Grilled chicken

Charlie asked for BBQ grilled chicken and mac & cheese and a vegetable... I could decide on that.  I seasoned the chicken with Zarda's poultry seasoning blend and Zarda's Apple Harvest BBQ sauce  was brushed on near the end.

Swedish Rye bread

This used to be a recipe I made often but it is harder to find rye bread now that it was 40 years ago.

Farm Journal breads  Today I used the orange flavored version.  It took the zest of three navel oranges.

Swedish Rye Bread Supreme

Take your pick of caraway or anise seed or orange peel for flavoring

1/4 C. brown sugar

1/4 C. light molasses

1 tbsp salt

2 tbsp shortening

1 1/2 .c boiling water

1 pkg. active dry yeast

1/4 C. warm water ( 110-115º)

2 1/2 C. rye flour

2 to 3 tbsp. caraway seeds

3 1/2 to 4 C. sifted all purpose flour 

Combine brown  sugar, molasses, salt and shortening in large bowl; pour on boiling water and stir until sugar is dissolves. Cool to lukewarm.

Sprinkle yeast on warm water; stir to dissolve

Stir rye flour (stir before measuring) int brown sugar-molasses mixture, beating well.    Stir in yeast and caraway seeds’ beat until smooth. 

Mix in enough of the all purpose flour, a little at a time, first with spoon and then with hands. to make a smooth soft dough.  Turn onto lightly floured board’  knead until satiny and elastic , about 10 minutes.  Place dough in lightly greased owl; turn dough over to grease top.  Cover and let rise in warm place until doughs doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Punch down; turn dough onto lightly floured board and divide in half. round up dough to make 2 balls.  Cover and let rest 10 minutes.  Shape into loaves and place in 2 greased 8 1/2 X 4 1/2 X 2 1/2” loaf pans.  Cover and let rise in a warm place until almost doubled, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Bake in moderate oven (375º)  25 to 30 minutes, covering with sheet of alumni flow for the last 15 minutes if loaves are browning too fast.  Turn onto wire racks to cool.  Brush loaves with melted butter while warm if you like a soft crust.  Makes 2 loaves.

Orange flavored rye Bread:  Omit caraway seeds and instead use 2 tblsp, grated orange peel

Anise-Flavored rye bread:   omit caraway seeds and in their place, use 1 tsp. anise seeds. 

Smoked Sausage, noodles and cabbage.

I had half of a bag of egg noodles and left over cabbage from previous meals so I got some hickory smoked sausage and put it all together for our meal tonight.  The recipe does not call for egg noodles but I always add them.

Kielbasa and Cabbage  

6 slices bacon

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons white sugar

1 onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 teaspoon seasoning salt

3 teaspoons caraway seed

1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges

1 pound Polish kielbasa

Directions Prep10 m Cook 30 m Ready In 40 m

• In a large skillet, fry bacon over medium high heat until browned, turning once. Remove bacon from pan, reserving drippings, and place on paper towels. 
• Stir water, sugar, onions, garlic, red pepper flakes, seasoned salt, and caraway seeds into drippings. Add cabbage, and gently stir. Cover, and cook over medium heat for 10 to 15 minutes. 
• Add kielbasa to the pan. Cook, covered, for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Crumble bacon over top, and serve hot.

St. Patrick Day dinner

These are leftovers.  Company came for dinner and I forgot to do the before pictures.

 Corned Beef

FOR THE BRINE

 • 2 quarts water

 • 1 cup coarse salt

 • 1 tablespoon Tender Quick

 • 1/2 cup sugar

 • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, crushed

 • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, crushed

 • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed

 • 1 cinnamon stick, crushed

 • 4 dried bay leaves, crushed

  8 whole cloves

 Make the brine: Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salts, sugar, and spices; remove from heat, and stir until salts and sugar dissolve. Let cool.

Make the corned beef: Place brisket in a nonreactive container just large enough to hold it. Pour cooled brine over meat. Place 2 small plates on top to keep meat submerged; cover, and refrigerate for 2 weeks.

To cook brisket

2 7-oz bottles of beer

10 black peppercorns

6 whole allspice

12 sprigs parsley

3 cloves garlic peeled, sliced

1 onion. peeled and sliced

1 celery stalk

1 carrot

 Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add 14 ounces beer and enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.

  Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.

  Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil.  Add

4-5 carrots, peeled

3-4 parsnips, peeled

3-4 turnips, peeled, sliced

1 head cabbage wedged

Add vegetables and cook 10 minutes or until tender crisp, add cabbage on top and steam 10 minutes.

• or
• Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
  
• Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.
  
• Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.
  
• Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.

Scones with Pears, Irish Cheddar, and Honey

Recipe photo courtesy of Yuki Sugiura

Irish cheddar nicely complements the floral honey and sweet pears that are sandwiched in the scones. Source: Martha Stewart Living, March 2015

prep 20 min, tota 35 min, 8 serv.

• 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting 
  1 tablespoon baking powder
   3/4 teaspoon baking soda
   1/4 cup sugar
   1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
   1 1/2 sticks cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
   1 teaspoon caraway seeds
   1/2 cup currants
   1 cup buttermilk, plus more as needed and for brushing
   Cored and sliced ripe pears, such as Red Anjou, Comice, Red Bartlett, or Seckel, for serving
   Sliced cheddar, preferably Irish, for serving
   Honey, for drizzling 

DIRECTIONS

• 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a large bowl to combine. Add butter to bowl and, working with a few pieces at a time, scoop some butter and flour mixture into your hands. Squeeze butter, pressing thumbs across your fingertips to flatten into petal shapes. Repeat until all butter is flattened and coated with flour mixture. 
• 2. Add caraway seeds and currants to bowl, tossing to combine. Slowly add 1 cup buttermilk, stirring constantly with a fork, just until mixture begins to form clumps. Add more buttermilk if necessary, 1 tablespoon at a time, until no dry flour mixture remains in bowl. 
• 3. Transfer mixture to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Lightly dust hands with flour and gather mixture into a ball, gently squeezing to form a dough(it may still crumble slightly).
  Step 4 Flatten dough to a 1-inch thickness and fold in half. Flatten and fold once more. Gently shape into a 1-inch-thick, 7-inch-diameter round. Cut into 8 equal wedges, then separate wedges 1/2 inch apart. Brush tops with buttermilk; sprinkle with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.
  Step 5 Bake scones until puffed, golden brown on top, and hollow-sounding when tapped on bottoms, 15 to 18 minutes. Let cool slightly on a wire rack. To serve, split scones, sandwich pear and cheddar slices, and drizzle with honey.
  

Cook's Notes

The dough can be shaped into a disk, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated 1 day ahead. Cut the dough into wedges, brush the tops with buttermilk, and sprinkle with sugar just before baking.

Irish Whiskey Butter

This is pretty much perfect with Irish whiskey soda bread. And Irish whiskey.

 • 1 tbsp sugar

 • 9 tbsp butter, softened

 • 3 tbsp whiskey

 1. Heat the whiskey and sugar in a pan until hot then stir in the butter until melted and fully combined. Allow to cool.  Note from me. This recipe does not work as is. You should mix softened butter with room temperature whiskey and sugar until the whiskey is absorbed. I then put it on some wax paper, roll it into a round and refrigerate until firm.

For the dill pickle-horseradish cream

  1 cup sour cream

  1 Tbs. chopped fresh chives or scallion greens

  6 Tbs. prepared horseradish, drained

  1 Tbs. finely chopped dill pickle

For the Guiness-mustard sauce

  1/2 cup coarse-grain mustard

  2 Tbs. Guinness or other stout

  2 Tbs. Dijon mustard

  1/2 tsp. light brown sugar

  1 Tbs. finely chopped shallot

For the main dish

  1 6-to-8-lb. whole corned beef brisket, homemade or store-bought

  1 12-oz. bottle Guinness or other stout, porter, or dark German beer

  1 Tbs. coriander seeds

  4 bay leaves

  1 dried chile, such as cayenne

  2 allspice berries

  8 medium boiling potatoes, scrubbed

  4 medium onions, halved through the roots

  6 small turnips, peeled and halved, or 2 medium rutabagas, peeled and quartered

  2 parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

  6 medium carrots, peeled

  1 2-lb. green cabbage, cored and quartered

Preparation

Make the dill pickle-horseradish cream

  Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 2 days.

For the Guiness-mustard sauce

  Combine the ingredients in a small bowl. Cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 4 days.

Roasted Cabbage Wedges

Super simple to make, this healthy side dish packs a crunchy, flavorful punch.  Source: Everyday Food, April 2010

1 tablespoon plus 2 more tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds

DIRECTIONS

• 1.
  Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Brush a rimmed baking sheet with 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil. Place 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into 1-inch-thick rounds, in a single layer on sheet and brush with 2 tablespoons oil. Season with coarse salt and ground pepper and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon caraway or fennel seeds. Roast until cabbage is tender and edges are golden, 40 to 45 minutes.
  
• Step 3 Rinse brisket; discard brine. Place in a large pot. Add enough water to cover by 2 inches. Add onion, celery, and halved carrot, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until very tender, 3 to 3 1/2 hours.
  
• 
  Step 4 Set a steamer in a large saucepan. Add enough water to reach the bottom, and bring to a boil. Add turnips. Reduce heat, cover, and steam until tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with baby carrots, steaming 10 to 12 minutes. Add to turnips.
  
• 
  Step 5 Transfer corned beef to a cutting board. Tent with foil, and let rest for 30 minutes. Discard remaining solids from broth, then bring to a boil. Add cabbage and potatoes, and simmer until tender, about 25 minutes. Add turnips and carrots, and cook until warmed through. Transfer vegetables to a platter; reserve broth.
  
• 
  Step 6 Trim excess fat from beef. Slice thinly against grain, and transfer to platter. Serve with broth and mustard.

Chicken Pot Pie

Yesterday I made some chicken stock with a large chicken.  I got lots of stock and a goodly amount of chicken meat.  When Charlie saw it, he suggested chicken pot pie.  I made one today and there is a lot of stock and chicken left for soup which is why I made it in the first place.  (Why can't soup companies make soup that tastes good?)

The stock was made with chicken, water, onion, carrot, celery, ginger and garlic. I did not use any salt and pepper so I could season to taste anything for which I might use the stock. It simmered for ah hour and a half then the meat was pulled off the bones and the stock strained.  There was about3 or 4 quarts. 

For the pot pie, I used puff pastry and added  extra salt and pepper to taste since the broth I used wasn't seasoned yet.  I made 1/2 of the recipe since this is for two pies. I used a deep pie dish.

Chicken pot pie

Ingredients

• 2 cups diced peeled potatoes
• 1-3/4 cups sliced carrots
• 1 cup butter, cubed
• 2/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1-3/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 3/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1-1/2 cups whole milk
• 4 cups cubed cooked chicken
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 4 sheets refrigerated pie crust

Directions

• Preheat oven to 425°. Place potatoes and carrots in a large saucepan; add water to cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook, covered, 8-10 minutes or until crisp-tender; drain.
  In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion; cook and stir until tender. Stir in flour and seasonings until blended. Gradually stir in broth and milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in chicken, peas, corn and potato mixture; remove from heat.
  Unroll a pie crust into each of two 9-in. pie plates; trim even with rims. Add chicken mixture. Unroll remaining crusts; place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edges. Cut slits in tops.
  Bake 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned. Let stand 15 minutes before cutting. 
• Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked pies. To use, remove from freezer 30 minutes before baking (do not thaw). Preheat oven to 425°. Place pies on baking sheets; cover edges loosely with foil. Bake 30 minutes. Reduce oven setting to 350°; bake 70-80 minutes longer or until crust is golden brown and a thermometer inserted in center reads 165°.