BEEF & GUINNESS STEW

A family favorite and something I grew up up eating a lot of.
4-6 Servings

2 lbs. chuck steak (stewing beef, pref grass fed) - cut 1" dice
1 cup all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp. tomato paste
1 bouquet garni (parsley, thyme, bayleaf)
1 garlic clove - peeled
1 medium white onion - thinly sliced
2 carrots - peeled & cut into 1/4" slice
1/2 lb. mushrooms - sliced
4 cups beef broth
1 cup Guinness
S&P to taste

Preheat saute pan on med-high heat. Season flour with S&P, coat the beef shaking off excess. Saute the beef in 3 batches adding 1 tbsp. oil each time. Once beef is browned, set aside. Using same pan, add onion & carrots and garlic, saute for 3 mins. Add mushrooms and continue to saute for an additional minute. Add in tomato paste and stir constantly for 1 minute. Pour in 1 cup guinness and scrape all carmelised bits from bottom of pan. Add beef and veg mix together into large stock pot along with herbs and remaining liquid. Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer covered for 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 hrs. approximately. It's ready to go when the beef is fork tender. Serve with soda bread and a good pint o' Guinness. Slainte!

To view the instructional video click stobhach

SHEPHERD'S PIE / COTTAGE PIE

I know I slacked a bit on potato week but I was gearing up for the food demo which took over a lot of my time--I baked 12 loaves of soda bread! This dish has potatoes so I figured it's good enough to post under both Potato Week and Meat Week. In keeping with the March Madness of Irish Food, here's a traditional Irish meal.

It's a classic Irish dish that I grew up on. I think a lot of people assume that shepherds pie is made with either beef or lamb whereas shepherds pie is only made with minced or diced lamb and a cottage pie is with minced or diced beef. The process and ingredients are the same apart from the meat. Generally agreed it originated in the North of England and Scotland where there are large numbers of sheep--hence the name, it's thought to have been invented in the 18th century by frugal peasant housewives looking for creative ways to serve leftovers to their families. Presently, shepherd's pie and cottage pie are usually made from the leftovers of Sunday lunch. I remember we would have roast lamb, carrots, gravy and potatoes on Sunday which (if there was any leftover) would be turned into a pie for Monday.

Recipe:

1 lb. ground lamb or ground lean beef (pref grass fed)

1 medium white onion - diced

1 medium carrot - diced

2/3 cup frozen peas

1 tsp. fresh thyme - chopped

2 tbsp. tomato paste

2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce

2 cups veal / beef broth

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 large potatoes

1/2 cup low-fat or skim milk

olive oil

S&P to taste

In a medium hot pan, saute onions and carrots in 1 tbsp. olive oil for 5 mins. Once softened remove and set aside. Increase heat in same pan, add lamb or beef and saute for 10 mins. stirring constantly to brown. Once ready add onion & carrot. Add the flour and cook for 2 mins. Once all the flour has been absorbed add the tomato paste, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and broth. Bring to a boil and simmer for 15 mins. Add frozen peas.

Taste & season with S&P. Pour mixture in 4" deep casserole dish and let cool.

Meanwhile, boil and mash potatoes. Add warmed milk and mix. Season with S&P.

Once meat mixture is cooled, layer mash potatoes on top.

In preheated 375 degree oven, bake on a baking sheet for 30 - 40 mins 'til potatoes are browned and crispy.Serve & enjoy!

POTATO WEEK--COLCANNON

Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannan - white head) is an Irish favorite.

Colcannon is an Irish dish that is rich in tradition and history. Traditionally it's made on All Saints Day or Halloween, though it's a perfect food to warm you up on cold nights. Back in the day, some families would leave out a plate of it, with a lump of butter in the center for the fairies and the ghosts. Another old Irish Halloween tradition was to serve colcannon with prizes of small coins concealed in it. Traditional charms were put in the colcannon that symbolized different things. A button meant you would remain a bachelor and a thimble meant you would remain a spinster for the coming year. A ring meant you would get married and a coin meant you would come into wealth. Start your own traditions--Gather the family together and make this simple, but fun recipe for dinner!

The typical version is mashed potatoes with curly kale or cabbage, butter, cream, salt and pepper. At one time this was a cheap, year-round staple food. The 'healthified' version by yours truly is as follows:

1/2 head of savoy cabbage (green cabbage), sliced

1 1/2 lbs of Yukon Gold potatoes (white potatoes)

3/4 cup Skim milk (preferrably organic)

1 clove garlic, whole

1 tbsp fresh thyme - chopped

2 tbsp. olive oil

1/4 tsp salt, plus another 1/8 tsp salt

Pepper to taste.

Begin by peeling and boiling the potatoes in salted water (1/4 tbsp) 'til done. Saute the sliced cabbage in olive oil on medium heat with the thyme. Cover and cook 'til soft. In a medium sized sauce pan, heat milk and garlic clove on low-med flame, bring to a simmer. DO NOT BOIL. Drain potatoes when cooked until soft. Remove garlic from milk and add milk to potatoes. Mash it all together. When cabbage is cooked, fold into potatoes. You don't want to mash the cabbage along with the potatoes. Taste and season with salt (1/8 tsp or as much to your liking) & pepper.

This is great served with lamb or steak. In fact even a bowl by itself is great.

CURRIED PARSNIPS

INTRO TO PARSNIPS: ROASTING

EASY PEASY VALENTINE

PANCAKE TUESDAY

Shrove Tuesday or as I know it, Pancake Tuesday, is a day I always looked forward to as a child. I remember coming home from school knowing we were going to get pancakes after our dinner. These are not the typical American style pancakes but more like the French style, crepes (a thin version). They are traditionally served fresh from the pan with sugar and lemon juice. Man they were good! Shrove Tuesday is a term used in Ireland, the UK and Australia and marks the day before Lent, also known as Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday). The reason pancakes are associated with the day before Lent is that the 40 days of Lent is a time of fasting when all the rich foods like eggs, flour, milk and sugar are not eaten. As it turns out these are the ingredients for making........... pancakes. You've got to love the thinking behind this tradition. Let's eat lots of sugar and then fast for 40 days afterwards, sound like a plan?

Though this recipe is not for a traditional 'Pancake Tuesday' pancake, it's a healthy alternative to the American pancakes. I'd love to give you the recipe but it's so good that it's top secret. Everyone I've made these for loves them and the fact that they're low-fat and full of goodness amazes people. Unfortunately unless you come by my house for breakfast you'll have to trust me on that.

January's Cheap 'n' Cheerful

January's best known for a couple of reasons. Lots of new gym memberships, in most of which the people only last a few weeks so good news if you own the gym, and the other is people wanting to eat better and probably a little cheaper after the holidays.

We all over-indulged a bit over the past month or so with food and spending so I decided to dedicate January as the Cheap and Cheerful month for cooking, and by cheap I don't mean bland. I'll show you easy, delicious, rather inexpensive and always healthy recipes all month long. I cooked this one when I was back in Ireland for my sister's family. We were all sick of eating the leftover Christmas food and needed something clean and simple so this seemed to fit the bill.

STEAMED HALIBUT W/ WHITE WINE & PEPPERS
4 servings

4 x 4oz wild Pacific halibut (any firm white fish such as Pacific cod or black sea bass will do)
1 x red pepper - thinly sliced
1 x yellow pepper - thinly sliced
1 x green pepper - thinly sliced
1 cup oyster mushrooms (button, brown, or whatever you like) - quartered
2 cups broccoli florets
1/2 bunch asparagus (not Britney) spears (12 spears approx) - halved
1/2 cup white wine
2 cloves garlic - minced
1 tbsp. oregano - chopped
1 x lemon - zested
1 tbsp. olive oil
S&P

This is an all in one dish so is perfect if you have some friends coming over.
Pre-heat oven 400 degrees.
Saute the peppers with the garlic for 5 mins. on medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for another 2 mins. Season w/ S&P. Add white wine and oregano, reduce for 2 mins. on high heat. While this is going on, prepare the fish. You have two options here. I decided to sear the halibut on med. high heat in a saute pan with 1/2 tbsp. olive oil to give them a nice golden color. Sear for about 2-3 mins. on both sides, though you don't have to. If you prefer the nice white color of the fish or don't have time, simply season with S&P and set aside until needed. Next get a sheet pan and some aluminum foil. Tear off enough foil that measures twice the length of your sheet pan. With the foil on your pan place your cooked pepper mixture in center of pan. Spread the broccoli florets and asparagus around and place seared or raw fish on top. Sprinkle lemon zest over everything.
Fold the extra foil over the fish and gently seal the sides together. You want to make sure all the juices and steam stay inside. Cook for 10 - 12 mins. in pre-heated oven. You'll know the fish is done by touching it--it should be firm. Also, if it's flaky and white all the way through, you're golden. (See above photo for example)

To serve: I made some wasabi mashed potatoes which worked brilliantly, if I do say so myself!

SIMPLE SEAFOOD PROVENCALE

When I started working as a chef in '92, I primarily worked in seafood restaurants. Although I grew up as a meat and potato man I've always loved all seafood. It was an obvious choice for me with the abundance of great seafood in Ireland. I like this recipe 'cause it's easy, healthy and damn tasty.


Recipe:
1 medium red onion - thinly sliced
1 medium red pepper - thinly sliced
1 medium yellow pepper - thinly sliced
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 lb. fresh tomatoes - chopped (can use tinned if preferred)
1 lb. medium shrimp - peeled and deveined
10 fresh jumbo scallops
1 lb. little neck clams - washed
1 1/2 lb. mussels - washed
1 cup clam juice
1 cup white wine
1 cup veg. broth or water
2 tbsp. fresh basil - chopped
2 tbsp. garlic - minced

Begin by sauteing red pepper, onion and 1 tbsp. garlic in medium hot pan for 15 mins. Add chopped tomatoes and broth and simmer. In hot saute pan add mussels, 1/2 tbsp. chopped garlic, 1/2 cup wine, 1/2 cup clam juice and cover. Cook mussels till all shells have opened. Drain in a colander and keep all remaining liquid. Repeat process with clams. Once drained remove clams and mussels from shells and set aside. Throw away any unopened shells. Strain mussel and clam juice and add to tomato sauce along with lemon zest.
Season and sear scallops in hot pan for 30 secs. each side. Remove and drain on kitchen paper. Once removed, season and sear shrimp in same hot pan for 2 mins. each side. Add all seafood to tomato sauce and simmer for 20 mins. on medium low heat. Stir all ingredients to coat with sauce. Add chopped basil and taste for seasoning.
This is a great recipe to make and serve family style with a few friends.

NOTE: Video demo on YouTube

Tip: When buying shellfish always make sure the shells are closed to make sure they're not only fresh but more importantly alive!

Roast Turkey Breast w/ Cranberry Orange Relish

For most people the holidays are all about eating, drinking and usually lots of leftovers especially turkey. We end up having turkey sandwiches out the ying yang for days afterwards. I bet a lot of you are only interested in white or breast meat, or maybe you're only having a few people round so here's a recipe just for you.
Some stores offer just the turkey breasts so you don't have to buy the whole turkey. This is great for smaller portions and cuts the cooking time so you won't be up at the crack of dawn to get the bird in the oven. Regardless of meat size, I always brine my turkey the day before. Brining is soaking the meat in salted water which helps add flavor and keeps the meat moist during roasting. You can add a variety of other ingredients such as spices, herbs, bay leaves or even beer if you like to enhance the flavor. I find that a lot of people when cooking poultry, in particular cook the daylights out of it so they won't poison anyone. It always ends up dry and flaky, not good. Brining also provides a temperature cushion during cooking, so if this is your tendency, brining will help lock in the juices so it won't taste like rubber. Another note on brining is that brined meats tend to cook faster than unbrined meats so keep your eye on the internal temp about 2/3 of the way into your normal cooking time.

BRINING RECIPE:
11/2 lb. organic turkey breast
8 cups water (enough to cover)
1/3 cup kosher salt
3 bay leaves
1/2 tbsp. peppercorns
1 cup fresh herbs (thyme, marjoram, sage)
2 lemons-zested
Dissolve salt in the water. Add remaining ingredients and submerge turkey. Put in fridge overnight. When ready to cook, rinse and pat dry with paper towel.

TURKEY RECIPE:
11/2lb. brined turkey breast
1 lg.carrot-roughly chopped
1 lg.parsnip-roughly chopped
1 med. white onion-roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic- halved
2 tbsp. fresh ginger- roughly chopped

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Mix all vegetables together and lay on roasting pan. These will be used as a base for roasting the turkey which not only prevents the meat from sticking to the pan but are used for the gravy. Lay the seasoned turkey on the vegetables and place in oven. After 15 mins. reduce heat to 350. When cooked internal temp. should be 160 degrees. It took 50 mins. in my oven so keep an eye on it. When done, let rest for 15 mins. before carving.

CRANBERRY ORANGE RELISH
Cranberries are quite bitter so the majority of recipes use sugar when making. It's usually 1:1 water:sugar. I try to avoid sugar as much as possible as there are so many great alternatives. I prefer to use agave nectar which although is a real sugar and has similar properties to many sugars its glycemic index is much lower which makes it less likely to raise blood sugar levels. Agave is 40% sweeter than sugar so you also use less. Check out http://www.allaboutagave.com/ for more info.
Recipe:
1 12 oz. bag cranberries
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup agave or honey
1 tbsp. fresh ginger-chopped
1 med. orange-zested
Place all above into sauce pan and bring to a boil. Once the cranberries start popping reduce the heat and stir until blended, 10 mins. approx. Taste for sweetness (add more agave if needed) and refrigerate. This can be made a day or so in advance.
Yields 3 cups.

BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

Here we go again. Turkey, mash potatoes, gravy, pies, the lot. A good time by all but we'll pay for it in January (a great time to own a gym with all those new members.) This is a healthy low-fat way to start your meal and will let you have that extra piece of pie.

Butternut squash is a more watery squash and tastes very much like sweet potatoes with a sweet nutty flavor. Typically butter and sugar are used to make this soup but if you know anything about my cooking these are two items rarely used. I prefer adding chopped apple to sweeten or even carrot as I've done today, which also enhances the color of the soup. If you want to vary the flavor you could add 1 tbsp. curry powder as you're sauteing the onions. I often make this for my clients and alter the flavor by adding the apple, curry, nutmeg or even sweet potatoes or parsnips. Don't be afraid to play around and see what you come up with.
Recipe:
4 cups roughly diced & peeled butternut squash
1/2 cup diced onion
1 tbsp. chopped garlic
1 carrot-roughly chopped
5 cups low-sodium chicken/vegetable broth
2 tbsp. olive oil
S&P to taste

Yields 6 cups

Saute the onions on medium heat for 5 mins, no color. Add the chopped garlic and cook for another minute. Add the squash and carrot and continue to cook for 10 mins stirring occasionally. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce to a simmer until vegetables are tender, 30 mins. approx. In a blender, puree until smooth and season to taste. Easy as that. To make it even easier you can purchase already peeled squash and then all you have to do is chop. This is great to make in advance and even freeze if need be.

FISH 'N' CHIPS

After we got back from Ireland a couple months ago having had our fair share of fish 'n' chips, which I love by the way especially after a few beers, I had an idea. I wanted to come up with my healthy and tasty version of this classic. So I did.
When deciding what fish to use always go for a firm variety such as halibut, cod, or sea bass. In terms of the way you cook it, not only do I like the look of grilling but it's obviously the healthiest choice. You can bake it or even fry it if you want. If you choose the latter, I suggest shallow frying instead of deep frying for healthier results and use canola oil instead of vegetable oil in a shallow saute pan.

Grilled Fish'n'Chips:

1 x 4oz Wild Pacific Halibut
1 x medium sweet potato
2 x tbsp. olive oil
1/2 x tsp. garlic-minced
S&P to taste
lemon wedge
Condiments - ketchup, tarter sauce, malt vinegar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees
Begin by cutting the sweet potato in half lenghtwise and then into quarters. In a bowl toss potatoes with 1 tbsp. olive oil, S&P, garlic and even chili flakes if desired. Once oven is hot bake on middle shelf, approx. 20 minutes or 'til tender. If you're not sure if they're ready, don't be afraid, taste it! Be sure you don't put them on the bottom shelf or it'll burn the underside and be raw inside. Once they're cooking, sear seasoned fish in hot pan 'til golden on both sides, approx. 2-3 mins. This not only gives it a nice look but will help keep the fish moist while it's cooking. Pop it in oven for about 6 mins or until firm to the touch.
Let the fish rest for a minute or so when it comes out so all the juices won't run out of it when you cut into it. You can serve this as is or have some broccoli or green beans with it, it's up to your inner chef. Of course if you just want a snack or have some friends coming over, make a batch of the fries and dig in! I think this is about as easy as it gets when it comes to cooking. Simple, fresh, delicious and healthy!

ANOTHER FRIDAY DINNER

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES
I got a comment from John who asked for suggestions for heirloom tomatoes, apart from eating them as they are. Since they're still in season right now, I wanted to find out a bit more about them so I headed over to another farmers market yesterday to get the scoop. Apparently there are over 4,000 varieties available worldwide from Greece to Italy to the US, New Zealand and on to Russia. I shit you not. I thought there was only around 400. Heirlooms are open-pollinated, which means the flowers are pollinated by wind or insects. This also means you can save the seeds and they'll produce the next year. Heirloom tomatoes are bred for taste not appearance, which you probably noticed if you've seen some of them. We see the first batch get to the markets around March when the season begins. I got some mixed opinions as to when the season's finished up but it's somewhere between November and January, either way we've got a couple more months to go. The main reason why the season is getting longer is because of global climate change, which as we know affects more than just our tomatoes, but that's a different story altogether.

I came up with a few suggestions other than the usual tomato, mozzarella and basil salad:
Homemade heirloom gazpacho (use different colored tomatoes)
Orzo w/ blistered grape heirlooms, fresh herbs (parsley, mint), mozzarella
BAKED COUS-COUS STUFFED HEIRLOOM
Recipe below Serving suggestion: Pair with grilled paprika dusted tofu and asparagus
4 servings
4 x medium heirloom tomatoes (not too ripe and vary colors for presentation)
2/3 x cup un-cooked cous-cous (2 cups cooked)
1 x cup water or broth (low sodium preferably) I like to control who much salt I use
1 x tsp. salt
1 x lemon, zested
1/2 x red onion, fine dice
1/2 x red pepper, fine dice
2 x tbsp. olive oil
1 x tbsp. fresh basil,chopped
1 x tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 x tbsp. kalamata olives,chopped
2 x tbsp. feta cheese
S&P to taste
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
Begin by bringing your salted broth or water to a boil and once ready add cous-cous, cover and remove from heat for allotted cooking time per instructions on box. Make sure you check it so it won't overcook. Saute the onion and peppers in olive oil on medium heat not getting too much color. Once ready set aside in mixing bowl.
Meanwhile, cut tops off your tomatoes and carefully scoop out the center. Keep the insides. Chop and add to your onion pepper mixture. TIP: You can do this ahead of time and keep them in the fridge. I suggest putting some paper towel in the cavity to soak up some of the juice.
Once everything is ready, carefully using a fork, mix your ingredients together. Taste and adjust seasoning as preferred. Gently fill each tomato with your mixture and bake covered for 20-30 minutes. Because all heirlooms are different, the cooking time may vary so when the tomato is soft to the touch you're ready.
You can serve this with any entree or even as an appetizer. Enjoy!