"Irish" Hot Pockets

When I was trying to come up with a fitting name for this post I had to think twice about including the words "hot pockets". After recent unflattering news about the frozen convenience food was everywhere I looked, I wasn't too sure if this was going to attract my readers attention or turn them away. Good news though, my hot pockets have nothing in common with their grocery store namesake and you can safely cook and enjoy them for your own family. ;-)

 

St. Patrick's Day has been one of those holiday's that my kids, no matter how old they get, always look forward to because of the delicious food. My youngest started asking a couple of weeks ago if I was going to fix my Glazed Corned Beef and Colcannon, while my sixteen year old is all about the Irish Soda Bread. While all of these favorites, along with my St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding will be making an appearance on St. Patrick's Day, I'm always thinking of some new and interesting recipes to add to my collection for the holiday.

The idea for these Hot Pockets came to me the other day while in the kitchen and I thought they would be a tasty addition to our St. Patrick's Day menu. The filling is a fairly simple combination of fried cabbage and corned beef. The meat can either be bought from the deli counter at your local supermarket or you can use leftover cooked corned beef. The cabbage mixture gets topped with a sprinkle of Dubliner Cheese and then everything gets encased in a flaky puff pastry crust. A quick bake in the oven and you are all set with the tastiest hot pockets you've ever had. 

A homemade thousand island dipping sauce for the baked pastries adds the final touch, but if you prefer, mustard is also wonderful served alongside. The finished pockets are a great addition to any St. Patrick's Day celebration. Make them as appetizers for a party or simply add a salad on the side for a filling meal. If it's any indication, my boys inhaled them in 5 minutes flat and proclaimed they had a new St. Patrick's Day favorite.

"Irish" Hot Pockets
~makes 12 pockets~
(Print this recipe)

Ingredients:
For the filling:
1 Tbsp. olive oil
4 oz. corned beef, finely cubed (about 1 cup)
1/2 cup onion, finely diced
1/2 head green cabbage, chopped (about 4 cups)
2 Tbsp. water
1 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
1 pinch white sugar
Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

For the pockets:
3 sheets puff pastry, thawed (1 1/2 boxes)
Prepared cabbage filling (see above)
3 oz. Dubliner cheese, finely grated
1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. water for egg-wash
Flour for work surface
Thousand Island Dipping Sauce (Recipe to follow)

Directions:
For the filling: In a large skillet heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the cubed corned beef and saute until slightly crispy and golden brown. 

Add the onions. Cook for 1 minute, then add the cabbage along with water, vinegar, and sugar. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook until cabbage wilts, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and set mixture aside to cool.

For the pockets: Pre-heat oven to 375 ° F. Line three baking sheets with silpat or parchment paper. 

Flour your work surface. Carefully unfold one sheet of puff pastry. Roll into a 10x12-inch rectangle. Using a ruler, cut the rectangle in half (you should now have two 5x12-inch rectangles), then cut each of those rectangles into 4 equal pieces, leaving you with eight 3x5-inch rectangles.

Place 4 rectangles on one of your prepared baking sheets. Add 2 scant tablespoons of the prepared cabbage filling right down the middle of your rectangles leaving about 1/4 inch all the way around, making sure not to over fill. Top the filling with a pinch of the grated cheese.

Brush all 4 edges of each rectangle with your prepared egg-wash. Place the remaining puff pastry rectangles on top and using a fork seal all the edges by crimping all the way around.

Place the baking sheet in the refrigerator while you work on the second and third sheet of puff pastry in the same manner. Place all the finished  pockets in the refrigerator for about 20 minutes before proceeding.

Remove baking sheets one at a time from fridge and brush tops of the pockets with remaining egg wash. With a sharp knife, carefully cut 3 small vents in each pocket. Bake in your pre-heated oven for about 20 minutes (rotating once) or until golden brown.

Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 10 minutes before serving them with the Thousand Island Dipping Sauce.

Notes: I asked for a couple of slices of 1/4-inch corned beef at my deli, but leftover cooked corned beef would be equally wonderful.

The filling can be made a day ahead of time. Keep it in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the hot pockets.

I used Dubliner Cheese from Kerrygold. The flavor is reminiscent of cheddar, Swiss and Parmesan. If you can't find it, Swiss, Gruyere or a sharp white cheddar will also work.

The baked pockets are best eaten the same day and taste best right out of the oven (after a quick cooling time so you don't scorch the skin in your mouth. Trust me, I've been there).

The thousand island dipping sauce can also be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to use.

 A Susi's Kochen und Backen Original Recipe 

Homemade Thousand Island Dipping Sauce
~makes about 3/4 cup~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup plain (2%) Greek yogurt
2 Tbsp. Ketchup
2 Tbsp. sweet pickle relish
1 Tbsp. red onion, finely diced
1 tsp. white vinegar
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
2-3 dashes Hot sauce (optional)

Directions:
Add all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk together. Taste and add additional salt if desired. Refrigerate for at least an hour to allow the flavors to meld.

Sauce slightly adapted from: Kitchen Treaty

St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding

I feel like I'm always a day late and a dollar short when it comes to food fads. What's in today, is out tomorrow. There has been a cupcake craze, the bacon craze, kale and green smoothies everywhere and the list goes on and on. Chia seeds have been around for quite a while, but I'm a novice when it comes to this ingredient.

I've known of chia seeds since I was little and chia pets made regular appearances in commercials. I did own a couple of them over the years and let me tell you, they never worked for me like they did on TV (#majorfail). So yes, I knew about chia, but it never crossed my mind to eat them. 

For the last year or so, I've seen more and more recipes including these little seeds pop up all over the internet and they began to peak my interest. I started to do some research on them and to my surprise they are a super food. Who knew that these little buggers are chock full of Omega 3, can balance your blood sugar, keep you full longer, add age-defying anti oxidants as well as many other health benefits.  Color me impressed!

So I figured I'll "ease" into it by starting with a fairly basic recipe for Chia Seed Pudding. There are a lot of recipes for this, but the gist is pretty much the same. Almond milk, yogurt, some kind of natural sweetener and of course chia seeds. Mix it up and let it sit overnight. The seeds do their magic thing after a few hours and you have this amazing concoction that is incredibly tasty on top of being healthy.

With St. Patrick's Day only a couple of weeks away I decided to add a little whimsy by matching my fruit topping to the colors of the Irish Flag. Kiwis, bananas and mandarin oranges along with a few toasted almonds for added crunch completed the pudding. The verdict: So freaking good! I think I have a new breakfast favorite and I can't wait to make this again. What a great way to wake up your family on St. Patrick's Day with this healthy breakfast.

St. Patrick's Day Chia Seed Pudding
~makes 4 servings~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
1 cup plain (2 percent) Greek Yogurt 
2 Tbsp. pure maple syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/8 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 cup chia seeds
3 small kiwis, peeled and chopped
1 large banana, peeled and cut into slices
1 (11 oz.) can mandarin oranges (no sugar added), drained
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted
2 tsp. pure maple syrup

Directions:
In a medium bowl, gently whisk the almond milk, yogurt, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, the vanilla extract and the 1/8 teaspoon of salt until just blended. Whisk in the chia seeds; let stand 30 minutes. Stir to distribute the seeds if they have settled. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next morning, in a small bowl, toss the toasted almonds with 2  teaspoons maple syrup. Set aside. Spoon the pudding into 4 glasses or bowls. Top with kiwis, bananas, and mandarin oranges.  Mound the almonds on top and serve.

Slightly adapted from: Giada De Laurentiis

St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes

 

Would you like to know how to make new friends? It's actually quite easy, first thing you have to be invited to a party. Secondly you need to make some very tasty "adult only" cupcakes and bring them along to said party. Lastly, sit back and enjoy watching everyone moan while eating those cupcakes. Follow all of these steps and I guarantee you will be an instant hit at any party. 

These cupcakes are made up of three distinct components. A chocolate Guinness cupcake filled with a white chocolate Bailey's truffle center and topped with Bailey's buttercream. Oh yeah, these little babies are laced with liquor and are somewhat reminiscent of a drink called an "Irish Car Bomb". It consists of a glass of Guinness along with Irish Whiskey and Bailey's Irish Cream. The whiskey is floated on top of the Irish Cream in a shot glass, and the shot glass is then dropped into the stout. Talk about potent!

Guinness and chocolate are a match made in heaven and I'm now officially in love with with this combination. You can't tell that the batter is made with beer, but it rather enhances the chocolate flavor and adds a rich undertone, almost reminding me of espresso. I also chose to go with an extra dark cocoa powder which along with the beer makes for a not too sweet cupcake which happens to be the perfect vessel for the truffle center and frosting. The truffle center is chopped white chocolate (I used Lindt) mixed with hot heavy cream, butter and Bailey's.  After the cupcake is baked I used an apple corer to remove part of my cupcakes so I could fill them with the truffle mixture. Putting the truffle mixture into a disposable pastry bag made filling the cakes a cinch.  I didn't even bother replacing the tops since I knew the holes would be covered by frosting anyway, and this way they ended up being my afternoon snack. The buttercream is simply butter with powdered sugar, and for additional flavor more Bailey's Irish Cream is incorporated.

These cupcakes were really a hot commodity at the party. People were pleasantly surprised, especially by the Guinness in the cupcake batter and every single person that tried them was in agreement that these cupcakes were pretty much one of the best ones they had ever eaten. So, if you are still looking for a little something to bring along to a St. Patrick's day celebration or just looking for a great dessert after that corned beef and cabbage, then this is your recipe. On Thursday make sure to wear something green, drink a green beer, but most of all have a happy St. Patrick's Day. Éirinn go Brách - Ireland Forever!

Also, make sure to check out some of my posts from the previous year when my blog was still in its infancy if you are looking for more St. Patrick's Day inspired recipes:

Glazed Corned Beef
Irish Colcannon Potatoes
Fried Cabbage
Irish Soda Bread
Shepherd's Pie
Irish Cream Cupcakes with Bailey's Frosting

Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes with Bailey's Truffle Centers and Bailey's Buttercream
 ~makes 24 cupcakes~ 
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 cup Guinness beer
16 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup unsweetened dark cocoa powder
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
2/3 cup sour cream

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers:
8 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

For the Bailey's Buttercream:
12 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
4 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
5-8 tablespoons Bailey's Irish cream

Directions:
For the Guinness Chocolate Cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. Combine the Guinness and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together the eggs and sour cream to blend. Add the Guinness/butter mixture and beat just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients on low speed just until incorporated. Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Bailey's Truffle Centers: Place the chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering, the pour it over the chocolate. Let sit for one minute and then whisk until smooth. If the chocolate is not completely melted, place the bowl over a double boiler or give it a very short burst in the microwave (15-20 seconds). Add the butter and Bailey's and stir until combined.

Set aside to let the ganache cool until it is thick enough to be piped. (You can use the refrigerator to speed the cooling process, but be sure to stir every 10 minutes or so to ensure even cooling).

Meanwhile , cut out a portion from the center of each cooled cupcake with an apple corer or using the cone method (a small paring knife words best for this). Once the truffle mixture has reached the correct consistency, transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a wide tip and pipe it into the cupcakes.

For the Bailey's Buttercream: Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes. Gradually add the powdered sugar until it is all incorporated. Mix in the vanilla and Bailey's until smooth. Add more Bailey's if necessary until the frosting has reached a good consistency for piping or spreading. Frost the cupcakes as desired.

Slightly adapted from: Annie's Eats

Shepherd's Pie

 

Every year we celebrate St. Patrick's day. Not because we are Irish, in fact neither my husband nor I have one bit of Irish blood running through our veins, but we celebrate it simply because we like the food. We also like the beer, are fond of Irish butter and cheese and who can say no to some good Irish coffee? We also enjoy listening to U2 and are fans of The Cranberries. Most of all who can forget the years of reign by The Lord of the Dance,  Michael Flatley and his crew, as they were touring the world (even though it is quite debatable if being able to move your legs like this is completely natural). See, with all of this said, we could "almost" pass as Irish. Hence, we are not, but we can at least pretend once a year. Our typical meal for this holiday does include Corned Beef and Colcannon, however our kids are not the biggest fans of this dinner, so in order to keep the peace, I decided to smooth things over with another Irish specialty beforehand.

Shepherd's pie refers to an Irish meat pie made with minced beef (ground beef) and with a crust made from mashed potatoes. I've been tinkering with a few different recipes for this dish for years and while the end results were tasty, I was convinced they could be improved upon. While I was searching for yet another version to try, I found this recipe on Foodnetwork.com. It is a recipe by Melissa d'Arabian who starred in The Next Food Network Star. In all honesty, while she was competing on the show I wasn't a big fan of hers, and I don't think I've ever watched her show, but she definitely hit a home-run with this recipe. This Shepherd's Pie is the real deal. It is full of flavor and utterly delicious.  A great filling and an even better topping make this truly a stand-out. Bacon, onions and ground beef are cooked along with carrots and peas in a flavorful gravy composed of Guinness Beer, beef broth and spices. The topping receives extra love from 10 garlic cloves, sour cream, more beef broth and cheese which will assure that every bite of this will make for a wonderful dining experience.

This Shepherd's pie, in my opinion, is as good as it gets and is my new go-to recipe. My kids loved this meal and so did the adults. It is comforting and perfect for a chilly day. Yes, this will take you a little bit longer than opening a jar of gravy and mixing it with ground beef and frozen veggies, before topping it with boxed mashed potatoes as many recipes I've seen suggest, but sometimes good things require extra love and time to turn into something truly spectacular.  So, keep in mind that if corned beef might not be your first choice for St. Patrick's Day, this recipe is a fantastic alternative, especially when served with a nice glass of cold Guinness. Cheers, or as they say in Ireland; sláinte!

Shepherd's Pie

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

For the Garlicky Potato Topping:

2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into eights

10 whole garlic cloves, peeled

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 to 2/3 cup beef broth

4 tablespoons butter, softened

3/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the Filling:

4 slices bacon, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 medium onions, chopped

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus 1 teaspoon

1 teaspoon sugar

1 1/2 pounds ground beef (I used 93 % lean)

3 medium carrots, chopped

1 1/2 cups frozen green peas, thawed

2 garlic cloves, minced

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 bottle of Guinness Beer

1/2 cup beef broth

1 teaspoon finely minced fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions:

For the Garlicky Potato Topping: In a large saucepan add the potatoes and garlic and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are fork-tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Drain. Transfer the potatoes and garlic to a large bowl. Add the sour cream, 1/3 cup of the broth, butter, salt and pepper, and mash until everything is smooth and the ingredients are incorporated. If the mixture is too dry, add the remaining 1/3 cup broth. Cover and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch by 13-inch  baking dish with nonstick spray.

For the Filling: Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally until browned and almost crisp, about 7 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a plate; set aside.

Add the oil to the drippings in the skillet and put over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are very soft and just beginning to brown, about 7 minutes. Sprinkle in the sugar, and cook, stirring, occasionally, until the onions begin to caramelize, about 3 minutes. Stir in the beef and cook, stirring occasionally, over medium-high heat, until the beef begins to brown, about 7 minutes. Add the carrots, peas, and garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and flour and cook, stirring, until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add the beer, bring to a boil and boil for 3 minutes. Cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, about 2 minutes. Add the cooked bacon, the broth, rosemary, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, and the pepper, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the sauce thickens, about 10 - 15 minutes.

Spoon the meat mixture into the prepared baking dish. Spread the potato topping evenly over the beef mixture. Bake until the filling is hot, the topping is lightly browned and the edges are bubbly, about 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the cheese. Return to the oven and bake for 10 more minutes. Let rest out of the oven for 10 minutes before serving. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Adapted from: Melissa d'Arabian

Irish Cream Cupcakes With Baileys Frosting

After featuring Glazed Corned Beef, Irish Colcannon Potatoes, Fried Cabbage and Irish Soda Bread this week on Susi's Kochen und Backen I was presented with the task of finding an Irish dessert to round out our St. Patrick's Day celebration. Not that easy of a task, I might add. Nothing  looked appealing to me until I found a recipe that called for adding Baileys Irish Cream to the frosting of a cake. Not wanting to make a cake, I decided on making cupcakes.

Although the recipe sounded delicious, I thought to myself how can I kick this up another notch? Well how about by adding a good cup of Baileys to the cupcake batter itself! This resulted in moist, delicious cupcakes that smelled just like a glass of Baileys with milk. The frosting which is your basic buttercream with powdered sugar and butter added another little hint of Baileys and tasted good enough to be eaten with a spoon (which I might or might not have done). I also added the tiniest bit of food coloring to the frosting to give it a green hue underneath the icing sugar.

I sent most of these with my husband to work and they were gone in no time which is always a good sign.  So if you like Baileys, and a good cupcake, then go ahead and give them a try.

Irish Cream Cupcakes

~makes approx. 36 cupcakes~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

2/3 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/3 cups Irish Cream Liqueur (i.e. Bailey's)

2/3 cup milk

4 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher salt

Baileys Frosting (recipe follows)

Green Sanding Sugar (optional)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Insert paper liners into cupcake pans.

In a large bowl cream together the butter and sugar with an electric mixer on medium speed until light in color and fluffy, about 3-5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time and vanilla extract. Beat well.

In a measuring cup combine the liqueur and milk.

In another bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, alternating with the liqueur mix. Beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.

Fill the cupcake liners three-quarters full. Bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Cool cupcakes on a cooling rack.

Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with icing sugar if desired.

Baileys Cream Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 pound (4 cups) confectioners' sugar, sifted

3 tablespoons Irish Cream Liqueur (Baileys)

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Green Food Coloring (optional)

With an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth. Reduce speed to medium. Add the confectioners' sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping down sides of bowl as needed, about 5 minutes total; after every two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds (to aerate frosting).

Add Baileys, vanilla and food coloring if desired, and beat until combined and smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate up to 5 days in an airtight container; bring to room temperature and beat on low speed until smooth before using.

Irish Soda Bread

Irish week is continuing at Susi's Kochen und Backen. So far I've posted recipes for Glazed Corned Beef, Irish Colcannon Potatoes and Fried Cabbage. Today will be all about the Irish Soda Bread.

I had baked soda breads in previous years and even resulted to buying a few at the grocery store. Every time it received very mixed results from my family. My husband and I didn't mind (but they didn't taste fabulous) and the kids just plain out rejected every single one of them.

Most of the breads I had made before called for raisins. I thought they were almost too sweet. I also tried recipes using currants. I really enjoyed those loafs but again, my kids declined to eat them.

As I was looking for the "perfect" recipe I found out that Soda bread gets its name from being a quick bread in which baking soda is used for leavening rather than the more common yeast. Traditional ingredients include flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk. Other ingredients that can be found int various recipes are raisins, currants, eggs, or even nuts.

Soda bread is to this day a staple in the Irish cuisine and is served often with meals.

I ended up finding the perfect recipe. It might not be considered traditional but that wasn't what I was going for. I was looking for taste and Ina Garten's version is by far the best soda bread we've ever eaten. I ended up replacing the currants with craisins since I couldn't find currants but that turned out to be a great decision. I will be baking this recipe more frequently now and the best part is my kids love the bread and told me to make it again and again!

Irish Soda Bread

(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

4 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for Craisins

4 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 1/2 teaspoons Kosher Salt

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice

1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk, shaken

1 extra-large egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon grated orange zest

1 cup dried Craisins (dried cranberries)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lin a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Combine flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, light beat the buttermilk, egg, and orange zest together in a measuring cup. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture. Combine the Craisins with 1 tablespoon of flour and mix into the dough. The dough will be VERY wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf. Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a cake tester comes out clean. When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound when done.

Cool on a baking rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. Leftover bread can be stored for up to 3 days well wrapped. If the bread gets a little dry you can always toast it the next day for a great breakfast treat.

Adapted from: Ina Garten

Coming up tomorrow: The conclusion of Irish week, Irish Cream Cupcakes with Baileys Frosting

Fried Cabbage

Irish week continues today with another great recipe on Susi's Kocken und Backen. If you've read my blog the last couple of days you have already seen two great dishes with a little twist on the old classics. I started with Glazed Corned Beef  and yesterday continued with Irish Colcannon Potatoes. Today I'm going to talk about my Fried Cabbage which is not an Irish dish in the traditional sense.

The Irish dish is called Bacon and Cabbage. The dish consists of boiled bacon (this refers to back bacon which is cured and/or smoked. It does not refer to sliced bacon which one might fry) served with boiled cabbage and potatoes. Historically, this dish was common fare in Irish homes as the ingredients were readily available (many families grew their own vegetables and reared their own pigs), nourishing and satisfying. The dish continues to be a very common meal in Ireland. There are many different variations on the theme of bacon and cabbage, but in general the dish tends to involve slicing the back bacon after it has been well boiled and serving it with whole boiled potatoes and boiled cabbage (which is often boiled with the bacon for flavor).

Since I already had potatoes in the dish with the Colcannon and quite some leftover bacon and cabbage I decided to go a slightly different route and make fried cabbage. It is a simple straight forward dish that gets its flavor from frying the cabbage in bacon grease. A little salt and pepper along with a pinch of sugar are added along with the rendered bacon bits and you have the perfect accompaniment to any meal.

We enjoy cabbage very much in our house so this was a no-brainer that turned out very well.

Fried Cabbage

~serves 4~ 
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1/4 pound (about 3 slices) thick cut bacon, chopped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 1/2 pounds cabbage, shredded

2 tablespoons water

1 pinch white sugar

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

Directions:

Place bacon in a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until evenly brown and crisp. Remove bacon, and set aside.

Cook Onion in the hot bacon grease until tender. Add cabbage, and stir in water, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook until cabbage wilts, about 10 minutes. Stir in reserved bacon. Serve immediately.

Coming up tomorrow: Irish Soda Bread

Irish Colcannon Potatoes

This week is Irish week on Susi's Kochen und Backen. Yesterday I kicked off the week with a delicious Glazed Corned Beef. Since this wasn't going to be a "traditional" Irish meal, I had to come up with something other then boiled potatoes and cabbage. This brought me to a recipe for Colcannon (Irish: cál ceannann, meaning "white-headed cabbage") Potatoes.

Colcannon is traditionally made from mashed potatoes, kale or cabbage, butter, salt and pepper. It can contain additional ingredients such as milk, cream, leeks, onions, chives, boiled ham or Irish bacon. At one time this was a cheap, year-round staple in many households in Ireland. It is usually eaten in the Fall and Winter times when the kale and cabbage are in season.

I stayed pretty close to the traditional version but added green onions and American bacon to mine. Also I decided on cabbage rather then kale only because everyone prefers cabbage in our house.

 You can make this dish with any potato, but I prefer Yukon Golds. They have a very buttery taste to begin with and lend any potato dish a great flavor.

This one was good, as in REALLY good. The kids and husband couldn't get enough of it either. Irish Colcannon Potatoes will be served a lot more from now on in our house.

Irish Colcannon Potatoes

~serves 8~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 pound cabbage, shredded

2 cups water

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 cup milk

1/2 cup green onions, sliced

4 tablespoons butter, melted (divided)

Kosher Salt and Pepper to taste

1/4 pound thick cut bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring cabbage and water to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 5-8 minutes or until tender. Drain, reserving cooking liquid. Keep cabbage warm.

Place cabbage cooking liquid and potatoes in a large saucepan; add enough additional water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 15-17 minutes or until tender. Drain and keep warm.

In a small pot, gently warm milk and green onions. While the milk is warming mash the potatoes with 2 tablespoons butter. Add the milk mixture; beat until well combined. Mix in the cabbage, salt, pepper and half of the cooked bacon bits. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons melted butter and reserved bacon bits.

Serve with corned beef.

Coming up tomorrow: Fried Cabbage

Glazed Corned Beef

St. Patrick's Day, which is celebrated on March 17th, just wouldn't be the same at our house without a typical Irish Meal. We are not Irish in any way or shape nor do I claim to cook this meal authentic, we just enjoy good food. My kids dread this holiday every year though. None of them enjoy the normal fare of boiled corned beef with potatoes and root vegetables and neither do they care for the Irish Soda bread I had bought or baked before.

 This year I set out to cook a St. Patrick's Day meal that still had all the "authentic" components but decided to put my own spin on it. Follow me the next few days for recipes that will turn any St. Patrick's Day celebration green with envy ;o)

First up I tackled Corned Beef. Corned beef did not originate in Ireland but is rather part of the Irish-American culture. In Ireland the meat is more like a bacon or ham where the corned beef became popular in the eastern United states when Irish Immigrants would use beef rather then pork in the traditional dish. Corned beef refers to the style of beef which is a brisket that has been brined and gets its color from the addition of potassium nitrate also called saltpeter.

The kids hate the way the brined, boiled piece of meat tastes, so I figured why not find a recipe for a baked, glazed Corned beef similar in style to a baked ham. Not just did I find a great recipe but the meat was moist with a hint of sweetness, and don't let that pickle juice turn you off. It just works, trust me. It got a big thumbs up from the kids. There was not one piece leftover, and all my corned beef hating kids couldn't get enough of this one.

Glazed Corned Beef

~serves 6~
(Print this Recipe)

Ingredients:

1 corned beef brisket (about 3 pounds)

1/2 medium onion, cut into chunks

1 medium carrot, cut into chunks

1 celery rib with leaves, cut into chunks

1 tablespoon mixed pickling spices*

1/4 cup packed brown sugar

1 tablespoon whole grain mustard 

1/4 cup sweet pickle juice

* most corned beef briskets come with a packet of pickling spices, just add that 

Directions:

Place corned beef in a large Dutch oven; cover with water. Add the onion, carrot, celery and pickling spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours or until meat is tender.

Transfer corned beef to a 13-inch x 9-inch baking dish; discard all but 1 cup of broth and vegetables. Score the surface of meat with a shallow diagonal cuts.

In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and mustard; spread over meat. Drizzle with pickle juice. Bake, uncovered, at 325 degrees F for 1 hour, basting occasionally and adding reserved liquid to bottom of dish as needed to prevent drying out. Serve with your favorite Irish dishes.

Coming up tomorrow: Irish Colcannon Potatoes