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

If you are like me, you always offer to bring something when invited to someone’s house.  I mean the offer, I always love an opportunity to cook for people, but sometimes it’s hard to come up with a quick idea on the fly. And when it’s one of those roaming parties – not a seated affair – choosing a dish that doesn’t have to be kept hot or cold or require and special equipment adds to the challenge.  I tend to fall back on the same recipes, but I recently wanted to add one to my repertoire – after all, it gets to be the same people at parties, right?  These little Fig and Blue Cheese bites are easy but very elegant, and the surprising tart and tangy with sweet combination is a real treat.

Blue Cheese and Fig Savories

You’ll find fig preserves at the grocery – it may be shelved with the “fancy” jams and jellies. You can make these a day ahead and keep them in two layers separated by waxed paper in an airtight container.

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature

4 ounces blue cheese, crumbled

Ground black pepper

Fig preserves (about 3 Tablespoons)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Place the flour, butter, blue cheese and a few grinds of black pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  Process until the dough just comes together and starts to form a ball.

Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times to pull the dough together. Roll out to 1/8 inch thick with a floured rolling pin.  Cut rounds out of the dough with a floured 1-inch cutter and transfer the rounds to the parchment-lined baking sheet.

Using the back or a round half-teaspoon measure or your knuckle, make an indention in the top of each dough round.  Spoon about ¼ teaspoon of fig preserves into each indention, using your finger to push the preserves as best as possible into the indentions.

Bake the savories for 10 – 14 minutes, until the preserves are bubbling and the pastry is light golden on the bottom.

Let cool on the baking sheet for at least 10 minutes, the remove to a wire rack to cool.

Makes about 3 dozen

So, now you have, I am sure, studied the primer for making good Buttermilk Biscuits.  And you’d like to know all the many ways you can serve your beautiful creations. Here are two of my favorites.  I once had some friends by for a biscuit bar, serving baskets full of homemade biscuits, homemade preserves, tomato gravy, sausage gravy and lots of good butter.  I even made chocolate gravy, but I am saving that for another time.

Tomato Gravy for Biscuits

½ pound bacon

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 (14 ½ ounce) can finely diced tomatoes

3 cups tomato juice

Ground black pepper

Cut the bacon into small pieces and fry in a large skillet until crispy.  Remove the bacon to a paper-towel lined plate, then drain off all put 2 Tablespoons of bacon grease.  Fry the onion in the drippings until soft, then add the canned tomatoes and the tomato juice, scraping up any browned bacon bits from the bottom of the pan.   Season with some good grinds of black pepper.

Bring the gravy to a boil over medium high heat, then reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy thickens and reduces, about 15 – 20 minutes.  Stir in the reserved bacon. You can save some of the bacon pieces to sprinkle over the gravy if you like.  Spoon over hot, split biscuits.

Sausage Gravy for Biscuits

I like my gravy really peppery, so I go to town with the grinder.  Depending on the sausage, you may need very little or no salt.

½ pound breakfast sausage

¼ cup flour

2 ½ cups milk

Salt and ground black pepper

Crumble the sausage into a large skillet and cook until no longer pink in the middle and nice and browned.  Break the sausage into small chunks as you cook it.  Remove the sausage to a paper towel lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the dripping behind.  There should be about 2 Tablespoons of dripping left in the pan.  If not, add a little oil to make that amount and heat up. Sprinkle over the flour and cook, stirring and scraping, for about 2 minutes until the flour is lightly browned.  Slowly whisk in the milk, continuing to scrape the bottom of the pan.  Cook, whisking frequently, until the gravy is thick.  Stir the sausage back in and heat through, seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. Serve over hot, split biscuits.

Familiar is good.  A good, juicy burger with melty cheese on a soft bun.  Maybe some fries on the side.  But different is good too.  And this pork, sage and apple burger fits that bill perfectly.  Juicy pork kept moist with tart green apples and tangy onions – a brilliant combination that will make a difference in a weeknight meal, or impress your friends with an exciting burger twist. And kids will love these too.  A side of sweet potato fries are a good match.

Pork, Sage and Apple Burgers

I love these served on an onion roll with caramelized onions, and maybe some melted fontina cheese.  This recipe makes 8 burgers, but they freeze beautifully if that’s more than you need.

2 pounds lean ground pork

1 medium Granny Smith apple

1 medium red onion

6 Tablespoons plain bread crumbs

1 large bunch fresh sage

salt and pepper

Put the pork into a large bowl – it is easier to work with if it is not too cold from the fridge.  Grate the apple and the onion together (this can be done in the food processor).  Add to the pork in the bowl.  Add the bread crumbs to the mixture and work together with clean hands until everything is well blended. 

Finely chop the sage and add to the mixture with a pinch of salt and a grind of pepper, and continue working until completely mixed. 

Divide the mixture into eight equal portions and form into patties.  Refrigerate until ready to use, or wrap each tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.

To cook, brown on both sides in a skillet.  Transfer to a 375 degree oven and cook until done through, about 20 minutes.

Makes 8 burgers

I love clementines.  They are the perfect, bright refreshing little sunshine snack.  They are so portable, you can just carry one around all day until you need a pick-me-up.  But I also find clementines annoying, largely because around here they are sold almost exclusively in five to seven pound bags.  I cannot eat five pounds of clementines before they start to shrivel and loose their juice.  So I am sometimes reluctant to buy them, because I know I will end up with uneaten fruit sitting forlornly on my counter.

This lovely bread is one of my excess clementine solutions.  It’s incredibly easy to whip up in the food processor and results in a sweet, citrus-y treat perfect for breakfast, tea or a great snack.  This recipe started its life as away to use tangerines, but I have found this clementine incarnation the most practical.

Sticky Clementine Quick Bread

This moist sticky bread will stay delicious for three days wrapped tightly in plastic wrap.  It can also be frozen for up to a month.  Try making it in smaller loaf pans, even individual sizes, and share with your friends.

For the Quick Bread:

½ cup unsalted butter (1 stick), room temperature

½ cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 Tablespoon clementine zest, from two to four clementines, depending on size

1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons self-rising flour

Pinch of salt

4 Tablespoons milk

For the Glaze:

4 Tablespoons clementine juice, from two to four clementines, depending on size

½ cup confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a standard 9″ x 5″ loaf pan with non-stick spray.

Place all the ingredients in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade.  The butter must be soft and at room temperature.  If needed, microwave on half power in 15 second intervals until soft. Blend until the ingredients are just combined and smooth, about 1 – 2 minutes.  Do not over process.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, then tap the pans on the counter to spread out the batter.  Bake until golden and cooked through, about 15 – 20 minutes.  A tester inserted in each loaf should come out clean.

While the loaves are cooking, whisk together the juice from the clementines and the confectioner’s sugar until smooth.

When the loaf is cooked, run a knife around the edges of the loaf to loosen from the pan. Poke the top of the loaf several times with the skewer.  Drizzle the glaze over the loaf.  Do this slowly so the glaze absorbs into the loaves.  When the glaze is absorbed remove the loaf to a rack or a piece of waxed paper to finish cooling.

Let the loaf cool completely before serving.

Makes one loaf

There are moments in the kitchen when you remember why you love to cook so much.  That flash of personal genius that leads to the creation of something really great.  A perfect moment of synergy when you find a way to combine your favorite ingredients into one sublime dish.  This Corn and Blue Cheese Chowder, begun and ended with smoky, crispy bacon represents that moment for me.  It’s nothing overly fancy, and surprisingly easy to prepare, but it is truly a big bowl of my favorite things. 

Served with a warm slice of Muddy Bread or Super-Quick Smoky Cheddar Loaf, this chowder could not be a more comforting meal.

Corn and Blue Cheese Chowder

This soup can be made one day ahead and refrigerated tightly covered.  Gently reheat before serving, adding additional half and half if necessary.

6 strips bacon

½ cup chopped onion (from 1 small or ½ a large onion)

4 cloves of garlic, chopped

2 baking potatoes, peeled

32 ounces low-sodium chicken broth

1 (10-ounce) bag cups frozen corn kernels

1 cup half and half

5 ounces blue cheese, crumbled, plus more for topping

Kosher salt

In a Dutch oven or stock pot, sauté bacon over medium heat until crisp and remove to paper towels to drain.  Drain and reserve the bacon drippings and carefully wipe out the pan with a damp paper towel to remove any burned or dark brown bits.  This will prevent the final color of the soup from being muddy. Pour about 4 Tablespoons of bacon dripping back into the pot, enough to coat the bottom. Add onions to drippings in pot and sauté until soft and turning golden, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté for a further minute.

Meanwhile, cut the potatoes into small cubes, remembering that this will be eaten with a spoon, so they should not be too big. Add the potato cubes to the pot and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt.  Sauté for two minutes, stirring frequently, then pour in chicken broth.  Add the corn and simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and pour in the half and half, stirring to combine.  When the soup is heated through, add the bleu cheese a handful at a time, stirring well after each addition.  Season to taste with salt.

Serve topped with crumbled bacon and additional blue cheese.

 Serves 6

So we’ve discussed that Black-Eyed Peas are good luck on New Year’s Day, representing any number of things. Greens are said to bring prosperity in the New Year, largely because they represent foldin’ money.  Many people choose to cook up a mess of collards or turnip greens, but I choose cabbage, for what represents a stack of good green money more than cabbage. And like the black-eyed peas, I include some instructions to help the recipe along.

This is a real trip South, cooking greens with smoked turkey necks, but that lovely smoky flavor makes a real difference.  And it can be a nice departure to cook the greens with turkey if you cook your black-eyed peas with ham.  I find the turkey necks in the smoked meat section of the store (did you know there was a smoked meat section?), where I also find ham hocks, other smoked turkey parts and salt pork and the like.  If you can’t find smoked turkey necks, a smoked ham hock will do.  And when buying the cabbage, look for a whole head with the darker green outer leaves still attached.  You may find these more readily at farmer’s or produce markets, or ask the produce person in the supermarket if they have a head that hasn’t been cleaned up for display. Don’t worry about blemishes, and just rinse off those outer leaves.  The dark green leaves really add color and texture to the finished product.  These greens can be left simmering on the stove for hours, you can even take them off the heat mid-way and then start up again if you get interrupted. If you’d like to pull the meat off the turkey necks and serve it with the cabbage you can, though there won’t be too much meat, or just discard them. If you use a ham hock, I’d definitely serve the meat.

Foldin’ Money Cabbage

I usually find the turkey necks already cut into pieces, so I use about 4 chunks.  Or cut up a whole neck.

1 smoked turkey neck, cut into chunks

½ cup sugar

2 Tablespoons Creole seasoning (I like Tony Chachere’s)

1 head green cabbage, with the dark outer leaves intact

Put four cups of water in a large Dutch oven (5- 7 quart) and add the turkey necks. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the sugar and Creole seasoning, stir, cover and simmer for an additional 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, rinse the cabbage well to clean those outer leaves.  Do not discard the dark green leaves.  Cut the cabbage in half and remove the core from each side.  Slice each cabbage half into thin strips, then cut the strips in half.  Make sure to get the dark outer leaves cut into strips, they tend to fall off when slicing.

Remove the turkey necks and set aside.  Drop in the cabbage strips, shuffling to separate them, into the simmering water.  Give the cabbage a quick stir, then cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes.  Take off the cover and check that the cabbage is wilted down.  If not, cover again and simmer until it is.  When the cabbage is wilted, cook over medium-low heat with the cover half on the pan for an hour or so until the liquid is reduced to just a little potlikker in the pan.

Makes 4 nice bowls

I have always liked the idea of making homemade hot chocolate.  I have tried many recipes; I have made hot chocolate with expensive, imported chocolates, cocoa powder and all sorts of permutations.  Butafter all the experimentation, I finally put together this recipe – using plain ol’ Hershey bars.  And it is some kind of good.

This is not hot chocolate for the faint of heart.  It is rich – really rich.  The kind of treat you make only for the holidays, or maybe when you’ve had a very bad day.  But I highly recommend you do make it.  Maybe on a cold morning when you can sip while still in your pajamas.  You don’t even have to share.

Decadent Hot Chocolate

If you want more than the two servings this makes, do it in separate batches, as most blenders won’t hold that much liquid without the top popping off. 

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup milk

2 (1.5 ounce) milk chocolate candy bars (such as Hershey’s)

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

dash of cayenne pepper

dash of salt

In a saucepan, preferably with a pouring spout, heat the cream and milk over medium heat until just beginning to bubble.  Break the chocolate bar into small pieces and place in the carafe of a blender with the sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, cayenne and salt.

When the cream mixture is heated through, pour it over the chocolate mixture in the blender.  Securely place the top on the blender, and holding it in place with a towel, blend the hot chocolate mixture until smooth and frothy.  Always exercise caution when blending hot liquids.  Pour the hot chocolate back into the pan and gently warm through.  Serve in mugs

 Serves two

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

Perhaps the most over-looked, undervalued aspect of the Thanksgiving meal is the bread basket.  Now, I love a good dinner roll and I think that’s what ends up on the table most of the time. If you are lucky, you have a family member who specializes in good, old-fashioned Parker house or cloverleaf or fantan rolls and they provide them every year.  And make no mistake, there are in fact some mighty good frozen options out in the world.  But this year, why not give that lonely bread basket some love with some homemade biscuits, flavored just right for the holiday. 

Pumpkin Sage Biscuits

You can use any size biscuit cutter you prefer.  For a big meal like Thanksgiving, a small, maybe 1 ½ inch cutter might be right.  I have also used a pumpkin shape cutter for these.

2 cups all-purpose flour (plus more for rolling)

1 Tablespoon light brown sugar

2 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

10 -12 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped

6 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut into small cubes

1/3 cup buttermilk, cold and well-shaken

¾ cups pumpkin puree (from a 15 ounce can)

1 Tablespoon butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Line a 9 inch round pan with parchment paper or spray it with cooking spray.

In the bowl of an electric mixer, stir together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda to combine.  Lightly stir in the chopped sage.  Drop the cubes of cold butter into the flour and with the paddle attachment, blend on low speed until the mixture looks like coarse meal, with a few pieces of butter still visible. 

In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and pumpkin puree.  Add to the flour mixture and blend until the dough just comes together.  If the dough is too moist, add a bit more flour.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and pat into a circle about ½ inch thick.  Using a floured biscuit cutter, stamp out biscuits and transfer to the prepared pan, placing the biscuits close together and close to the sides of the pan.  Gently reform the dough and pat out again, and then cut out more biscuits.

Bake the biscuits for 10 minutes; remove from the oven and brush with the melted butter.  Return to the oven for another 2 minutes and bake until risen and lightly golden.

These will keep in an airtight container for 2 days, or you can make the dough, pat it out, wrap it in plastic and refrigerate overnight.  Cut and bake the next day.

Makes 1 dozen 2-inch biscuits