish butter is best!)
• Salt & Pepper

Rinse both the Leeks and the Kale very well, because they often have a little sand caught in the folds, even when the grocer rinses them before putting them out for sale. Chop them both coarsely and set aside.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a simmer and either put the Kale and Leeks directly into the water or place a fine strainer or colander in the pot, leaving enough of a water level to cover them. Blanch them for about 3 to 5 minutes.

Fill a large bowl with water, ice and salt. (Yes, I salt the ice water too - trust me, it makes a difference) When the Kale and Leeks are just slightly softened, place them in the ice water to stop the cooking process and set their color. It only takes a couple of minutes. Remove them from the ice bath to a paper towel or clean tea towel to drain. You want them to be pretty dry before adding them to the potatoes.

Fill a large pot with cold water and liberally salt it. Add your cubed potatoes (I leave the skin on for the flavor and a little bit of added texture and color) to the pot and partially cover the pot with a lid. Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium-high to high heat and cook them until they are fork tender.

This is the true gold at the end of the rainbow. Irish Butter. There may be other brands of Irish butter in your store, but my local grocery store only stocks the Kerrygold brand. (and that's perfectly OK with me because it's a very good brand - and no, I am not being paid or compensated in any way to promote them)

When the potatoes are fork tender, drain them and return them to the pot. Place them over very low heat and stir them a bit to help dry out any excess water. Once they are a bit dryer, add your heavy cream and butter. I'm sure you're wondering how much of each of these ingredients to use, right?

Well, I didn't list amounts for either of these, because I'm sure some people would think I was insane if I admitted how much of each I use.  Let's just say... that it's more than a wee bit.  Oh, alright. I'll fess up. But,  please be nice and try not to judge me. This is a once in a while thing and St. Pat's is the holiday that celebrates my Irish heritage. I used 3/4 Cup of Heavy Cream and 6 Tbls of Butter.  OK. It was really 8 Tbls of butter. There. I admitted it. ;~)  You can use less if you want to, but I do recommend splurging on this dish. I promise that you won't regret it...  Until you get on the scales the next day. Ha!

Anyway... Mash the potatoes to whatever texture you prefer. I like mine just a tiny bit chunky. Add in your blanched and drained Kale and Leeks and salt & pepper to taste. (They can take a pretty good amount of salt) Set them aside and cover them if you aren't serving right away. I put them in the dish I'm serving them in and put them in a low oven. (about 300 degrees)

Serve the Colcannon with your main dish and any other sides that you like. I served my Colcannon with my Ale Braised Beef Brisket and Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Onions. (The Cabbage recipe is HERE and the Ale Braised Beef Brisket recipe is HERE!)

Enjoy!

I'm adding this to the St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl at Cuisine Kathleen. Come on over and join in on the celebration!

Click HERE

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Fried Cabbage With Bacon & Onions

Top O' The Mornin' to ye!

Now, if you've stopped by here in the past week or two, you've probably noticed the jaunty little Leprechaun in my sidebar, announcing the St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl, hosted by the very lovely (and very Irish) Kathleen at Cuisine Kathleen. I was so excited when I found out about this particular blog crawl because, well... I am an Irish lass and I do love to cook and to eat (of course) Irish food. Well, the day is finally here and the 4th Annual St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl is on!!

The Hubby and I will be going to a friend's house for St. Patrick's Day this coming Saturday, so we had our own Paddy's Day dinner over the weekend. For our little celebration, I prepared Ale Braised Beef Brisket with Colcannon and Fried Cabbage with Bacon and Onions. For dessert, I made a special treat that I first had when we were in Ireland a couple of years ago. What was it? Well, I can tell you that it's a very popular dessert in the UK and I can tell you that it is just heavenly. But, all will be revealed (including the recipe, of course) in an upcoming post, so stay tuned!

I decided to do separate posts for each of the dishes because I didn't want to have too many photos or too many recipes in one post.  This is the first of the dishes from our celebratory dinner ~ Fried Cabbage With Bacon & Onions.  I hope you enjoy it! The recipes for the other dishes on our menu will be posted today. I'm just a little behind in my posting, but they're coming!


Fried Cabbage With Bacon & Onions
(this recipe is for 2 - 4 people and can be easily doubled or tripled)

• 8 oz Center Cut Smoked Bacon, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 Head Green Cabbage, cored and sliced
• 1 Lg Yellow Onion, thickly sliced
• Salt & Pepper

Fry up the bacon in a large skillet over medium-high heat until it is just crisp. Keep a close eye on it and stir it often so that it doesn't burn. When it's nice and crispy and golden brown, remove it with a slotted spoon to a plate lined with paper toweling to drain, leaving the drippings in the skillet. Set aside.

Slice up your Cabbage and Onions. The photo shows the whole head, but it was quite large and since it was only the two of us, I used half.  If you're making this for a crowd, you can use a whole pound of bacon and the whole head of cabbage. I slice my cabbage and my onions relatively thickly, so they don't lose too much of their texture while cooking.

Add your sliced onions to the skillet first and season them with a bit of salt & pepper.  Cook them on medium heat until they just begin to soften and start to get a bit translucent. (about 8 minutes)

Add your cabbage and give it a good stir to coat it with the drippings and the little bit of liquid that the onions have given off.  Add a pinch more salt & pepper and you can also add a pinch of sugar to help it caramelize better and give it just a hint of sweetness.

At this point, I add about 1/4 Cup of either water or stock. I had some chicken stock in the fridge, but you could even use a little white wine or beer if you'd like. You just need a bit of liquid to help it steam. Cover the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. After it has steamed for a bit, remove the lid and turn the heat up to medium-high to allow the liquid to evaporate. Continue to fry it up, stirring it often until it's golden brown and softened.

Just before serving, add the cooked bacon back into the pan and cook for a couple of minutes more to heat it through. I always warm the dishes that I'm serving in for a few minutes in a 250 or 300-degree oven. This just helps to keep your food hot longer once it's put on the table or the buffet. (it also helps if you use a nice heavy stoneware bowl/dish because they really do retain heat longer)

Serve it up with your favorite main dish and enjoy!

Here's the link to The St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl. Come on over to Kathleen's and join the party!! (This is an older link from the 2012 Blog Crawl, but there are still great recipes and decorating ideas to peruse!)

Click HERE

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Not Your Mama's Tuna Casserole

One of my favorite guilty pleasures is taking a trip down memory lane with a good old homemade "soup casserole".  Just about every red-blooded American kid grew up eating some variation of this one-dish wonder, made with a can or two of condensed "cream of" soup, some pasta or rice and a variety of other inexpensive pantry and refrigerator staples. It was the quick and easy way for mom to put a hot meal on the table in a hurry and usually fed not just her own hungry brood, but often a neighborhood kid or two as well.  If you've ever been to a pot-luck supper at church or school or even at the local firehouse, you're bound to have had a taste of at least one of these hearty, comforting and very shareable concoctions.

On Friday nights during Lent, Tuna Noodle Casserole was one of my mother's go-to suppers and I have to admit that back in the day, I wasn't always a fan. Don't get me wrong... My mother was a good "simple cook" and she made a mean meatloaf and some killer potato salad, but she wasn't really big on adding different seasonings or ingredients to a dish, unless the recipe specifically called for them. As much as I love and miss her, when it comes to cooking, I am definitely not my mama. I've done a lot of experimenting in the kitchen over the years and although I don't always succeed, the results are usually something that I'm happy with. Of course, the true test when it comes to new recipes, is whether or not the family likes them. Well... this little re-mix on the classic was a big success in our house, so I thought I'd share it with you.

(Sorry that I don't have step-by-step pics, but I hadn't originally planned on posting this. It was Hubbs that suggested that I should... gotta love that man!)

Not Your Mama's Tuna Casserole

• 1 Pkg Extra Wide Egg Noodles, cooked and drained
• 4 Cans White Albacore Tuna, drained well and flaked
• 2 Cans Cream of Mushroom Soup
• 1/2 Cup Sour Cream
• 1/4 Cup Mayonnaise (not salad dressing/Miracle Whip)
• 1 Tsp Dijon Mustard (heaping)
• 1/2 Cup Milk, Half & Half or Cream
• 2 Cups Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese
• 1 Tsp Garlic Powder
• 1 Tsp Onion Powder
• 1 Tsp Dried Thyme
• 1/2 Tsp Cayenne Pepper (optional)
• Salt & Pepper

Topping:

• 1 Cup French Fried Onion Rings
• 1 Cup Potato Chips
• 2-3 Tbls Butter, in small pieces

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Put the fried onion rings and potato chips into a zip-top bag and crush them with your hands or a heavy object until they're the consistency of coarse breadcrumbs. Set aside.

Mix all of the ingredients (except the topping) in a large mixing bowl. Pour into a lightly greased 9x13 baking dish and sprinkle the topping mixture over the entire surface. Dot the top with the little pieces of butter and bake in a pre-heated 350°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes or until it's hot and bubbling around all sides and the top is golden brown and crunchy.

The casserole can be made ahead of time and refrigerated, but if you do this, wait until just before putting it in the oven to add the topping and butter. You'll also need to increase the cooking time to about 45 to 50 minutes.

You can also add in any kind of veggie that you like if you want to make this a real one-pan meal. I usually serve steamed broccoli or green beans on the side. I know the veggie that's most commonly associated with tuna casserole is peas, but alas, the Frasier household is a pea-free zone. :~)

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Yay! I'm so flattered! My Pork Chops Pizzaiola was featured this week at Inspire Me Mondays, hosted by the very lovely Ramona at Create With Joy! Please stop by and say hello to Ramona and join in on her wonderful Monday party!

Pork Chops Pizzaiola

I posted about this favorite Sunday supper dish some time last summer, but since I cooked up a batch last night for dinner and I didn't have the step by step photos to go with the previous post, I thought I'd share it again. (I also realized that we have a lot of new subscribers joining us here on GATAB, who weren't around when I posted it the first time! So here we go!

The ingredients for this dish are pretty much basic pantry staples in our house and it's not at all difficult to make, so I don't know why I don't make it more often. It also happens to be one of Hubby's all time favorite meals, so I guess I tend to save it for special occasions, like his birthday or Father's Day. This time, I made it just because it had been on my mind a whole bunch and was becoming a distraction!

Pork Chops Pizzaiola

• 4-6 Bone-in Center Cut Pork Chops
• 1 28oz Can Crushed Tomatoes
• 1 14oz Can Diced Tomatoes
• 1 Lg Onion, sliced
• 1 Lg Green Bell Pepper
• 1 Lg Red Bell Pepper
• 6-8 ounces Button or Crimini Mushrooms, quartered
• 2 Cups Shredded Cheese ~ Mozzarella, Fontina, Parm, etc.
• 2 Med Cloves Garlic, finely minced or crushed
• Olive Oil, Butter, Salt & Pepper
• Pasta of your choice

You can use just one type of bell pepper or leave the mushrooms out if you prefer, but I had some really nice peppers and plump button mushrooms on hand, so I decided to include them.

I use both butter and a good olive oil when I cook because the butter alone burns too quickly and the oil has a higher smoking point. Adding the oil also adds more flavor of it's own and if you like using infused oils, such as garlic oil, you can do that as well.

Tip: Do you ever wonder why it is that you can't quite seem to get that restaurant recipe you're trying to duplicate just right?- kind of like something is missing? It could be about how often you season food as you cook it. Seasoning each "layer" of a recipe with salt and pepper can go a long way toward bringing out the full flavors of the individual ingredients. You don't need too much - just a pinch of salt and pepper as you add ingredients will do. It's surprising what a difference it makes.

Pre-heat a large skillet and cook the chops over medium to medium high heat, turning them occasionally, until they are nicely browned and cooked through. (about 5 to 7 minutes per side total, depending on thickness - you can test them by carefully piercing the center of your thickest chop with the tip of a sharp paring knife - if the juices that run out are clear with no pink, they're done) 

Remove the chops from the pan and set them aside, covering them with a little foil to keep them warm.

Note: I decided to experiment this time and do mine in my oven using a feature called "convect roast", so I apologize for not having a photo for this step. I doubt that I'll be doing that again, because I felt like this method left the dish lacking a little somthin' somethin'. I'm pretty sure it was the flavor from the drippings/fond that you would normally get when you pan-fry or saute' them on the stove top.

I like my peppers and onions sliced in thick-ish strips, but I quarter the mushrooms so that they keep their texture a bit more. I also chop the garlic pretty finely or if I'm feeling particularly lazy, I'll use a garlic press.

Add the peppers and onions first and "sweat" them for a few minutes. You don't want them to brown much. You want them slightly softened with maybe a light golden color.  I add the mushrooms and garlic in at a bit later 1) because I don't want the garlic to burn and 2) because I don't want the mushrooms to disappear in the finished dish.

Then, add the tomatoes. I use 1 large can of crushed and one small can of petite diced. I like the texture that the diced tomatoes add. They will break down a bit as they simmer but not completely. I usually let the sauce simmer at this point for about 20 minutes, so that all of the flavors can "marry" and the sauce can thicken slightly.

After the sauce has simmered for a while, I place the chops into the pan and spoon some sauce over the top of each one. I let this simmer for another 8-10 minutes - at most. If you plan to eat them immediately and let them simmer too much longer they can easily get tough.

That being said, if you wanted to do this earlier in the day, you could cook them in the sauce for an hour or more and they'd become very tender. With meats like pork and less expensive cuts of beef, there's a mid-point where they can end up being so tough that you need to cut them with a hacksaw. Simmering them in a sauce or stock for a longer period of time (braising) will break down the meat's fibers to the point where it will fall right off the bone. The science of cooking is an odd one, but it's one of the few sciences that I've ever been relatively good at. ;~)

This last 10 minutes of cooking is a good time to add your favorite pasta to a pot of boiling, liberally salted water. I like to use a thicker cut, heartier pasta when making it as a side for main dishes like this. With Pizzaiola it's almost always Rigatoni - which also happens to be my favorite pasta. Ever.

Thicker pastas stand up to the bold flavors of the meat and sauce and don't get lost in the overall dish. Now... I have been told that the sauce is delicious over rice as well, but I think my hubbs, who is not a big fan of rice, would ixnay athay right out of the gate. Ha!

A note on cooking pasta.  When using dried pastas, do try to follow the package directions as far as timing goes. Over-cooking pasta brings out too much starch and makes it gummy. You should also never rinse pasta that is being served hot, because you want a bit of that starch left on the surface, to help sauces cling to it better. In some cases, you need it to help slightly thicken a very thin sauce that's made from a broth or stock. (ie. white clam sauce)If you aren't using all of the pasta immediately, you can drizzle a bit of light olive oil over top and give it a little toss to keep it from sticking together.

If you're going to cook and serve your chops right away, sprinkle your favorite cheese (I used shredded mozzarella) over the top and cover the pan for a minute or two, to allow the cheese to melt. If it's going to simmer (or braise) for a while, like I mentioned up above, wait until the last four or five minutes before serving to add it.

And here's your finished Pork Chops Pizzaiola with Rigatoni! Throw a tossed green salad together and slice up some crusty Italian or French bread and you're good to go!

Wow! My Clubhouse Chicken was featured this week at Thriving On Thursdays, hosted by the very lovely Anne at Domesblissity!  Thanks so much to everyone who came by and checked it out!

Chicken, Bacon, Cheddar Cheese. All in a really rich and savory Tomato Sauce!

Don't Forget To Follow Me On Social Media! I Post Blog Updates, Ideas For Kitchen "How To's", Restaurant Recommendations And Reviews And Always Lots Of Photos!

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Don't forget that you can print this (or any) recipe using the "Print Friendly" button at the foot of each post. It's a great little feature that allows you to remove any pictures (or any text that isn't relevant to the recipe) before printing. That can save on ink and paper & in today's economy, who doesn't want to save a little cash when you can?!