30-minute meals, Desserts, Italian food, Pasta and noodles

Penne alla Vodka and Ice Cream with Blonde Mocha Sauce

Did you hear about the snowstorms in Europe that were wreaking havoc on people’s Christmas travel plans? Well, that was us. Our hearts sank as the snow built up at Dublin airport on December 23, which shut the runway while we watched the plows go back and forth for hours (meanwhile, tractors were plowing the snow around the gates — an Irish solution to an Irish problem?). To make a long story of snowstorms, mechanical failures and missed connections short, it took us three days, two hotels and four airports (Dublin, Philadelphia, Charlotte, NC and Tampa) to finally reach my mother’s house in Florida at 8:30 p.m. on Christmas Day. After that ordeal, a stiff drink was in order — plus some boozy food for good measure and an easy, espresso-infused ice cream sauce to perk up weary travelers.

Penne alla Vodka
adapted from Catherine’s Italian Kitchen by Catherine Fulvio

Serves 4

For a twist on this Roman dish, Catherine Fulvio suggests adding smoked salmon or cooked prawns at the last minute and heating through, while in Nigella Lawson’s version of this recipe, she suggests adding cubed bacon. For a stronger vodka hit, I like to use Nigella’s method of adding the vodka to the drained pasta along with a knob of butter, then adding the boozy pasta to the sauce. This method has the added advantage that if you’re serving children, you can set aside a plain portion of pasta for them before adding the vodka to the rest.

1 lb (450 g) penne
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 or 2 red chillies or 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons tomato paste
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) water
1 cup (250 ml) heavy cream
1/4 cup (4 tablespoons) vodka
1 cup (100 g) freshly grated Parmesan
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook the pasta according to the packet instructions in plenty of boiling salted water.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan that’s big enough to also hold the cooked pasta. Add the chillies and saute over a medium heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and the water. Simmer over a low heat for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon to prevent it from sticking to the pan and burning. If need be, add more water. Stir the cream into the chili and tomato mixture. Add the vodka and simmer for about 3 minutes more. (Alternatively, add the vodka to the drained pasta for a stronger sauce — see the note above.)

Drain the pasta and transfer to the pan with the sauce, then add the Parmesan cheese. Mix thoroughly, taste for seasoning and serve.

***

Blonde Mocha Sauce
adapted from Feast by Nigella Lawson

Serves 10

While I now prefer Catherine Fulvio’s vodka alla penne recipe to Nigella Lawson’s, this blonde mocha sauce is part of Nigella’s Supper alla Romana menu for easy entertaining from Feast (which is comprised of the pasta, this ricotta and pine nut salad and ice cream with this blonde mocha sauce). Nigella vows that even people who don’t like white chocolate like this sauce.

8 oz (225 g) white chocolate
2 cups (500 ml) heavy cream
3 tablespoons instant espresso powder
ice cream, to serve

Break the chocolate into chunks and put into a heavy-based saucepan on the lowest heat possible with all the other ingredients. When the chocolate has melted, take the pan off the heat and whisk vigorously to thicken the sauce. Pour the blonde mocha sauce into a pitcher or glass measuring cup, cover the surface directly with a thin skin of plastic wrap and when cool, stick it into the fridge for 4 to 6 hours to allow it to thicken and firm up. When you’re ready to pour it over the ice cream, take it out of the fridge, give it a good stir and use it straight from the pitcher.

Beans, Beef, Cookies, Holidays, One-pot wonders

Spicy Bacon Cowboy Chili and Snowball Cookies

I think there has been more snow in the past 12 months in Ireland than in the previous 11 years I’ve been living here put together. We were hit with a record-breaking cold snap and snowfall two weeks ago that saw school canceled for six days and had us stranded in our house in the countryside on a hill. My husband, raised in Michigan, where they get buried under lake effect snow, braved our road at the start of the snow days to get us stocked up on groceries and coal and turf for the fire. A big pot of warming chili sounded like just the thing to see us through a couple nights. My friend Clare tipped me off to this recipe, and if I wasn’t sold already by the bacon in the title, the beer clinched it. Serve with honey buttermilk cornbread or bacon corn muffins, and you’ve got a filling winter meal.

Things you’ll never find me without though, snow or no snow, are flour, butter and sugar, so it seemed fitting to make snowball cookies to pass the time one afternoon with the kids. These are my favorite childhood Christmas cookie, and even if I have the tree up and all the presents bought, it only really feels like Christmas to me when I make a batch of these. For years I used my mom’s recipe, but these days I use Bon Appétit’s tip to add some ground cinnamon to the powdered sugar you roll the cookies in, and it makes all the difference. Growing up, we called these butterballs, but now I know they’re also called snowball cookies, Mexican wedding cakes and Russian tea cakes. No matter what you call them, it wouldn’t be Christmas for me without them.

Spicy Bacon Cowboy Chili
adapted from White on Rice

Serves 4 to 6

Using the leftovers on the second day, I mixed some of the chili with passata to tone down the flavors enough to pass it off as a Bolognese sauce to my kids, who gobbled it up when served with pasta. Todd and Diane suggest serving this as chili cheese fries, and I don’t know anyone who would turn up their noses at that combination.

olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 or 2 red chilies, finely diced
salt
4 cloves garlic, finely diced
2 lb (1 kg) ground beef
6 strips (300 g) bacon, diced
1 x 14 oz (400 g) can of kidney beans, black beans or pinto beans
1 cup (250 ml) barbecue sauce
2 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper (optional if you don’t want it too spicy)
2 teaspoons chili powder
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 x 12 oz (350 ml) beer
grated cheddar cheese, sour cream, diced scallions, tortilla chips, etc., to serve

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pot over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, chilies and a pinch of salt (to stop the onions from browning) and cook for 10 minutes, or until the onions have softened. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Add the ground beef and bacon and cook until it’s nearly cooked through and browned, stirring occasionally.

Add the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat to keep at a gentle simmer. Cook for 30 minutes to 1 hour – the longer you cook it, the more the flavors will develop – adding more beer or water if the chili starts to look too dry. Serve the chili warm with toppings of your choice.

***

Snowball Cookies
adapted from Bon Appétit, May 2003

Makes about 4 dozen

These cookies can be prepared 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature and reserve the remaining cinnamon sugar.

1 cup (225 g) butter, at room temperature
2 cups (240 g) powdered (icing) sugar, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups (240 g) flour
1 cup (100 g) pecans or walnuts, toasted and coarsely ground
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Using an electric mixer, beat the butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1/2 cup (60 g) of the powdered sugar and the vanilla and beat until well blended. Beat in the flour, then nuts. Divide the dough in half and form each half into ball. Wrap separately in cling film and chill until cold, about 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F). Whisk the remaining powdered sugar and cinnamon in a shallow bowl or pie dish to blend. Set the cinnamon sugar aside.

Working with half of chilled dough, roll 1 scant tablespoon of dough between your palms into balls. Arrange the balls on a large baking sheet, spacing them 1/2 inch apart. Bake for about 18 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown on the bottom and just pale golden on top. Cool the cookies for 5 minutes on the baking sheet, then gently toss or roll the warm cookies in cinnamon sugar to coat them completely. Transfer the coated cookies to a wire rack and allow to cool completely. Repeat this procedure with the remaining half of the dough. Sift any remaining cinnamon sugar over the cookies and serve.

Cookies, Entertaining, Holidays, Potatoes, Poultry

Piri Piri Chicken with Sweet Potatoes and Almond, Honey and Orange Shortbread

From not knowing a single other food blogger at the start of the year, I now know many and count them amongst my friends. Who would have thought that the Bord Bia food blogger event back in May would have been such a launching pad for the bloggers in Ireland to start organising their own events, meet-ups, workshops and even the Irish Food Bloggers Association? Two bloggers I’ve come to know, both in the virtual and the real world, are Aoife of The Daily Spud, who in turn introduced me to Adrienne of Gastroanthropology, a fellow expat who lives in London. When I heard that Adrienne was organizing a blogger Christmas cookie exchange, I quickly signed up and wasn’t too surprised to see that from all the participants, Adrienne had arranged things so that I sent a recipe to her and received one from Aoife. Making Aoife’s shortbread was the perfect way to pass an afternoon with the kids when we were all stuck at home last week from the snow, and they were a welcome treat to have with a cup of coffee for me and hot chocolate for the kids. Given how many new people I’ve met because of blogging in 2010, I can’t wait to see who I might meet in 2011.

Piri Piri Chicken
adapted from 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

You could also use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts; if using breasts, just cook them a little longer. I’ve only made the chicken and sweet potatoes from this menu, but if you want to make the rocket (arugula) salad and Portugese tarts as well, you can see the complete menu here. If you made the whole menu, it would be a fantastic spread for entertaining — but if you can actually pull it off in 30 minutes like the title promises, I tip my hat to you.

4 to 6 large chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
1 red pepper, sliced into strips
1 yellow pepper, sliced into strips
6 sprigs of fresh thyme

for the piri piri sauce:
1 red onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 or 2 red chillies, deseeded and roughly chopped
2 tablespoons sweet smoked paprika
4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 lemons
salt and freshly ground black pepper
a large bunch of fresh basil

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C). Put a large griddle pan on a high heat.

Put the chicken thighs on a plastic chopping board, skin side down, and slash the meat on each one a few times. Drizzle with olive oil and season, then put on the hot griddle pan, skin side down. Cook until golden underneath, then turn over.

While the chicken is cooking, make the piri piri sauce. Add the onion, garlic, chillies, paprika, vinegar and Worcestershire sauce to a blender or food processor. Add the zest of 2 lemons and the juice of 1 lemon. Add a good pinch of salt and pepper, the large bunch of basil and a splash of water. Blend until smooth.

Add the peppers to the griddle pan. Turn the heat down to medium and keep moving the peppers around. Turn the chicken over.

Pour the piri piri sauce into a snug-fitting roasting tray. Lay the peppers on top of the sauce and push to the side. Add the chicken to the roasting tray with the sauce. Scatter over the sprigs of thyme, then put the tray into the oven. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through. Sprinkle over some chopped fresh cilantro to serve.

***

Sweet Potatoes with Feta, Lemon and Chili
adapted from 30 Minute Meals by Jamie Oliver

Serves 4

1 medium potato
2 sweet potatoes
1/2 lemon
1 red chilli, finely chopped
1 bunch of fresh cilantro, finely chopped
2 oz (50 g) feta cheese, crumbled

Wash the potato and sweet potatoes and halve lengthways. Put them into a large microwave-safe bowl with half a lemon. Cover with cling film and put into the microwave on full power for 15 minutes. (If you don’t have a microwave, simply boil the potatoes on their own until tender.) Once the potatoes are cooked through, use tongs to squeeze over the cooked lemon. (Or if you haven’t used a microwave, add the juice of the half lemon to the potatoes.) Add the chiles, cilantro and feta. Season to taste with salt and freshly ground pepper, mix everything together and serve.

***

Almond, Honey and Orange Shortbread
adapted from The Daily Spud

Makes 30 to 35 cookies

With two stir crazy children helping me make these cookies when we were all stuck at home last week because of the snow, I streamlined Aoife’s recipe to just use packaged ground almonds instead of toasting whole almonds and grinding them myself. I went ahead and used the zest of an entire orange instead of just half an orange, and I also didn’t have any amaretto in the house, so I used almond extract instead. Aoife also suggests two variations by replacing the orange zest with some espresso powder and/or replace the almonds and amaretto with hazelnuts and Frangelico.

3/4 cup (100 g) plain flour
1/4 cup (25 g) rice flour or cornflour (cornstarch), or substitute additional plain flour
good pinch of salt
1 cup (100 g) ground almonds
1/2 cup (100 g) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons honey
1 teaspoon almond extract or amaretto (optional)
zest of 1 orange
1/4 cup (25 g) powdered (icing) sugar, sifted, for coating (optional)
2 oz (50 g) good-quality dark chocolate, for dipping (optional)

Preheat your oven to 300°F (150°C).

Whisk the plain flour, rice flour and salt together in a medium bowl. Add the ground almonds and whisk again.

In a separate bowl, a stand mixer or a food processor, beat the butter until light and fluffy. Add the honey, almond extract and orange zest to the butter and beat well. Gradually incorporate the flour and almond mixture into the butter. When done, you should end up with a ball of dough that will be slightly crumbly and tacky to the touch.

Scoop heaped teaspoonfuls of the dough into the palm of your hand, roll into balls, then place on the baking sheet and flatten slightly, either using the palm of your hand or the base of a glass. You should end up with little discs around 1 inch wide and 1/4 to 1/2 inch high.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the biscuits are just starting to darken at the edges. Allow to cool slightly for about 2 minutes, then toss the biscuits in the icing sugar and leave to cool fully on a wire rack. If you fancy dipping the biscuits in chocolate, then chop the chocolate finely and either melt in the microwave (zapping it until barely melted) or in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of hot (not simmering) water. Once melted, dip half of each biscuit in the chocolate and leave to set on a wire tray. When cool, dust with some more icing sugar and enjoy with your Christmas tea or coffee.

Desserts, Italian food, Potatoes, Vegetarian main dishes

Gnocchi with Blue Cheese and Walnut Sauce and Guinness Gingerbread

Nigel Slater once described eating gnocchi as like eating a duvet. Sometimes that’s just what you need, whether it’s because you want something rib-sticking for a cold winter’s night or because you need to indulge in some unabashed, to-hell-with-the-calories comfort eating. With the mood in Ireland being very gloomy lately (you might have heard of the small matter of our €85 billion bailout and this week’s painful 2011 budget) and the weather being record-breaking cold, it was one of those times. Feeling low last week after another day of depressing news, I decided there was only one thing for it — baking. I turned to Nigella Lawson for some comfort food consolation, provided like only Nigella can, and settled on this Guinness gingerbread, which was perfect for this time of year. There’s nothing like some iconic Irish food — Guinness and the Cashel Blue cheese I used in the gnocchi — to lift a girl’s spirits.

Gnocchi with Blue Cheese and Walnut Sauce
adapted from A Kitchen Year by Paula McIntyre

Serves 4 to 6

Paula McIntyre’s original recipe calls for Bellingham Blue cheese, made in my neck of the woods in County Louth. Cashel Blue is an excellent substitute, but any good blue cheese will work here. If you want to give this a veggie boost, you could try adding some spinach, as in Nigel Slater’s recipe for baked gnocchi with spinach and Gorgonzola. This could stretch to feed six people if you’re serving it with something else, or just four greedy ones in need of some rib-sticking comfort food. It’s also decadent enough to serve as a vegetarian option for the holidays.

2 packs (about 2 lb/1 kg) store-bought gnocchi
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup (60 ml) extra dry vermouth or dry white wine
1/2 cup (120 ml) vegetable or chicken stock
1 cup (250 ml) double cream
4 0z (100 g) blue cheese
1 cup (100 g) chopped walnuts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh thyme, to garnish

Get a large pot of water on to boil for the gnocchi.

Meanwhile, to make the sauce, heat the butter and oil in a saucepan and cook the onion on a medium heat until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the vermouth or wine and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and boil until the liquid has reduced by half again. Add the cream and simmer until the sauce has the consistency of single cream. Crumble in the cheese and remove from the heat.

Heat a dry pan and toast the walnuts and cook for 1 minute, taking care not to let them burn, which can happen quickly. Add the walnuts to the sauce and season to taste.

Cook the gnocchi according to the packet instructions, drain and add to the sauce, stirring to make sure all the gnocchi is coated with the sauce. Garnish with some fresh thyme leaves and serve immediately.

***

Guinness Gingerbread
adapted from Nigella Kitchen by Nigella Lawson

Makes 24 small squares or 16 rectangles

It’s worth making this just for the smell of it baking in your oven alone. This was even better the day after I made it and was still holding up well on the third and fourth day too. Golden syrup is easily available in Ireland and the UK, but you can also order it online at Amazon.

1 1/4 sticks (150 g) butter, plus some for greasing
1 cup (300 g) golden syrup (such as Lyle’s)
1 cup (packed) plus 2 tablespoons (200 g) dark brown sugar
1 cup (250 ml) Guinness or other stout
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 cups (300 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) sour cream
2 eggs

1 x 9 inch (23 cm) square baking tin or 1 foil tray approximately 13 x 9 x 2 inches (30 x 20 x 5 cm)

Preheat your oven to 325°F (160°C). Line your cake pan with parchment paper or greased foil, or grease your foil tray.

Put the butter, syrup, dark brown sugar, stout, ginger, cinnamon and ground cloves into a pan and melt gently over a low heat. Take off the heat and whisk in the flour and baking soda. You will need to be patient and whisk thoroughly to get rid of any lumps. Whisk the sour cream and eggs together in a measuring jug and then beat into the gingerbread mixture, whisking again to get a smooth batter.

Pour this into your cake/foil pan and bake for about 45 minutes. When it’s ready it will be risen in the middle and coming away from the pan at the sides. Let the gingerbread cool before cutting into slices or squares.

Beef, Entertaining, Holidays, Potatoes

Brisket with Portobello Mushrooms and Dried Cranberries with Latkes

Happy Chanukah! We are in the midst of our celebrations and enjoying them even more than in years past.  Sam is old enough to help light the menorah and Anabelle can unwrap her own presents. She can also express her opinions. The matching sweater and hat set garnered a loud “no” (as she threw it off back at me) while chocolate covered raisins won an immediate smile. Chanukah is a relatively new holiday for me as I was brought up Christian.  Reuben was raised Jewish. Being the open-minded, holiday-loving couple that we are, Reuben and I celebrate both holidays. Unlike the fast and frenzied Christmas rush, I find the eight nights of Chanukah more relaxed and laid back and can’t see ever giving up the tradition.

My mother-in-law asked me to make the main course for our big Chanukah dinner this year. I decided to try out this simple braised brisket recipe, which turned out to be the best brisket I’ve ever made. The dish is perfect for entertaining, even if you aren’t celebrating Chanukah. You can spend more time with guests since you don’t need to do much with the meat once it’s braising in the oven. You can even make it the day before. If you can’t find brisket, I bet this recipe would taste amazing with short ribs or chuck roast, though the cooking time might be shorter. Along with the brisket recipe, I’m posting my mother-in-law’s latke recipe. If you’ve never had latkes, they’re like potato pancakes, only better. I have no idea why we only eat them once a year.

Brisket with Portobello Mushrooms and Dried Cranberries
adapted from Bon Appétit, December 1998

serves 8

1 cup (240 ml) dry red wine
1 cup (240 ml) broth (turkey, beef or chicken)
3/4 cup (180 ml) cranberry juice cocktail (100% juice recommended)
1/4 cup (30 g) all purpose flour
1 large onion, sliced
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 x 4‑lb (1.8‑kg) trimmed flat-cut brisket
12 ounces (340 g) baby portobello (crimini) mushrooms , sliced
4 oz (110 g) dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 300°F (150°C). Whisk the wine, broth, cranberry juice and flour to blend in medium bowl; pour the mixture into a dutch oven or roasting pan large enough for the brisket to lay flat in. Mix in the onion, garlic and rosemary. Sprinkle the brisket on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the brisket, fat side up, in the pan. Spoon some of the wine mixture over it. Cover the pan with its lid or, if using a roasting pan, tightly with heavy-duty aluminum foil.

Bake the brisket until very tender, basting with pan juices every hour, about 3 1/2 hours. Let the brisket cool in the sauce for 1 hour. Discard the rosemary stem. Transfer the brisket to cutting board; cool 1 hour at room temperature. Thinly slice the brisket across the grain. Arrange the slices in the pan with the sauce, overlapping slices slightly. The brisket can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Gently stir the mushrooms and cranberries into the sauce around the brisket. Cover the pan and bake until the mushrooms are tender and the brisket is heated through, about 30 minutes (40 minutes if the brisket has been refrigerated).

Transfer the sliced brisket and sauce to a platter and serve.

***

Years ago, my mother-in-law wrote this latke recipe on a piece of Queens Botanical Garden note paper and sent it to Reuben and me. She correctly assumed I had no idea how to make them. The recipe has moved with us to a least four different residences, acquiring more oil splatters each year. I’ve added more instructional detail for those who have not witnessed latke-making in person.

Latkes
from my mother-in-law

serves 6

2 lbs (900 g) potatoes
1 onion
juice of 1/2 lemon [Note: I sometimes omit this]
2 tablespoons of flour or matzo meal
1 egg, slightly beaten
salt and pepper, to taste
peanut, canola, or vegetable oil, for frying
sour cream and applesauce, to serve

Using a food processor or hand held grater, grate the potatoes and onion into a large bowl. Squeeze the lomn juice on the mixture so the potatoes don’t turn black. Let the mixture stand 30 minutes, covered, then drain the liquid out.

Mix the flour, egg, salt, and pepper into the grated potatoes and onion. Heat oil (enough to generously cover the bottom of the pan by about a centimeter) in a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. With a large spoon [or by hand if you have done this at least 20 years], place a pancake-size pile of the mixture into the hot oil and press lightly. Three latkes will usually fit into the pan. Fry the latkes in hot oil about 4 minutes on each side until brown and crisp. Drain the latkes on paper towels or paper grocery bags. Serve hot with sour cream and/or applesauce.

30-minute meals, Holidays, Italian food, Pasta and noodles, Soups and stews

Tortellini in Broth with Spinach

Inevitably after most holiday meals, I find myself walking to my car with a plastic grocery bag of slightly gooey, unattractive, and lukewarm bag of bones and meat scraps. Perhaps no one else wants to carry home such an odd parcel, or perhaps everyone knows of my frugality. Whatever the reason, I’m happy to turn the humble carcass into a hearty broth at home. If you browse through the recipes on this site, you’ll find that both Kristin and I use broth frequently. Although I’ve found a good store-bought brand (Swanson’s Organic Chicken Broth), nothing beats homemade.  It’s really cheap and easy to make.

For this year’s turkey broth I threw the leftover bones (with scraps attached) into a large stock pot and poured in water to cover. I roughly chopped and added one onion, one carrot, one celery stalk, and a handful of fresh parsley. For added zip, I threw in a pinch of dried thyme, a bay leaf, and about a tablespoon of salt. After bringing it to a boil, I let the liquid barely simmer for about three hours, strained it, and poured it into quart jars. After a night in the fridge, you can skim off any fat that rises to the top and pour the broth into whatever size container you wish. It will keep in the fridge for a few days and frozen for several months. I like to freeze it in muffin tins, then put the small broth-circles into larger storage bags, perfect for adding to sauces and stir-frys. I didn’t freeze all my broth this year, instead sacrificing a quart for this quick and kid-friendly meal. For extra cuteness, serve in bunny bowls as pictured below.

Tortellini in Broth with Spinach

Serves 4 as main course, 6 as first course

14 oz (400 g) dried tortellini
1 quart (1 liter) chicken or turkey broth
12 oz (340 g) fresh baby spinach
grated Parmesan cheese, to serve

Cook the tortellini according to the package directions. Drain the tortellini and set it aside.

While the pasta cooks, bring the broth to a simmer. Depending on the broth you are using, you may need to add salt or pepper to taste.

After the tortellini is cooked, add the spinach to the broth and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring gently, until the spinach is wilted. To serve, divide the broth, spinach, and tortellini between bowls. Top each bowl with grated Parmesan, if desired.

Casseroles, One-pot wonders, Poultry

Catalina Chicken

I’d never heard of Catalina chicken before coming across this recipe for it a few years ago in the Cooks Academy Cookbook. This recipe is from the author’s grandmother, but after doing a quick online search to see if I could find out more about it, I found recipes with nothing but chicken, dried onion soup mix and a bottle of Catalina salad dressing as ingredients — the kind of “recipe” you often see on the back of food packaging or in a full-page ad for said soup mix or dressing in American women’s magazines. Given that this recipe comes from a Dublin cooking school and a country where Catalina dressing isn’t even sold, this version doesn’t take any prepackaged shortcuts — and is all the better for it. Besides, anything with hard cider in it is bound to be better than something that comes from a jar. The author says her grandmother always served this with homemade chips that she cut by hand with a crinkle cutter, but I like it with plenty of crusty bread to mop up the delicious sauce.

Catalina Chicken
adapted from Cooks Academy Cookbook by Vanessa Greenwood

Serves 4

If you don’t have a casserole pot (a.k.a. Dutch oven), then start off by cooking the food in a heavy-based frying pan instead, then transferring to an ovenproof dish with a lid or an ovenproof dish that you can cover tightly with foil. I’ve modified the original recipe to start off by browning the chicken to improve its flavor and appearance, but if you’re in a bit of a rush, you can skip this step and just add the chicken to the sauce along with the mushrooms and peppers.

olive oil
4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons (30 g) butter
7 oz (200 g) mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, diced
1 tablespoon plain flour
2 cups (500 ml) dry cider (hard cider)
3/4 cup (200 ml) chicken stock
1 tablespoon tomato puree
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
2 red peppers, deseeded and cut into bite-sized pieces
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
crusty bread, home fries, baked potatoes or mashed potatoes, to serve

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

In a heavy-based casserole pot, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Season the chicken breasts and brown in the oil, then set aside.

Add the butter to the pot, then saute the mushrooms over a high heat until they turn golden on the outside. Set aside.

Lower the heat, add a little more olive oil and sweat the onions for 10 minutes with a pinch of salt (to help prevent them from browning too much) before stirring in the flour and cooking for 2 minutes more. Increase the heat, add the cider and stock and simmer for 10 minutes to reduce the liquid slightly.

Meanwhile, mix together the tomato puree, vinegar, sugar, paprika and chili powder and stir through the cider sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the chicken back to the pot in a single layer. Scatter over the peppers and mushrooms. Cover and cook in the oven for 1 hour, stirring halfway through. Garnish with the chopped parsley and serve.

Entertaining, Fruit, Pork

Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Cranberries and Swiss Chard

I am ashamed to admit that despite living in a state where cranberries are the state fruit and number one produce export, I’ve never cooked with fresh cranberries.  Because I’m not a fan of cranberry sauce, a Thanksgiving staple here in the United States, I generally tend to ignore the bags of cranberries piled high in the produce section each November. But this year, the tiny ruby red berries looked too attractive to bypass, so on a whim I bought a single humble bag and vowed to try out some new recipes.

After a successful batch of cranberry applesauce, I tried this pork chop recipe out on my brother, Michael, for his birthday dinner. Normally I don’t test drive new recipes on dinner guests, especially on their birthdays, but Michael, bless his heart, never leaves a morsel on his plate, can be talked into second and third helpings, and always thanks me “for the best dinner” even if it wasn’t my best, or even close. Lucky for Michael and the rest of us, the pork chop cranberry experiment was successful. The sauce is complex and savory, balanced nicely with the garlicky Swiss chard and the simply roasted chop. I served the dish with salad and quinoa pilaf but a crusty baguette and glass of red wine would be just as good.

Pan-roasted Pork Chops with Cranberries and Red Swiss Chard
adapted from Gourmet, November 2001

Serves 4

for the Swiss chard:
2 medium shallots, minced
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 lb (450 g) red Swiss chard, stems and center ribs cut out and chopped together, leaves coarsely chopped separately

for the pork chops:
4 x 1 1/4‑inch-thick rib pork chops
1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

for the sauce:
2 medium shallots, minced
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry red wine
5 oz (150 g) fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
3/4 cup (180 ml) chicken stock or broth
3 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried, crumbled
2 tablespoons (30 g) unsalted butter

Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).

To prepare the Swiss chard, cook the shallots and garlic in butter in an ovenproof 12-inch heavy skillet over a moderate heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the chard stems and center ribs and cook, covered, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the chard leaves and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, 6 to 7 minutes. Season the chard with salt and pepper, then transfer it to a bowl, cover the bowl with a lid or foil (to keep the chard warm), and wipe out the skillet.

Pat the pork chops dry and season them with salt and pepper. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet over a moderately high heat until hot but not smoking, then brown the chops, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to the oven and roast the chops until an instant-read thermometer inserted horizontally 2 inches into the meat registers 155°F, 7 to 9 minutes. Transfer the chops with tongs to a platter, leaving the fat in the skillet, and cover the chops loosely with foil to keep warm.

Make the sauce by sauteing the shallots in the fat remaining in the skillet over a moderately high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and deglaze by boiling over a high heat, scraping up any brown bits, until reduced by half. Add the cranberries and stock and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries begin to burst, about 2 minutes. Stir in the brown sugar and thyme and simmer, stirring, until the berries are collapsed, about 3 more minutes. Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the butter until incorporated, then season with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, divide the chard among 4 plates and top with the chops, then spoon the sauce over.

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