Why does St. Patrick’s Day magically make us all Irish? St. Paddy, one of the patron saints of Ireland, wasn’t even a native (he was Welsh), but according to legend left his mark when he illustrated the concept of the Christian Holy Trinity with the three-leafed shamrock. Read Entire Recipe…
Recipes
All recipes by Nancy Johnson
Wine commentary by Gary Twining
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Guinness Beef Stew
This beer-braised stew is even better the second day, so it’s a great make-ahead dish for a St. Paddy’s Day party. Although beef is used in this recipe, for a traditional Irish stew, use lamb.
1 large onion, sliced
2 TBS canola oil
2 1/2 lbs boneless beef chuck or lamb shoulder, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cloves garlic, pushed through a garlic press
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 bottle Guinness beer
1 TBS Dijon mustardIn a Dutch oven, in hot oil, sauté the onions until translucent and tender. Add the beef or lamb and brown on all sides. Season with salt and pepper. Add garlic and sauté about 1 minute. Add bay leaf, thyme, oregano, Guinness and mustard. Bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours or until meat is tender, adding a bit more Guinness or water if needed. Remove bay leaf. Serve in shallow soup bowls over mashed potatoes or noodles.
Gary: The richness of the Guinness and the lamb calls for a rich, round red wine with plenty of flavor and mellow tannins. Syrah/Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Malbec are all fine choices. Dolcetto would be a fine call, as would a plump and plummy Garnacha/Grenache or Monastrell. Older wines are also fine with this dish, and their richness and nuances would be enhanced by it.
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Irish Soda Bread
With minimal kneading and no yeast, rustic soda bread is one of the easiest breads you’ll make. A tablespoon of caraway seeds or a handful of raisins can be added to the dough if desired.
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Butter for servingPreheat oven to 425
In a large bowl, mix flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Gather dough into a ball. Place on lightly floured surface and knead just until bread holds together, about 1-2 minutes. Shape into a 6-inch round and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Using a sharp knife, cut an X in the top of the dough. Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes. Loaf should sound hollow when tapped. Cool slightly and serve warm with butter.
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The Big Easy
The cuisine of New Orleans is as rich, fascinating and versatile as the vibrant people who inhabit the Crescent City.
Cajun cuisine originated with the French Acadians of Nova Scotia who settled in the bayous around New Orleans in the 18th century. Taking its cues from Acadian French cuisine, Cajun cooking has evolved over the years, with culinary contributions from Spanish, African, Choctaw and Chickasaw cultures.
If Cajun cooking is rooted in simplicity, creativity and economy, Creole cuisine is the sophisticated and somewhat exotic city slicker, the popular foods of New Orleans itself.
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Blackened Catfish
Blackened seafood was popularized by New Orleans chef Paul Prudhomme in the mid-‘80s. Today it can be found on menus all over the country. Be sure to turn on the fan while cooking the fish, as this method will create smoke. The results are worth it though and even better when served with the creamy corn dish, Maque Choux.
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Maque Choux
This recipe is believed to be from the Choktaw Indian tribe of Louisiana. Best made with fresh summer corn, it is also very good when made with canned or frozen corn during the winter. If using fresh corn, be sure to scrape the “corn milk” from the cob and add to the pan for extra flavor. Add crawfish or shrimp for a to-die-for entrée.
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Pecan and Mandarin Orange Salad
Pecans are found all over the South, including Louisiana. A side of fresh salad greens with toasted pecans and mandarin oranges is a delicious way to cool the heat of Cajun cuisine. A version of this salad can be found at many Louisiana restaurants. Northern cooks would use white sugar in the dressing, but Louisiana cooks add dark brown sugar, giving it a darker, smokier and more mysterious flavor.
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Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce
Creole and Cajun cooks never waste a crumb in the kitchen, which is why bread pudding is so popular in New Orleans. Found more often on Northern restaurant menus, bread pudding has moved from a “poor man’s dessert” to gourmet status as of late. Nuts, dried cranberries and other delicacies can be added in place of or in addition to the raisins. Some Cajun chefs even add fruit cocktail to the mixture!
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Chicken with Honey Lemon Wine Sauce
This is a light, delicate dish, similar to Chicken Piccata but with the addition of honey and wine to the lemon sauce. Because it bakes in the final 20 minutes, it’s a great dish to make while you sit down and have a glass of Sauvignon Blanc with your guests.
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Wild Mushroom Linguine
This is great as a first course, or as a delicious vegetarian main dish when served with a salad and a baguette. Use a mixture of the freshest mushrooms you can find and vary according to the season. For a perfect pot of linguine, cook pasta in salted boiling water for 13 minutes. This gives the water time to come back to a boil. You should see starchy white bubbles around the edges of the pot, which is a good indication that the pasta is ready. After draining the linguine, return it to the pot with about 1/4 cup of the starchy cooking water. This will keep each strand separated and will help to thicken the sauce.
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Featured Recipes
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Leek & Potato Soup
Both leeks and potatoes are plentiful in Irish cooking. Leeks tend to trap dirt between their layers. To clean, chop the white part only and then swish for a few minutes in a large bowl of cold water, lifting them carefully out of the water so as not to stir up the dirt at the bottom of the bowl. Clean the bowl, add water and swish a few more times or until the water is clear. This soup is rendered silky smooth with an immersion blender, an immensely handy tool in the kitchen. If you don’t have an immersion blender, purée the soup in a food processor or serve it chunky. Read Entire Recipe…
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Corned Beef and Cabbage
Many Irish people protest that corned beef and cabbage isn’t a traditional Irish dish. More likely, it became popular with 19th-century Irish immigrants who found plentiful beef in the United States. Although not a traditional Irish dish, corned beef and cabbage has become an American staple on St. Patrick’s Day. In this recipe, the corned beef is simmered for several hours with a medley of vegetables. Because their flavor is cooked out during the long simmer, the vegetables are eventually discarded. The actual vegetables you will bring to the table are simmered in a separate pot for a much shorter period of time. When purchasing corned beef, choose the flat cut over the point cut for best flavor. Read Entire Recipe…
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Ham, Shrimp and Andouille Sausage Jambalaya
Jambalaya is descended from Spanish paella. Every Louisiana household has a special recipe for this dish but it’s the city of Gonzales that put jambalaya on the map. Known as “The Jambalaya Capital of the World,” this Spanish-influenced Louisiana city hosts an annual jambalaya competition in which the dish is cooked in gigantic iron pots over wood-fueled fires.
Andouille sausage is a smoky, peppery sausage. If you can’t find it, use smoked kielbasa. Stirring the rice in the skillet for about a minute before adding the liquid gives it a hot fat coating that will help it retain its texture. There are as many versions of jambalaya as there are cooks in Louisiana, so feel free to change this recipe each time you make it by adding chicken, oysters, catfish, pork ribs, ground beef or crawfish.
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Crawfish Etouffee
Crawfish are at the heart of many Cajun dinners but live crawfish can be hard to find in Ohio. Louisiana crawfish tail meat is sold in the freezer section of many stores. If you can’t find crawfish meat, use shrimp. Etouffee means “smothered,” and that’s exactly what happens in this dish – the crawfish are smothered under caramelized vegetables and a tasty roux, which is a cooked mixture of butter and flour. To avoid burning the roux, be sure to add the onion and celery as soon as the roux turns the color of peanut butter. This will instantly lower the roux’s temperature. Once the roux is cooked, the rest of the dish comes together quickly.
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Milaneasy Risotto
This is not an authentic risotto, because it’s made in the microwave, but every bit as delicious and much less fussy. It is not an exceptionally creamy risotto but it does have a wonderful sticky texture. Saffron is expensive but you need only a teaspoon or two. Served with a salad and bread sticks, this makes a fine meatless meal.
3 TBS butter, cut into pieces
3 TBS olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 tsp saffron threads, or to taste
1/2 tsp dried thyme
Salt & pepper to taste
Parmigiano-Reggiano for garnishCombine butter and olive oil in a 4-quart microwave-safe casserole dish. Microwave on high power, uncovered, for 2 minutes.
Add onion and garlic. Cook, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes.
Add rice, stir to coat and cook, uncovered, on high for 2 minutes.
Add chicken broth, wine, saffron, thyme, salt and pepper. Stir. Cook, uncovered, on high for 18 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
Remove from microwave, cover and let stand 10 minutes. Grate Parmigiano-Reggiano over rice and serve.
Serves 4
Gary – The thyme and saffron add to the brightness of flavor. Almost any white with light to moderate acidity and defined flavors will be a pleasant match. Those without intense aromatics would probably make the best pairing.