So, Christmas – Done. New Years Day – tomorrow! Another year older and hopefully wiser.

Have you noticed all the food traditions associated with the new year? Of course my Texan Missus has hers, which involves black eyed peas and leafy greens (representing good luck, good health & good fortune), which is now a tradition I’ve adopted.

I’m thinking the feast you just had on Christmas might have yielded some leftover turkey or ham and with a lot of you in the midst of winter right now one of the easiest, healthiest & quickest meals to put together is a great big ol’ pot of soup, which is also a great way to use up the leftovers. (If you don’t have any ham check out this turkey soup recipe.) I bunged this together in about 30 minutes (hassle-free indeed) and man was it good! You’ll love how good this smells cookin’ up in your kitchen and will probably serve you well as a good hangover munchie.

RECIPE:
Serves 6ish

1 cup white onion – small dice
1 cup carrot – small dice
1 cup celery – small dice
3 bay leaves
3 cups cooked ham – fat trimmed, diced
2 cups potatoes – small dice
2 cups dried black eyed peas, soaked overnight & drained*
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 bunch fresh thyme – wrapped with string like a bouquet garni
7-8 cups low-sodium or homemade chicken broth
NOTE: The beauty about making a soup like this is that the measurements don’t have to be exact. If you have more potatoes or carrots who cares, bung em in. The more the merrier. Just add enough liquid to make it soupy. At the end of the day guys it’s just food. Enjoy cooking.
*Feel free to use canned black eyed peas but rinse them first. Canned beans are already cooked so you should add them in towards the end of the cooking time. But if you do use the dried peas, be sure to check out my trick for making them flavourful!

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat large soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil and onion and saute for 2 minutes, stirring. Next add carrot, celery, bay leaves and ham and saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once veg are beginning to soften add broth, potatoes and thyme and soaked black eyed peas, bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 2o-30 minutes until veg are cooked through. Add more liquid if needed.

Taste and season with S&P.

That’s it. How easy was that?

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYBODY AND THANKS FOR THE CONTINUED SUPPORT.

CHEERS TO A HEALTHY AND PROSPEROUS 2010!!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Alright guys, here we go again. New Years Eve…what to do? Does the thought of fighting the crowds out n about in the pubs and restaurants make you want to pull your fingernails out? (A little dramatic maybe, but you get the drift.) I definitely agree with you so (all in the name of research) I gathered some good friends to test out my theory of how much fun a dinner party can be. Believe you me, with the right people, some great home cooking and (lots of) great wine–great craic to be (and was) had! If you’re lucky enough to know someone with a wood burning pizza oven (obviously I’m just bragging ’cause I do, sorry) you can’t go wrong but if not, a great way to spend the evening is making fresh homemade pasta. Everyone can get involved and then come chow time the meal has special meaning, not to mention the taste of homemade pasta is superb.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

3 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
4 extra-large organic eggs

DIRECTIONS:

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. If you don’t have one use a clean work surface. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape (do not worry if it looks messy). The dough will come together in a shaggy mass when about half of the flour is incorporated.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. Add more flour, in 1/2-cup increments, if the dough is too sticky. Once the dough comes together, remove it from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. Roll and form as desired.

NOTE: Do not skip the kneading or resting portion of this recipe, they are essential for a light pasta.

The easiest way to roll out pasta dough is to get yourself the attachment with your electric mixer. You can, however buy a pasta roller that attaches to your work surface and will defo result in some good Popeye-arms!

The instructions that come with your pasta machine/attachment are very clear but briefly, you’ll roll the dough through the machine a few different times making the pasta thinner each time it passes through. Once you’ve reached the final thickness you have an option of making whatever type of pasta you want i.e,, Fettuccine, Linguine, Spaghetti, whatever.

Try tossing it with fresh homemade pesto, bellisimo!

If you haven’t ever made or, more importantly eaten homemade pasta (and I don’t mean the stuff that comes in the plastic container you find in the store) give this a go. There’s no comparison. Trust me, I’m Irish!

Recipe adapted from the great Mario Batali

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Well kids, here we are. Can’t believe it’s Christmas…………again.

The Missus and I just got back from a brilliant weekend back in Austin, Texas, sort of early Christmas if you will along with a big Texas piss up to celebrate my father-in-law’s 66th. All the in-laws were in attendance and I’m not sure there are enough words to describe all the madness. Or maybe there’s too many words…either way, we’ll keep it in the family as they say. Of course while there we had to hit up another famous barbecue joint, Stubb’s BBQ. The food wasn’t as killer as the Salt Lick but the ambiance was cool. It’s a huge live music scene but we only had time for some grub. Let me tell you, it’s true what they say about Austin being the ‘Live Music Capital’ as there’s live music ALL. THE. TIME. What a scene!
We hit up The Continental Club on a Saturday afternoon and the gaff was jointed! Live rockabilly & country music with dancers–great craic. Little known fact (just because it’s Christmas) I used to rock the cowboy boot look back in the day in Dublin–waaay before anyone else was rockin’ that look. (Cool? Debatable. I thought so. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.)

Anyway, it was another great trip to Austin, family and food-wise. Has anyone eaten at Guero’s on Congress? It’s a fun taco bar where they make their own corn tortillas fresh right there in front of you. On my last visit to Texas I saw fresh flour tortillas being whipped up and this time it was corn. Gotta love those fresh tortillas and now I get why Texans love tortillas. If only I had that recipe!

(Photos by Andrew Collins and orthogonalthought.com)

After eating my way through Austin it’s a good thing we booked a catering gig for today, Christmas Day, so I can work off my tortilla belly. I’m lookin’ forward to it actually. Christmas is all about family for me (and everyone else) and since all mine are back in the homeland I’m happy to work (with the Missus in tow of course). I’ve got quite the menu planned for this event–how does this sound: Brined Roast Heritage turkey with homemade gravy & cranberry relish, Balsamic-Agave Glazed Ham, Butternut Squash Soup, Twice Baked Sweet Pots and Smashed Roasted Mini Pots, Sauteed Green Beans with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Roast Seasonal Farmers’ Market Veg, Cornbread Muffins, Mixed Baby Greens with Shaved Fennel, Spiced Pumpkin Seeds, Goat’s Cheese and homemade vinaigrette. Whew. Let’s not forget dessert(s)!!

So that’s my day. We’ll celebrate on Saturday in true LA style by probably heading to the beach. Could be worse right?

I hope you guys all have a very Happy & Healthy Christmas!

As we say,

There are a few dishes that are well known Irish dishes: bacon & cabbage, Irish stew and the old reliable potato (in any form). This soup has one of those staples and is probably one of the easiest soups to make. I had all the ingredients in my CSA box and I promise, making this soup with recently picked fresh ingredients makes it really delicious. The earthiness of the thyme works a treat here and if you’re still looking for a quick appetizer for Santa Day, look no further.

RECIPE:
Makes about 4 cups

2 large leeks – whites only, sliced & rinsed (But keep the greens for your homemade stock)
2 white potatoes – peeled, chopped
1 tbsp thyme
1 quart low-sodium veg broth or even better, homemade stock
2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat soup pot on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add olive oil and leeks and saute for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add thyme and potatoes and combine with sauteed leeks.

Add broth and stir. Partially cover with lid. Bring to a boil and once boiling reduce heat to simmer. Cook for 20 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender.

Puree in food processor in batches.

NOTE: Do not fill your blender above half way with hot liquid. Hot liquids expand when pureed so be careful. Place a kitchen towel on the lid when blending so you don’t burn yourself when the liquid expands.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible

If you’re like me you’re knee deep in the throws of everything Christmas, especially food. Every Christmas, without fail, I get my annual side of smoked salmon sent over to me by the matriarch of the Murphy clan. For me it’s like getting a little piece of home every year, which is important. Sometimes it’s hard living so far away from home.

My fondest memories of Christmastime of course revolves around food and along with that goes the odd scoop or tree. For our family in particular, Christmas is all about spending time with family and friends so much so that for as long as I can remember my parents hosted an open house for any and everybody to pop in. (And boy did they!)
Mum would prepare a few starters for people to nibble on and this is one of the classics. You can’t beat some Smoked Salmon on brown bread. We of course, had Brown Soda Bread but here I adapted it by using pumpernickel bread.

Check out my Soda Bread Cooking Demo to see me in action.

So if you’re still looking for a quick n’ easy appetizer for Christmas, try this. It will surely go down a treat!

RECIPE:
Makes about 4 portions (single servings). Adjust as needed per your guest count.

Irish Smoked Salmon
pumpernickel bread
Cucumber – peeled and thinly sliced

2 tbsp whipped low-fat cream cheese
1/2 lemon – zested
1/4 tsp white pepper

fresh chopped chives – garnish

DIRECTIONS:

Mix the cream cheese, zest and pepper together and smear each pumpernickel bread with some to coat.

Lay 3 pieces of the cucumber on each piece of bread and a couple of pieces of smoked salmon on top. Cut the bread slices in half diagonally and finish with a sprinkle of fresh chives and a wedge of lemon.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

This is another Christmasish (not a word but who cares) recipe that really only fits in here ’cause of the seasonal colour of the pomegranate sauce and marinade. This all came about really because I had some chicken and a bottle of Pom in my fridge, which has pretty much been there for while (the Pom juice, that is). Sometimes the best recipes are inspired by what you have on hand so I figured I’d give it a go see what happens. Chicken is one of those meats that marinates well but that doesn’t mean everything will taste good so it was a gamble that, in my book, paid off. Besides the great taste, pomegranates are loaded with antioxidants, which might come in handy after all the holiday tipples!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

4 x 6 oz organic chicken breasts
1/2 cup chicken broth

Pomegranate marinade:
24 oz of Pom juice
1 cup Agave
1 tbsp chili flakes
1 tbsp salt

Mix the marinade together in mixing bowl big enough to hold the submerged chicken. Once combined add in the chicken. Cover and refrigerate and let marinate from between 5 hours to over-night.

Remove chicken from fridge about an 1 hour before cooking to let return to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Preheat large saute pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Lay each filet skin side down, if using with skin on, and sear for 2-3 minutes until golden then flip over.
NOTE: Because of the Agave the chicken will caramelize & brown pretty quickly so keep an eye on it.
Once browned on both sides place on a foiled oven tray along with broth and roast 8-10 minutes approx or to internal temperature 160°F.
Throw some greens on there and you’ve got yourself Christmas on a plate!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

The first time I had brisket was when I was working for a caterer at a Hanukkah dinner here in LA. I was fresh off the boat so I wasn’t versed in this Jewish tradition, though over the years I’ve become well versed in the variety of foods served around this time of year. This is in honour of all my Jewish peeps.

I’m a huge fan of braising meats because this technique of slow cooking over longer periods of time makes the meat super tender and intensely flavourful. Plus it’s hard to mess up. What I’m doing with this recipe is laying flavours on top of each other so that when the meat is cooked it’s tender like ‘butta’ you get this deep rich flavour that shows how much care and time has been put into preparing it. Now, I know brisket is more of a Hanukkah type dish but for those beef eaters coming ’round for Christmas dinner, this’ll go down a treat and can (and should) be done ahead so all you need to do is reheat. Doesn’t get any easier than that!

RECIPE:

2 1/2 lbs brisket (go for grass-fed beef for maximum flavour)
2 cups red wine (whatever is in your hand right now will work)
1/2 bunch fresh sage, thyme & rosemary (each)
2/3 bay leaves
1 lb shallots – peeled
2 quarts beef broth
1 tbsp black peppercorns
S&P
2 tbsp grape seed oil*

*NOTE: Use grape seed oil will if you have it because it reaches a higher searing temp than olive oil but you can certainly use olive oil if that’s what you’ve got on hand.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 380°F.

Preheat large skillet on medium high heat for 2 minutes. Season brisket liberally with S&P. Drizzle oil and sear brisket for 3-4 minutes each side until golden and caramelized. Once browned remove to a large oven dish and reduce heat to medium. Using the same pan add wine, shallots & herbs, cooking for 1 minute while scraping any of the caramelised bits from the pan. Add the liquid to the brisket along with beef broth and peppercorns.

Cover dish with foil and pop in oven for 3 hrs. Once cooked remove brisket and let cool. Refrigerate.

NOTE: Brisket is best cooked a day ahead and let to cool completely.

Once cooled slice into 1/4″ slices and place in a casserole dish. braising liquid and pour over the brisket and cover.
Reheat in preheated (400°F) oven for 30 minutes.

Discard any stems from the herb before serving.

Serving Suggestion: Parsnip & potato mash and sauteed green beans. Brilliant like!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Christmas, Christmas, Christmas….what to give this Christmas? In this economy many of us are scaling back on our spending, right?–but giving still feels good doesn’t it? A few years ago I started making homemade Christmas prezzies, which has been quite cool. Homemade = special, and who doesn’t like a special gift?

This year I haven’t quite decided what to do but if you need an idea try my homemade sugar-free cranberry orange relish. It’s really tasty and not expensive to make. Even my neighbors are jumping on the bandwagon and got a little fancy pants. They decided to make homemade hot sauce out of the chillies growing in their gardens. You’ve heard me talk about my lovely neighbours before: Erica & Chris, of our famous Urban Gardens series. It was a combined effort (even better I’d say) which was a lot of fun to document.

Adapted from Rick Bayless‘ recipe, let the homemade gift making begin:

A NOTE FROM CHRIS:
We used a mixture of dried arbol chilies, and fresh and dried chilies from our Tabasco chili plants (like 1/3 each). Unlike in the recipe, we didn’t remove the seeds, but other than that we pretty much followed the recipe. In retrospect, maybe removing the seeds would have been a good idea. Oh, we made a huge batch of it, like 7x’s what was in the recipe.

Let it be up to you if you want to remove the seeds or not. The seeds are the hottest part of the chillies so you can discard them for a more mild batch or add a few or go all out as did Chris & Erica. This batch came out guns-a-blazin’ (not kidding guys, my head nearly exploded). That would be a good name for their hot sauce: Venice Guns a Blazin’ (funny enough that’s quite à propos). You can make larger batches like C & E did so you’ll have plenty for gifts.

NOTE / TIP / DON’T DO WHAT I DID (ONCE) For the love of God wear some gloves if you’re de-seeding the chillies but if you don’t, be careful not to touch your eyes and my advice, don’t go to the toilet unless you can go hands free. Tink about it. Be there done that, no be fun!

ORIGINAL RECIPE:
Makes about 1¾ cups

1¼ ounces (about 50 to 60 mixed-size) dried chiles de arbol*
1½ tablespoons sesame seeds
2 tablespoons shelled pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
¼ teaspoon cumin seeds (or a generous ¼ teaspoon ground)
4 large allspice berries (or about 1/8 teaspoon ground)
2 cloves (or a big pinch ground)
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 scant teaspoon salt
2 large cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
¾ cup cider vinegar

*NOTE FROM RICK:
Chiles de Àrbol are available in most Mexican markets. But if you can’t find them, a good sauce can be made with any small, dried hot pepper, like the Mexican chiles japoneses or the common little ones frequently labeled just “chile peppers” in the grocery store. For a milder hot sauce, replace ½ ounce of the chiles de àrbol with 2 chiles guajillos or 1 large California or New Mexico chile.

DIRECTIONS:

1. The chiles and seeds: Stem the chiles, then roll them between your thumb and fingers, pressing gently to loosen the seeds inside. Break in half, shake out as many seeds as possible, then place in a blender jar and blitz.

Heat an ungreased skillet over medium-low. Measure in the sesame seeds and stir for several minutes as they brown and pop; scoop into the blender jar and blitz. Add the pumpkin seeds to the skillet. When the first one pops, stir constantly for several minutes, until all are golden and have popped up into a round shape then blitz.

2. Blending the sauce: Pulverize the cumin, allspice and garlic cloves in a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the blender jar along with the oregano, salt, garlic and vinegar. Blend for several minutes, until the mixture is orange-red and feels quite smooth when a drop is rubbed between your fingers.

3. Straining and ripening the sauce: Combine all batches together, stir well. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, working the solids back and forth and pressing them firmly; there will be a fair amount of chile seeds, skins, sesame hulls and other debris to discard, but be careful that there is no liquid trapped within them.

Stir in ¾ cup water, then pour into a bottle, cover and let stand for 24 hours before serving.

Stored in the refrigerator, it will last indefinitely—even getting better after several weeks. Or pour it into sterilized canning jars, seal and process in a water bath; store indefinitely at room temperature.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

For the next week or so I’m going to be giving you guys some Christmasy recipes that are perfect for this time of year. A lot of the Christmas food I grew up eating is similar to the Thanksgiving food here as it seems the two holidays are very similar food-wise. You have all the usual suspects of turkey, ham, gravy, stuffing, spuds, veggies, cranberry sauce and whatever other family tradition you might have. With Thanksgiving done and dusted I’ve already made some great seasonal turkey recipes that are also interchangeable for the Crimbo, like my Persimmon & Couscous Stuffed Turkey or Rice n Herb Stuffed Turkey along with other seasonal bits n pieces like a delicious seasonal Persimmon Salad or Pumpkin Soup. I’ve got lots of ideas throughout the blog though I’m always on the lookout for some new variations of the old reliables and this green bean recipe is definitely a festive idea.

Although I’d love to take credit for this recipe…..I can’t because I saw it in Cooking Light Magazine. They used the dish as a salad but I’ve made it a few times now as a side dish at home. It’s not only delicious but the colours are vibrant and Christmasy yet most of all it’s also healthy.

Enjoy!

RECIPE:
Serves 8 servings (serving size: about 3/4 cup)

1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2  garlic cloves, minced
3  tablespoons pine nuts, toasted and divided
2  tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
16 large basil leaves (about 1/2 cup)
1 1/2  pounds haricots verts
3 tablespoons chopped ready-to-use sun-dried tomatoes

DIRECTIONS:

Heat oil and garlic in a small skillet over medium heat; cook 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Combine garlic mixture, 1 tablespoon nuts, vinegar, 1/4 teaspoon salt, pepper, and basil in a food processor; pulse until well combined.
Cook beans in boiling water 4 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain. Rinse under cold water; drain. Place in a large bowl. Add basil mixture and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to coat. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons nuts and tomatoes.

NUTRITIONAL INFO:
Calories:              76
Fat:                       4.9g (sat 0.5g,mono 2.5g,poly 1.4g)
Protein:               2.3g
Carbohydrate:    7.6g
Fiber:                  3.3g
Cholesterol:       0.0mg
Iron:                    1.3mg
Sodium:              150mg
Calcium:             40mg

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Hey guys,

I read an interesting article in the LA Times Business section last week (I’m a tad behind the ball on this one but….) about the revitalization of cooking schools and single cooking courses. Here in LA some cooking schools were on the verge of turning the gas off due to slow business. It can be very expensive to attend a cooking school if even just for a weekend course to learn a few tricks of the trade, which is precisely why enrollment started declining. People who were interested in taking courses for fun began scaling back and staying home. Ironically, it’s these same minded folk who are back at it. Some are taking advantage of the economic downturn to change careers while others are just trying to be smart by learning to cook or learning new tricks so they can save some moolah. Cooking schools have recognized that exact intent and many are adding like minded courses due to demand.

The food industry is one of those that will always bounce back because well, people need to eat. They (meaning we) don’t however, need to go to restaurants to eat and that’s another reason why some of these schools are now bouncing back faster than other businesses. Of course this side of the food industry can thank Hollywood for some of that growing interest as well. The movie Julie and Julia, and TV shows like Top Chef and the Food Network–the popularity of these productions have peaked the public’s interest not only about food but more about cooking. And of course learning the fundamentals of cooking is crucial and invaluable to anyone looking to take their cooking skills to the next level.

What I like about this is that with people learning more about food they’ll come to appreciate where their ingredients come from, which in turn will hopefully encourage them to eat healthier nutritional food from local sources. With every new cooking school popping up there’s a new local vendor or farmers’ market nearby. I’ve noticed the words ‘I have a great fish monger close by’ spoken more and more, which is great. Fresh, local, seasonal cooking is the way to go.

Might I also add I give private cooking classes? You supply the drink and I’ll supply the craic!