Women Chefs of Ireland and Colcannon

Holiday meals are my favorite thing ever, but I've never had a St Patrick's Day meal that's kept me coming back.

When I was growing up, St Patricks Day was a holiday worthy of its own meal. Each year we went to my Grandmom's house for corned beef and cabbage with boiled potatoes. She cooked it all in a big pot and served it with mustard. I never looked forward to it. (Sorry, Grandmom)

Flash forward to earlier this week when I read Jessica Valenti's article at The Guardian about women chefs starting their own kitchens. Inspired by the women in Jessica's article and the opportunity for a holiday meal, I did a little research on women in Ireland's food industry.  Here's a snapshot of what I found:

Anita Thoma is the Head Chef of Dublin's Il Primo and master of Dublin's best risotto. Anita's passion for risotto began while cooking with her father, a Swiss chef who emigrated to Ireland in the 1940s. Anita talks about the key factors of a great risotto while preparing her favorite recipe, creamy smoked haddock and chive, in this snippet from the TV Show Guerilla Gourmet. 

When they opened their first itsa Bagel in 1999, Peaches and Domini Kemp imported their bagels from New York. Now the sister duo produces their bagels locally in Dublin and serves them across 7 itsa... locations. They've also added three restaurants, a cafe, and a catering company to their line up! Peaches and Domini's selection of fresh and healthy sandwiches, soups, bagels, and ethically sourced coffee highlight their commitment to health-conscious Dubliners. 

Rachel Allen is an Irish celebrity chef and author.  She studied at the world famous Ballymaloe Cookery School and debuted on RTE's Rachel's Favourite Foods.  In 2012, the University of Ulster awarded her an Honorary Doctorate in Science for her contributions to the culinary arts. 

I would like to personally thank her for the introducing me to Colcannon, a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes with cabbage or kale.

I used Rachel's Colcannon featured in this recipe for homemade pork sausage with colcannon and applesauce.

Take a glance at the recipe and you'll see Colcannon is very simple! Basically, if you can make mashed potatoes you can make Colcannon. I've adapted the measurements for US Chefs at the end of this post. A quick note on preparing the cabbage:

These are the stages you want to follow when slicing cabbage: Cut in half, in half again, and remove the core.  It is too stiff and fibrous to soften with the rest of the cabbage and is best discarded.  Turn the cabbage over so it lays flat and slice thinly along the exposed edge.

Mash up those potatoes and mix in some buttery cabbage with parsley. Rachel Allen has elevated bangers and mash to an elegant weeknight meal I'll be making beyond St Patrick's Day! 

(Mmmmm, potatoes)

Full disclosure: I baked some Silva Irish Bangers in the oven and used applesauce from a jar. The sausage tasted more like breakfast sausage than I was expecting, but I enjoyed the taste, texture, and snap of the casing. I never thought to add applesauce to the plate! The sweetness complimented the sausage and brought out the earthiness of the potato and cabbage. 

If your mouth isn't watering yet, listen to The Black Family perform the folk song "Colcannon"

                   

(The Black Family "Colcannon", Source)

Rachel Allen's Colcannon (Adapted for US Measurements)

3lb 5oz potatoes, scrubbed

7 Tbsp butter, divided

1lb 2oz green cabbage, shredded

1 cup hot milk

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Stretching Pizza Dough

How are your pizzas coming? Post a photo Instagram and Twitter and tag me (@ElenaKimball) so I can see!

Stretching dough can feel intimidating the first time, but there is no need! I think everyone stretches pizza dough differently, but there are some core techniques that make it easier.  This video of Chef Paul Guerrero from the Cooking School Academy in Chicago is a great demonstration of how to stretch that ball into submission:


(Source)

Thanks, PG!

Gratuitously Homemade: Pizza

My best friend and I are watching Twin Peaks together for the first time. We just finished watching "The Condemned Woman" from Season 2, and can't stop guessing what is going on in that town...

We are in a long-distance friendship, so we coordinated our schedules to enjoy an episode binge over Netflix during her dinner and my lunch. When B told me she was having pizza for dinner, my path was clear:

Pizza. Pepperoni and mushroom. With chunky tomato sauce and a homemade crust.

I've been after a soft, golden crust that reheats nicely in the oven, and this Basic Pizza Dough recipe from Chopped judge and Food Network Chef, Alex Guarnaschelli checks all the boxes. 

You mean we're going to make it from scratch?! Yup. We're focusing on the dough today because that's the scariest part. 

Fortunately, it's also easy. Just look at the first step:

Exciting

This is dry active yeast mixed with lukewarm warm (100-110F/37-43C) water. The bubbles mean we are in business. This step, called "proofing", lets us know the yeast is alive and kickin'. 

Adding the spices when only half the flour has been mixed allows you to fully incorporate their flavors into the dough. Here, white pepper and salt are balanced with the sweet honey.

Alex's recipe calls for sifting the flour, which is tedious but worth the effort.  Sifting aerates flour and eliminates clumps, so you should sift your flour if it's settled or packed into its container. You can totally use a strainer if you don't have a sifter! 

Once you've added all the dry ingredients, move to the counter.

What a beauty! This puppy is ready to sit in an olive oil coated mixing bowl for an hour and a half. This is the worst part because you are so close yet seemingly so far from amazing pizza. This is a great opportunity to do the dishes and watch more episodes of Twin Peaks while you wait patiently. 

Congratulations, you have made pizza dough! I cut this in half and put the rest in the fridge so I'm guaranteed fresh pizza twice in the same week.

Now, let's shape this thing:

This dough is nice and pliable. Make sure you have a generous amount of flour on your working surface before you begin shaping to ensure your pizza doesn't stick to the pan! To shape, press down gently on the dough ball to get a nice disk shape. Working from the center, make the disk larger by spreading your fingers and pushing the dough outward.

Pick up the dough and move your hands along the edges. Keep turning the dough as you go, gravity will help pull it. Don't forget to have fun! It's just dough. Once you have the size pizza you want, transfer it to your (preheated) pizza stone/pan and add the toppings

It's basically an enchanted forest of meat, cheese, and veggies.  I used my homemade pasta sauce, with hand crushed tomatoes, onions, garlic, and fresh parsley. For a golden crust, brush the edges with olive oil before sticking in the oven. Bake in a 500F/260C oven for 15-20 minutes, or until the cheese and crust are to your liking. 

I like my pizza to be a golden, bubbly dream that I can eat all in one sitting.

(What drama...)

Fleshy tomato chunks. Golden, chewy cheese. Soft mushrooms and fresh sliced pepperoni from Claro's Italian Market . And Alex's crust? Lightly crispy on the outside, soft on the inside, and the base is sturdy enough to hold all those topping without sacrificing the flavor or texture. I used all-purpose flour, but I'll definitely remake this crust with bread flour.  Bread flour has more protein than all-purpose, which yields an even chewier crust.

If you exhibited restraint and have leftovers, you are basically the smartest person ever because this reheats beautifully. I put a couple slices under the broiler in the toaster oven at work for 5 minutes the next day, and I think it was even better than it was the night before! The crust maintained it's crispiness and chew, and the flavors married perfectly.

Show me how your pizza turns out on Instagram and Twitter. You'll find me @ElenaKimball!