Colcannon (potatoes, cabbage, leeks and kale)

Another St. Patrick's Day has passed and this year I tried another new recipe.

St. Patrick's Day is special for us because it was my late brother-in-law's birthday. He passed away from a skiing accident a week before he turned 15. We always have a nice meal with friends and family and toast Jeremy on St. Patrick's Day. He would've been 35 this year. Our son Jeremy is named after him.

This year, dinner was Irish onion soup, corned beef, Yorkshire pudding and colcannon. Colcannon is a mashed-potato dish with cabbage, leeks and (sometimes) kale. I thought the leeks was also a neat nod to Meredith's grandmother who was born in Wales. I've never actually cooked with kale, so I thought it would be an interesting adventure.

I understand that kale can sometimes be bitter, however, I was hoping that cooking it really well in butter with salt and pepper would fix that, and it did.

From all of the recipes that I looked at to cobble this together, one in particular caught my attention in the method department so I borrowed from it. Just because of the quantities of vegetables, I split the frying into two batches, one for the kale, and one for the cabbage. I think it would've been messier if everything was in the pan at once.

The final result turned out great. I attribute the results to the butter, not-too-high fry temperature and the good company.

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Colcannon (potatoes, cabbage, leeks and kale)

by Daniel Saraga April-13-2012

This colcannon recipe is a combination of a few different recipes and methods that I read about.

Ingredients

• 8 small-medium potatoes, washed and quartered
• 1 bunch (3-4) leeks
• 1+1+1 tbsp (or more) butter
• 1 cup kale, vein removed and chopped
• to taste salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp water
• 1/4 cabbage (small), chopped
• 1/4 cup milk or cream
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1/4 tsp dried dill

Instructions

1. Boil potatoes for 30 minutes and set aside.2. Discard most of the leek greens and slice leeks into 1/4-inch crescents.3. In a deep pan, Heat one tbsp butter medium-low add half of the leeks. Saute until leeks are soft.4. Add kale and 1 tbsp butter and saute for another minute.5. Add salt, pepper and 2 tbsp water, cover and reduce heat to low.6. Cook for 15 minutes, stirring once, until kale is soft.7. Set leek and kale mixture aside in a separate bowl. Return pat to medium-low heat, add butter and remaining leeks to the pan.8. Saute leeks for one minute and add cabbage. Saute cabbage and leeks for five minutes.9. Add salt and pepper, lower heat and let simmer for 10-15 minutes (turning cabbage once) until cabbage is soft and slightly browned (add water if necessary).10. Mash potatoes and add milk or cream.11. Gently fold in leek and kale mixture, then fold in leek and cabbage mixture.12. Garnish with green onion and dill before serving.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 1 hour Total time: 1 hour 30 mins Yield: 8 servings

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Rickard's Blonde Hot Chicken Roti

Beer Libre!

A couple weeks ago, I was contacted by my friends at Rickard's with a new set of recipes that really inspired. As regular readers know, I enjoy cooking with beer, and I've already made mustard, soup, and stew with various beers. The recipes are for a new beer, Rickard's Blonde, not yet available in Ontario. Rickard's Blonde is  a great-tasting pilsner. The bonus for us was the sample that would soon arrive in the mail.

When the package arrived by courier, I got a laugh out of the note that arrived in the box.

Clearly an attempt to slow you down from immediately cracking open (and likely spraying yourself with) a well-shaken can that spent the better part of a day bouncing around in a courier van!

In the package of recipes, one stuck out - it was a grilled chicken sandwich in an interesting marinade. I decided to modify the marinade to turn it into a a Caribbean chicken roti with potatoes. The original marinade recipe called for Scotch bonnet peppers. Unfortunately, the local grocery didn't have any in stock, so I used two jalapeno peppers.

The result was an awesome tasty chicken roti with potatoes in a thick sauce. There was just enough heat with the flavour that you felt the warmth for a short while after finishing the meal. Perfect.

Rickard's Blonde Hot Chicken Roti

• 3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 1-2 chili peppers (Scotch bonnet, habanero or jalapeno), stem and seeds removed
• 1 cup Rickard's Blonde beer
• ½ cup water
• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 2 tsp garam masala or ground allspice
• ½ tsp ground nutmeg
• ½ tsp turmeric
• 1/2 kilo chicken thighs or breast (boneless, skinless) diced
• roti for serving

1. Boil potatoes in salted water for 5 minutes and drain.
2. Combine garlic, onion, pepper, beer, water, salt, brown sugar, thyme, garam masala, nutmeg and turmeric and puree using an immersion blender.
3. Heat oil on medium in a deep pan and brown chicken for 3 minutes. Add potatoes and sauce mixture, cover and bring to a boil.
4. Reduce to medium and let simmer uncovered for 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve on roti. Makes 4 servings.

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Egg Masala

On nights without Meredith I don't always go all-out when preparing dinner. I usually make eggs of some sort.

However, on this particular Thursday night, I decided to finally make an Indian egg dish. The week before I had seen a great one at Sunshine and Smile so I was ready to go.

The recipe called for a tablespoon of cumin seeds, and the result was a bit too cumin-heavy, so in the final recipe, I recommended 1 tsp instead. Overall, it's a nice flavourful egg dish and although it takes a short while to prepare, it's a welcome change to a folded egg with cheese.

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Egg Masala

by Daniel Saraga June 8, 2011

This savory egg dish uses toasted cumin to give a smoky flavour.

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil4 large eggs, hard boiled, peeled and toweled dry4 garlic cloves, finely chopped1 tbsp ginger, finely chopped1 tsp cumin seeds1 medium tomato, finely chopped1 tsp chili powder1 tsp corriander powder3/4 cups water2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Instructions

1. Heat oil in a deep non-stick pan on medium heat. Saute eggs until browned and set aside.2. Add garlic, ginger and cumin seeds and saute for two minutes.3. Add onions and salt and cook until onions are translucent.4. Add tomatoes, corriander and chili and cook for additional 3 minutes.5. Transfer mixture to a blender, add 1 cup water and blend mixture until liquefied and pour the mixture back into the pan.6. Add eggs and bring mixture to a boil.7. Add cilantro, reduce to medium-low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.8. Add eggs and bring mixture to a boil.Add cilantro, reduce to medium-low and let simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Details

Prep time: 30 mins Cook time: 30 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 4 eggs

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Creamy Chicken and Noodle Bake

After a difficult week in March, Friday night was just going to be the two of us. We just needed some comfort food, but we had no idea what to make. I was very tempted to get some take-out or pack us all in the car for something as simple as Swiss Chalet.

Then I found it. Girlichef did it again and right on time! I nearly followed her recipe to the tee and the result was fabulous.

That, some Caeser salad and a movie was the perfect ending for Friday.

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Creamy Chicken and Noodle Bake

by Daniel Saraga June 1, 2011

This casserole is pure comfort food.

Ingredients

2 tbsp canola oil500g ground chicken400ml (1 can) tomato sauce1/4 tsp saltto taste pepper1 package egg noodles1/2 cup sour cream1-1/4 cup cottage cheese1 cup green onions, sliced2 cups extra-old Cheddar cheese, shredded

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees.2. In a pan, heat the oil and brown the chicken. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper (freshly ground preferred), stir and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.3. Boil noodes according to package directions until al dente. Drain and in a separate bowl, mix with the sour cream, cottage cheese. green onions and more pepper.4. Grease a large casserole dish with pan spray or oil.5. Spread half of the noodle mixture in the bottom, then add half of the meat mixture and half of the cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers again (noodles, meat and cheese).6. Top with half of the meat and half of the cheese. Repeat.7. Bake for 20 minutes, uncovered until cheese has melted.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 40 mins Total time: 1 hour Yield: 1 large casserole dish

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Vermicelli Bowl with Grilled Chicken

Post Christmas Dinner from YEG to YYZ

For Christmas, we had the pleasure of a visit from my brother (Beez) and sister-in-law (Amanda) of Gluten Free Edmonton. Although their visit was really about seeing their nephews, Beez humoured me and made us dinner one evening between Christmas and New Years. Meredith also used her new Whirly-Pop to make everyone fresh stove-top popcorn.

As I mentioned before, I'm not great with rice noodles, so it's nice to have them done right without having to go out. Beez was very accommodating and set up an assembly line on my counter. He also made me grill the chicken (so much for a labour-free dinner).

Vermicelli Bowl with Grilled Chicken

• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 boneless-skinless chicken breasts sliced butterfly-style (making four portions)
• 1/4 head of iceberg lettuce, sliced
• 1 package vermicelli rice noodles, cooked according to package directions
• 1 carrot, sliced julienne style
• 1/4 cucumber, sliced julienne style
• 1 green onion, sliced
• 8 tbsp fish sauce (Beez uses Blue Dragon brand available at Wal-Mart)

1. Marinate chicken in soy sauce and garlic for at least 30 minutes (overnight is best).
2. Grill chicken until cooked it reaches an internal temperature of 165-degrees Fahrenheit and then slice into strips.
3. To build the bowl, layer as follows:
   
   1. lettuce
   2. noodles
   3. carrots and cucumber around the edge of the bowl
   4. chicken in the centre
   5. garnish with green onion
4. Serve with 2 tbsp fish sauce on the side for diners to pour into the bowl.

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