I’ll admit I don’t know too much about Irish cooking, but I do know the Irish can make incredibly flavorful and satisfying food from simple ingredients, and no one is better with potatoes.  Champ is so deceptively simple; you won’t believe the rich flavor.  Add this to any meal and it’s instantly a simple St. Patrick’s celebration.

Champ

Irish Mashed Potatoes with Green Onions

6 green onions (about 3 ounces)

2 pounds russet potatoes (about 3 large)

2 cups buttermilk

¼ cup (1/2 stick) butter

Salt

Melted butter for drizzling

Slice the white, light green and a small bit of the dark green part of the green onions very finely. Save the rest of the dark green part for garnish. Peel the potatoes and slice into chunks.  Place in a large pan and just cover with water.  Add half the sliced green onions.  Bring to a boil and boil until the potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes.  Drain the potatoes and green onions in a colander, shaking out the water, then return to the pot.  Place a tea towel over the pot, the cover tightly with the lid.  Leave for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the buttermilk with the remaining green onions and the butter over low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is warmed through.

Uncover the potatoes and begin mashing.  Pour in the buttermilk mixture and mash until smooth, adding salt to taste.  The mixture will be quite loose.  Scrape the potatoes into a small baking dish, smoothing the top. You can keep the potatoes covered for a few hours at this point, or just move on to the baking.

When ready to serve, heat the oven to 350 degrees.  Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.  Let rest for 5- 10 minutes before serving. Drizzle with melted butter and sprinkle with chopped green onion tops to serve.

Serves 4

I have always known that on New Year’s Day, you eat black-eyed peas for good luck in the coming year.  My parents weren’t necessarily the strictest adherents to this philosophy, but some how or another, black-eyed peas generally made an appearance on January 1.  We had a family friend who made Hoppin’ John, and sometimes we’d end up at their house, even just for a brief stop and spoon full of black-eyed peas.

Now, I never knew that eating good luck peas was a particularly Southern tradition.  But over the years, I have been informed that it is in fact very Southern and generally a practice relegated to our part of the world.  To me, black-eyed peas on New Year’s just is.

But in the interest of accuracy, I did a little research to discover more about the meaning behind this tradition.  What I found out was that eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s day is a Southern tradition said to bring good luck.  Beyond that, the ideas were so diverse, you just know that no one really has an answer.  The black-eyed peas are for luck, or prosperity, the peas represent coins and greens foldin’ money. The peas swell when cooking, which means an increase in your fortune. Eating humble food shows that you are a humble person worthy of good fortune. Peas bring peace.  The idea dates back to the Civil War, it dates back to the ancient Babylonians.  Whatever.  As I said, eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s day just is.  It is what you do.

Many Southerners prefer Hoppin’ John on New Year’s Day, which is a black-eyed pea and rice dish, but I really just prefer the peas alone. You can of course, serve these over some cooked rice.  Cooking like this is more about instructions than a true recipe, so I’ll lay out mine here.

Around New Year now, I find fresh black-eyed peas in the produce section, which is my choice.  The runner up would be frozen black-eyed peas. I cook the black-eyed peas the same way I do most field peas or shelly beans, with cured pork. Traditionally, I would say dishes like this were made with fatback, or streak o’lean (fatback with some lean to it), salt pork or ham hocks. I have turned to country ham slices, because they are readily available around here and give a nice, rich, salty flavor to the beans.  I look for some center cut slices and cut those up, but a few “biscuit” slices or a handful of pre-cut chunks will work. You can use bacon if that’s what you can lay your hands on.  If you are making a big mess o’ peas, you could go for a ham hock, but for this amount a ham hock is just too big.

I use half chicken broth for flavor, but cut it with water because the reduced liquid – the potlikker – is too salty with all broth.  You can use all homemade salt-free stock or all water if you prefer.  You can add more or less garlic as you like.  Add a nice amount of hot sauce at the beginning of the cooking to season up that potlikker, but don’t go overboard.  You will serve these with that sauce bottle on the table of course. Do not add any salt during before or cooking.  The ham will take care of that.

For the last few years, I have shared the luck by taking a little black-eyed pea making kit to family and friends, and as a hostess gift to a New Year’s Eve party.  To do this, pack the peas, ham and garlic in a resealable container or ziptop bag, and drop these into a gift bag with a box of chicken broth and a small bottle of hot sauce and the recipe. This is a great dish for New Year’s Day, because all you have to do is throw everything in a pot and let it simmer away.  Serve it with some greens (we’ll get to that later) and a slice of cornbread, and you are bound to have a good year.

Black-Eyed Peas for New Years

1 pound black-eyed peas

3 – 4 ounces country ham, cut into pieces

3 cloves garlic

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

A few grinds of black pepper

1 really good dash of hot sauce, plus more to serve

Pick over the black-eyed peas to get rid of any green or bruised ones.  Put the peas, ham and garlic in a pot, add the broth and water, then stir in the hot sauce and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low, cover the pot and simmer for about 45 minutes.  Remove the cover and cook a further hour, until the liquid is reduced and the peas are very tender.  Stir occasionally to prevent the peas from sticking to the pot, but if you stir too much, they’ll get mushy.

You can remove the ham and garlic before serving or leave them in. Serve warm.

Serves 6 as a side, 3 as the your whole meal

Champagne Risotto

This is my favorite accompaniment to Crispy Chestnut Veal, as it is flavorful in a gentle way that doesn’t overpower the delicious veal.  The pale champagne color is part of its charm, so use a light colored stock and do not allow the shallots to brown.

2 cups champagne

2 cups light chicken broth

2 shallots

1/4 cup olive oil

1 cup arborio (risotto) rice

1/2 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

sea salt

Stir the champagne and the chicken broth together in a bowl or four-cup measuring jug.  Bring to room temperature (or microwave on half-power for 30 seconds).

Finely chop the shallot and place in a large deep sauté pan with the olive oil.   Sauté over medium high heat until the shallots are soft and translucent but not browned.  Add the rice and stir to coat.  Cook the rice until it is translucent around the edges, about three minutes.  Pour in about 3/4 cup of  the champagne mixture and cook, stirring constantly until the liquid is almost all absorbed.  Continue adding the liquid, about 3/4 cup at a time, stirring after each addition and not adding more until the liquid is absorbed.  This may take up to 20 minutes.  Don’t raise the heat to speed things up, just be patient.  After the last liquid is absorbed, taste to see that the rice is cooked but has a little bite to it. If needed, add a bit of water and stir until al dente.  Stir in the Parmesan cheese and salt to taste. 

This is best served immediately, but can be held, covered tightly, for about 20 minutes.

Serves 4- 6

For most of my childhood, we spent Thanksgiving with my family in Arkansas.  It was always a big, loud, boisterous gathering of family we didn’t see nearly enough.  For many of these years, my brother and I were the oldest of the kids, so we got to sit at the grown-up table, which made us feel very special.  After the meal, the men would go watch the ball game and the women would sit out on the sun porch, talking and gossiping and telling funny stories.  It always made me feel sophisticated sitting out there, though I generally had no idea what anyone was talking about. I remember the food too, of course.  We had all the standards, turkey and gravy, cornbread dressing with lots of seasoning that was always served cut in squares.  We had green beans and a cranberry gelatin dish with pecans that I loved and haven’t had in years.  And of course, sweet potato casserole with the jumbo marshmallows melted to a gooey, golden brown topping.  As we all grew up, some married, some moved and time and tradition moved on, as they always do.

My immediate family spent a few years as Thanksgiving pilgrims ourselves, wandering in the wilderness looking for a new tradition.  One year my parents and I went to Rome.  One year the rest my family went to North Carolina but I had to work over the weekend.  I ordered myself what proved to be a disappointing meal shipped in from a high-dollar gourmet shop in New York.  The first year I was in my new kitchen and house, it was just me and my parents on Thanksgiving Day, and I was determined to use the fancy new convection feature on my oven to roast the turkey.  But the durn thing just would not cook, and eventually my mom and I lost patience, cut off a few slices and put them in the microwave.  My Dad had pancreatitis, and a last minute grocery run by a dear friend saved Thanksgiving when she dropped off a box cranberry flavored Jell-o, which is all he could eat anyway.

After these lost years, I claimed Thanksgiving for my own.  After all, it made sense that I should get the food holiday.  I love doing it at my house, serving from the kitchen, the dining room at capacity, the kids table set up in the living room.  My nieces and nephew help make place cards and decorations.  We’ve had additional guests over the years that added so much to the holiday. 

I love cooking all the food for Thanksgiving.  To be honest, I only let people bring other things to be polite.  They really want to help me with all that work, but I love that work.  It is the one week I get to spend uninterrupted in the kitchen, with an unassailable reason to do so. I do hate the dishes though…

The food is always the same, the standards the way I like them. Turkey wrapped in its bacon blanket, gravy, dressing with chestnuts and sausage, corn pudding, cranberry sauce (two types) and sweet potatoes.   Every year I say “tell me know if you hate something, cause this it what you’re getting every year.” No one has said anything really.  Yet.

The tough trick for me was sweet potatoes.  Before I started making them, I had not discovered what a great and versatile little tuber they are.  As far as I can remember, the only way I’d ever eaten them was in the casserole at Thanksgiving.  And I was never eager to eat that.  Maybe I thought orange was a weird color.  I would always scoop some on my plate though, mainly to eat the marshmallows off the top.  So when I launched myself into the Thanksgiving sweet potato endeavor, I came up with something different, and if I may say so, really good.  I love this version of sweet potato casserole, and as I said, no one has complained yet, really.  My mom asks every year if she can bring something…umm, maybe sweet potato casserole?  I took the hint and frankly I have told her that I know she prefers her sweet potatoes to mine, but that’s just too bad. It’s my Thanksgiving and I like them!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Cider, Orange and Maple

I’ll be honest.  I have made this dish for years by sight and taste, but I worked to develop this recipe with precise measurements.  It feeds about six with all the other goodies on the buffet.  If you have a larger crowd, double this recipe exactly or just use these ingredients to taste on the amount of potatoes you need.

2 ½ pounds sweet potatoes (about 4 medium)

½ gallon apple cider

½ cup (1 stick) of butter, room temperature

Zest and juice of one navel orange

1 cup light brown sugar

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup maple syrup (preferably Grade B)

Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into medium chunks of roughly the same size.  Place into a large pan and pour over the apple cider.  Bring to a boil and cook until very tender, about 20 minutes. A knife inserted into a potato chunk should slide out easily – remember that these are going to be mashed.  Drain the potatoes and discard the liquid.  Return the potatoes to the pan and add the butter.  Begin to mash the potatoes and butter together with a potato masher or a large wooden spoon.  Grate over the orange zest, then squeeze in the juice.  Mash a little more.  Add the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt.  Mash well.  Add the maple syrup and continue mashing until you have a relatively smooth puree, with a few lumps is fine.  Spread the sweet potatoes into an 8 by 8 inch square casserole, smoothing the top, and arrange the glazed pecans over the sweet potatoes (see recipe below).

This dish will keep tightly wrapped and refrigerated for one day.

When ready to cook, preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Uncover the casserole and bake in the oven until warmed through, about 30 minutes.

Serves 6

Glazed Pecans

2 cups pecan halves

1 cup light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons water

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon of kosher salt

Dash of cayenne pepper

Line a cookie sheet with non-stick foil or parchment paper sprayed with cooking spray. Toast the pecans in a large skillet over medium heat until they smell nutty.  Remove from the skillet to a plate immediately.  Wipe out the skillet to remove any bits of pecan.  Place the brown sugar and water in the skillet and cook over medium heat until thickened.  Stir in the cinnamon, salt and cayenne, then add the pecan halves and stir to coat.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the pecans are completely coated and there is very little glaze remaining in the skillet. 

Turn the pecans out onto the prepared sheet.  Use two forks to carefully separate the pecan halves and lay them out flat on the sheet.  Leave to cool and for the glaze to harden.

The pecans can be prepared up to 4 days in advance and kept tightly wrapped in an airtight container.

Now that the countdown to Thanksgiving has begun, I surveyed some friends about their favorite Thanksgiving dishes.  Most answers were sweets – rich and decadent ones at that, like coconut cake and pumpkin squares.  No one answered turkey.  My personal favorite is corn pudding.  It may seem like an unnecessary addition to an already laden Thanksgiving table, but I just have to have it.  And I think my family appreciates it as well.  It is the one dish from which there are no leftovers, though I generally sneak the last little serving that everyone leaves in the dish to be polite and wrap it up to be eaten privately when the guests are gone.

Now, I love corn in all its many forms.  Fresh on the cob grilled or boiled, scraped from the cob creamed or fried.  I like it in corn bread and as a salsa.  I like fresh, frozen and I am happy to use canned.  My favorite iteration though is far and away corn pudding.  Baked and puffed up, served warm from the oven.  I have made every recipe for corn pudding I have ever seen, ones that involved shucking and scraping dozens of ears of corn and ones that use a bag of frozen kernels.  And believe me, the recipe below is the best one of all of them.  It probably started its life on the back of a box, and I probably picked it out of some community cookbook.  I have changed it up with a few flavor additions, but the basic recipe creates a light, fluffy, creamy dish – everything a perfect corn pudding should be.  My favorite flavor add-ins are the cheddar cheese and chives, and these beautifully compliment the rest of my Thanksgiving spread, but I have made it many ways – with pepper jack and green chiles, sharp cheddar and diced pimentos, fontina and sage.  I have called it corn soufflé on occasion, but I really think of it as good old-fashioned corn pudding.

Classic Corn Pudding with Cheddar and Chives

I make this on Thanksgiving Day to serve fresh from the oven, since it is so easy to whip up.

2 eggs

1 (16-ounce) can creamed corn

1 (16-ounce can) whole kernel corn, drained

½ cup (1stick) butter, melted

1 cup (8-ounces) sour cream

1 (8 ½ ounce) package corn muffin mix (I prefer Jiffy)

1 ½ cups grated mild cheddar cheese

¼ cup finely chopped fresh chives

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, then add both corns, butter and sour cream and mix thoroughly.  Fold in the corn muffin mix, cheese and chopped chives.  Add a pinch of salt and a few grinds of black pepper and mix completely.

Scrape the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top.  Bake for 30 – 35 minutes until puffed and golden and firm in the center.

Serve immediately,

Serves 8 – 10

I always offer to bring a dish when people invite me over, and when they take the offer up, I sometimes get a little flustered trying to come up with something new and different.  This salad has been my staple this summer, when I grill out or when asked to bring something along.  So next time it’s your turn to bring a salad or a side dish to a barbecue (or just doing it for your own), here’s a fun, colorful salad with a difference – a sweet and tangy Cuban-style dressing.

You can absolutely use fresh corn, lightly cooked and cut from the cob, but it takes quite a few ears of corn to get this quantity.  I usually make this for a crowd, so I go easy on the jalepeno in the dressing, but feel free to bump it up a bit.

Cuban Corn and Black Bean Salad with Citrus Mojo Dressing

Salad:

3 (16 ounce) cans black beans, thoroughly rinsed and well drained

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen yellow corn kernels

1 (12 ounce) bag frozen white corn kernels

1 red bell pepper

1 orange bell pepper

½ small red onion

A nice handful of fresh cilantro

Mojo Dressing:

Juice of one small orange

Juice of one lemon

Juice of one lime

¼  of  a small red onion

¼ of a medium jalepeno, deseeded

3 cloves garlic

¼ cup cilantro leaves

1 Tablespoon honey

2 ½ Tablespoons cider vinegar

½ teaspoon cumin

¾ cup

Salt to taste

For the salad:

Lightly steam the corn kernels in the microwave, either in the bag they came in or in a microwave safe dish covered with plastic wrap, for about three minutes.  Drain well. In a large bowl, combine the well drained beans and corn.  Finely dice the peppers and the onion and add to the bowl.  Finely mince the cilantro and add to the bowl.  Gently stir or toss the salad, being careful not to mash the beans.

For the dressing:

Pour the juices (you should have about ½ cup) into the carafe of a blender.  Drop in the onion, the jalapeno, the garlic cloves and the cilantro leaves.  Add the honey, vinegar and cumin and blend until smooth.  With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil.  Taste and add salt.

Pour 1 cup of the dressing over the salad slowly, gently stirring to coat.  Taste and add more salt if needed.  Refrigerate the salad for several hours, stirring occasionally to distribute the dressing.  Stir again right before serving.

Serves 10 – 12

Note:  The dressing makes about 2 cups which is more than needed for the salad, but it is great on romaine lettuce, as a dressing for coleslaw or a marinade for chicken or fish.  It will keep covered for a week in the fridge.