The ever popular Corned Beef & Cabbage!

There’s only 4 days left until St. Paddy’s Day. Are you gearing up for a tipple or two to celebrate us lovely Irish people?
As you know I’ve been showcasing Irish food all week (new & recycled recipes) and to be fair, I didn’t think I could shove any more Irish food in one week’s blog but they just keep appearing! Today’s recipes are two stellar Irish classics, Cottage & Shepherd’s Pie (left) and one mighty fine adapted version, Vegetarian Shepherd’s Pie (right).

So far I’ve covered some really traditional Irish fare but one veg that doesn’t get a lot of attention in the States is the parsnip.
Here are two videos I did nearly 2 years ago (boy I’ve changed!) which show off this great veg. Since I was still getting used to the video stuff I may have left out my ‘healthified’ tips so here goes:
Olive Oil vs. Butter: it’s true parsnips love butter but your arteries and arse may not appreciate it as much. Olive oil contains the “good fats” and works just fine on those taste buds.
Honey vs. Sugar: parsnips are also partial to sugar but as we all now that’s a no-no as much as possible. Lean towards honey, agave, or even pure maple syrup to get the effect but without using refined sugars. Parsnips tend to be sweet on their own so you’ll be amazed how easy it will be not to use sugar.
Curry Powder: bloody good stuff on ‘em!

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

One week until St. Paddy’s Day and everyone is gearing up for the celebration, myself included! If you’re planning on throwing a bash you’ll definitely need some Irish food and I’ve got you covered. Of course all of my dishes are made the healthy way but that’s so you have room for the drink (I’m always thinking ahead!)

Kicking off our countdown is one of my favourites, Irish Stew. Traditionally Irish foods use simple, basic and cheap ingredients and tend to be very simple and rustic. Though there are many versions of Irish stew out there, it is only a traditional “Irish stew” if using lamb or mutton (a lamb over 1½ years old). Using other meats such as beef is not considered a traditional Irish stew. Bet you didn’t know that did you? Although I have kept the original ingredients I have put my own spin on the style and presentation of the dish. Believe me though the flavour is all there.

RECIPE
Serves 4

3 lbs. grass fed Lamb shoulder
3 large parsnips – peeled & sliced in ¼” rounds
½ lb. baby carrots
3 garlic cloves – peeled
1 lb. mini potatoes – halved
1 Bouquet garni – rosemary, thyme, bay leaf
1 cup white wine (whatever you’re drinking will work)
7 cups organic beef broth
olive oil
S&P

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400°F. Begin by preheating a heavy bottomed sauté pan on high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Season each lamb chop with S&P and sear in hot pan for 3-4 minutes each side until golden brown. Remove to large roasting tray. De-glaze sauté pan with white wine for 1 minute and scrape all carmelised bits from bottom. Add to lamb along with bouquet garni, garlic and broth. Cover with foil and place in oven for 1 ½ hrs. Reduce oven to 375°F. After initial cooking time add vegetables (baby carrots, parsnips and mini potatoes). Cover and return to oven for additional hour or until veg are fully cooked and meat begins to fall off the bone. That’s how tender it should be! Taste and season to desired taste.

NOTE: Never season your gravy before braising meat. The saltiness of the dish will intensify too much over the long cooking period. Always best to season just before serving.

In addition to this one I’ve got a couple more new Irish recipes I’m working on but I already have a ton of recipes out there so this will be the start of the Irish recipe round up. Looks like it will end up being in several posts so keep checking back all week for great ideas. Nobody does healthy Irish food like yours truly (at least that’s what I keep telling myself!)

Starting off the round up is an all time Irish favourite, Beef & Guinness Stew. This is brilliant party grub since it can be made it big batches and it’s pretty easy to do. Even now I wish I had this in front of me to tuck into! Hard to imagine this video is nearly two years old. (Notice I’m rockin’ the Topo tee?)

Though this stew is brilliant on its own, having some brown soda bread and a good ol’ pint would get you into Heaven (plus the soda bread is good soakage!) It’s super easy–watch me make it in record time!

If you’re whipping up a batch of soda bread you might as well slap some Irish Smoked Salmon on top! It’s a brilliant easy appetizer.

This is just the beginning. More Irish classics to come!

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

Today’s recipe is a quickie as I gear up for the St. Paddy’s Day madness. ‘Nuff said.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

2 lbs Organic/grass fed beef fillet
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle grape seed or olive oil (for searing beef)

12 oz baby bella mushrooms
2 lg shallots – thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh tarragon
1/2 cup red wine (whatever you’re drinking will work)
2 cups organic beef broth
S&P

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 420°F

Preheat saute pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute mushrooms & shallots for 4 mins to soften. Add red wine and reduce heat to simmer. Reduce wine by half (2 minutes) and add broth and tarragon. Simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and season with S&P.

Preheat another skillet on high for 1 minute. Season fillet on all sides with S&P. Add drizzle grape seed (excellent for cooking on high temps) or olive oil in hot pan and sear fillet on all sides until browned, 2 minutes each side approx.
Once fillet is seared remove to a foiled oven tray. Pop in oven for 8-10 minutes for medium rare.
Let rest for 10 minutes when cooked to let the juices redistribute back into the meat.

Spoon sauce over sliced steak and Bob’s your uncle!

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

There’s a lot to be said for mastering basic cooking techniques like properly grilling a steak, plain and simple. Here I’ve done just that yet to spice things up I roasted cauliflower with a little kick using smoked paprika. This might sound too basic but this is where choosing your ingredients makes all the difference. Grass-fed meats and organic produce are bursting with natural flavour. Delicious doesn’t have to mean complicated.

RECIPE:
2 x 6oz NY grass-fed steaks
1 tsp cracked black pepper (1/2 tsp per steak)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp grape seed oil (or olive oil if preferred). Grape seed oil gets to a higher temp before burning so is ideal for searing on high heat.

1 head organic cauliflower – cut in florets
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup green olives – halved
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle agave or honey (1/4 tsp)

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 375°F.
Remove steaks from fridge 30 mins before cooking so they return to room temp. Reason being, if you try to grill a cold steak by the time the heat penetrates the center of the meat the outside will be overcooked.

Add cauliflower florets, paprika, olives, pepper, agave & oil into a mixing bowl. Toss together to coat. Lay on a foiled oven tray and pop in oven for 20 mins approx or until cooked.

To check, pierce the largest floret with a small knife through the center. If knife pierces easily you’re good.
NOTE: If florets begin to brown too much lay a sheet of foil over the top until cooked.

Meanwhile, as cauliflower is roasting season steaks with S&P on both sides. Preheat grill pan on medium high heat for 1 minute. Drizzle oil in pan and sear steaks for 4-5 minutes each side for medium rare. Cook for longer to achieve desired temp.

NOTE: Very important to let steaks rest after cooking, for 3-4 minutes before cutting. This is to let the juices redistribute back into the meat and not all over your plate when to delve into it.

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

Being in California I’m exposed to an amazing array of fresh organic fruit n veg that I wouldn’t normally get, especially back at home so I’m taking full advantage of it. One of my weekly adventures is heading to our local farmers market and seeing what’s in season and figuring out something to make with it. You might recall a few weeks back I made a Braised Beef Rib recipe using some Poblano peppers, which actually came from my garden. Turns out I really liked their charred smoky flavour so I figured I’d have another go with them. I love roasted peppers (Roast Red pepper Hummus) and funny enough I actually made this pork dish already but my photos weren’t up to par so this is round two. With a few tweaks this turned out even better than the last time.
Lucky for you I’m a shitty photographer!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 1/2 lbs organic / grass fed pork tenderloin – trimmed, 1″ cubes
1 cup, small, diced white onion
3 Poblano* peppers – roasted, seeded,  peeled & diced
1 red bell pepper – seeded, small dice
3 cloves garlic – minced
1/2 tsp dried chili flakes
1 tbsp fresh marjoram – chopped
1 tbsp fresh thyme – chopped
1 cup white wine (whatever you’re drinking will work)
2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp lemon pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
S&P

*NOTE: If you can’t find Poblano peppers you can substitute Anaheim peppers, green bell peppers or for more heat go for Serrano peppers.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

To Roast Peppers:
Place peppers on a foiled oven tray and coat all sides with drizzle olive oil. Pop in top shelf of oven until skin is charred on all sides. As soon as one side is charred turn. When completely charred place peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 20 minutes. This will steam the pepper so the skin comes right off.
To remove Skins: They should easily peel off in your hands with a gentle tug here and there. DO NOT run the peppers under the tap to take the skins off. This will remove all the beautiful charred flavour from the pepper.

Preheat large saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add 2 tbsp olive oil and saute onions, red pepper, poblano pepper and garlic for 5 -7 minutes, until softened, stirring occasionally.

While veg are cooking add all the diced pork into a large bowl and sprinkle the paprika and lemon pepper and coat pork evenly.

When the veg are beginning to soften add the chili flakes and herbs and mix for 1 minute. Remove the veg mix to a plate and drizzle 1 tbsp in that same pan increasing heat to high. Sear the diced pork in 2 batches for 3-4 minutes, stirring. You want to get a nice golden brown colour on all sides. Once the first batch is browned remove to the same plate as the veg and repeat process with additional pork, adding another tbsp of olive oil for each batch.

Return both the veg and meat to the saute pan and add the wine. Combine all ingredients together and cook for 2 minutes or until wine has reduced by half. Place everything in an oven proof casserole dish along with 4 cups low sodium chicken broth. Cover with foil.

Pop in the oven for about 1 1/2hours, approx. When ready the pork will be fork tender, super juicy and muy delicioso!

From my garden to my dinner plate — pretty cool!

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

What’s football and beer without steak? I’ll tell you what it is, it’s about as useful as a pair of sunglasses are on a guy with one ear. As healthy as I am I do love me a good steak and if ever there was a day I’m going off the deep end food wise, it’s definitely on Super Bowl Sunday. Flank steak is one of my favorites, especially on the grill. Add this marinade to the mix and it’s the business! Superb by itself, in tacos or even great on salads if you want to keep it super clean and tasty. (Not bagged salads though am I right?)

(Adapted from Eating Well Magazine.)

RECIPE:
Serves 4-6

2 lbs grass fed/organic flank steak

Marinade:
1 x 15 oz can chopped tomatoes (fresh would be better though you might want to wait until they’re in season)
2 tbsp fresh oregano
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tsp chili flakes
1 shallot – peeled, roughly chopped
3 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves – peeled
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Place all the marinade ingredients in a blender and blitz for 30 seconds. Place the steak in a casserole dish and cover with marinade. Turn meat over to make sure all sides are coated. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Marinate for between 4 and 24 hours.

TIP: Remove from fridge 1 hour before grilling to let return to room temperature. The reason being is that if you grill cold meat straight from the fridge by the time the heat penetrates the center of the steak the outside will be dry and over-cooked.

Preheat large skillet or outdoor bbq on high heat. Season marinated flank with S&P on both sides and sear on grill for 6-7 minutes on both sides for medium rare.

Very important: Let meat rest for 10 minutes on a tray after cooking. This is really the key to having juicy succulent meat. By doing this it gives the meat time to let all the juices redistribute back into the meat and not all over your cutting board.

Marinate. Grill. Eat. Drink. Couldn’t be easier!

Super Bowl Sunday….Done!

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

Superbowl Sunday is this weekend. Who’s playin’ again? Oh ya Norlins & da Colts. I have to tell you I couldn’t give a monkeys who wins but I just like the competitiveness of it and of course the mucho beers & grub, which I’ll partake in no doubt. I am a guest of this country so it would be rude not to join in.

With the weekend that’s in it I wanted to give you guys a good easy recipe with a bit of a twist on regular meatballs, which actually doubles as two separate dishes. You can do these ahead especially the meatballs and just let them simmer on the stove. With the sliders you could sear them ahead o’ time and just pop them in the oven for a few minutes when the boys (& girls) come over. Easy!

RECIPE:
Serves 4-6

2 lbs minced lamb
1 cup shallots – fine dice
1/4 cup fresh marjoram & oregano mixed – chopped
1/2 red bell pepper – fine dice
1 tsp chili flakes
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/3 cup gorgonzola cheese
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:
Preheat saute pan on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil along with diced shallots, red pepper and chili flakes. Stir to coat and turn heat to low. You want to sweat the veggies without getting them brown. Stir occasionally for 5-6 minutes. Once softened remove to a plate to cool for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, as onion mixture is cooling, place the lamb in a large mixing bowl along with cheese, Worcestershire, herbs and S&P. Once veggies are cooled add to lamb. With clean hands get in there and mix thoroughly.

To Test: Preheat same saute you used already to saute the shallots. Drizzle a little olive oil in there and roll 1 meatball. Flatten down to slider size (1/4″ thick). Cook in the pan for a few minutes each side ’til cook through. Taste  and adjust seasoning to your taste if needed………..but I think you’ll be good.

Divide the meat mixture in half. One for meatballs the other for mini sliders.

MEATBALLS:
Roll the meatballs to golf ball size and lay on a foiled tray. Again use the same saute pan as above. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil and once all the meatballs are rolled out add to your tomato sauce of choice on the stove. Simmer for 1  hour partially covered. Once ready serve as is or with your favourite pasta and a good ol’ glass of red wine.

Make sure you take a gander at my mini meatball in pita pockets recipe from last year. These look (and taste) fantastic.

SLIDERS:
Roll each slider slightly bigger than the meatballs and flatten slightly to about 1/4 ” thickness. Preheat your grill pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Once ready to cook sear each slider for 3-4 minutes each side for medium rare or longer for more well cooked. Serve with the usual condiments, mustard, homemade ketchup and caramelized onions.

Who’s the real winner?

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

Right now I have gorgeous poblano peppers growing in my garden so I decided to play around with them since they’re a relatively new ingredient to me. You’ll be most familiar with these peppers in Mexican food so what I came up with here was channeled through my inner “Irecan.” That’s Irish-Mexican, sort of like Rick Bayless affectionately known as Richie MacBayless. Unlike some other chillies these do not require a fire extinguisher (thank f*%k for that!)

RECIPE:
Serves 4

4 lbs organic / grass fed beef ribs
6 shallots – peeled
5 cloves garlic – peeled
4 poblano peppers
1 cup red wine (whatever’s open will do)
2 whole carrots – washed & halved
1 x 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes (I prefer to use the Italian San Marzano’s, which are tad more expensive but the quality is better = tons of flavour)
6 cups low-sodium beef broth
1 bouquet garni – marjoram & oregano
10 black peppercorns

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Begin by searing the peppers directly on a gas flame, medium heat, of your stove. You want to char the skin not burn the flesh so as soon as one side of the skin is black and charred turn it until all sides are done. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. By doing this the steam created by the heat from the peppers will loosen the skins. After 30 minutes remove the skins from the peppers and clean out seeds. Slice the peppers into 1/4″ strips.

NOTE: Do Not rinse the charred peppers under the tap to remove the skins. This is a no no. All you’re doing is washing away all the lovely charred flavour.

Next seasoning & searing the ribs either in a hot pan with olive oil or, as I did, on the grill. Sear to a nice golden brown colour.

Place ribs in a large oven proof casserole dish when seared and let be until needed. Meanwhile saute the shallots & garlic in a medium hot saute pan in 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute for 4 minutes or until onions begin to brown. Add sliced poblanos and saute for another minute. Add wine and simmer for 2 minutes.

Next add tomatoes, carrots, peppercorns & herbs. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, add sauce to ribs and enough broth to cover. Cover dish with foil and pop in oven for up to 3 hours or until ribs are fork tender and falling off the bone. Not only are the ribs fantastic but those San Marzano tomatoes will knock your socks off!

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

Following on my Vegetarianism post yesterday I thought I’d go all the way and go with a good ol’ fashioned meat recipe today. Pork tenderloin is the King Don Juan of pork cuts in terms of leanness and protein. It’s also one of the easiest meats to cook but unfortunately it’s also easy to over-cook. My method of adding broth to the meat whilst cooking is a technique I use a lot for the leaner proteins like poultry and pork. It just helps in not having to serve boot leather!

RECIPE:
Serves 4

1 1/2 lb organic/grass-fed pork tenderloin

2 tsp cumin seeds
1 lemon – zested
1 tbsp rosemary
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 cup chicken broth

DIRECTIONS:

Put everything (except the pork, funnily enough) in a food processor and blend. Coat all sides of pork in the marinade, place in a covered dish along with the remaining marinade and refrigerate from 4 to 24 hours.

Remove pork from fridge 1 hour before cooking to let return to room temperature.
Preheat oven 420°F.

Preheat skillet on high heat for 1 minute. Take the pork from the marinade and season both sides with 1/2 tsp salt, rub in. Drizzle 1 tbsp olive oil in hot pan and sear pork on all sides for 2 minutes, until golden brown.

Once browned remove to a foiled oven tray. Place in oven for 15-20 minutes until internal temp 125°F. You want to cook the meat medium rare and as with any other meat, let it rest for 10 minutes.

TIP: After cooking for 10 minutes add chicken broth to the tray so it surrounds the loins. This will help create moisture in the pork and will help eliminate being over-cooked.

Eating healthy charges on in 2010.

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

OFFAL. Animal innerds such as lungs, hearts, livers, kidneys and intestines.
EXTREMITIES. Animal parts you most likely don’t eat such as heads, tongues, brains, tails & feet.

Hence the question: Offal Good or Awful Bad?

The other day while perusing my local “ghetto Ralph’s” grocery store (if you live in Venice you know where I’m talking about) I saw something I hadn’t noticed before. Jarred pigs trotters. I’ve seen the regular trotters in the meat section before but not this pickled variety. I wonder how long these jars keep for? Does anyone really eat this stuff? Then I had a flashback to my yout.

Growing up in Ireland in the 70’s times were tough as our economy wasn’t the may west. If there was ever one thing the Irish learned to do well it was cooking hearty meals on the cheap, after all that’s where Irish stew came from. Surviving on the Island meant utilizing every bit of what you had. This meant utilizing our national animal to its fullest (that part I just made up). Not surprising then that I’ve eaten a variety of animal innerds, such as livers and kidneys. Even had my crack at ox-tail and cow’s tongue. These were cheap parts of meat that brought tons of flavour to stews, pies and puddings. Ever heard of beef and kidney pie? Haggis? (Scottish I know but you get the point). That recipe has it all–sheep’s paunch, or stomach bag, and sheep’s pluck, the heart, liver and lights. (Lights?) In other words, not the stuff you’d be buying generally or….ever. Taking a gander at my Mum’s Mum’s cookbooks dating from the 20-50’s there are several recipes using offal: Calf’s brain fritters, sweetbreads, liver and bacon, stewed ox-tail, Fricassee of tripe, cow heel jelly, and those are just a few of ‘em. Seems the Irish were way ahead of their time in sustainable eating. Who knew?!

Now I don’t know what it was like in the States back then, if offal was as abundant as it was across the pond, but according to my Missus the only thing she was raised around was Menudo, a Mexican soup made with tripe and/or cow’s feet. I’m actually quite curious about what type of offal Americans ate growing up, if any. I know that my clients are not requesting offal, though my specialty is healthy food so my proteins don’t consist of major excitement I’m afraid, apart from the way I cook them of course. Perhaps eating offal is saved for a night out at a new restaurant where bone marrow and mason jarred pates run aplenty. They seem to be all over the shop these days. Sweetbreads have always been around in the posh expensive restaurants but now they seem to be more accessible than ever. Have you noticed the offal comeback? Just yesterday I received an email about Offal Good @ Palate in Glendale, a local restaurant offering offal every Wednesday night and truth be told I did have a tasteen of bone marrow not too long ago at Cache. Nearly everyone at the table had a crack at it and we were all in hog heaven. Perhaps America does like something offal.

Let’s just hope the prices don’t skyrocket now because it’s trendy. After all, these are the cheapest parts of the animal. Anywho the question I have for you is simply this,

Offal good or bloody offal bad?