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Archive for April, 2018

Salmon Tacos with Mixed Salad Slaw

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , , , on 30/04/2018| Leave a Comment »

One salmon taco on a bed of lettuce and cucumber

Fish tacos, that great meal of the Baja Peninsula, should really be an Irish “thing” too. We are, after all, surrounded by water and we have some of the most delicious fresh fish available to us year round.

In our Irish home we use salmon to make fish tacos because we really can’t get enough salmon in our diet, but haddock, cod, or any firm white fish would be equally nice. Served on warm tortillas, with a crunchy mixed salad slaw, a bed of cool guacamole, and a good squeeze of lime, these tacos are delicious. They’re also a good way to get someone, who might not normally like fish, to try it.

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And, did you know that Cinco de Mayo is this Saturday? All of the recipes below, double easily, making them a perfect main course to serve a hungry, festive, crowd. So turn up the Latin music, put the cervezas on ice, and enjoy!

~XoK

Roasted Salmon Tacos with Mixed Salad Slaw

Serves 8

Ingredients for the Mixed Salad Slaw

8oz/½-lb mixed lettuce leaves, finely shredded

½ seedless cucumber, unpeeled, halved lengthwise, seeds removed and very thinly sliced

2 sticks of celery, chopped

2oz/59ml/¼-cup good white wine vinegar

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions for the Mixed Salad Slaw

At least an hour before you plan to serve the tacos, toss the lettuce, cucumber, celery, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt and black pepper together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate.

Ingredients for Guacamole

2 ripe avocados

Juice of ½ lime

1 teaspoon finely chopped cilantro or parsley

2 tablespoons Garlicky Marinated Tomatoes or plain cherry tomatoes, chopped

Directions for Guacamole

1. In a small bowl, mash the avocado.  Stir in lime juice.

2. Add the cilantro or parsley and the Garlicky Marinated Tomatoes, stirring until just combined. Do not over stir.

3. Cover with cling film {plastic wrap}, making sure it touches the avocado and refrigerate.

Ingredients for Salmon

453g/16oz/1lb salmon

½ lime, juiced

olive oil

1 teaspoon of chili powder

1 teaspoon cumin,

½ teaspoon garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

8 tortillas

Directions for Salmon and Tortillas

1. Pre-heat oven to 220°C/425°F/gas mark 7. Place oven rack in the middle of the oven. Line a baking tray with aluminium and top with a sheet of parchment paper.

2. Mix the chili powder, cumin and garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside.

3. Rinse the salmon, pat dry with kitchen roll(paper towel), and, if necessary, remove any bones.

4. Put the salmon fillets on the parchment paper, skin-side down, and squeeze lime juice over.

5. Pour over some olive oil and, with your hands, spread it on all sides of the fish.

6. Dust the fish with the mixed spices. Salt and pepper, as desired.

7. Roast in the oven for approximately 15 minutes or until the salmon is cooked all the way through. Roasting times will vary depending on your oven and the thickness of the salmon.

8. When it’s done, remove the fish from the baking tray and break it apart with a fork.

9. To warm the tortillas, wrap them in moist kitchen roll, pop them into the microwave for 30 seconds to one minute at full power. They should come out beautifully hot.

To Serve

1. Serve the fish on a platter with some lime wedges on the side.

2. Put the tortillas, wrapped in a cloth napkin, on a plate.

3. And bring both the fish and the tortillas to the table with a bowl of the crunchy salad slaw and the guacamole. Let each diner assemble his or her own tacos.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* Irish fish tales from Saveur.com

** If you prefer, you can substitute green and purple cabbage, thinly sliced, for the crunchy mixed salad.

*** If you want to get a jump start on the preparation, make the slaw and the guacamole the night before. If the guacamole turns brown on the top, carefully remove the brown bits and it will be lovely and green underneath.

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Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , on 27/04/2018| Leave a Comment »

Oven Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

I don’t remember eating Brussels sprouts as a child. In fact, it wasn’t until I lived in Ireland, where my mother-in-law served them sautéed in soy sauce, that I first tried them. It was love at first bite!

Now I roast Brussels sprouts all the time. Good enough to be eaten straight from the oven like a snack…these are equally delicious at room temperature. What’s more, despite their diminutive size, Brussels sprouts are high in fibre, vitamins and minerals, they can trigger the liver to produce detoxifying enzymes, they have been shown to reduce blood sugar levels, and they may protect against cancer. One thing to note, if you’re taking a blood thinner like Warfarin, research has shown Brussels sprouts may lessen the drug’s effectiveness due to the Vitamin K in them.

The secret to getting a good carmelisation on the sprouts is roasting them in a single flat layer, making sure they don’t overlap.

And, finally, you can turn these lovely little super foods into an awesome vegetarian meal by tossing  them with arugula and lentils or bulgur wheat.

Roasted Parmesan Brussels Sprouts

Serves 4-5

Ingredients

2lb/906g Brussels sprouts, washed, trimmed and halved length-wise

4 tablespoons olive oil

zest of a small lemon, plus 1 tablespoon of the juice

salt and pepper to taste

freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano to taste (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC/425ºF and set oven rack into the middle of the oven.

2. Place dry Brussels sprouts on a large baking tray.

3. Add the olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon juice, and grate the lemon zest over the tray {that way you get all the lovely oil from the lemon too} and mix with your hands until the Brussels sprouts are coated.

4. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes ~ the sprouts will begin to caramelize in places. Toss the sprouts and add freshly grated Parmesan to taste.

5. Continue roasting for another 15 minutes until the sprouts are tender.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* To read more about the health benefits of Brussels sprouts, visit Dr. Andrew Weil’s website here.

** A Mayo Clinic online article about Warfarin and foods to avoid may be read here.

*** And, if by chance Brussels sprouts and other cruciferous vegetables give you wind {gas}, you may find this article, also from Dr. Andrew Weil’s website, helpful!

 

 

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Sheet Pan Turmeric Meatballs

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on 23/04/2018| 4 Comments »

Freshly made Sheet Pan Turmeric Meatballs

When life gets super busy, who has the time or the energy to stand in front of the hob and make dinner? Not me…and I’ll bet…not you either. Which is why I think, after you try this recipe, you’ll agree that these sheet pan meatballs are the bomb! Mix up six ingredients, roll them into little balls {or better yet…get the kids to do it!}, drop them onto a baking sheet, pop them in the oven…fifteen minutes later…you’re done. It really couldn’t be simpler.

In and Irish Home Sheet Pan Turmeric MeatballsReady for the oven: raw sheet pan meatballsFresh from the oven: Sheet Pan Meatballs

If you’re feeling particularly energetic and you want to fry them up…go for it…they’re great that way too. But I’m only going to offer this: when you put them into the oven there’s no grease splattered everywhere to clean up. Uh huh…I see the wheels of your mind clicking over!

These meatballs are delicious doused in a homemade spaghetti sauce {here’s mine}, but you could easily drop the into the kids’ macaroni n’ cheese, line them up in a bread roll with some homemade sriracha mayo, dot a frozen pizza with them, skewer them with cherry tomatoes, tiny mozzarella balls and basil leaves, really there’s just no end to their versatility.

~XoK

Sheet Pan Turmeric Meatballs

Makes 32 one-inch Meatballs

Ingredients

400g organic mince beef

1 free range egg

2 teaspoons ground turmeric

1 teaspoon mixed Italian herbs

2 globes garlic, peeled and crushed

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

olive oil

Directions

1. Heat oven to 200ºC/400ºF and place oven shelf in the middle of the oven.

2. Mix all the ingredients, except for the olive oil, in a medium sized bowl with your hands and form meat into 3cm/1-1/2″ size balls.

3. Lightly coat a baking sheet with olive oil. Add the meatballs to the sheet pan and place in the middle of the oven and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* To read up on the health benefits of turmeric, here’s an article from the bbcgoodfood.com website.

** Over at Smittenkitchen.com, Deb Perelman has a recipe for sheet pan meatballs with turmeric chickpeas that also looks yummy.

*** Did you know that in Italy there is no traditional dish there called Spaghetti and Meatballs? Tis true! “Meatballs in general have multiple creation stories all across the world from köttbullars in Sweden to the various köftes in Turkey. Yes, Italy has its version of meatballs called polpettes, but they differ from their American counterpart in multiple ways. They are primarily eaten as a meal itself (plain) or in soups and made with any meat from turkey to fish. Often, they are no bigger in size than golf balls; in the region of Abruzzo, they can be no bigger in size than marbles and called polpettines. But those large meatballs, doused in marinara over spaghetti are 100 percent American. So how did spaghetti and meatballs evolve from polpettes? The answer is similar to every ethnic cuisine that traveled to this country; immigrants had to make do with the ingredients they could find and afford.” To read more, please visit: www.smithsonianmag.com.

 

 

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Vegetable Chili

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on 20/04/2018| 2 Comments »

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It may be spring, but there’s still a nip in the air here in Ireland. And on these cold and rainy days, when you’re chilled to the bone, there are few dishes more welcoming than a big bowl of chili.

This vegetarian twist on the classic chili con carne recipe comes from Lisa Leake’s cookbook 100 Days of Real Food. I was given the cookbook a few years ago and only recently started testing recipes from it. I like the book’s premise “simple, family-friendly recipes to help you ditch processed foods and eat better every day”. I’m in complete agreement with Lisa on eating well and eating consciously.

Years ago, after a health scare, I drastically changed my family’s diet. Foods designed to sit on our shelves for months, foods laden with sugar, foods that had no resemblance to what our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents ate were replaced by real foods, products with ingredients lists I could pronounce, foods that nourished our bodies, souls and minds. Friends used to tease me when they’d see me in the aisles at Tesco reading labels, but I never minded…my family’s health and well being were worth it.

And here we are, more than ten years later, and there’s been a seismic shift towards mindful eating…I’m not the only one reading labels anymore!

Lisa’s Leake’s version of vegetarian chili is hearty and delicious. It is a breeze to make and, if you double the recipe, it freezes beautifully. I hope you give this recipe and try…in the meantime… bundle up…it may be spring…but it’s still chilly out there!

~XoK

Vegetable Chili

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

114g/3/4-cup diced onion

1 bell pepper, any colour, cored, seeded and diced

132g/3/4-cup fresh or frozen corn kernels {no need to defrost frozen corn}

2 cloves garlic, minced

28 ounce can diced tomatoes with juice

15 ounce can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper, or to taste

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

2. Add the onion and bell pepper and cook until they begin to soften, about 5 minutes

3. Stir in the corn and garlic and sauté for 1 or 2 minutes.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans, bay leaves, and seasonings and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour. The longer it simmers, the better the chili will be.

4. Remove the bay leaves, ladle the chili into bowls, and serve with the desired toppings.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* Toppings might include grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, chopped red onion, diced avocado and/or homemade corn bread. And, if you want to eat chili the way I did growing up, serve it over a bowl of rice.

** My usual go to vegetarian chili recipe is from Elizabeth Buxton and Terence Stamp’s cookbook, The Stamp Collection Cookbook. You can find the recipe here.

 

 

 

 

 

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Gorgeous Roasted Carrots

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , on 16/04/2018| Leave a Comment »

Roasted Carrots

This recipe is my favourite way to cook carrots, though it works especially well for beets too. I think it’s the combination of the sweetness of the carrot and the acidity of the white wine vinegar that makes it so moreish. There is no ingredient measuring per say. Everything is done by eyeball and a lick of your fingers! But once the carrots are roasted, they are an absolute joy to eat!

~XoK

Gorgeous Roasted Carrots

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 lbs/900g organic carrots, cut the leafy greens off but leave a little bit for flair

3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

olive oil, enough to coat the carrots and a little extra for the roasting tin

white wine vinegar, a healthy splash or two, to taste

salt and pepper, to taste

dried Herbs de Provence, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 220ºC/425ºF.

2. Wash carrots but don’t peel {unless you absolutely feel you must}.*

3. Dry carrots and place on a large baking sheet.

4. Pour over just enough olive oil to coat the carrots without drowning them in oil.

5. Liberally salt and pepper the carrots.

6. Sprinkle with Herbs De Provence to taste.

7. Give the carrots a good splash of vinegar.

8. Add the smashed garlic and give all the ingredients a good toss so that everything is well mixed and coated.

9. {This is a bit naughty here…} Taste your fingers to check for flavouring. Add more salt, pepper, Herbs De Provence and vinegar as needed.

10. Pop the tray into the oven for 20-30 minutes. To test for doneness, push a fork into the side of one of the carrots, if it pushes through easily the carrots are done, if you get some resistance, the carrots are undercooked and continue roasting for another 5 minutes and check and repeat again as needed.

Spring carrots with their greens still onFreshly Washed Carrots Ready for Roasting

Tray of Roasted Carrots

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* In our Irish home we do not peel carrots because we buy organic. If you’re buying conventional carrots, I suggest peeling them…though if the peel contains pesticide then doesn’t it make sense that the whole carrot does too?

** According to Prevention.com: “Carrots are rich in compounds called polyacetylenes, and preliminary research is investigating their potential to kill human cancer cells in test tubes. They may have antifungal, antibacterial, and anti-inflammatory effects, too. But these compounds are concentrated just beneath the skin—so either leave your carrot skins on, or go easy with the peeler and remove only a thin strip.”

** Irish food blogger Aoiffe of ICanHasCook.com has a wonderful sounding recipe I’m dying to try: Honey and cumin roasted carrots with toasted couscous and a drizzle of harissa yoghurt.

**** Irishtractor.ie has this interesting article on Irish carrot grower Leo Dunne based in Durrow, Co. Laois…right along the River Nore.

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Gur Cake

Posted in Recipes, tagged , , , , , , on 04/04/2018| 2 Comments »

Traditional Irish Gur Cake

My mother-in-law was a resourceful woman…she had to be raising twelve children in Ireland in the 60’s, 70’s and early 80’s. All her life she lived the adage “waste not want not” and passed it down to her daughters and me before she left this world.

But in all the years Mama taught us to be thrifty at home, especially in the kitchen, she never mentioned Gur Cake…which in hindsight is so strange because she taught us to make fresh pressed apple juice, homemade Irish soda bread, thick and hearty vegetable soup, and so much more.

Gur Cake, also known as Chester Cake, Donkey’s Gudge, and Gudge Cake, depending on what part of Ireland you come from, is a speciality of Irish bakers and has been around since the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. In recent years, it’s fallen out of favour, having been replaced by muffins, Mars Bars biscuits, custard slices and the like, but it’s still deeply ingrained in the Irish food-psyche.

The ingredients for this cake are as they have always been: stale bits of bread and/or cake mixed with spices, dried fruit, brown sugar, and tea. The filling is rich and delicious and the smell is reminiscent of Christmas.

Gur Cake is a perfect year round treat that is simple to make and a pleasure to eat, especially with a hot cuppa tea. So, the next time you’ve got stale baked goods in your cupboards…don’t throw them out…get thrifty and turn them into something wonderfully Irish. You’ll be glad you did!

~ XoK

Gur Cake

Serves 8-10 Slices

Ingredients

8 level tablespoons/75g/3oz plain flour {self-raising flour}

8 slices of stale bread or cake/350g/12oz {crusts removed from bread and icing removed from cake}

cold water

1 level teaspoon baking powder

1 cup+1 tablespoon/225g/8oz brown sugar

4 tablespoons/50g/2oz butter

2 tablespoons/1 dessertspoon mixed spice {pumpkin spice}

1+1/2cup/254g/9oz raisins

1 large egg {lightly beaten}

2/3 cup/150ml milk

zest of a small orange

2 sheets of shortcrust pastry

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 190°C/375°F. Lightly grease a 22cm {9″ square} baking tin with softened butter, then lightly flour the surface, and set aside.

2. Cover the bread with cold water and allow to stand while making the filling and prepping the pastry.

3. Combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, butter, mixed spice, beaten egg, milk and orange zest. Mix well.

4. Squeeze the bread dry of the water, add it to the flour mixture and stir well.

5. Cut two pieces of shortcrust pastry just big enough to fit inside the baking tin. Line the bottom of the baking tin with one piece of pastry, pour over the fruit mixture and spread it level. Then cover with the second piece of pastry.

6. Prick the top pastry with a fork or score it three or four times across with a knife.

9. Bake for about an hour. Leave in the tin to cool completely. Cut in squares and sprinkle with icing sugar.

Additional Notes, Related Articles & Credit:

* The name “Gur Cake” is said to have come from the Irish slang word “gurrier“, which has been used to describe young lads from the city centre who frequently skip school and are said to “be on the gur“.

** It is said that the gurriers running around the streets of Dublin often had just enough money to buy a fruit slice which, over time, became known as Gur Cake.

*** If you’d like a slice of Gur Cake and don’t want to make it yourself, head into Mannings Bakery in Dublin where they’ve been making it since they first opened in 1945.

**** Recipe based on one found at Odlums.ie

 

 

 

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