Italian-Style Risoni Soup

There's nothing like a chicken soup to warm you up on a cold winter's day. Preparation Time 10 minutes,  Cooking Time: 20 minutes      Ingredients (serves 6)

• 1 tbs olive oil        1 medium fennel bulb, ends trimmed, finely chopped
• 1 large carrot, peeled, finely chopped    1 large zucchini, ends trimmed, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed          3 x 500ml ctns chicken consomme (Campbell's brand)
• 75g (1/3 cup) risoni      85g (1/2 cup) shelled fresh peas     3 oz diced pimento
• 1 tbs finely chopped fresh tarragon           Salt & freshly ground black pepper
• Sliced Ciabatta Bread, to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the fennel, carrot, zucchini and garlic and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until just tender. Add the consomme, pimento, and bring to the boil. Add the risoni and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Add the peas and cook for 2 minutes or until peas are bright green and tender. Remove from heat.  Add the tarragon and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper.  Ladle the soup among serving bowls, and serve with Ciabatta.

Notes & tips: You will need 210g fresh peas for this recipe. If fresh peas are unavailable, you can use 80g (1/2 cup) frozen peas instead. Ciabatta is a crusty Italian bread.

Irish Stew warms up St. Patrick's Day

Irish stew makes a wonderful end-of-winter dinner. The lamb is not browned like in traditional beef stew. This technique of not browning the meat is also used in a French blanquette or in á blanc cooking. The potatoes for the stew are cut in two different ways. Those that are sliced break down during the long cooking and thicken the stew without the addition of flour. The halved potatoes cook to a tender stage and add a pleasant, soft bite to the stew. A boiling potato, that is high in moisture and low in starch works best. An all-purpose potato can be substituted. A heavy Dutch oven helps to create perfect cooking environment for this rich stew, as it goes from cook top to oven.

Irish Stew:4 to 6 servings
The potatoes in this recipe are cut in two different ways because they serve different purposes. The sliced potatoes break down and thicken the stew without the addition of flour. The halved potatoes cook just to tender and add soft bite to the stew. As in a French blanquette, the meat is not browned here. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Heat in a Dutch oven over medium heat:
  2 tablespoons vegetable oil or butter Add and cook, stirring, without browning, until softened: 2 medium onions, chopped
Stir in: 3 pounds boneless lamb stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes, or 3 pounds lamb shoulder chops.     2 teaspoons fresh thyme or 3⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme.  Salt and black pepper
Stir in: 2 medium boiling potatoes, peeled and sliced , 3 cups chicken stock or broth, dark stout, or water
Add: 4 medium potatoes, peeled and halved Cover tightly and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and stir in:  4 medium carrots, cut diagonally into slices Cover, return to the oven, and bake until the meat is fork tender, 45 to 60 minutes more. Skim the fat from the top of the stew, and season with: Salt and black pepper to taste.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

                             Sauerbraten

Prep time 4 1/2 hours

• Beef Roast One-Dish Meal

1. In a large saucepan over high heat, combine the water, cider vinegar, red wine vinegar, onion, carrot, salt, pepper, bay leaves, cloves, juniper and mustard seeds.  Cover and bring this to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Pat the roast dry and rub with vegetable oil and salt on all sides. Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, add the meat and brown on all sides, approximately 2-3 minutes per side.
3. When the marinade has cooled to a point where you can stick your finger in it and not be burned, place the meat in a non-reactive vessel and pour over the marinade (I used a very large hefty zip lock bag & placed it in a large dish). Place into the refrigerator for 3 days.
4. If the meat is not completely submerged in the liquid, turn it over once a day. After 3 days of marinating, preheat the oven to 325degrees F. Add the sugar to the meat and marinade, put it in a roasting pan, cover and place on the middle rack of the oven and cook until tender, approximately 4 hours. (Don't leave it in the plastic bag!)
5. Remove the meat from the vessel and keep warm. Strain the liquid to remove the solids. Return the liquid to the pan and place over medium high heat. Whisk in the gingersnaps and cook until thickened, stirring occasionally. Strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps (I found if the cookies were crushed super fine enough, there were no lumps). Add the raisins if desired.
6. Slice the meat and serve with the sauce (gravy).

Polenta with Butternut Squash