We love beef stew and for the past year, have wanted to create our own version. So finally here is our stew! It turned out “mighty” good. Beara Irish Brewing Company is a local brewer, who uses imported Irish barley for their beers. Owners Michael and Louise Potorti have roots in the Beara Peninsula in County Cork (Louise is from there). So they are huge fans of the farm to table movement both here and in Ireland. Using local brews and local beef (from Tendercrop Farm) was the perfect combination for our vision as well here at Irish Food Revolution.

If you cannot find a strong local brew for yours, then Guinness works just as well, of course. However, Beara Irish Brew’s “Mighty” does have a stronger flavor than Guinness, which we loved in this stew. It added a zestier ale taste to the stew. If you live in the Seacoast New Hampshire area, then we highly recommend snagging Mighty. They are brewing a new batch as we speak!

Before heading to the recipe, a word about Dutch ovens, which are the best things on the planet. For years, we swooned over the Le Creuset versions, which were out of our price range. However, we found Lodge Cast Iron that makes great Dutch ovens for a very reasonable price.

Ingredients
Serves 6-8 (great for leftovers!)

• 3 ½ pounds of grass fed beef, buy pre-cut or cut into 1 and1/2 inch pieces (grass fed is expensive, yes. But the more we read, the more convincing the argument. It is simply better for our bodies.)
• 4 Tbs of vegetable oil
• l large yellow onion, chopped
• 1 Tbs tomato paste
• 2 minced garlic cloves
• 2 ¾ cups of organic beef stock
• ¼ cup of all purpose flour
• 1 ¼ cups of Beara Irish Brew Mighty (or similar dark brew)
• Fresh thyme (4-5 sprigs, leaves only)
• 1 ½ pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1 inch pieces
• 1 pound of peeled carrots, sliced into 1 inch long pieces

I think I have the definition of stick-to-your-ribs soup. Made from ham stock, everyone’s favorite green seed (yes, seed) and smoky bacon, this split pea and bacon soup is sure to please. I’ve avoided the Irish tradition of pureeing the soup, skipping the step while letting the peas break down of their on volition.

I just happened to run across a pound or so of ham bones from a local farm and figured a ham stock was the easiest way to use them. I simmered them with onions, garlic, sliced carrots, celery, a bay leaf, a handful of peppercorns and a half teaspoon of salt in enough water to cover for at least a couple hours. When it tasted full and “hammy” I strained the stock and refrigerated, scraping off the fat after it cooled before freezing until I was ready to use it.

Ingredients
4 cups ham stock (see above)
1 cup chopped onions
2 cloves of garlic minced
2 teaspoons black pepper (freshly ground preferably)
1 pound dried split peas
1 cup chopped carrots
5 slices bacon

Bring ham stock to a simmer and add onion, garlic and pepper, allowing to simmer for 1 hour. Pour in the peas and carrots and simmer 1½-2 hours, adding a pint of water if needed, until the peas have broken down and are soft.

Cook bacon and strain on paper towels. I microwave the bacon surrounded by plentiful paper towels two minutes and then in 30 second to 1 minute intervals until the bacon is crisp (maybe another 3 minutes depending on microwave strength). Cut or break bacon into bits and add to soup. And enjoy.

Ham stock with onions, garlic and pepper added


Split peas and carrots added


Split pea soup cooked

As the leaves fall and the temperature drops, the idea of a nice warm bowl of soup grows ever more enticing. Well, the Irish certainly love their soup and they make delicious varieties to be sure. Drop into any pub and they’ll have a soup of the day ready to go with fresh cut brown bread.

My cousins, in County Armagh, introduced me to homemade parsnip carrot soup and I was hooked. It may not solve all of your problems, but it certainly won’t hurt them either. Made with fresh, homemade chicken stock and vegetables, this is cast easily into a healthy lifestyle, so you can feel good about what you’re eating as well as getting the warmth to the body and soul that only soup can bring.

Ingredients (makes 6 servings)

Chicken stock (skip if using store bought, but expect more sodium)
Two chicken carcasses (Two makes a deeply satisfying stock. I freeze the carcasses to use in soups after enjoying everything that can be gleaned off them)
2-3 handfuls of celery, cut into chunks
2-3 handfuls of onions, cut into chunks
2-3 handfuls of carrots, cut into chunks
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon thyme
Salt and pepper

Parsnip Carrot Soup
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2½ cups chopped onion
3 cloves garlic
3 cups chopped parsnips
2½ cups chopped carrots
3 cups water
4 cups chicken stock (see above. Low sodium if using store bought.)

Throw chicken carcasses into a large stock pot with chopped celery, onions, carrots and bay leaves. Fill the pot with water just to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower temperature to a simmer. Over the next 15-20 minutes skim off the foam as it rises to the top. Simmer the stock for a total of at least two hours. The chicken should be breaking apart easily and the vegetables mushy. Taste the stock and add salt to taste, perhaps a half to one teaspoon. It will help focus the flavor.

Strain stock into a container and discard the solids. If desired, skim off most of the fat using a fat skimmer. Alternatively you can refrigerate the stock and skim off most of the fat from the top after it has cooled. Skimming the fat isn’t necessary, as fat adds to the mouth feel and flavor of the finished soup, but a little can go a long way. I freeze the majority of the fat for use in other dishes later on.

Separate 4 cups of stock for the soup and refrigerate or freeze the remainder.

In a large stock pot (you can just rinse the pot you used for the chicken stock), add 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. When it gains a sheen, add the onions and sauté for several minutes, then add the garlic and continue sautéing until the onions are soft.

Add the parsnips and carrots, the chicken stock and water, bring to a boil over high heat and reduce heat to a simmer for 50 minutes or so. Turn off the heat and let the soup rest for 5 minutes, then transfer in stages to a blender and blend until smooth. Once the soup has been pureed, return it to the pot and keep it warm under low to medium heat until ready to serve. Top with sliced scallions or chives and/or crispy bacon. Serve with a sandwich or fresh brown bread and butter.

Chicken stock starting to cook


Skim the foam off the top


Simple soup ingredients


Sauté the onions and garlic


Soup starting to cook


Soup finished cooking


Parsnip and Carrot Soup

End of Summer Al Fresco Lunch:
Lobster Rolls and “Healthy” Blackberry Crumble

The end of summer has arrived and will soon be a fleeting memory. In an effort to hang on to the warmth and bright sun, I came up with an outdoor late summer lunch to chase thoughts of cold weather away. Of course, I live in New England where a Maine lobster roll is mandatory for every tourist and the best way to celebrate the season. If you are headed to the New England seacoast, the best local stop is the Clam Shack in Kennebunkport, Maine, but at twenty bucks a pop, not something possible to indulge in very often.

I have never associated lobster rolls with Ireland. However, my fellow American turned Irish dairy farmer, Imen McDonnell, features one in her cookbook, The Farmette Cookbook, using the traditional Irish Blaa as the roll. After reading her book, the idea of combining Irish traditions with our seacoast food began to percolate. And recently, I saw a video on Sean O’Manachain’s instagram, where he was buying a lobster roll from Lobsterman Mike Barrett’s stall at Midleton Farmers’ Market. He used pickles in it, which Sean mentioned was very Cork (he also made his own version on his website).

After pondering some different combinations, I decided to create my own version, and the New England Lobster Roll: Cork Style was born! Towards the end of the summer lobster prices drop, so I picked up a couple of lobsters at our local supermarket for $10. They were soft shell, which are easier to crack. I confess: the supermarket steamed them for me since it was my first time. However, after talking with Marcus at the seafood counter about the best way to cook lobster, it sounded quite easy; next time I will do the steaming. He said to grab a big pot and fill it with a few inches of water. Then bring to a boil. Put in the lobsters (as many as will fit in your pot with a cover), and bring it back to a boil. After it reaches a boil again, steam them for about 8 more minutes.

New England Lobster Roll: Cork Style

Serves 2 (or 1 lobster crazed cook)
Makes one JUMBO roll or two smaller rolls. For more servings simply double the ingredients!

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 half cups of lobster (two one pound lobsters)
• Small handful of fresh tarragon, finely diced
• 1 Tbs of mayonnaise
• 1/2 Tbs of butter
• One large six inch crusty white bread sub roll or two hot dog size rolls
• 4 chunky pickles slices (sweet and sour/ make your own or purchase)

Procedure
1. Steam the lobsters (see above).
2. Cool off enough to avoid burns when you break them open. If you like chilled lobster, then cool off at room temperature for about 30 minutes and put in the fridge for an hour.
3. When the lobster has been removed from the shell and the tomalley put aside (green stuff inside the lobster – I throw it away, but for the more adventurous, it can be used for other recipes).
4. Chop up the lobster and mix it with the mayo and diced tarragon (this herb is amazingly flavorful. If you do not care for pickles, then just the tarragon is delicious. Add a bit more if you decide on this route).
5. Heat up a pan to medium high heat with the melted butter. Cut open the roll halfway, then place it open faced in the hot butter until gets light golden brown. Flip it and brown the outside for a minute of so.
6. Take the hot buttery roll out and fill it with the lobster salad mixture. Then place in your pickle slices. Squeeze together and eat!

I paired mine with roasted sweet potato wedges, but a simple green salad or crisps (potato chips) would be lovely too! For a beverage, I made myself an Elderflower spritzer (seltzer water with a splash or two of Elderflower cordial).

Knock your Socks Off Sweet and Sour Pickle Recipe

Note: use a strong jar with a metal ringed, snap top lid (Fido makes great ones. The jar will crack if it is not a sturdy one)

Ingredients

• 10 pickling cucumbers, thickly sliced (helps retain crispness)
• 3 -4 Tbs dill weed
• 6 cups of white vinegar (if you do not like super sour, then you can cut the vinegar in half and add three cups of water)
• 5 cups of sugar

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

• 4 cups of fresh blackberries
• 6 tablespoons of maple syrup
• 2 1/4 cups of oats
• 3/4 cups of almond meal
• 1 tsp of vanilla powder
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 cup plus 1 tablespoon of melted coconut oil

One of the golden guidelines of making pizzas is not to overload them. But you have to know when to throw the rules out the window. Case in point: our overloaded potato and garlic pizza. This isn’t your cookie cutter, corner store pizza. It’s a savory sweet concoction unlike anything you’ve tasted. It comes topped with crispy potatoes, sautéed red onions, sharp cheddar cheese, plenty of garlic and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar glaze.

The secret to the potatoes is to grate and soak them to reduce the amount of sticky starch. Grating allows you to take only what you bite from a slice and not half the toppings, while their color adds to the pizza’s visual pop. Sautéing the onions also creates a sweet base for the potatoes to play off, as does the balsamic glaze. The cheddar cheese? Well, what better to complement potatoes?

Ingredients

• 2 medium/large red potatoes
• 1 large red onion
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 6 cloves minced garlic
• 1 package prepared pizza dough (store bought works fine, but remove from fridge a half hour before you use so it has a chance to warm up a bit)
• 3 oz. grated sharp cheddar cheese (Please grate your own. The pre-packaged stuff just isn’t the same.)
• Balsamic glaze (available in most vinegar sections)

Soaking the potatoes


Small slices, but no need to dice the onions


These are looking ready


Make sure the soaked potatoes are as dry as you can get them


Extra virgin olive oil, garlic and onions added


Ready to bake


Hot out of the oven


Fresh chives sprinkled on top

Me with the lovely Imen McDonnell, Fare Plate/ Refinery Rooftop

On March 12, 2016, I traveled to New York City to attend Fare Plate, an Irish food tasting event held at the lovely Refinery Rooftop. Featured at the event was the food of Imen McDonnell, an American woman living on an Irish farm and a brand-new cookbook author (The Farmette Cookbook). She is living my dream! And is the nicest woman. I encountered her on twitter (@modernfarmette) and it was an honor to meet her in person. She has a great blog too: www.farmette.ie

I travelled home eagerly the five hours from New York with my new signed cookbook; so far I have made her brown bread (amazing!), and I continue to drool over the pictures as well as be enthralled with her storytelling; she has led such an interesting life. But the most exciting thing for me was making my own cheese! I thank her for the inspiration! After making the cheese, I even developed a new recipe to feature my creation (see the crustless quiche below).

Best Brown Bread, The Farmette Cookbook, recipe on page 41 (all photos ©Irish Food Revolution unless otherwise noted)


Best Brown Bread with Kerrygold butter and drizzled honey (ate too much of this one!)


My First Cheese: Basic Farmer Cheese, page 12, The Farmette Cookbook (available on Amazon)


Getting ready (purchased cheese cloth from Bed, Bath, and Beyond – worked great, hung with twine)

The only challenge I had with the cheese was ensuring the milk did not scorch as it heated up. Be vigilant and make sure you stir often, including the bottom of the pan. I used a 5 quart dutch oven, which worked very well. I also found locally made raw milk, which yielded a nice amount of cheese. You can also use organic milk.

Raw milk purchased from Brandmoore Farm, Rollinsford, NH. Thanks to @NHHomeGrownEats for telling me about the farm!



My obsessive stirring!


Beautiful!

Drained it, hung the cheese for a couple of hours, and then used it! Before I developed the quiche, I also spread some blackberry jam on the toasted brown bread, sprinkled with cheese and salt: divine! Tastes like rich, creamy butter! And I sprinkled some cheese over roasted vegetables, which was also very tasty. I plan on making some roasted tomatoes, which I will sprinkle with cheese and balsamic glaze.

Farmer Cheese, Potato, and Tarragon Crustless Quiche

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs of butter (Kerrygold salted is my favorite for this dish)
• 1 large leek, thinly sliced (white part only)
• 1 Tbs of fresh, finely chopped tarragon
• 2-3 cups of potato and asparagus, steamed
• 8 organic eggs
• 1 cup of organic milk
• 3/4 cup of crumbled farmers cheese (you can also try 1 cup of shredded cheddar if you have not made cheese)
• 1 tsp of salt
• 1/2 tsp of pepper

Tarragon and Leek "Crust"

While the leeks are cooking, peel and chop up the potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put about an inch of water in the bottom of a saucepan and place a steaming basket in. Put the potato pieces in the steamer. Then steam on medium high heat for about 15 minutes; as it steams, chop up the asparagus. After 15 minutes, add in chopped asparagus on top of the potatoes. Steam both for another 5 minutes or so.

As the potato and asparagus steam, mix together the eggs, milk, cheese, salt, pepper in a large bowl. Break up the yolks and stir gently for about a minute or two.

After the potato and asparagus are done steaming, remove them from the stovetop and cool for about 10 minutes. Then fill the pie plate about 3/4 of the way with the vegetables.

Next, pour in the egg mixture (be careful not to overfill). If you have mixture left over, use it for some scrambled eggs or an omelet! Depending on the density of the veggies and the amount in the pie plate, I do often have a bit left over.

Put it in the oven and cook for 45-50 minutes. Serve immediately, sprinkle with salt if desired. Also makes great leftovers!

Serves 5-6

I was planning on focusing on lighter fare this week; however, the recent cold snap we had here in New England demands a warming, comforting meal. And a cottage pie is perfect! Cottage pie is quite similar to shepherds pie, except it uses ground beef as opposed to ground lamb.

I prepared the meal for a dinner party, and the guests said I could quote them: "Absolutely delicious!" And they asked for seconds so that must be a good sign! It certainly is serious comfort food! And makes for tasty leftovers.

A few tips and lessons learned:

I had a slight mishap - the filling bubbled over the potato/cauliflower topping as it cooked. I believe the mashed mixture was too cool and did not spread over the beef easily – gaps were left around the edges of the pie. Make sure the topping completely covers the filling and you should be fine. If not….call it Sunken Cottage Pie! Still tastes great!

Also, you’ll also want to make sure you leave enough time to grill the vegetables. With one small grilling pan, it took me a good hour and a half working in stages. You will need a grilling pan, available at most kitchen stores.

Roasting Option: If grilling is not an option, you can roast the vegetables. Grilling adds a certain smoky complexity, which is lovely. But roasting works too! Usually 400° for 20-25 minutes does the trick. First toss all the veggies with oil and salt. You can work on the filling while they roast. Take them out and turn the oven down to 350°. Then follow the directions for after grilling.

Ingredients:

(To make roux: melt 4 tablespoons butter in a saucepan over low heat; blend in ½ cup all purpose flour and stir for 2-3 minutes.)

For the topping

• 2½ lbs. white potatoes, rinsed, peeled and cut into 1½” chunks
• 1 head cauliflower rinsed and cut into bite sized pieces (a bit smaller than potatoes)
• 3½ tablespoons vegetable oil
• salt and pepper
• 1 lb. parsnips rinsed, peeled and cut into small bite sized pieces
• 1¾ cup organic whole milk
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons chopped chives
• ½ cup grated pecorino romano cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley

• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 medium onion
• 1½ lbs. lean grass fed ground beef (90 percent)
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
• ¾ cup red wine
• 1¾ cups organic beef stock
• 1 cup frozen pea/carrot mix
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon HP sauce (available at Irish import shops) or steak sauce of your choice
• 1½ tablespoons tomato paste
• Roux (see above)
• Salt and pepper

Working in small batches, cook the potato/cauliflower mix in a grill pan on a grill set to high (550-600° F) until well charred (about 15 minutes) stirring often, placing the cooked veg in a large bowl. The grill lid should remain closed except for stirring. (This process could take an hour or more, so pour a glass of wine and add slowly to mouth. Repeat as necessary.)

When about half the vegetables are done grilling, return the water to a boil and parboil the parsnips for 6 minutes, straining. Set milk and butter on countertop to warm to room temperature.

When the potato/cauliflower mix is fully grilled, reduce the grill to medium-high (450-500° F) and toss the parsnips in ½ tablespoon vegetable oil and sprinkle with a pinch of salt, using the gallon bag method if desired. Grill the parsnips in the grill pan until well charred (about 8 minutes) stirring often.

After grilling or roasting….

Heat olive oil over medium heat in Dutch oven or large oven-safe pot. Add garlic and onion and sauté until onions are soft and becoming translucent. Add the ground beef and thyme, breaking up the beef with the back of a wooden spoon and cook until the meat is browned. Add the wine, half the beef stock, Worcestershire sauce, HP sauce, tomato paste, parsnips and pea/carrot mix. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Mash the roasted or grilled potato/cauliflower/parsnip mixture with the milk and butter, adding more milk if needed for a rough mashed consistency. Mix in chives. Taste and season with pepper and more salt if needed.

Add the remaining beef stock to the filling and bring to a boil, adding the roux as needed to thicken. It should be thick, but juicy. Spread potato/cauliflower mixture on top, making sure to completely cover the filling so it doesn’t bubble up over the top. Spread cheese over the top and bake for half hour or until the top is golden and slightly crispy.

Sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving.