Winter is finally rearing it’s chilly head here in Northern California.  With temperatures finally dipping into the 30’s in the early mornings and the need for a jacket even in the afternoons the thought of a warm and comforting meal in the evening becomes less of a fond memory and more of an urgent desire. Baby, it’s cold outside!  Time for some comfort food.

Please note that this is not a recipe for Shepherd’s Pie.  Shepherd’s Pie, by definition uses minced lamb.  Anything else is a cottage pie and cannot technically be called a shepherd’s pie.  Regardless of that factoid (which you may or may not give a hoot about), this dish is full of all the love and goodness that you and your family will be craving throughout the oncoming chilly days and nights of winter. It’s a satisfying, warm and hearty dish that’s just perfect for cozying up around the table with family or friends and some good wine and conversation. (Or stout.  Stout is good here, too!)

Have yourself some meat and mash love this winter.  You deserve it.  It’s comfort food season, so consider this a calorie free meal for a Saturday night and enjoy!  We surely did.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 3 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: bake, carrots, comfort food, comfort foods, ground beef, ground pork, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, Potatoes, Recipes

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish usually served on Halloween. The name is derived from the Gaelic “cal ceann fhionn”, which translates to “White Headed Cabbage”, but it is made with green cabbage or kale.  I’ve made colcannon before, but that version was taken directly from Monica Sheridan’s “My Irish Cook Book” (now available in updated form as The Art of Irish Cooking) and was as close to the traditional Irish version Ms. Sheridan described as was possible for me to produce.

I’m calling this an Americanized version for several reasons.  First, I used both butter and olive oil in preparation, not just the milk and butter called for in traditional recipes.  Secondly, in a traditional Colcannon the cabbage or kale is boiled.  The kale in this recipe never saw liquid, it was sauteed in butter, olive oil and garlic, which is the third change from the traditional.  I’ve not yet seen a colcannon recipe that calls for garlic.

Regardless of the differences from the original, I think that this dish turned out marvelously.  It may not actually be Colcannon in the traditional sense, but it was good, satisfying and well worth the minimal amount of effort it took to produce.  It actually sparked the idea for an entirely different version, but that’s for another post…

If you haven’t already, give Colcannon a try.  I think you’ll love it even if you aren’t part Irish.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cabbage, colcannon, Halloween, Irish, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, Kale, Potatoes

From the archives: With much of the nation buried in snow, what better meal to present than a piping hot bowl of great stew.  Enjoy!

If there is one food associated with Irish cuisine, it’s the ubiquitous Irish stew. Love it or hate it, it’s Ireland in a dish. Every Irish family has their own distinct recipe and every Irish child will probably tell you that his Mam makes the best Irish stew there ever was, though she would probably say that her Ma made a better one.

Irish stew is also known as stobhach gaelach, which is just Gaelic for “Irish Stew”.  The dish was traditionally made with just meat (usually tough meats such as kid), potatoes and onions and if made this way is very bland.  More modern versions use varieties of root vegetables and different tough cuts of meat depending on what is available at the time, but potatoes and onions should always be the primary ingredients.

I chose lamb for this stew simply because I adore it, but you can certainly make the dish with beef or pork if that’s what you have available.  It will certainly be a lot less expensive than this version, which racks in at well over $16.00 per pot full in my area.  Not that I’m complaining, mind you.  It was well worth the added expense.

And just so you know, for those following the Weight Watcher’s system; This dish is only 4 points per bowl, so have at it!

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Irish, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, lamb, Potatoes, Soups and Stews, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, St. Pattie's Day, weight watcher's 4 point meal, Weight Watchers

Many people feel that the cuisine of the British Aisles is somewhat bland and lacking in character. I disagree completely. Most dishes from this region are recipes born of necessity and frugality. They use waht was available seasonally, they are prepared simply but yet all are heartwarming and filling. It’s a cooking style that I intend to persue further over the course of the next year. Perhaps I’ll help to show some of you what is, and should be, a wonderful cuisine that is perfecly suited to a family meal around the table.

Last night was a celebration of my family’s Irish heritage. This dinner, unlike most on this site was cooked from a cookbook with only slight modifications, as I have not made these dishes often enough to just throw them together as I normally would. I’m just digging in to Irish cuisine, so at least at first I’ll stick pretty tight to the recipes.

For those in the know, I’ve not served the champ in the traditional method. I wanted a one plate meal with a bit of presentation, rather than a seperate dish off to the side. If this offends, I apologize. The meal was fantastic even without the tiny soup plate of champ with it’s well of butter at the center and it added a lot to the lamb, which was fabulous along with a bite of champ and mint peas. these are good flavors and they all play well together.

I’m not really going to cover the lamb here. It was simply cooked with just salt, pepper and olive oil in a rocket-hot cast iron skillet for 5 minutes per side. While wonderful, it’s not really a recipe worth going through all the stages of. (In fact, I just gave it to you. Season, toss in hot pan and cook about 5 minutes per side. Rest. Serve.) The other dishes were really the stars here and I feel that they need the spotlight, so I’m giving it to them.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2009. | Permalink | 5 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: butter, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, lamb, Onions, peas, Potatoes, Recipes

I enjoy fusion cuisine. Some of the best combinations of flavors and textures I have ever eaten have come as the result of taking the flavors of one culture and the techniques of another to form something extremely unique and ultimately satisfying. This is one of those dishes.

Cabbage “purses” are a traditional Greek food, usually stuffed with lamb, veal or some other protein and served as a side dish. For this recipe I took a very Mediterranean method and paired it with a couple of Irish classics, colcannon and parsley sauce. While these are not things I’ve ever seen done together, the end result was truly amazing. The flavors were delicate and subtle, but more than satisfying enough to be filling and I think this would pair nicely with lamb, beef, venison, veal or even a full bodied fish, if it is suited to the sauce.

A bit of warning. These are a bit tricky to make and are extremely fragile, but well worth the effort in the end if you are so inclined!

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2008. | Permalink | 8 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: colcannon, comfort foods, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, Recipes, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day, St. Pattie's Day

Colcannon is something I just had to try this year. In Ireland this dish is traditionally served on Halloween. Until quite recently this was a fast day and no meat was eaten. The name of the dish is derived from the Gaelic “cal ceann fhionn”, which translates to “White Headed Cabbage.”

This is a dish that I’ve meant to try for a very long time, but seem to have managed to avoid for one reason or another. I’m sorry now that it took me so long to get around to it, as this is an intensely flavored yet supremely subtle combination that elevates both the humble potato and cabbage to levels I didn’t think either was capable of. It went perfectly with the corned beef and potatoes we traditionally have on St. Paddy’s Day, and played extremely well with a good pint of stout. It is also completely vegetarian, which is a swich from my normal offerings, though that is something I’m trying to remedy.

Colcannon is made with either kale or green cabbage. I used the cabbage on this round simply because it is obscenely inexpensive at this time of year at most stores in the U.S., whereas kale is not inexpensive at all right now in my location. It really doesn’t mater the cost any longer, though. This is something I’ll be making throughout the year from now on.

This recipe was made verbatim from My Irish Cook Book, by Monica Sheridan, printed in 1966. A reprinted and updated edition is available under the title The Art of Irish Cooking. I highly recommend this book to anyone who would like to experience Irish fare at it’s best, which is to say, home cooked and full of the love of the food itself.

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© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2008. | Permalink | 9 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: cabbage, Irish, Irish cooking, irish cuisine, Potatoes, Recipes, St. Paddy's Day, St. Patrick's Day

A little late on my part, I know, but I thought I’d share what Mrs. seat of her Pants and I shared for our belated St. Patrick’s day meal.

Generally speaking, I go large for our St. Paddy’s day celebration. Corned Beef, Guinness for myself and Killian’s for the Mrs. (She’s not a fan of stout) and some good … [visit site to read more]

© Jerry D. Russell and Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!.com, 2007. | Permalink | 2 comments | Add to del.icio.us
Post tags: Beef, brisket, irish cuisine, Potatoes, St. Pattie's Day