Catherine Fulvio is one busy lady these days. In addition to running Ballyknocken House and Cookery School in County Wicklow, she’s been filming her new series, Catherine’s Roman Holiday,* which premieres tomorrow in Ireland at 8:30 p.m. on RTÉ, doing cooking demos at summer festivals like Bloom and Taste of Dublin, and writing a fantastic new cookbook, Catherine’s Italian Kitchen, which was released last week.

Catherine was brought up at Ballyknocken, a traditional Irish farm that has been in her family for almost 100 years, and learned to cook from her mother by “hanging onto her apron strings.” Imbued with an appreciation of good food from an early age, the Italian twist in the tale is when she met her husband, Claudio Fulvio, who is originally from Palermo. They and their two young children now spend summers at their other home in Sicily, where Catherine is inspired by their Italian family and friends. This inspiration has translated into a cookbook full of easy and family-friendly recipes that are suitable for all levels of cook and which use ingredients that can be commonly found outside of Italy, meaning anyone can enjoy Italian flavors in their own kitchen, wherever you might be.

This oven-baked fennel sausage and tomato risotto is the first dish that jumped out at me to make, which is no surprise, seeing as how much I also like this cherry tomato and sausage bake. I particularly like this recipe since it has more vegetables than my other favorite risottos, and my kids happily devoured it. Catherine’s eggplant “meatballs” (polpette di melanzane) are already a favorite that I’ve made several times since watching her make them on her first TV series on RTÉ, and that recipe is included in her cookbook now as well. Other recipes I’ve bookmarked to try are the Leek, Gorgonzola and Walnut Pizza, Pistachio and Asparagus Penne, Braised Beef with Garlic, Lemon and Chili, and last but not least, Amaretto and Almond Truffle Tort.

We have a copy of Catherine’s Italian Kitchen to give away, so for a chance to win, just leave a comment telling us what Italian dish you’ve got a hankering for. The winner will be randomly chosen and the competition will close at midnight (US Central Time) on Friday, September 10. As Catherine would say, Buon appetito!

*You can watch sneak preview of the first show here, or even a behind-the-scenes peek at how the show was made here.

Oven-baked Sausage and Tomato Risotto
adapted from Catherine’s Italian Kitchen by Catherine Fulvio

Serves 4 to 6

The original recipe calls for Sicilian fennel sausages, but Italian sausages or good-quality butcher sausages are good substitutes. Catherine notes that this risotto won’t be creamy since there’s no constant stirring, but it’s just as delicious and is a great no-fuss weeknight option.

extra virgin olive oil
1 lb (450 g) Sicilian fennel sausages, Italian sausages or good-quality butcher sausages (I used garlic and herb)
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely sliced
1 3/4 cups (300 g) Arborio rice
1 carrot, finely diced
2 celery stalks, finely diced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 1/2 pints (750 ml) chicken stock
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of cherry tomatoes or chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine or vermouth
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Parmesan shavings, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

Heat some olive oil in a large frying pan or casserole dish over a medium heat. Cook the sausages for 15 minutes, until fully cooked. Remove from the pan and slice into bite-sized pieces. Set aside. Add the onion to the pan and saute on a low heat for 10 minutes, until lightly golden. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the rice, carrots, celery and parsley. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring from time to time. Return the sausages to the pan.

Meanwhile, in a separate pan, heat the chicken stock and tomatoes, then add the wine, stock and tomatoes to the casserole dish. Stir and cover with foil or a lid. Place in the oven and cook for approximately 45 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is just tender, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with Parmesan shavings and serve.

When I go out to eat, I love to deconstruct the menu and take away all the adjectives. Things that sound fancy are oftentimes actually pretty basic. Pan-fried and corn-fed? That’s all well and good, but it’s still just chicken. Likewise, this dish sounds impressive, but is a cinch to make. For example, the tomato confit is nothing more than a can of chopped tomatoes that’s simmered for an hour to reduce it down. The very title of the cookbook it comes from — Keeping It Simple by the L’Ecrevain chef Derry Clarke — goes to show how easy it really is. (But don’t tell that to the other food bloggers who took part in the seafood cookalong* earlier this month, which is what I made this dish for.) Served with an equally impressive-sounding French apple tart, this would make an elegant, but easy, dinner party menu.

*The Irish food bloggers and foodies have a cookalong on the first Friday of every month, with a different theme and judge/sponsor each month. Check out our Facebook group for more details if you’d like to join in!

Sea Bass with Tomato Confit and Red Onion and Bacon Vinaigrette
adapted from Keeping It Simple by Derry Clarke

Serves 4

If you want to make this for entertaining, the tomato confit and red onion and bacon vinaigrette could be made in advance and simply reheated shortly before you’re ready to serve. If you can’t get sea bass, you could also use halibut, cod or snapper.

4 x sea bass fillets, scaled and pinboned
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon sunflower oil
juice of 1/2 lemon
mashed potatoes, to serve
a handful of arugula or baby spinach, to serve

for the tomato confit:
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 cup (60 ml) red wine vinegar
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of chopped tomatoes
1 bay leaf
salt and freshly ground black pepper

for the red onion and bacon vinaigrette:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/2 lb (225 g) bacon, diced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup (80 ml) red wine, port or stock
1/2 red onion, finely diced
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the tomato confit, place all the ingredients in a saucepan and cook over a very low heat for 1 hour, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the bay leaf, season and allow to cool.

To make the vinaigrette, heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Saute the shallot and bacon until the bacon is lightly browned. Add the sugar, vinegar and wine and cook briskly until reduced by half. Add the red onion and season to taste. Set aside.

Season the fish well with salt and pepper. Heat the sunflower oil in a clean frying pan over a medium heat. Place the fish in the pan, skin side down. Cook for about 4 minutes, or until the skin is crisp. Carefully turn the fish over and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes, lowering the heat if necessary. Pour the lemon juice over the fish and remove from the pan.

To serve, place a dollop of mashed potatoes on a plate. Spoon over some of the tomato confit and arrange the arugula or spinach on top of the confit. Gently place the sea bass on top of the arugula/spinach. Spoon the vinaigrette over the sea bass and serve immediately.

I’m a born and bred Midwesterner, so corn is practically part of my heritage. “Corn should be knee high by the fourth of July,” my dad used to say out of the blue sometimes while driving alongside the cornfields of northern Illinois, and no summer picnic or barbecue was complete without me or my brother or sister being sent out to the patio to shuck a bag full of sweetcorn picked up from the tumbledown farm stand on the corner of Route 45 and 173. When I was back in the States last month, my friend and I went grocery shopping to pick up supplies for that night’s barbecue, and I insisted we get a few ears of sweetcorn. Back home in Ireland, though, where whole ears of corn tend to only come pre-shucked in shrink-wrapped packages (and that’s in the rare instance when you can even find them), I make do with frozen corn. In this cheddar corn chowder, though, it’s so full of flavor that I don’t think you’d even know the difference.

Now that the back to school drive is in full swing, it’s worth saying that these ham and cheese muffins not only work well served alongside soup, but are also a great alternative to the usual sandwich in a school lunchbox. The 15 minutes you spend making them one day will be repaid during the week if you stash them in the freezer. You can then grab as many as you need from the freezer the night before, pop them into a reusable plastic container and stow them in the fridge – they’ll be thawed by lunchtime the next day.

Cheddar Corn Chowder
adapted from The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten

Serves 6

For a gourmet touch, you could serve this soup with a dollop of Wolfgang Puck’s jalapeño crema on top instead of grated cheese. Instead of using a mix of cream and milk, you could just use 1 cup (240 ml) half and half in the US, or if you want to make it a little less fattening, just use 1 cup (240 ml) milk and no cream. Leave out the bacon and use vegetable stock to make a vegetarian version of this.

2 tablespoons olive oil
4 oz (110 g) bacon, chopped
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter
1/4 cup (30 g) flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
6 cups (1 1/2 liters) chicken stock
1 lb (450 g) baby potatoes, unpeeled and diced
1.5 lb (680 g) fresh or frozen corn kernels (about 5 ears of corn if using fresh)
1/2 cup (120 ml) cream
1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
4 oz (110 g) sharp/mature cheddar cheese, grated, plus extra to garnish
chopped chives, to garnish (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot over a medium-high heat and cook the bacon for about 5 minutes, until crisp. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add the onions and butter to the rendered fat and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are translucent.

Stir in the flour, salt, pepper and turmeric and cook for 3 minutes. Add the chicken stock and potatoes, bring to a boil and simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender. If using fresh corn, cut the kernels off the cob and blanch them for 3 minutes in boiling salted water, then drain. (If using frozen corn, you can skip this step.) Add the corn to the soup, then add the bacon back in. Add the cream, milk and cheddar. Cook for 5 more minutes, until the cheese has melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve hot with a little grated cheddar and chopped chives sprinkled on top.

***

Savory Ham and Cheese Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

These muffins have some whole wheat flour to give them a little boost of wholegrain goodness, but you could use all plain flour (2 1/2 cups/300 g) instead. You can also adjust the seasonings to your children’s tastes, so feel free to leave out the paprika, black pepper, Worcestershire sauce, mustard or scallions, or use a mild cheddar instead of a mature one.

1 3/4 cup (200 g) plain flour
3/4 cup (100 g) whole wheat flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup (240 ml) milk
6 tablespoons (90 g) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 egg
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cups (200 g) grated mature cheddar
6 slices ham, chopped into small pieces
6 scallions, finely chopped

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Grease a muffin tin or line with silicone or paper cases.

Sift together the flours, baking powder, paprika, salt and a little black pepper in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl or measuring jug, whisk together the milk, melted butter, egg, Worcestershire and mustard. Add to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined (don’t overmix or the muffins will be tough). Stir in the grated cheese, ham and scallions, again taking care not to overmix.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin tin and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the muffins are golden and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Set aside on a wire rack to cool. If freezing, allow them to cool completely first.

Four years ago, when our daughter was 13 months old and not walking yet, we went to the Derryvilla Blueberry Farm** in County Offaly to pick berries. I still remember her crawling on the soft, boggy ground amongst the bushes, stopping now and then to pull a fat, sweet berry from the branches and pop it into her mouth. This time we had our son, who at two years old was a good age to enjoy picking the berries himself, so ripe they practically tumbled off the bushes and into our baskets. When we paid for our haul after an hour in the fields, the owner, Nuala, scooped up a bag full of berries from a nearby crate and gave them to the kids to eat in the car, free of charge. For the first 30 minutes of the drive home, all we could hear from the back seat was the sound of their little hands rustling in the paper bags as they snacked on the berries as if they were a bag of pick ‘n’ mix candy.

When my husband was a boy growing up in Michigan, one summer he and his family picked 80 lb of blueberries. In comparison, the 9 lb we picked last weekend seems meager, but it was enough to make a dinner of salmon with a blueberry pan sauce, a batch of blueberry crumb bars and these blueberries in gin syrup.* I froze the rest to use in my kids’ favorite breakfast once the weather turns cold, blueberry and banana porridge. I’m already looking forward to remembering the sunny, hot summer day we spent picking berries every time I add them to my children’s oatmeal this winter.

*If you’re looking for more blueberry recipes, try this lemon blueberry buckle or peach and blueberry sour cream cobbler.

*Derryvilla Blueberry Farm is located roughly between Newbridge in County Kildare and Portlaoise in County Laois, not too far off the M7 motorway. Ring 057 864 2882 or 087 246 6643 for opening times and directions.

Smoked Salmon and Potato Salad with Horseradish Crème Fraîche
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4 as a light dinner or lunch

As often as not, I lazily skip the lemon, vinegar and olive oil dressing and just mix the horseradish crème fraîche into the potatoes instead of dolloping it over the salad. In that case, add the lemon zest to the crème fraîche and sprinkle the capers over the salad instead.

1 1/4 lb (570 g) new potatoes, washed
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
zest and juice of 1 large lemon
extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons capers, drained
14 oz (400 g) smoked salmon, roughly chopped
a small bunch of fresh dill or fennel tops, roughly chopped, or 1 tablespoon dried dill
2 or 3 tablespoons jarred horseradish sauce, or to taste
1/2 cup (120 ml) crème fraîche

Cut the potatoes into halves or quarters, depending on their size (you want them to be in bite-sized pieces). Tip into a pot of boiling salted water and boil for 10 to 15 minutes, until the potatoes are just cooked. Drain in a colander and cover with a tea towel to dry them out a bit while you make the dressing.

Put the lemon zest and half the lemon juice into a bowl and add the vinegar. Pour in three times as much olive oil as lemon juice and add the capers. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and whisk to combine. Transfer the potatoes to a large bowl and drizzle the dressing over. Toss gently until the potatoes are all well coated. Add in the smoked salmon and most of the dill and toss again. Transfer the potatoes and salmon to a serving bowl or platter or individual plates.

Mix the horseradish sauce into the crème fraîche with the remaining lemon juice and some salt and pepper. Dollop the crème fraîche over the salad and sprinkle over the rest of the dill or fennel.

Blueberries in Gin Syrup
adapted from Gourmet, August 2008

Serves 6

This recipe is open to adaptation. The original version conjures up a forest by adding a rosemary sprig and crushed juniper berries to infuse the syrup. I didn’t care for that so I’ve left it out here to make a plainer syrup. However, you could also try infusing the syrup with a cinnamon stick or a strip of lemon peel, and you could leave out the gin entirely too. These will keep for 1 or 2 days in the fridge.

1 cup (240 ml) water
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 1/2 lb/2 pints (680 g) blueberries
1/4 cup (60 ml) dry gin

Boil the water and sugar in a small saucepan, stirring until the sugar has dissolved, until the syrup has reduced to about 3/4 cup (180 ml), which should take 10 to 12 minutes. Put the blueberries in a heatproof bowl and strain the syrup through a sieve over the berries. Stir in the gin. Allow the berries to macerate in the syrup for about 30 minutes, until the berries are completely cooled. Eat them on their own in a bowl, or spooned over vanilla ice cream, not forgetting to drizzle over some of the syrup too.

Kristin and I are food psychic — strange but true. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve emailed her about a great cake I just made only to find she made the same thing (or something close) the day before. This blog has only confirmed my suspicions. I now double check the titles of her planned posts before doing my meal planning or, heaven forbid, I’ll risk making the same thing and will have lost a post opportunity. Last week, I opened up Molly Wizenberg’s A Homemade Life, planning to make bouchons au thon and these fantastic-sounding meatballs. Well, Kristin beat me to the tuna corks, but I’m happy enough to be able to share these sweet and savory meatballs. I suspected they would be lovely and so doubled the recipe for leftovers. I’m glad I did, because the second batch made for an amazing lunch the next day.

Turkey Meatballs with Walnuts, Cilantro, Golden Raisins, and Lemon-Cumin Yogurt Sauce
adapted from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (or via Orangette)

Makes about 40 meatballs (serves 4 for dinner plus leftovers the next day)

for the sauce:
2 cups (480 ml) plain yogurt
juice of 1 lemon
1 clove garlic, grated or minced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt

for the meatballs:
2 lb (900 g) ground turkey or chicken (mix of light and dark meat)
1 small yellow onion, minced
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup (15 g) finely chopped cilantro (coriander)
1 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts or pine nuts
1 cup (160 g) golden raisins, roughly chopped if they’re large
1 cup (100 g) panko or breadcrumbs
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
cooked couscous, for serving

To make the yogurt sauce, combine the yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, cumin, and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine. Set aside at room temperature to let the flavors develop while you make the meatballs.

To make the meatballs, gently mix all the meatball ingredients except the olive oil and couscous together in a bowl, using your hands. Take care not to overmix the meat (which would make the meatballs tough), but make sure all the ingredients are evenly mixed. Form the mixture into 1 1/2-inch balls and set aside on a large plate. (Raw meatballs can be covered and refrigerated for up to 1 day. Alternatively, place them, not touching, on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze until hard, then transfer them to a heavy-duty plastic bag and freeze for up to 2 weeks.)

Heat a thin film of olive oil in a heavy skillet over a moderate heat and saute the meatballs in batches (don’t overcrowd them in the pan). As they begin to color, turn them gently with tongs so that they’re golden on all sides. They should be done when they’re evenly browned and feel medium firm (but not hard) to the touch. Place on a paper towel to drain. Add additional oil to the skillet if it looks dry and cook the remaining meatballs. Serve hot, warm, or cold with yogurt sauce and couscous.

My husband makes pancakes with the kids every Saturday morning without fail, so it should have been no surprise that my daughter said these zucchini fritters looked like green pancakes when she saw me frying them in the pan. I immediately played it up: “Yes, you’re right, that’s just what they look like. It’s like we’re having pancakes for dinner!” I’ll do whatever it takes to get the kids to be enthusiastic about eating vegetables (including slathering them with ketchup), and after all the talk of them being pancakes, they happily devoured these fritters. Grown-ups will need no such convincing.

Zucchini Fritters with Feta and Dill
adapted from Forever Summer by Nigella Lawson

Makes about 16 large fritters or 25 small ones

I’ve taken a page out of Nigel Slater’s book and used dill here instead of Nigella’s parsley and mint. You can watch a video of Nigella herself making her original herby version of the fritters here. You could also use Bon Appétit’s idea to serve these with a green goddess dressing.

4 zucchini (about 1 1/2 lb/750 g)
5 or 6 scallions, white and light green parts only, finely chopped (save the dark green tops for the tomato salad)
9 oz (250 g) feta cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons dried dill
1 cup (120 g) flour
salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 eggs, beaten
2 or 3 tablespoons olive oil
Greek or natural yogurt, to serve (optional)

Coarsely grate the zucchini using a box grater, food processor or mandoline slicer. Transfer to a colander, sprinkle with salt and leave to drain in the sink for about 30 minutes to get rid of the excess water.

Put the chopped scallions in a bowl and crumble in the feta. Add the dill and flour and season well with salt and pepper. Gradually add the beaten egg and mix thoroughly before adding in the drained zucchini.

Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat and drop heaped spoonfuls of the mixture into the pan (an ice cream scoop works well here), flattening them with the back of a spoon. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side, until golden, then transfer to a plate lined with a paper towel. Serve with dollop of Greek or natural yogurt, either hot from the pan or at room temperature.

***

Tomato Salad

Serves 4

If you have really good, fresh tomatoes, then I would only use a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil to dress them. If they need a little boost, though, then add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or balsamic vinegar.

8 to 10 vine-ripened tomatoes
good-quality extra virgin olive oil
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
dark green tops from the scallions used in the fritters above, finely sliced
a handful of fresh basil, cut into strips (chiffonade)

Quarter the tomatoes and place in a bowl. Drizzle lightly with olive oil, then season generously with salt and pepper. Scatter over the sliced scallion tops and the basil.

What is it with kids and ketchup? When my sister was a kid, she would put ketchup on just about everything, including fish sticks, which I used to think was particularly weird. The only time I ever eat ketchup is with fries, and even then only just a little and begrudgingly (I’m a salt and vinegar kind of girl). At a dinner party I was at a few years ago, one of the women there was telling a story of how her eight-year-old nephew had even given up ketchup for Lent, the point being that he loved ketchup so much, this was a real sacrifice. There isn’t any ketchup in these bouchons au thon (which roughly translates as “tuna stoppers” or “tuna corks”) but there is tomato paste, which is what gives them their burnt orange color. The first time I made this, I thought the combination of ingredients sounded odd, but it works; they’re like little quiches without a crust. And taking a cue from my kid sister all those years ago, if I serve these with some ketchup squeezed on top, then sure enough, my kids gobble them up. It’s a nice light dinner or lunch served with a green salad with a lemon vinaigrette, or lemon roast potatoes or herbed new potatoes if you want something more filling (or Molly Wizenberg suggests a baguette). If your kids like tuna, then these are handy for lunchboxes too.

Bouchons au Thon
adapted from A Homemade Life by Molly Wizenberg (or via Orangette here)

Serves 4 as a light dinner or lunch

2 x 4 oz (120 g) cans of tuna chunks (preferably water-packed), drained well
1 cup (100 g) finely grated Gruyère cheese (Fontina, Swiss/Emmental or Parmesan are all good substitutes)
1/3 cup (80 ml) crème fraîche
3 tablespoons tomato paste
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 scallions, finely chopped
2 or 3 sprigs flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Lightly grease 8 wells of a standard-size muffin tin.

Place the tuna in a mixing bowl and break up into small pieces. Add the cheese, crème fraîche, tomato paste, eggs, onion, parsley and salt, stirring to thoroughly combine. Divide the mixture evenly among the 8 muffin wells. Use water to fill any empty wells halfway full to prevent them from scorching. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the tops and edges of the bouchons are set.

Carefully pour the water out of the muffin wells, then dislodge the bouchons by running a butter knife around the inside edges of their wells. Let them sit for 2 to 3 minutes, then carefully extract them and transfer to individual plates (2 for each portion). They will collapse a bit as they cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

When I was back in the States last month, my friends were great sports and fired up the grill to make bratwurst and beer can chicken after I bemoaned the lack of barbecue-worthy weather in Ireland. Back home in Ireland, though, I can still try to recreate those flavors and memories of hot Midwestern summer evenings with these pulled beef sandwiches. Made in the slow cooker, there’s no charcoal to light and no need to keep one wary eye on the inevitably approaching rain, and if you need to feed a small army at some point this summer, then this is the recipe for you — Elise from Simply Recipes says it can easily be doubled, tripled or even quadrupled. And even though my husband makes a mean barbecue sauce, this is one of the rare times I’ll give in to convenience and opt for something store-bought instead of homemade, making this one of the easiest recipes in my summertime repertoire.

Slow Cooker Braised BBQ Beef
adapted from Simply Recipes

Serves 10 to 12

If you don’t have a slow cooker, just follow the original instructions on the Simply Recipes link above.

1 tablespoon olive oil
2 onions, roughly chopped
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 x 3 lb (1.4 kg) pot roast or chuck roast, rinsed and dried
1 x 28 oz (or 2 x 14 oz/400 g) can of whole plum tomatoes
18 oz (500 ml) of your favorite barbecue sauce, either store-bought or homemade
salt and freshly ground black pepper
soft sandwich rolls or hamburger buns

Heat the olive oil in a frying pan on a medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Transfer the onions and garlic to the slow cooker. Add the tomatoes, crushing them with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the barbecue sauce and stir everything to combine. Add in the pot roast, cover and cook on low for 8 hours, or until the meat is tender and shreds apart easily. When the meat is cooked through, remove it from the slow cooker and shred with a fork. Set aside.

If you want the sauce to be a bit thicker, transfer it to a pot on the stove on a medium-high heat, uncovered. Reduce the liquid until it’s the desired thickness, making sure to stir the sauce often to prevent it from burning.

Return the meat to the sauce in the slow cooker or in the pot to warm through again. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on buns.

***

Roseanne Cash’s Potato Salad
adapted from Bon Appétit, June 2004

Serves 8

For something a little different, Cash sometimes adds some chopped fresh cilantro and 2 teaspoons curry powder. This can be made up to 1 day ahead and tastes best if it’s allowed to stand at room temperature for 1 hour before serving.

3 lb (1.4 kg) baby potatoes (red-skinned are good), unpeeled
8 to 10 dill pickle spears, coarsely chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
5 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup (180 ml) mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Scrub the potatoes, then cut into quarters or halves, depending on their size (you want them to be in bite-sized pieces). Cook them in a large pot of boiling salted water until they’re tender but still holding their shape. Drain and allow to cool slightly. Stir in the remaining ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

After over a year apart, Kristin and I were finally able to cook together last week during her trip back to the Midwest. In anticipation of her visit, and remembering her recent laments about the lack of weather worthy of grilling in Ireland, I cooked a few days of grill-friendly meals: fajitas (excellent excuse for homemade margaritas), kofta kabobs, and this summer’s favorite discovery, beer can chicken. I’ve read about the beer can technique for years but couldn’t bring myself to literally stuff a bird with a beverage until recently. My distrust was completely unfounded because this recipe rocks. Plus, it makes for a funny blog picture.

For a delicious and easy side dish, I roasted sweet potatoes and served them with make-it-in-a-minute maple jalapeno sour cream. I like to roast my potatoes right alongside the chicken to avoid heating up the kitchen. To roast sweet potatoes in a charcoal grill, simply wrap the sweet potatoes in foil (heavy duty recommended) and place them on or near the hot coals. Roast them until tender, usually 60 to 75 minutes, depending on the size of the sweet potatoes, their proximity to the coals, and the heat of the fire.

Beer Can Chicken
adapted from Food Network

Serves 6

You can also make beer can chicken in the oven instead of on a grill — try following the cooking instructions for this version of it (but note that this recipe calls for a smaller chicken; adjust your cooking time accordingly).

1 x 4 lb (about 2 kg) whole chicken
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoons of your favorite dry spice rub
1 can of beer

Remove the neck and giblets from the chicken and discard. Rinse the chicken inside and out, and pat it dry with paper towels. Rub the chicken lightly with oil, then rub it inside and out with salt, pepper and the dry rub. Set the chicken aside.

Open the beer can and take a few sips (make them big gulps so that the can is only half full). Place the beer can on a solid surface. Grabbing a chicken leg in each hand, plunk the bird cavity over the beer can. Transfer the bird-on-a-can to your grill and place it in the center of the grate, balancing the bird on its 2 legs and the can like a tripod.

Cook the chicken over medium-high, indirect heat (i.e. no coals or burners on directly under the bird), with the grill cover on, for approximately 1 1/4 hours or until the internal temperature registers 165°F in the breast area and 180°F in the thigh, or until the thigh juice runs clear when pierced with a sharp knife. Remove the chicken from the grill and let it rest for 10 minutes before carving.

***

Maple Jalapeno Sour Cream

Makes 2 cups

2 cups (480 ml) sour cream
1 jalapeno, minced (seeds and membranes removed before mincing if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 tablespoons maple syrup
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Gently mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. Serve immediately or cover and chill for up to 4 hours. Dollop on top of the roasted sweet potatoes.

Today marks our one-year blogging anniversary and our 200th post! To celebrate the occasion, we’re doing a little giveaway. To be in with a chance to win a $50 Amazon gift certificate, just leave a comment on this post telling us your favorite recipe from our site. The giveaway will close at midnight (US Central time) on Sunday, August 8 and the randomly selected winner will be notified by e-mail.*

I just got back from my 10-day solo trip to the States, so I know it’s hot back home (sadly, the same can’t be said of Ireland). If you can bear to turn on your oven for 45 minutes, then this is an easy way to use up an abundance of tomatoes now that they’re coming into season. It’s like a summertime version of Donal Skehan’s oven-roasted sausage and sweet potato recipe. It’s also incredibly easy to pull together and doesn’t take much prep work or thinking about — just right for when your head is still spinning from jet lag, a hard day at work or a long day taking care of the kids. I like to serve this with a green salad with balsamic vinaigrette and plenty of crusty bread to mop up all the juices.

*The competition has now closed. Congrats to Kathy, who likes the warm tofu with spicy garlic sauce!

Cherry Tomato and Sausage Bake
adapted from Jamie at Home by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

Jamie suggests chopping up any leftovers to make into a chunky pasta sauce for penne or rigatoni, and I can vouch that it’s good.

3 to 4 1/2 lb (1.4 to 2 kg) ripe cherry tomatoes (mixed colors if you can find them)
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 bay leaves
2 red onions, quartered (leave the root end intact so the quartered segments stay together)
3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped (not too small or they’ll burn)
10 to 12 good-quality butcher sausages or Italian sausages
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
crusty bread, mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, to serve
green salad, to serve

Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

Place the tomatoes, herbs, onions, garlic and sausages in a large roasting tray or casserole dish, one that can more or less fit all the tomatoes in one layer (or you could do individual casserole dishes, like I did in the photo, or divide everything between 2 trays/dishes if you don’t have one that’s big enough). Drizzle well with extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar and season with salt and pepper, then make sure the sausages are on top. Roast in the oven for 30 minutes, then give the tray a shake and turn the sausages over. Continue cooking for 15 to 30 minutes more, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.

If you think the sauce is a little too thin once the sausages are done, lift them out and place the tray on the stovetop to cook it down to the consistency you like, then put the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve either with a good crusty bread (great for mopping up the sauce!), mashed potatoes, rice or polenta, a green salad and a nice glass of wine.