One place I haven't yet managed to visit yet since I moved over here to the UK, is the Republic of Ireland, which is what the Southern most part of Ireland is called.
A country in its own right it is not a part of the United Kingom, like Northern Ireland is and Dublin is it's capital. It is on my bucket list however and God willing one day I will get there!
This is a recipe which dates back to the 1700s. It was traditionally thought of as a city dish which would be eaten in the winter months.
It is said that an Irish wife could
go to bed and leave it simmering on the stove for hours. That was so that it
might be ready when her husband arrived home from the pub and was wanting his dinner.
Historically the dish is also a way of using up all the rashers of bacon and sausages on Thursday night before Friday, which in the Catholic faith the eating of meat is forbidden.
While researching this dish, I came across quite a few versions. Some just included potatoes, onions, bacon and sausage.
Others included other vegetables like carrots, and some had the inclusion of barley. One thing they all had in common was the cooking of it in a pot on top of the stove.
I chose to cook my bacon and sausage first so that they were nicely browned. This, for me, is very much a visual thing, and for no other reason.
I just don't find the sight of un-browned sausage or bacon very appealing to the appetite! You don't need to cook them all the way through, just so they are golden brown on the outside.
The barley makes a lovely almost nutty addition. You will want to check the stock levels as you are simmering it on top of the stove however.
You will not want the pan to boil dry and the contents to catch. I added a few herbs and the end result was fabulously delicious!
*Dublin Coddle*
Serves 4
Chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
Crusty bread to serve
Take a medium flame proof casserole dish with a lid. (I use my enamel iron one). Place the chopped onion in the bottom of the dish. Top with the pearl barley. Place the bay leaf on top. Cut up the bacon into squares and place over top of that and then the sausages over top of the bacon. Finish with a layer of potatoes. Pour the chicken stock over top and then sprinkle with salt, pepper, savoury and thyme. Cover and then bring to the boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook, covered, over low heat for 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the lid and dot with butter.
Place, uncovered into the heated oven and roast for 15 to 20 minutes until the potatoes are golden. Serve ladled into deep bowls, scattered with fresh parsley and with crusty bread on the side.
This was perfect for a cold Winter's day and a most delicious way to use up some sausages in my refrigerator that needed using up. My husband really enjoyed this.
I wager any man will. It's hearty and satisfying and very tasty! They say a glass of cold Guiness goes very well. Ithe Shona!
Enjoy!
This supper dish I am showing you today is one of my favourite kinds of supper dishes. A dish in which everything is cooked pretty much together, making for less mess and less of a clean up.
But that doesn't mean less flavour as you will see! This is delicious!
It looks pretty tasty even before it goes into the oven! I was inspired by a recipe I found on Tablespoon for easy pork chops and stuffing.
It used boxed stuffing mix however, which is not something that is readily available over here in the UK. We do have stuffing mix, but it is not the same thing as the one which the original recipe used.
The packaged stuffing we have over here uses rusk crumbs whereas the North American variety uses bread crumbs, and is seasoned quite differently.
Most cooks would have been tempted to keep looking for a recipe to use, which required ingredients that were readily available to them. That's not me. I am not most cooks.
I liked the basic premise and then I set to work making it work for me, using what I had and adapting the recipe appropriately.
This meant I had to make a stuffing from scratch, but . . . its not really that hard to do.
I also didn't have frozen broccoli, but really how hard is it to blanche fresh broccoli. Not hard really at all.
By all means if you don't want to go to the trouble, then go to the original recipe and follow that one, but if you like cooking food without preservatives and additives, from scratch, Stay Right Here!
You won't regret it. This stuffing is moist and delicious, flavoured with celery, onion and dried cranberries along with a mix of herbs and seasonings.
The pork is simply seasoned with salt and pepper and browned before laying on top of the stuffing and broccoli, the broccoli being fresh broccoli, simply blanched prior to baking.
Altogether this was very delicious, the pork lovely and moist . . . the stuffing filled with lovely flavours and the broccoli perfectly cooked.
I served it with sweet potato fries because I had some which needed using up and they went very well, but so would mash or rice, or boiled or baked potatoes of any kind.
*Pork Chops & Stuffing*
Serves 4
(slash fat edge prior to cooking to prevent curling)
oil
salt, pepper
2 cups broccoli florets, blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes2 stalks celery, trimmed and chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
60g of butter (1/4 cup)
4 cups of dry bread cubes (about 5 thick slices of stale bread, cubed and dried
in a hot oven for about 10 minutes)
a handful of dried cranberries
4 cups of dry bread cubes (about 5 thick slices of stale bread, cubed and dried
in a hot oven for about 10 minutes)
a handful of dried cranberries
1/4 tsp each dried thyme, parsley and sage
a dash of nutmeg
salt and black pepper to taste
chicken broth as needed
First make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the
celery, onion and carrot. Cook until tender over medium heat. Remove
from heat. Place the bread cubes into a bowl. Toss with the
vegetables/butter mixture and dried cranberries. Add the herbs and
spices, as well as salt and black pepper to taste. Add chicken broth
just to moisten.
Preheat the oven to
180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Butter a shallow casserole dish large enough
to hold all the chops in a single layer. Place the stuffing in the
bottom of the dish and top with broccoli florets.
Dust
the chops with salt and black pepper. Heat a bit of oil in the skillet
you softened the vegetables in. Add the chops and brown them on both
sides, for two to three minutes per side. Lay the chops on top of the
broccoli in the baking dish. Cover tightly with foil.
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Have a great day and come again!
There are certain things from Costco that I try to always keep in my freezer. Things like the All Beef Hotdogs, cod fillets, and chicken. I like the crispy crumbled chicken breasts. They are really nice, just on their own served with veg or in a sandwich, etc.
We can get quite a few meals out of a package of them, truth be told, as there are only the two of us in the house, so they are quite economical for us. I always like to season them a bit prior to baking. Sometimes I will just use cracked black pepper and sometimes I will sprinkle them with cajun spice, or whatever flavours I am in the mood to be eating. They are really quite an adaptable ingredient to have in your store-freezer!
Yes, it is a bit of a cheat, I know . . . but I would be lying if I didn't admit that sometimes even the most seasoned chef's like to cheat a bit! These frozen breaded fillets can also make a great basis for other things! Kind of like a pizza crust . . .
They need never be boring. You can partially cook them and then top them with a multitude of things and finish them off, and nobody will be complaining!!
If you keep a store cupboard filled with lots of lovely bits, dressings, cheeses, sauces, etc. the world is your oyster!
This is a seriously simple way to dress things up and keep everybody happy. You could even make a bit of a party of it and let everyone top their own with their own choices.
Once topped and baked, they are ready to serve with any variety of sides . . . potatoes, rice, vegetables, there is no end to what you can do.
Cranberry sauce and toasted soft goat's cheese . . . seriously scrummy . . .
Ranch style with ranch dressing, cheese, bacon and spring onions . . .
Parmigiana with a good marinara sauce, parmesan cheese and mozzarella . . .
Hunters chicken with BBQ (I like the Paul Newman one) bacon, cheese and spring onions . . .
Chicken Caesar with caesar dressing, parmesan and four cheese blend, with a bit of bacon and spring onion on top . . .
And those are only a few ideas . . . marmalade with some apricot stilton . . . (can you imagine!) . . . salsa with some jack cheese and pickled jalapenos . . . how about Mozarella and pizza toppings like olives, mini pepperoni, etc. The world really is your oyster and these are truly a fabulous canvas for whatever floats your boat!
*Tasty Ways to Dress Up Breaded Chicken Breasts*
Of course you could just pound, bread and fry your own chicken breasts and they would probably be even better, but when you are pressed for time and inspiration, these are fabulous! I am all out of them now so guess who will be making a trip this week to get some more????? You got it Pontiac! Mois for sure! Bon Appetit!
Some days you just want a cookie . . . or biscuit as they are called
over here. That inner child in you just crys out for something sweet . .
. something which feels like a reward.
A tasty treat that is equally at home with a glass of cold milk . . . or with a cup of something hot, for dunking . . .
A tasty treat that is equally at home with a glass of cold milk . . . or with a cup of something hot, for dunking . . .
Something comfortable and comforting. It doesn't even have to be
chocolate . . . in fact there are days when chocolate just doesn't cut
it . . . you want something more . . . something homey . . . with just a
touch of sophistication . . .
Something which wraps you up in a nice warm hug like a loving Grandmother's cuddles and kisses always did . . .
Something which feels indulgent and yet at the same time wholesome . . .
we don't always want to feel totally naughty . . . sometimes we just
want to be a tiny bit naughty . . .
Chock full of rolled oats, toasted walnuts, chunks of apricot and gently
sweetened with creamy honey . . . these are biscuits to come home to . .
. biscuits you want to sink your teeth into and then just float away on
a sea of remembrance of honey comforts and a gentler . . . kinder time.
*Honeyed Apricot, Oat & Walnut Cookies*
Makes 4 dozen
Makes 4 dozen
Soft and golden, and studded with toasted walnuts and bits of dried apricot.
180g of butter, softened (3/4 cup)
95g of granulated sugar (1/2 cup)
2 tsp finely grated orange zest (optional)
170g of creamed honey (1/2 cup)
1 large free range egg
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp orange extract
160g of old fashioned rolled oats (2 cups)
175g of plain flour (1 1/4 cups)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
60g of toasted chopped walnuts (1/2 cup)
75g of chopped dried apricots (1/2 cup)
For the optional glaze:
125g of icing sugar, sifted (1 cup)
whole milk
1/2 tsp orange extract
Preheat the oven to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Line several baking sheets with baking paper. Butter the baking paper, or spritz with low fat cooking spray.
Rub the sugar and orange zest together if using, until you can smell the orange. Cream the sugar, honey and the butter together until light and fluffy. Beat in the extracts and the egg. Stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add this to the creamed mixture along with the oats. Mix together well. Stir in the nuts and the apricots. Mix well.
Drop by the tablespoon onto the prepared baking sheets, at least one inch apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Scoop off the cookie sheet onto wire racks to cool. Once cool, whisk the drizzle ingredients together until smooth and dribble the resulting glaze in a decorative manner over the tops. Store in an airtight container.
I really dislike these cold dark days. The light has been really poor no matter the time of day and its hard to get a decent photo of anything. If it wasn't so cold out or raining, I could go outside but brrr . . . not doing that. Don't let the dark photos put you off from these tasty cookies. They are really delicious! Perfect with a hot drink for elevenses! Bon appetit!
I always try to buy enough bananas so that the Toddster can get his fill of them, and I will have some leftover blackened ones to bake with. I confess I am not overly fond of eating fresh bananas, but bake them into a muffin, cookie or a bread and I am all over them!
The exception for the eating fresh rule is eating them on top of my rice crispies. And I always need a sprinkle of brown sugar on top. Not sure why that is . . . its probably something that goes back to my childhood. Rice crispies, banana and brown sugar just makes me feel all yum yum. I love them.
Is there such a thing as too many banana bread recipes??? I think not!
And this is one of my absolute favourites. It smells all heavenly when it is baking . . .
Its moreishly moist from the amount of banana and then the buttermilk . . .
Its stogged full of lovely toasted pecans. I always like to toast my nuts before using them. It just makes them taste . . . well . . . nuttier, for some reason.
This is beautiful on its own . . . with no embellishment, just the bread . . . sweet, moist and banana-ee.
Its lovely cut into thin slices and spread with softened butter too . . . and it is gorgeous toasted under a grill until its edges start to caramelize, flipped over and caramelized on the other side . . . and then, yes . . . . spread with butter or honey butter . . . wowsa. I am such a glutton!
*Buttermilk Banana Bread*
Makes 1 large loafor 3 small to medium bananas or 2 large)
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
125g butter, melted (1/2 cup)Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F. gas mark 6. Butter a 9 by 5 inch loaf tin and dust it lightly with flour, shaking out any excess.
Combine the mashed banana with the eggs, both sugars ad vanilla in a bowl. Beat in the buttermilk and butter. Sift the flour, soda, baking powder and salt together in a large bowl. Add the banana mixture and beat until well blended. Stir in the chopped nuts. Spoon into the prepared baking tin, smoothing the top.
Place the tin into the preheated oven and immediately REDUCE the oven temperature to 180*C/350*F/ gas mark 4. Bake for one hour and fifteen minutes, or until the top is risen and nicely browned, the loaf is beginning to pull away from the sides of the tin, and a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out clean. Let cool in the tin for 10 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to unmold. Carefully turn over and cool completely before cutting into slices to serve. As with any teabread like this, letting it stand overnight improves the flavour and helps it to cut neater.
Note - this is really lovely toasted and buttered. Just saying . . .
A slice of this with a hot cuppa is a real treat on a cold winter's day. Perfect for chasing away the winter blues . . . Bon Appetit!
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