Blog about things I find interesting, or incredibly stupid.
Mostly its to make fun of other people, post links I find funny and lower the amount of crap I post elsewhere - email me, feel free to comment and please click an ad from time to time!
I like to post about dishes that really stand out for 1 reason or another. This stands out for several. First its cheap, the ingredients you probably have in the fridge (or have something close). Its filling, which is good because I'm always hungry. Its healthy, it has Kale how could it not be? Lastly its really f***ing good.
A traditional Halloween Irish dish, Colcannon was originally made as a cheap year-round staple. It can be made beforehand, reheated or pressed into patties and fried into a pancake. It can be the main or a side dish and the best part is, it can be made from leftovers.
Here's the short version:
Leftover mashed potatoes
Some sauteed Kale (see below for that recipe)
Sauteed onions (yellow or white, You could try a purple onion, but I always find them too strong tasting)
Garlic - I used pre-chopped in that big container you get at Costco
White and Black Pepper
Thyme (I used dried)
Shredded Scallions/Leeks (I didn't have any so I didn't use any)
Pecorino/Asiago/Parmasean/Romano cheese - Just like in Olde Ireland! Although I don't see any reason you couldn't use any actually Irish cheeses.
Leftover crispy Bacon (When I usually cook Bacon for Breaky, I make a bunch and just leave it in the fridge)
Combine leftover Mashed Potatoes with the Kale and Onions (I used about 6 small potatoes worth, a large bunch of shredded then sauteed Kale and about 1/4 white onion) with a large spoon in a mixing bowl. Add a handful of crumbled bacon, shredded scallions/leeks to taste, a tablespoon of garlic, 1 teaspoon each of ground black and white pepper, a half teaspoon of ground thyme then mix into a paste.
Then in a well buttered/Pam'ed/Olive-oiled baking pan, spread out that paste and cover with grated cheese, I didn't cover entirely, just a thin layer because the cheese will burn before the inside is hot (if you're cooking from fridge temp ingredients). You can always add more cheese later. You'll notice I didn't really add any salt for 2 reasons. That cheese can be really salty, and salt was used in the Kale. You can always salt to taste.
Leave in the oven at 400-425 until the inside is hot (test with a fork).
Eat like a Finnegan, then go farming, build something or do some kind of manual labor.
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Sauteed Kale:
A bunch of chopped/rinsed Kale (regular, tricolor, whatever)
Put in a deep frying pan with a little bit of water and olive oil on the bottom, add some salt, garlic (powder or chopped) and drizzle some olive oil over it. Put on high for a few minutes and cover to start it steaming lower heat and toss around for another 2 or 3 min
stop cooking when its as bright green as this ----------->
I rarely actually write down/type out recipes I like to make, I'm more of an in-my-head type of guy. But a friend asked me to send him how to make a dish he's a big fan of. He was going to his 'rents for July 4th weekend and wanted something differerent than hot dogs and burgers.
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I like a BIG hangar/skirt steak best, but London Broil/flank can be substituted as well. Ironically more expensive steaks (filet, sirloin, strip) usually don't turn out better in this type of recipe. Skirt steak is perfect for due to the acidity of the marinade and the slicing method, you'd be surprised how incredibly tender it is if marinated/cooked/sliced correctly. For each ~1.5-2lbs of beef, marinate (preferably overnight, but even a full day or more is best) in the fridge in a freezer bag:
All ingredient quantities are approximate (I don't really measure...ever), if you don't have one of them don't worry it'll still turn out fine.
·1/2-2/3 of a bottle of Peter Luger's sauce (Kind of the point of this recipe, however some red wine vinegar, tomato paste with a little bit of horseradish and pepper can probably be close enough)
·1/8 of a cup or so of worchester sauce (or soy sauce)
·2 tablespoons of chopped garlic
·chopped scallions or onion powder
·3 or 4 bay leaves
·splash or 2 of some red wine (doesn't matter what kind, or even if a bit vinegary)
·teaspoon of black pepper
·a few teaspoons of lemon juice
Seal it up in a freezer bag after shaking vigorously careful to remove as much air as possible, then put in fridge for at least 4 hours.
To cook:
Grill directly over flame (coal or gas are both fine) on very high heat, you want the edges to sear, but the middle to stay rare.
Brushing a bit of olive oil on this can guarantee that (be careful how much!)
Probably only 5-7 minutes total (depending on how hot) on the grill
once satisfied with how much its cooked, remove from heat, wrap in foil for ~5 minutes.
Then slice perpendicular to the grain with a very sharp carving knife into 1/4-1/2" thick slices.
Serve with a beer!
Here's a good video about the slicing (go to 2:06). (I like my marinade better, but his cooking method is spot on)
at 3:24 in the video though, I do slightly disagree with the angle he says to slice. I like the 45 degrees if you're fork and knifing it. In a fajita though it doesn't matter.
End result below
Photo courtesy of my friend's July 4th weekend in upstate NY
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Some optional steps...
This one is shredded Mozz, Gruyere and Parmesan
·Purposely cook twice as much in order to have leftovers for one of the most amazing sandwiches you’ll ever have*
My Sandwich recipe (Skirt steak and Kale cheesesteak):
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·Leftover sliced steak (see recipe above)
·Fresh Mozzarella
·Another cheese to be shredded (Gruyere, Parmesan, Fontina, Asiago, any combo of them)
·Sauteed Kale (see recipe and pic below)
·Chopped garlic
·butter
This one is missing the kale, on a rosemary ciabatta roll
·Olive oil
·Salt and Pepper
·Amaroso Rolls (or close, or a baguette if you aren't close enough to Philadelphia)
·some onion slices, sauteed in a pan (olive oil and salt, then reuse the pan for the kale)
·Powdered thyme or sage (something savory)
Brush some olive oil, chopped garlic, salt, pepper and thyme/sage into the rolls.
Add reheated steak (microwave for 30 seconds is fine, you just don't want it cold-cold)
add a layer of freshly cooked Kale
add a layer of the onions you cooked first
Add a layer of fresh Mozz slices (thin)
add whatever cheese you have left
put in (toaster) oven under a layer of foil at 300 degrees for ~10-15 min (however crispy you want the bread).
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Sauteed Kale:
A bunch of chopped/rinsed Kale (regular, tricolor, whatever)
Put in a deep frying pan with a little bit of water and olive oil on the bottom
add some salt, garlic (powder or chopped) and drizzle some olive oil over it
put on high for a few minutes and cover to start it steaming
lower heat and toss around for another 2 or 3 min
stop cooking when its as bright green as this ----------->
