Month: January 2012

Hasselback Potatoes.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

Named after the Swedish restaurant Hasselbacken where they were first served in the 1970s, Hasselback potatoes are making a comeback  on tables across the world right now. They’re a lot more fun than a standard baked potato and they look so pretty when they come out all toasty and browned! You can play around with the seasoning or keep it very simple, but this recipe is for my personal favorite flavor combo.

INGREDIENTS
3 medium potatoes, skin-on and scrubbed
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 tbsp olive oil or melted butter
2 tbsp grated Parmesan (optional)
1 tsp parsley
pinch of hot paprika
salt, pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Prepare the potatoes. Partially-cut each potato into thin slices, careful not to cut all the way through, so that the potato stays whole. This will create a fan effect when baked.

Combine all remaining ingredients. Using a butter knife, spread the mixture in between each slit. Rub the remaining mixture on the skin of the potato.

Place on a baking sheet and bake until golden brown and fanned open, about  an hour. Serve right out of the oven with sour cream.

UPDATE: Tonight I tried this exact same recipe, but with a sweet potato, and it was fabulous. I don’t know about you, but sweet potatoes are already sweet enough for me, so I never add sweeteners when I prepare them. If you feel the same way, then try using a sweet potato instead for a healthier version of this tasty dish.

Roasted Root Vegetable Soup.

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As I mentioned in my post on Irish Brown Bread, Irish cooking isn’t the most sophisticated of world cuisines. Their bread is one exception, and their soups are another. This five-step root vegetable puree is perfect for chilly weather and involves more waiting than actual preparation/tending — very low maintenance. It’s a yummy, healthy soup that will warm you from the inside out!

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INGREDIENTS

4 parsnips, peeled and sliced

4-6 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 onion, sliced

1 sweet potato, cubed

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1/2 tsp ground ginger

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp dried thyme

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

2 large leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced (just the white and light green parts)

1 bay leaf

5-8 cups vegetable broth

salt and pepper

Just the Recipe link: Roasted Root Vegetable Soup

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 F.

In a large bowl, combine parsnips, carrots, onion, sweet potato, garlic, ginger, cumin, thyme, and 2 tbsp olive oil. Toss to coat. Spread a single layer onto foil-lined pans and roast until starting to caramelize.

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Heat the last tbsp of oil on medium low in a Dutch oven or other large pot and add leeks and bay leaf. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft.

Add the roasted veggies and broth to the pot and bring to a boil. Simmer until tender.

Remove bay leaf, puree in batches, and enjoy. “Enjoy” is best done with lots of buttered Irish Brown Bread!

Buffalo Chicken Grilled Cheese.

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A friend had an idea for this fabulous sandwich, and it’s so easy, it’s barely a “recipe” at all! This simple sandwich is a tasty, spicy take on a classic comfort food, and it goes well with bleu cheese dressing and baked sweet potato fries. And it’s a great way to quiet a craving for buffalo wings without eating anything fried.

INGREDIENTS (makes 2 sandwiches)
2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
Hot sauce (I like Tabasco or Frank’s)
Mayo
2 green onions, chopped
pepper
cheddar or swiss cheese
soft bread
butter

DIRECTIONS

Combine chicken, hot sauce, mayo, green onion, and pepper to taste.

Lightly butter  2 pieces of bread. The buttered sides will be the outer sides of the sandwich, the ones that touch the pan. Assemble each sandwich with 1 cup of buffalo chicken and 1 slice of cheese.

Transfer to heated pan and cover. Cook until browned on the bottom and flip. When both sides are browned, remove from heat. Serve with bleu cheese dressing on the side.

Irish Brown Bread.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Historically, Irish cuisine doesn’t get much respect in the culinary world; traditional Irish dishes can be simple and even unsophisticated – I say so lovingly :) . But there are a few exceptions to this rule, and homemade brown bread is one of them. This recipe comes from lifelong brown bread baker Auntie Mary, aunt and neighbor to our family in Dublin. I’ve adapted the recipe from metric to standard, but other than that, it’s the same easy recipe Auntie Mary has been using forever–a real taste of the best of the emerald isle!

DRY INGREDIENTS
1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp oat bran
2 tbsp wheat germ
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp sesame seeds, plus a palmful more, divided

WET INGREDIENTS
1 egg
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine wet ingredients. Using a fork, stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients.

Pour the batter into a greased circular cake pan or deep rectangular bread pan. Make an X across the top of the batter and sprinkle with the remaining palmful of sesame seeds.

Bake about 50 minutes, until toothpick inserted into the middle of the bread comes out clean. Enjoy with ham and cheese, with soup, or buttered with tea.

Braised Cabbage with Pork.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

This recipe for тушёная капуста, or braised cabbage, is one I’ve made again and again for years. I first tried it when I was making cabbage filling for a batch of pirozhki, and it was so good that I ate about half the bowl before I had a chance to use it as stuffing! Healthy, yummy, and substantial, this cabbage and meat dish is a fabulous one-pot dinner with huge flavor.

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INGREDIENTS
3/4 pound of pork (or chicken), cubed
1 large onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled and grated
3/4 cup sour cream, divided
1 medium head of cabbage, shredded
2 tsp salt
1 cup canned crushed tomato
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp Mrs. Dash
2 bay leaves
olive oil

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a large pot and brown the pork until cooked through. Remove from pot and place in a large bowl with the shredded cabbage.

 In the same pot where you browned the pork, saute carrot and onion until softened.
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Remove from heat and mix in 2 tbsp sour cream. Then add this to the bow with the cabbage.

Heat a bit more olive oil in the pot and transfer in the cabbage mixture, along with the crushed tomato, the rest of the sour cream, and the salt, brown sugar, pepper, cumin, Mrs. Dash, and bay leaves.

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Stir well and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook on medium heat, stirring regularly, until the cabbage is softened–about 30 minutes.

Remove the bay leaves and enjoy piping hot! Приятного аппетита!

Minestrone

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen2 Comments

I love any recipe with a mirepoix, and minestrone soup is no exception. A tasty Italian classic with a simple country elegance, minestrone is as easy as it is beautiful. It’s a fairly basic vegetable soup in a tomato broth,  but packs a vegetable punch and is a healthy way to warm up on a chilly day!


INGREDIENTS
1 large onion, chopped
4 carrots, peeled and chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped (leaves included)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 large potato, cubed
1 bunch Swiss chard, stems removed, leaves chopped
14 oz canned crushed tomato
5 cups vegetable broth
1 can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
olive oil
herbs de Provence
salt
pepper

DIRECTIONS

In a large pot, heat oil on medium and add onion, carrot, celery, and garlic.

When onion is soft, stir in potato. Top mixture with chard and herbs de Provence and cover. Allow the chard to cook until beginning to soften.

Then add tomato and broth and stir. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.

In a food processor, puree beans with 1/4 cup water until smooth. Stir bean puree and Parmesan cheese into soup and season with salt and pepper. Cook 10-15 minutes more.

Remove from heat and serve with bread or over pasta.