Colcannon (mashed potatoes and kale) recipe

Lately my celebrations for all holidays have been a bit late.  I had great plans to make colcannon (mashed potatoes with either cabbage or kale) for a St. Patty's day potluck, but I ended up working on my dissertation for most of the night.  Already armed with all of the ingredients, I decided to make it the next night.  And now the same thing has happened with my Persian new year celebration (luckily this time a party got in the way, not my dissertation).  Oh well, it's still fun to try new dishes, even if it is on the wrong day.

I love mashed potatoes, and this was a great variation.  Most of the colcannon recipes I see use cabbage, but I decided to make my version with kale because I hadn't had kale in a while.  Given that the texture and taste of cabbage and kale are so different, I imagine that a cabbage version tastes like a completely new dish, but I bet that it would be equally delicious.  It took me a few bites to get used to the interesting mix of textures, but I soon adjusted and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Colcannon
(Printable version)

1 bunch kale, stems removed
2 pounds red potatoes, chopped into quarters
2 Tbsp butter
3/4 cup (or more) warm milk
5 green onions (green part only), sliced thinly
salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add kale leaves, and let boil until kale is very tender (about 10 min).  Drain kale, let cool, and then chop it into small pieces.  Next, place the potatoes in the pot, cover with water, add salt, and bring the water to a boil.  Let simmer until potatoes are tender (15-20 min).  Drain potatoes and return them to the pot.  Add butter and warm milk and mash well with a potato masher or ricer.  You may need more milk if your potatoes aren't creamy enough with 3/4 cup.  Then stir in kale and onions and season with salt and pepper.  Serves 6.

Cabbage, potato, and sausage soup recipe

From the time I was 10 until I left for college, I never had to go outside or check the weather to know that it was fall.  As soon as the cooler temperatures arrived, my dog, Rascal, would run around and bounce all over the place.  It was great entertainment, but unfortunately I haven't been home during fall in a long time (although I have a feeling that she's not as crazy as she once was, given that she's 15 now).  But, I can relate.  There's something about the crisp air and beautiful colors that slaps a silly grin on my face and gives me an extra boost of energy.  I don't usually get to the point where I'm running around in circles, but it's tempting sometimes!

However, I fear what follows falls.  It's already getting colder than I like, and I have to keep reminding myself that this will be my last winter here.  We had our first freeze on Wednesday night, and since then all I want to eat is bowl after bowl of soups, stews, and chilis.  I thought it was only natural to make a soup from the cabbage and potatoes out of my CSA share.

This might be my new favorite soup.  It was delicious the first time, and got better and better over the next few days.  It warmed me up and fills me up, which are my two most important soup characteristics.  My sausage is fairly spicy, so it provided a lot of flavor for the soup.  If you use a milder sausage (or no meat), you might want to season it a bit more.  This will definitely be making an appearance for St. Patrick's Day, but I'm not sure that I can wait that long to have more.  I'm seriously considering making it again this week.

Cabbage, potato, and sausage soup (adapted from Karina's Kitchen)
(Printable version)

6 oz. spicy sausage, sliced thinly
3 leeks, sliced thinly
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
12 small red potatoes, cut into small chunks
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
5 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper to taste

Brown the sausage over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the leeks and cook until they soften (about 3 min).  Add the garlic and cabbage and continue to cook until the cabbage begins to get tender (about 7 min), stirring occasionally.  Add the remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and let simmer for 45 min (or until the potatoes and carrots are very tender).  Serves 4.

Irish soda bread

**This is not a gluten-free recipe and was posted before I eliminated gluten from my diet.**

I couldn't let St. Patrick's Day go by without some Irish food. And given my newly-discovered love for bread baking, it seemed obvious that I should include some soda bread. Many of the American recipes call for all kinds of additions (mostly raisins and some sort of sugar), but true soda bread only has 4 ingredients: flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. I flirted with the idea of making one of the "fancy" ones, but decided that I should start with an authentic, unadulterated version. If you're looking for one that's a bit sweeter, Kalyn has a tasty-sounding recipe.

Irish soda bread (adapted from Kalyn's Kitchen)

1 1/4 cup whole white wheat flour

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup + 1 Tbsp buttermilk (I added 1 Tbsp vinegar to 1 cup milk)

Combine dry ingredients in a bowl. Add buttermilk and stir just until a dough forms. Oil a small baking sheet, flour hands, and form dough into a circle on the baking sheet (obviously I didn't do so well in geometry). Bake at 425 until it's golden brown (about 30 min). Serve while warm.

This was very good. I'm glad I started with the plain version because I can really taste the bread. It has a hint of sweetness (from the whole wheat flour), and is very dense and pairs perfectly with a nice stew. I ate mine with a lamb and root veggie stew and discovered that I don't like lamb. Eh, it's nice to know, and the veggies were still delicious. I suppose that's what I get for not wearing green for most of the day. Stop yelling at me... it's not my fault! I had to wear my Brain Awareness Week shirt to talk to 5th graders about the importance of the nervous system, and unfortunately the shirts are blue (but very cool, nonetheless).

So, before the day is done, stick some of this in the oven. It's so easy that you don't have any excuse. And feel free to play with the flours if you don't have these on hand. But, I highly recommend the whole wheat flours because they give it that delicious sweetness that you can never mimic with refined sugar.