Better Late Than Never!

I mentioned the other day about my let down in not being able to host and prepare a Thanksgiving dinner last week.  So in order to feed my hubby the turkey and stuffing he missed out on and feed my need to be all domestic we decided to have what I have been calling "Better Late than Never Thanksgiving!".

I was hoping to document the preparation of the meal making, but once I got humming along chopping, sauteing, and mashing, I completely forgot.  I only managed to snap one picture! However it is of something that I believe is a crucial part of the Thanksgiving meal.

Like so many of the American foods you can not easily come by in the grocery stores in Ireland a can of French's Fried Onions is one of those things.

I have been told by several people that they can be found every now and then in various stores, but much like my applesauce debacle a few weeks back I never came across them. So I set out to make my own fried onions! They were quite easy albeit a little time consuming! I simply followed this recipe and voila! I know they look greasy but that's what you get from deep frying and that is the reason they taste so good!

The recipe claims they can be stored in an airtight container. However, they will loose their crunch. Like most fried foods they are best consumed immediately. Fortunately they crisped up again quite nicely in the oven on top of the green bean casserole!

So that is it for my the cooking portion of today's blog! I know it doesn't make up for not chronicling the whole meal but here are a few snapshot of my coveted stash of leftovers.  I had a piece of pumpkin pecan cheesecake for breakfast!

Oh and guess what else?! I got to unleash my inner Martha and pulled together a simple little tablescape! I used clean empty jam jars wrapped in burlap and twine as votive holders. I used these same jam jars to hold the greenery when decorating for the woodland themed baby shower I hosted a while back. I also tied simple handwritten place cards to small pears. Like the jam jars they will also have a second life... as a tart!

Tackling Tzatziki

Hello all! Sorry I have been such an MIA blogger. No real excuse. Just laziness combined with a  little busy-ness. I have joined a new gym and have been making an effort to go almost daily. I am also getting back to my oil painting. Between that and daily emailing, Facebooking, Pinteresting, and house cleaning I guess my blog is suffering a little. Unlike my blog I always make time for cooking. No one will ever go hungry in my house!  Today for What's Cookin' Wednesday I decided to tackle tzatziki!

This traditional Greek appetizer/condiment is a cucumber yogurt sauce made to accompany a variety of foods from grilled meats and fish to bread and veggies. Back in the states, I would normally grab a readymade container of tzatziki in the store, but because I have the time I thought I have given it a go.

Simple ingredients: yogurt, cucumber, garlic, dill, parsley, mint, and lemon.

 The most important thing when it comes to making your own tzatziki is straining! You can certainly go without straining off all the excess water in the cucumber and yogurt, but then you run the risk of having runny tzatziki. So I like to spoon the yogurt into a sieve or colander lined with a paper towel, muslin, or a coffee filter and allow it to rest in the fridge for a minimum of an hour. I also do the same with my diced cucumber to allow some of the water to strain off.  Lightly salting the cucumber helps to draw the water out. 

Straining the whey is the key to tzatziki success!

Make sure to remove the seeds from the cucumber!

Fresh herbs left to right:  parsley, mint, dill

Mix it all up, chill and serve with your favorite food!

I served my homemade yogurt dip with grilled chicken, couscous, and the best  zuchini fritter recipe I have come across! Totally forgot to snap a final photo, but the outcome:  tasty, terrific, tongue-tantalizing, tzatziki!

• 1 pint plain greek style yogurt 
• 1 hothouse cucumber, unpeeled and seeded cut into 1/4 inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (1 lemon)
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh flat leaf parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon minced fresh mint
• Pinch of salt and pepper
• 
  

Kris Cross Applesauce!

Yesterday I was out picking up a few things on my grocery list. I ticked off the first few items and then moved onto the next. Applesauce. I checked first near the canned fruits; no luck. Next, I tried looking by the jams and jellies; no luck. Not near the fresh fruit or fruit juices either. No worries I thought. Because we live in the city the shops are small and do not always have the largest selection. Fortunately there are at least a half dozen groceries all within walking distance. So onto the next shop I went in search of applesauce. Guess what? No luck!

By this time I am starting to get a little frustrated so I sent a text to my friend, Evin. I probably text her once a month to ask where I can find certain items. Last month it was celery salt (not available here in Cork). She is always so kind and never fails to answer my query, and then gently points me in the direction of her blog post listing where you can find most American foods here in Ireland. Once again forever helpful Evin pointed me in the right direction. However, I was on my third grocery store at this point searching in vain for applesauce and growing more and more frustrated; and a trip backtracking across town to the organic food market was not going to happen. So I grabbed four apples at the last grocery store and headed home.

When life hands you lemons make lemonade apples make applesauce! So I channeled my frustration into peeling and coring apples, and this is what I came up with!

To be fair, applesauce does exist here. My friend Maire sent me a picture of a jar in her fridge just to prove it! However, it is just not as common as in the states where we have 50 different varieties. Think about it, we have multiple brands, chunky, smooth, natural, with cinnamon, blended with other fruits, individual snack packs, etc. I think a big part of my frustration yesterday had more to do with that lack of variety. Variety is the spice of life! Fortunately, I now know I can make my own variety! My friend Margaret even suggested adding pears to the applesauce mix. Sounds tasty! Maybe next time!

Applesauce

5 medium apples
1/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup water
dash of cinnamon to taste

Peel and core apples
Cut into 1/2" pieces
In pot mix apples, water, sugar and cinnamon
Bring apples to a boil, and then turn down to a simmer for 20-30 min.
Allow apples to cool before mashing them with either a fork, potato masher, food processor, or emulsion blender.

Bread Baking, and More Soup Making!

Believe it or not after last weeks excitement over the boot wearing and soup making weather, I still haven't come down from the high. Still not ready to show you my sweet dance moves just yet, I am not sure you can handle it. Hopefully you can handle all this soup I've been dishing up lately. Since the white bean chicken chili last week I have stirred up two more pots of soup. 

The first was a lovely roasted red pepper and tomato soup served with a green salad topped with goats cheese and pecans, and a crusty warm baguette. I was lucky enough to share this soup with friends along with several bottles of wine! Food and wine are really best when shared with good company, don't ya think?!

The second soup was last nights dinner. A cheesy creamy broccoli cheddar soup served in a....wait for it... bread bowl! I had it in my head that broccoli cheddar would be much more exciting in a vessel made of bread. Sadly it was not nearly as exciting as I had hoped it would be. This is not to say that my bread bowl wasn't any good. I have however decided that I'm simply not a fan. Problem number one; the soup to bread ratio is way off in favor of the bread. Problem number two; I am not a huge fan of soggy bread. My husband on the other hand seemed pretty happy. He is a cup of crushed crackers in his bowl of soup kind of guy anyway. So lots of soggy bread is right up his alley. 

All excitement was not lost for me. I had a great time making the bread, and the presentation was so much fun all disdain for the bread bowl went right out the window. 

So here is how the whole broccoli cheddar bread bowl thing went down:

I made the bread the night before using this recipe. 

The next day I got busy prepping ingredients for the soup.

I sautéed the onions, carrots, and celery in a little butter and olive oil. 

Then in goes the garlic and broccoli. Saute for a few more minuets before adding chicken broth. Cover the pot and allow broccoli to cook.

When the broccoli is just on the verge of being cooked all the way through remove a little more than half of it and set it aside to be added back at the end.

Simmer the soup for about 10 minuets longer until remaining broccoli is soft. Use emulsion blender to puree contents of the pot. If you don't have an emulsion blender, carefully ladle the soup into a food processor to puree.

Add cream or milk, up to you! Obviously cream is best!

If the soup seems too thin you can mix up a small amount of flour and milk together and add that to the soup to thicken it.

While soup is bubbling away and thickening you can begin prepping your bread bowls.

Using a bread knife slice off the top half of the bread ball.

Then without cutting all the way through to the bottom remove the center portion of the bread. I had to remove it in a few different pieces. And FYI the insides can be toasted and made into croutons or bread crumbs for other uses. 

Finally add the cheese to the soup and allow it to melt stirring thoroughly to incorporate.

Add the remaining broccoli back to the soup about five minuets before serving. 

Ladle into bread bowl and enjoy! Or in my case eat all the soupy goodness and give your husband 75% of your soggy bread.

1 tablespoon melted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium/large chopped onion
1/2 lb fresh broccoli (chopped into bite sized pieces)
1 cup carrot, julienned
2 stalks of celery finely diced
2 cloves garlic minced
3 cups chicken stock
1 1/2 cups half-and-half cream (or milk) + 1/2 cup mixed with 2 heaping tablespoons of flour
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
8 ounces grated sharp cheddar cheese
salt and pepper

Boot Stompin' & Soup Makin'

Ireland has very moderate weather, rarely does the temperature go below freezing, and in the peak summer months we only average about 18C (64 F). However, it only takes a slight dip in the mercury to persuade me to pull on my favorite knee high boots and bust out my fall cooking repertoire.

Favorite Boots

When I think of fall food I think warm apple cobbler, hearty roast with mashed potatoes, and above all I think of soup! I love that something as simple as a one pot meal can also be complex at the same time. The way flavors come together swimming in brothy harmony.

So last week I put my boots on for the first time this fall and I did a little dance, or at least what I call a dance.  Mostly just bouncing around excitedly and erratically. I am really not a good dancer, but that's a discussion for another post. However, it was that little boot dance spasm that signaled to my brain that it was time to make soup. With so many soup options out there how to decide what kind of soup becomes a whole new challenge. Classic chicken noodle? Creamy baked potato? Tangy roasted tomato?

Luckily, I came to a decision easily. My Aunt Jane was recently here for a visit and she did not arrive empty-handed.  In addition to some of our favorite American candies, and cheesy snacks, she managed to squeeze four cans of Hatch fire-roasted green chilies into her suitcase for me! 

I couldn't wait to put these green chiles to use! So I decided to make a white bean chicken chili. You probably know by now that I am not much for exacting measurements. I usually find a recipe online that I deem acceptable and then I loosely base my dish around it.  I love tasting and tweaking throughout the cooking process. I know that off-the-cuff cooking is not for everyone so I am including below the recipe that I used as my jumping off point, with my changes and additions in red.

 

I hope this post will inspire you to pull on your favorite boots, warm up the dance floor (hopefully you're a better dancer than me), and warm up your kitchen with a little taste of fall!

White Bean Chicken Chili 

2 T vegetable oil
6 chicken legs ( I used 3 large chicken breast)

1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced

(3-4 med fresh green chiles)

(1 yellow bell pepper, chopped)

1 serrano chili pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno pepper, chopped

(2 cans diced green chiles, hot or mild)

1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano (Mediterranean or Mexican is fine)

2 sprigs fresh thyme ( I omitted the thyme)
1 bay leaf

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups chicken stock

1 can diced tomatoes

1/2 cup sour cream

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese 

0. Season chicken legs or in my case breast well with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper
1. Heat 2 tbsp of vegetable oil in a skillet. Brown chicken legs.
2. Take out and set aside chicken legs. Drain excess oil.
3. Add onions, bell pepper, and various chiles
4. When onions are translucent, add ground cumin and oregano and cook with onions until lightly brown.
5. Add garlic.
6. Add the cannellini beans, and can diced tomatoes and cans of green chiles.
7. Add chicken stock.
8. Put back the chicken legs and add the thyme and bay leaf.
9. Simmer until chicken legs are tender, about 35-45 minutes.
10. If desired, debone chicken legs and put back the shredded chicken meat into the pan.  

(I removed my breast and shredded the meat with a fork before adding back to the pot)
11. Stir in the chopped cilantro.12. Just before serving mix in cheese and sour cream until melted and well blended

13. Serve with a dallop of sourcream and some fresh cilantro

14. Enjoy!

Giving the Butter a Night Off

If you knew the amount of candy and beer my husband consumes on a weekly basis you might be surprised to know that he does not weigh  28 stone, or 400 lbs, depending which continent you are on! He may not be a strict health nut, but he does work hard to stay fit and sometimes my cooking makes that difficult for him. He was taking the piss out of me (Irish phrase) last week after I used the crummy weather here in Ireland as an excuse to cook comfort food, as seen in this post.  

In truth I don't actually need an excuse. I am not ashamed to admit that I love to cook with butter, indulge in potatoes and creamy sauces, and the thought of becoming a vegetarian has never EVER crossed my mind.  Nothing wrong with the vegetarian lifestyle whatsoever, simply a personal choice.


So even though I admit to being a bit heavy-handed with the butter,  you should know that it is not an everyday occurrence. I do try and create balanced menus throughout the week, and veggies are always a part of our meals.  From time to time they are even the star of the show, as was the case with last night's stuffed peppers.


I typically make stuffed peppers with ground beef, rice, and a rich tomato sauce, but I came across a recipe on epicurious.com for couscous and feta stuffed peppers and thought I would give it a whirl, and give the butter a night off.

I made a few changes by omitting the squash, and fennel, and upping the spice quotient.  I added lots more oregano, some cumin, and a healthy does of minced garlic as well. Chickpeas, couscous, and feta, bulked up the filling and added a creamy salty zing!  Served up with a simple salad and some tasty naan bread and Adam and I didn't even miss the beef.  

And now believe it or not I'm off to the gym, because I'm not giving up the butter anytime soon, especially the Irish Butter!  Have I told you how good it is?  And I am not just saying that to keep my husband in business, but really you should try it! :)

Homemade with Love and Flowers

This past weekend our Irish friend, Ciaran, came by for brunch and like a very lovely guest he brought us a little gift.  Two bottles of his brother and sister's homemade Elderflower cordial.  

I have heard of Elderberry, but have never consumed any products containing the berries, or the flowers for that matter. Elder exists in the US, but is native to Europe and very common here in Ireland. The flowering season is short, typically late May through June; but by making enough of this cordial you can stock it away and enjoy it year round!  

The cordial is made by steeping the flowers in a solution of sugar, water, lemons, and citric acid for a day or two, and then it is simply strained and bottled.  Berries can be added to the steeping process for a little variety!

A small amount of cordial mixed with still or fizzy water over a bit of ice makes for a wonderfully refreshing drink.  Additionally it makes a great mixer when it comes to cocktails!

If you're interested in making your own Elderflower cordial, recipes abound on the web. You can also follow this link to www.cullyandsully.com. This duo from Cork serves up locally sourced meals on the grocery store shelves here in Ireland and know a thing or two about cooking!

Word to Your Mother (sauce that is)

Adam and I are big breakfast people.  During the week it's usually just toast or cereal, but weekends are special, and we almost always make time for a hot breakfast.  Typically this consist of eggs and bacon. You know the streaky kind, not the Irish rashers. Don't remember the difference?  You can check out The Great Bacon Debate post to refresh your memory.  Occasionally we will have waffles, pancakes, or maybe French toast in addition to our bacon and eggs. And every now and then we will go out for breakfast/brunch which I consider a real treat!

It's such a treat because 99% of the time I order the one thing I have never attempted to make in all my breakfast making days.  Eggs Benedict.  Sure I make English muffins from time to time, and I often make poached eggs, and frying up a slice of ham is a no-brainer.  So what has kept me from making my own Eggs Benedict in the comfort of my own kitchen all these years? Hollandaise sauce.  It wouldn't be Eggs Benedict without that creamy, buttery, silky, rich sauce.  With only three ingredients (egg, butter, and lemon juice) how hard could it be?  But the fear of curdling, or scrambling the sauce has had me panic-stricken to the point that I have always felt it was just best to leave it to the professionals.

That is until now.

With time on my hands, and a growing interest in expanding my culinary skills I have decided to master  attempt the 5 Mother Sauces.  What are the mother sauces you ask?  Pay attention now, I'm pretty sure this is a Trivial Pursuit question!  The 5 sauces are:

1. Hollandaise (butter emulsion sauce)

2. Bechamel (white sauce made with milk, aka cream sauce)

3. Veloute (white sauce with chicken or fish stock instead of milk)

4. Espagnole (Brown Sauce)

5. Sauce Tomat (Tomato sauce)

OK, sauce lesson aside, lets get back to breakfast.  In the past I have always poached my eggs in a pan specifically designed for poaching eggs which looks something like this.  Essentially a double boiler with removable cups that make perfectly round poached eggs.

However, my egg poaching pan was not considered a necessity and therefore was left in storage in the states.  Fortunately you can poach eggs without a fancy pan! Unfortunately I'm not very good at it.  I tried all the tricks; swirling the water to create a vortex as you drop the egg in, adding a bit of white vinegar to encourage the egg to stay together, cracking them first into a small dish and delivering them gently into the water, and still my eggs turned out like this.  Most of the white still floating around in the vinegar soup or stuck to my slotted spoon.

However ugly they looked at least it did not seem to affect the taste.  Now all that was left in order to achieve Benedict nirvana was the Hollandaise sauce.  With a deep breath and a quick prayer I gently began to heat my eggs yolks. Then slowly I began incorporating the butter; and before I knew it, and much to my surprise, the sauce was looking...exactly as it should.  A splash of lemon juice, and viola SUCCESS!

Lovingly I spooned my very first mother sauce over my not-so-pretty poached eggs and delighted in the result. Hollandaise is like concealer makeup for eggs; it hides the flaws.  Served with home fries and fresh fruit my Eggs Benedict Brunch was complete.  Yummy!

So was it worth it? Yes, for the satisfaction of knowing I can do it. However, I'm fairly certain I will continue to leave this dish up to the professionals and reserve it as the treat I've always felt it to be. Mainly because whisking the sauce, poaching the eggs, and toasting and buttering the English muffin all must be done simultaneously to be certain they are each hot and fresh. That's three things at once, and that is just two things too many!