A Mother, A Memory- More Irish Tator Talk

This month has a lot of green memory in all directions for me- with my daughters birthday to begin it off, St. Patrick's Day Parade over at our friend Spudsy- AKA The Daily Spud, my mom's birthday today, and spring popping up green everywhere we look!

This was not my favorite color, but was my favorite month, because green does mean 'new life', but I have to say most of us in New Jersey were happy to see some sunshine!

Growing up in my Irish house in Texas, we ate a lot of potato dishes. I am not sure why, but maybe (yes, an Irish storyteller/chef is about to go crazy) because my mom did not know how to cook well when she met my father, she cooked like she was feeding an army. Well, maybe a navy crew to be exact. My father was a cook in the navy, and between he and his mom, Virginia (mom) got by. Boy, could she make mashed potatoes. One of my favorites. Why? Because I was thin as a rail and a bottomless pit eater. Potatoes were filling, and abundant in our kitchen. What she did with them afterward was another story. You also did not complain when you peeled potatoes in my house- if you did you had to listen to my father tell stories of peeling hundreds each day on his ship!

She would make pancakes, desserts, yes ewww, and make croquettes, fritters, whatever you may call them. I might have liked them, but they were like (sorry Mom, I loved your goulash) most of her cooking, bland. Why? My dad was to blame. I always found it odd that he loved spicy Tex-Mex, and chilies of all kinds, but she would say he like his food prepared the same way. No creativity was allowed, not even me in the kitchen to cook. Later I discovered, or uncovered the real truth. She was insecure when it came to making recipes out side of the box, so she stuck with what she had been taught. She was an awesome baker however, thanks to Betty Crocker! No complaints there.

I also may gross some of you out, but I ate ketchup on my mashed potatoes. Yes, everyone who ever ate with me in my adolescent days, were also grossed out. I am happy to say that today no condiments but mustard, and few Asian bottles of this and that for cooking line the side door of my fridge.

Many uses of potatoes strand across the world as they were introduced into kitchens a century ago...

One dish my mom did not made, and I am only sure that it was due to the dislike of my dad (he is not here to rebut my complaining, sorry pop!) was Shepherds Pie. I first had this dish in Ireland. I am not really sure why it took me thirty three years to have this tasty dish, but alas my taste buds were finally introduced in the proper country. Caven Ireland in a local pub (up north from Dublin to be exact). A ground lamb, gravy, peas, and topped off with mashed potatoes.

Now this dish was lacking in presentation, as it was brought out basically slopped on a plate with bread, and a beverage of choice. Shepherds Pie is one of those not so pretty recipes that actually to me taste better the next day. Like soups and chili, after having a chance for the flavors to meld it becomes a flavorful leftovers dream.

My dish contained a base of meats- ground lamb, pork, and veal cooked in a gravy; along with spinach, seasoned creamed potatoes, and an extra touch of two Irish cheeses grated on top- (Kerry Gold) Aged Cheddar, and Irish Stout. I heated heavy cream with an addition of butter, parsley, garlic powder, New Zealand Flake Sea Salt (salt give away details) pepper to taste.

My mother never had a chance to taste this great dish with its use of potatoes, but she would have approved- No ketchup Maw!

Happy Birthday Virginia! I love you...

Upon the suggestion off twitter from YNChick AKA Jaclyn Stuart, Certified Sommelier & WSET-Certified, Author of The Complete Idiot's Guide to Wine & Food Pairing, WineVentures Consulting- I opened a bottle of Cotes du Rhone.

Every savvy wine and food fan should put the Côtes du Rhône Villages appellation in their repertoire, and I will discuss a few in upcoming post, and on my 'Partners In Wine Club' site...

Perrin & Fils, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France, 07 $14.99: The Perrin family, owners of the famous Château de Beaucastel in Châteauneuf du Pape, leases and manages two favorably located vineyards to produce the grapes for this tasty wine. Made from a blend of Grenache (50 %) and Syrah (50 %), the dark ruby color offers ripe black cherry and violet aromas with smoky notes. Firm black cherry flavors with lively acidity and smooth tannins carry through the dry finish that well matched the meat and potatoes of this dish!

PS- I have recently found posts written on both of my sites on other various sites, disregarding my 'Contents are owned by CookAppeal...', but with out usage of my photos. This is why I watermark many of my photos, even the one with the ugly white lines of my light box, so be careful. Complaints were made, and they removed our content; unless they track back to your site, then we allow this.

Beef Meets Sunchoke Salad

This is part of my '12 Days of Christmas' Food ~ Wine ~ Fun! post, and what better than to take a moment and treat yourself to a decadent glass of wine and a salad full of flavor! What a great way to experiment for a New Years party too.

I paired a Masi Campofiorin, 'Baby' Amarone with this Beef Carpaccio-Sunchoke Salad, that was full of many ingredients and flavors that can stand up to this, or any Italian red wine. If you missed it, my Wine-down Wednesday- Italian Wine  post explains how a Big but in expensive wine can be paired with an array of foods for any type of gathering...

This wine is less a less expensive and tasty version of its parent wine, Amarone-

'Baby' Amarone; 'Ripasso' (means to pass over) refers to a Valpolicella wine style that's made by re-fermenting a young wine on an Amarone's leftover dried skins and lees (literally dead yeast, but it sounds much nicer if you call it "lees"). The process helps the wine to develop far beyond a typical Valpolicella, into a richer, more Amarone-style wine -- but in less time (and with less work), hence the moniker "baby" Amarone- Hence the cheaper price tag. Higher end bottles however can take up to ten years of bottle age.

Masi Campofiorin (Amarone Classico), 09, Wine Spectator Rating 90- This wine is a keeper in our cellar, and is very drinkable and compatible with many foods, as well as a friendly party wine/gift, $15-17.99, depending on state, we spent as little as $12.99 in Dallas

This wine pairs well with most foods, and the 'parent' aged Amarone is no stranger to spicy food cultures, such as Asian regional cuisine, meats and hard aged cheeses.

Once I picked my ingredients that would really make a statement, I could almost taste the flavor profile in a plated salad, or a tossed salad.

Carpaccio: Carpaccio (pron. /karˈpaʧʧo/ [kɐ̞ɾˈpɐ̞ʧː˺ʧo]; /kəɹˈpɑːʧ(j)ɔʊ/ Brit[k(ʰ)əˈpʰɑ̟ːʧ(j)ɜʊ], Amer[k(ʰ)ɹ̩ˈpʰɑ̟ːʧ(j)ɔ̽ʊ]) is a dish of raw meat or fish (such as beef, veal, venison, salmon or tuna) generally thinly sliced or pounded thin and served as an appetizer. (information provided by 'Gastronomy Dictionary').

My 'Baby' Amarone food pairing-


-Beef Tenderloin Carpaccio: seasoned with oil/vinegar, Italian seasonings; sliced thin, and marinated for a few hours. Placing on the plate, or slicing in strips for salad bowl toss. I also experimented with adding soy to the marinade, and then on high heat seared one side, and sliced for a salad tasting. Both worked well.

HINT: If you do not have a sharp knife to slice the tenderloin thin enough, you might ask the butcher to 'hand slice' (not the meat slicer), and then you can pound out the meat between plastic wrap before using marinade.

For the faint of heart, or those who do not care for 'rare' meat- I did take a few pieces, added soy sauce to the marinade, and then in a hot stainless steel pan quick seared the meat (browns on one side only!) to see how it held up to the wine. We found that flavor went well with the wine as well!

-Aged Parmesan: 2 years, shaved in large pieces either over a plated salad or on the side to taste with the wine. Semi-hard and hard cheese pair well with wines such as Amarone. Their sharp flavor go well with wines that can be aged, and have complex flavors. Raw cheese also pair well with complex wines.

-Roasted Sunchokes- these wonderful delights are grown in my native Texas, and is harvested in the fall for highest quality. Widely available in supermarkets, its peak period is September through January, but often continues through the early spring. I roasted them in truffle oil for half an hour on 350 degrees to soften; then slice in 1/4 slices. If some are softer than others use them for dressing.

The sunchoke, often called the Jerusalem artichoke, is a tuber from a plant that is related to the sunflower. It is native to America, and has nothing to do with either Jerusalem or artichokes. The tubers are gnarly and uneven, vaguely resembling ginger root. The white flesh is nutty, sweet, and crunchy like chestnuts when raw. Baked in their skins, they become more like potatoes with a mild taste of artichoke hearts.

Select firm sunchokes that are firm and free from mold and wrinkles. If left too long in the open, they become wrinkled and soft and can develop a bitter taste. Sunchokes vary in color from dark brown to light brown, similar to ginger.

These tubers need be refrigerated, unwashed, in a plastic bag for up to 1 week for successful storage.

-Radishes: The raw flesh has a crisp texture and a pungent, peppery flavor, caused by glucosinolates and the enzyme myrosinase which combine when chewed to form allyl isothiocyanates , also present in mustard, horseradish and wasabi. Great for a contrast in salads like this, as well a great color burst.

-Sunchoke dressing: After roasting the sunchokes in truffle oil (truffles come from regions of Italy where Amarone grapes, Corvino are grown) use at least half (some will be softer than others) to slice for salad, and combine the interior flesh after peeling with a lemon infused vinegar, EVO, crumbled Parmesan, Italian seasonings, salt/pepper to a thick consistency (like that of Cesar Dressing) in a small chopper/food processor. Vinaigrette or dressing this rocked!The warm sunchokes warm up the seasonings, giving the salad a thread that tied the dish together with its texture and flavor!

Italian Anti-pasta dishes that contain roasted red peppers, artichokes, and other vegetables work well with wines of Italy. Sunchokes roasted bare the flavor of regular artichokes and were excellent in this dish.

-Bibb, or butter lettuce: Mild in flavor, it has been described over the centuries as a cooling counter balance to other ingredients in a salad. This makes for a great presentation.

-Dandelions: Mix raw dandelion greens in with your salad. They will add a tangy and slightly bitter flavor. Tip- If eaten raw, then sprinkle apple cider vinegar or lemon juice over one cup of dandelion greens as I have added to the dressing for this salad.

For our dessert I made 'Bread pudding Cakes' from cranberry and white chocolate rolls I made last week, and will post next as part of my '12 Days of Christmas' Food ~ Wine ~ Fun!