st. patty food - beer bread & colcannon puffs

every year for st.patrick's day, jonathan and i make beer bread and a large pot of steamed cabbage, carrots and onions and watch an irish-inspired movie. this year, we expanded our menu (and our guest list) and hosted a st.patrick's feast - only in order to accomodate everyones schedules, we celebrated yesterday!

steamed cabbage, carrots and onions don't make for the most stunning pictures, but I'll give you some pointers. basically, take a large pot and heat up some stock. i use a little reusable tea bag pouch to season the broth with 5 whole cloves and 10 or so whole pepper corns. prepare whatever vegetables you would like to add:

1/2 to whole cabbage, cut into giant cubes

carrots, halved or quartered depending on length

parsnips, halved or quartered depending on length

1 or 2 onions, cut into eighths

you can also add sausages or veggie sausages.

to assemble, place sausages on the bottom, covered by a layer of carrots/parsnips and onions and topped with all the cubed cabbage. cover with enough stock so that the sausages are submerged (or at least 2 inches) and simmer at a low temp until all vegetables are very for tender. serve with stone ground mustard and salt and pepper. delicious!

beer bread... a family tradition

1 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup white flour (or 2 cups all white)

1/2 cup oats

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup grated cheese - i like cheddar with my beer bread, but i've tried all sorts including crumbled feta

12 oz beer - preferably amber or dark beer

herbs or roasted garlic cloves to taste!

mix all the dry ingredients together in a large bowl. when you add the beer it will foam! just fold in the beer until incorporated and then add in any cheese or herbs or roasted garlic if you would like. the flour and beer mixture will be quick bread batter consistency.

line a bread pan with parchment paper, or heavily oil it. pour the batter into the pan and bake at 400 degrees until golden brown - about 40 minutes. it's better to over cook this bread a bit than undercook it, so go a little bit longer if you are unsure. let cool. serve with cheddar cheese - or find some fancy beer-aged cheeses or pub cheese with herbs! delicious warm!!

colcannon puffs - traditional irish mashed potatoes with a twist

2 lbs red potatoes, quartered

1 large bunch kale, stems removed

3 tablespoons nutritional yeast

20 roasted garlic cloves

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon cracked black pepper

boil potatoes until fork tender. remove with slotted spoon into a mixing bowl. keep the water simmering and add your bunch of kale. simmer for 5 minutes and then remove onto a chopping board. finely dice the kale while you mash the potatoes (or use a paddle in an electric mixer). add the chopped kale and remaining ingredients to the mashed potatoes and mix to combine. then form 1-inch balls of the potato mixture and place them onto a lined baking sheet. they can be fairly close together as they will not expand. bake at 425 for 20 minutes, and then carefully flip to bake for 20 more minutes or until both sides are lightly brown! serve warm!

and of course, find some good beers to sample all evening long! happy st.patrick's day!!

modern moroccan

back in september, i heard news of a community cookbook store opening up in fremont. the owner, lara hamilton, envisioned a storefront that would double as a space for culinary events - author signings, cooking demos and classes. it was a vision i knew i had to get involved with! so i signed up to volunteer, first by helping her stock the shelves of book larder before the grand opening and later as an assistant for their fabulous book events!

now you may remember that i have a true fondness for moroccan food after studying abroad there in high school. so when i heard that book larder would be hosting mourad lahlou (a moroccan chef from san francisco) for a cookbook signing and appetizer party, i signed up to volunteer for the event (in trade for a signed cookbook of course!) mourad is the owner and head chef of aziza in s.f. - the first moroccan restaurant in the world to receive a michelin star. his cookbook, new moroccan, is his own personal story of exploration into the evolution of moroccan food. a collection of gorgeous recipes and endless inspiration! tonight, i tackled three of his vegetarian recipes from the book and was beyond happy with the results. delicious!! i highly recommend the book if you enjoy moroccan flavors (and if you can pick it up from book larder in seattle, even better!)

date leather & marcona almond salad

this recipe is so simple, yet stunningly impressive. splurge on some spanish marcona almonds or toast some blanched almonds if you can't find marconas. for the date leather, use 8 to 12 medjool dates. cut a slit down the length of the date to remove the pit, then open them up like books and line them up on a piece of lightly oiled wax paper. cover with a second sheet of oiled wax paper and then use a rolling pin to smush and roll them to a fine sheet of date 'leather.' if they start to separate from each other, move them a bit so they overlap at the edges and continue rolling until about 1/16" thick. keeping the leather in wax paper, cut the leather into rectangles or whatever shapes you would like to play with for the presentation of your salad. top with mixed greens and arugula lightly dressed in olive oil and red wine vinegar and sprinkle with marcona almond halves... such a fun, deconstructed and visually striking salad. enjoy assembling the perfect bite with every forkful!

herbed cauliflower 'cous cous'

can you even tell which one is whole wheat cous cous and which is made of cauliflower? not only is recipe simple and nutritious, it is grain free yet just as satisfying as semolina cous cous.

take an entire head of cauliflower, wash and remove all of the stems (don't waste the stems they are tasty on salads or dipped into hummus!) finely chop the florets or use a food processor to pulse the florets until they are the same size as cous cous. mix with fresh herbs, a drizzle of olive oil or melted butter, salt, pepper and a crushed clove of garlic. add spice if you like with some aleppo or red chili flakes!

'loubya' - moroccan baked beans

*adapted from mourad's recipe

2 cups dried beens, soaked and cooked

or 3 x 14oz cans of beans (mourad called for corona, butter or cannellini beans, i added azuki)

2 cups canned crushed tomatoes with their juices, preferably san marzano

1/2 cup tomato paste

1/2 cup parsley, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon brown sugar (or honey)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

2 teaspoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons sweet paprika

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon oregano

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/8 teaspoon hot cayenne (or more to taste)

1 onion, diced

1 tablespoon grapeseed or canola oil

1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

precook your beans, or drain and rinse 3 cans of beans. preheat oven to 400 degrees. saute onions in oil for about 10 minutes until lightly brown, then add the vinegar to the pan to help deglaze. in a separate dish, combine tomatoes and paste with herbs, sugar, garlic and spices. add the onion mixture and then fold in the beans. transfer to a heavy, oven proof pot such as a dutch oven or crock pot and cover with a lid. if your pot is wide, cover the beans with a piece of parchment paper fit to the size of your pot and brush the top of the paper with water so that the edges do not curl up when you bake - this will prevent the beans from drying out. my crock pot has a small opening, so i didn't bother with the paper. bake for 30 minutes to an hour until bubbling. let sit on the counter for at least an hour to let the flavors meld. this dish would be fantastic to make a day in advance.

serve the loubya at room temp or chilled. or reheat it in smaller ramekins with crumbled feta cheese (sheep or goat feta is best!) and a sprinkling of za'atar. *or....mourad makes this with bread crumbs, mixed with olive oil and oregano as a crumbly topping with the feta.

polenta pizza tart

since the new year, i've been trying to incorporate various grains more into my diet with the aim of becoming less reliant on wheat and processed flour. so much of my previous diet consisted of wheat products, it was rather shocking when i actually stopped to take note of how much wheat i consumed in a week! and while i do not have celiacs, i know that my body prefers a more varied diet. not necessarily wheat-free or gluten free. it just craves more variety of grains (i.e. more variety in nutrients as well)! not only does this provide me with a fun challenge to use up all the random bulk goods that have collected in my cupboards, but it also inspires me to be more creative and experimental with my cooking and baking! especially when as someone who prefers all things home-made! so for example, purchasing a highly processed gluten-free pizza crust would not suffice. rather, i drew inspiration from a delicious savory veggie tart baked in a polenta crust i had at the phinney market pub & eatery... and ta-da! polenta pizza. genius.

from the beginning - home-made pizza sauce!

1 can (14oz) crushed tomatoes (i used fire roasted, unsalted)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

6 cloves roasted garlic

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

black pepper

*for smoother sauce, combing all ingredients in a blender before simmering. otherwise, if you like chunky sauce combine in a saucepan and simmer for 20-30 minutes. let sit for an hour or more off of the heat to combine flavors (great also to do a day in advance). note: you will have left over sauce, which you might enjoy having to dip bits of crust into.

the polenta crust:

1 cup course corn meal, polenta

2 3/4 cups water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup grated asiago or parmesan cheese

1/4 teaspoon red chili flakes

black pepper

olive oil

boil water with salt, reduce to simmer as you slowly add the corn meal to the pot. stir constantly for about 30 seconds. cover with lid and let simmer for 10 minutes, stirring every minute or so to keep the bottom from burning. remove from heat and stir in the egg, cheese and chili/pepper. let sit off of the heat, covered for another 10 minutes. then, grease a pie or tart pan with olive oil and pour the polenta into the pan. spread evenly with the back of a spoon and use your fingers to form a crust. *use a bowl of cold water to keep your fingers or spoon moist so that the polenta doesn't stick to you/spoon. bake in over at 375 for 15 minutes. this crust can be stored a day or so before using, or throw in your pizza toppings immediately and pop it back into the oven!

to assemble your polenta pizza, simply spoon a cup of pizza sauce onto the pre-cooked crust. the sauce should be a thin layer, otherwise the polenta will become too soft and crumble when served. top with any of your favorite pizza toppings. i might suggest, cured olives, pickled peppers, smoked mozzarella, asiago, roasted garlic and mushrooms. bake for 15-20 minutes, or until cheese is nicely melted and the crust looks crisp. serve with a drizzle of olive oil, a spoonful of ricotta cheese and a sprinkling of oregano and chili flakes.