I am feeling a little crabby today

No matter how hard I try I have feck-all say in what goes on around here when it comes to making dinner. Them be the blows when you marry a chef. It is not that he does not eat whatever I put in-front of him, because he does, it is just the fact that no matter what I plan on making he comes up with something better. 

With barely two weeks of college left and four long months of summer waiting in the wings, I kind of want to step it up a notch in the kitchen. I'd love to get a few raised eyebrows or looks of disbelief when declaring the dining decisions, and of course then hope to hell that I can pull it off.

How can I boldly go forward? Let me share you my secret ingredient! I have all his recipes. This being one of the (many) perks of marrying a chef!

Because he arrived home last night with some live crab that he just had-to-have I figured it was time to dig out the recipe of a dish we used to make (sparingly) for our customers at our restaurant back in Cincinnati, Ohio. We never had it on the menu because many of our employees were seriously addicted to it and we worried for their health. Be forewarned this is not for the faint of heart and should still go on your list of things-to-eat-before-you-die.

CRAB SPINACH ARTICHOKE DIP: 

Whatcha need:                                       

Cream cheese                                  1 lbs.

Heavy cream                                   1 ½   cups

Marinated artichokes, chopped       ½ cup (more if you like 'em)

Spinach, raw, chopped                    1 ½ cups (more if you like spinach)

Crab meat                                       ½ lbs

Onion                                              1 (small)

Paprika                                           1 tsp.

Howtamakeit:

•       In mixer, blend cream cheese with heavy cream for 5 – 10      minutes on speed #1
•       Add artichokes, onion, spinach, and crab meat to mixer
•       Add paprika and continue mixing until incorporated
•       Pour into individual soufflé dishes and bake until it starts to  brown lightly on top.

                     (195 celcius/385 farenheit for 15 mins)

Easy peasy to make and totally delicious!

Serve as a snack or appetizer for your next party or have it for a nice light (ha ha ha) dinner!

  

What to do with the rest of the leftover crab meat? 

Hmmmmm, maybe crab-cakes tomorrow!

Those are all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

New Year's here - What is in your fridge?

Most people vow to run off those extra pounds found floating around at Christmas time. Some attempt to join a gym and engage in a totally new and healthier lifestyle, and some even go to the extreme of giving up the 'drink' as they say around here or try to stay away from the 'sweets' for a while if they feel like they have over indulged.

That does not happen here in the Wise household. This year, the decision was made that there was just not enough cheese in our life (or diet) therefore the quest began.

I am declaring that Cheese will be made in our kitchen this year! This is on his behalf of my handsome Chef of course, because he is still convinced that the internet is a 'passing phase' and soon enough y'all will return to writing letters or heaven forbid using the phone to actually 'talk' to someone -

Last year, if you recall  he was hell bent on building a Cob bread/pizza oven and by August we were dining al fresco (in the rain) with our yummy scrummy pizza. Methinks the cheese may take a little longer, depending on the style of cheese he chooses to make. But hey, only time will tell!

So with such an ambitious husband to wrangle with, where does a girl start? Lucky me - right here at home!

Although baking his heart out every day at Morton's of Galway (http://www.mortonsofgalway.ie/) Ron occasionally slinks off downstairs to do a little perusing around the store. Think a tiny 'Dean and DeLucas' style shop. Small amounts of everything fabulous that you can consume including some amazing wines!

Ron had oodles of time off over Christmas and as he was working up to his Cheese promise he consulted his cheese bible The Cheese Primer by Steve Jenkins http://www.amazon.com/Cheese-Primer-Steven-Jenkins/dp/0894807625#reader_0894807625

In order to know what kind of cheese a Chef wants to make, then a Chef must eat more cheese! So after a little bit of reading and almost no arm twisting from his boss he arrived home with a few cuts of cheese to tease the tastebuds.

The first (pictured above) is called Langres. A French cow's milk, washed rind (means you can eat it) cheese. It is made in the Champagne region of France and near the end of the cheese making process they actually pour some Champagne over the top of it allowing it to puddle in the center. Needless to say it would pair well with a little bubbly - but there are few words to describe this one. TO DIE FOR. Allow it to rest for a while coming to room temperature. Do not be scared by the orange rind or goopy middle. When you see the lovely white moist cheese inside, you will know what fantastic cheese is all about!  Look for it, buy it, lick your fingers clean DELICIOUS!

                                  

            

Next on the chopping block was one of my old favourites. The semi soft Talleggio from northern Italy, also with a washed rind.  This can give an unfriendly pong when unwrapped but like its French friend above, leave and allow to breathe for a few hours and once it comes to room temperature it really 'tastes like buttah'. For real. This will be one of your favourites for the rest of your life once you try it.

                                           

Next up, a little Irish Goat Button. and that is about the long and short of it. Ron's boss (Eric Morton) sent this one home with him and told him it was great. It was, and we still have no idea where it came from! It was almost crumbly chalky dry to look at and as moist and mysterious as it gets when consumed. We had a wee bit of cranberry sauce left over from Christmas that we topped ontop of this one and it kind of was 'dessert'!

                                         

Wrapping things up and serving with a nice big Ravenswood Zin we dove right into the old reliable Cashel Blue. I know this is not to a lot of peoples taste and 'whatever' - your loss. Made in Tipperary, Ireland (only since the early 1980's) this BLUE is fairly new in the worlds of great cheese. Allowing it to sit around for a while (and not consuming it cold right from the fridge) makes this cheese more amazing every time I try it.

So there you have it folks, The Wise New Year Resoloution 'of sort'. More cheese later this week as we get together with my baby brother and his bride for some nibbles and honeymoon stories on Friday!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Wise Food Alert!

Moroccan Chicken to die for!

I tried my hand at this style of chicken dish the other day. Our friend Laurien had given us a lovely little supply of Saffron so we wanted to utilise it to the best of our ability. My handsome Chef did not have a recipe at his fingertips and told me to 'wing it'! So, here is exactly what I did and to my credit (I am sooooo humble) it really was one of my finest creations! He is soooooo proud of me!




A word of caution - when handling raw chicken please please please make sure to wash your hands and work space thoroughly even if you have kids hanging off your apron strings! (had to put that in there to keep the Chef happy!).

Ingredients

1 tsp Paprika, Cumin, Cinnamon, Cayenne, Coriander & Saffron.
2 teaspoons Fresh ginger (grated)
2 tablespoons Honey
Grated zest of one lemon
Juice of one lemon
Olive oil,
Salt & Pepper
Carrots (4 medium)
Onions (2 medium)
Garlic (at least one bulb - yes the whole bulb, not one teeny little clove)

Cilantro (a bunch)

Chicken Stock (2 cups)

Crushed tomatoes (1 can)

Mixed beans (2 cans)

Kalamata Olives (as many as you like - pitted)

Whole Chicken (any size you like) I decided to use my favourite pot/dutch oven because I can prepare everything then just walk away for an hour while it cooks!

Start by preparing all your vegetables (peel onions/garlic,carrots etc.) Rub the chicken down with salt/pepper and throw some of the garlic cloves and lemon zest and freshly grated ginger into the cavity.

Place the raw chicken into the pot and throw in the onions, carrots and garlic. Pour in olive oil and rub into the chicken.

Get all your dried spices and start sprinkling it all over the bird. I mixed all mine into one bowl and sifted it over the bird so it looked a little dusty but well covered.

Put the chicken into a really hot oven for 20 mins. until it has started to turn nice and brown.

Pull it out then pour in the beans, the chicken stock and the can of tomatoes. It is OK if the tomatoes smother the chicken. Place the lid on the pot and put it back in to oven at 180 C for 45 mins (this depends on the size of the chicken).

Go off and have a lovely glass of crisp white wine - our favourite 'house' wine after 15 years is still the Fiano di Avellino. Just unbelievably fantastic, year, after year, after year.

After the time has elapsed and you are half way through the bottle of wine, take the dish out and give it a good mix! Add in the olives, drizzle the honey over the top and a knob of butter would not hurt for finishing touches!

Let it cook a few more minutes (if you think it needs it) and then take it out of the oven and let it rest for ten minutes while you heat a loaf of crusty bread, whip up some salad and oven another bottle of wine!

Seriously, it looks this good, and it tastes way better! The beans give it plenty of 'filling' so you will not be hungry for a week!

Happy dining fellow food lovers,

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Wise Food Alert!

Blueberry Bliss!


Folks around here do not make Blueberry Pie like they do back in the good ole USA, and as it is one of my darlings very favourite desserts ever (besides Pecan Pie, Cherry Pie, Ice cream, Fudge, etc.) I decided that it was high time I made an effort to make this tasty treat!

Please keep in mind that whilst I really have developed a serious love for cooking, a baker I am not and have no love for baking either! However, knowing that my handsome hubby, a few of my siblings and my dearest darling Mum would be chomping at the bit for a nibble of whatever I threw at them, encouraged me to give it a whirl!





Ireland does not have great conditions (too much rain, lots of boggy marsh land, not enough sun) for blueberry growing so most of them come from Spain and Holland. However, we have a similar berry here called a Billberry, which is almost identical expect much much smaller and they grow wild on the heather bushes in some local bogs around here.

Armed with a recipe given to us by some very good American friends of ours I tried my hand at this task and got rave reviews from all, including a very happy Chef!


WiseBluePie

1 cup sugar (unrefined brown)
3 tablespoons of cornstarch/cornflour
1/8 teaspoon of salt
1/4 cup of water
5 or 6 cups of blueberries
1 sweet apple (peeled)
1 tablespoon of butter
1/2 lemon (juiced)

1 nine (9) inch shortbread pie crust (blind baked)

Get a decent size pot and mix together the sugar, salt and cornflour. Add the water and 3 cups of blueberries. Chop the apple into small pieces and add to the mixture. Keep stirring all the time and make sure this does not burn. Once the mixture has come to a boil and is clear - not cloudy, then remove from the heat and stir in butter and lemon juice. Set aside to cool. Although tempting it is not advisable to taste the goopy mixture at this time as it is very very hot and you will most likely burn your mouth. Trust me, it tastes great!

Once cooled spread the pie mixture into the pre baked pie crust then add a layer of the remaining blueberries, finishing with a layer of the pie mixture.

Leave the pie in a cool place to set for a while (fridge is fine too) then enjoy with some whipped cream and a nice cup of tea!

Probably the nicest pie you will every have!


That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

It is that time of year!

Almost every single person that I know has a grrrrrrreat coleslaw recipe. This recipe is for those of you that don't! I cannot call it gourmet at all - it is just good!

Many many (many) years ago, shortly after I landed my talons in my handsome Chef, we went to visit an Uncle of mine north of Cincinnati, Ohio. We were given a lovely tour of his cattle farm and shown several of his gorgeous antique cars and trucks, then retired to his very comfy home for a BBQ that his Wife had slaved over all afternoon.




She had made a coleslaw that the Chef and I really loved and was kind enough to share the details with us that evening. Over the years, we have made this (quite possibly more than a thousand times) and God only knows what the original recipe was - but this is how we make it today and the result is finger licking good!

Wise Sesame Coleslaw

1 head of white cabbage
1 can of mandarin oranges
4 green onions
1 carrot
2 ounces peanuts (toasted -hazelnuts or macadamia's OK)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds (toasted)
1 tablespoon sunflower seeds (toasted)
2 packages chicken flavour ramen noodles (instant noodles)
A little bit of butter
Mayonnaise (you decide the amount)

It is fairly simple from here.

Shred cabbage, carrot and thinly slice green onion. Toast all nuts and seeds.
Take flavour packets out of ramen noodles and mix into mayonnaise. This is your dressing so
be as liberal or sparing as you like. (Just taste is as you make it).

Smash up the ramen noodles a little and pan fry them in the butter until they look a little
brown, then let them cool. Drain the mandarin oranges then add all ingredients together right before you serve the coleslaw saving a few of the seeds to sprinkle on top!

Obviously if you make your own mayonnaise this will take on a whole new identity - and if you want to give it a little zip, I would suggest adding a teaspoon of Franks Red Hot Sauce to the mayonnaise. In addition to this - we usually add a grilled chicken breast for a fast and tasty summer dinner!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!
Happy Summer!

WiseMóna

Irish Aioli!

The smells of all things lovely growing in our garden is getting out of hand! Due to all this lovely rain we have been getting everything is just flourishing! The garlic that none of us remember planting before Christmas when preparing the vegetable beds has come through in bunches and is oh, so divine!

When I was at the market on Saturday, I could not resist the temptation of buying an enormous bunch of this tasty treat as it is one of our favourite spring snacks! This afternoon, myself and the children roasted (slightly) several of the entire bulbs with a drizzle of olive oil, some black pepper and salt sprinkled on top.

Normally, I would allow the garlic to roast and get really soft and spreadable, but with fresh spring garlic, I usually only allow it to cook in a fairly hot oven for just 15 mins. or less. The garlic cloves remain a little firm, and seriously explode with flavour when you pop them in your mouth!

When my handsome Chef kissed me goodbye this morning on his way to work he requested that I make an Aioli sauce with some of this lovely garlic. 'Sure thang honey and have a nice day!' In the words that only both my sisters will understand and appreciate - WTF???

I have made aioli before. I get a jar of Hellman's, I add raw garlic.

Viola - Aioli!

However, this time around, the Chef had a better idea and mentioned this as he handed me his current food bible Honey from a Weed by Patience Gray. OK, I will say this is also one of my favourite books too so I humoured him!

With lovely fresh eggs still warm from the nest this morning on standby, I began the arduous task of 'mayo making' only to find out it was rather easy and tasty to boot!

So, be brave, try it!

All you need is:

2 lovely egg yolks

Sea salt to taste

2 entire bulbs of roasted (spring) garlic

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

Lemon juice (or red wine vinegar - your choice)

Put garlic and salt into mortar and pestle bowl and muddle into paste. Add a drop or 2 of water if you feel the need. Add in the egg yolks and keep muddling. Slowly and carefully drip by drip add in the olive oil. This takes time, and patience (esp. if your olive oil pourer is aged 5 going on 17 and more interested in the portabello mushroom fries that will be accompanying said sauce). As you can see from the color below - it was almost orange in color.

Really rich and lovely and surprise surprise, I added a drop of Franks Red Hot Sauce.

Oh, Yes - it was finger licking good.

There you have it! Make your own Aioli. It is so inexpensive and really so much tastier than Hellman's mayo!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Rice Pudding for Jack!

My little man has become quite the connoisseur of food - I am sure this comes as no surprise to many of you, considering he is being led down the path of fine foods by his excellent palated older Sister, and food lover parents. One of his very favourite things in the whole world, is sticky rice pudding. We had a rotten rainy day today (still had quite a bit of sunshine too) and when he came home from school he started begging for his favourite treat. So, of course, being the indulgent mother that I am, I caved in fast and he and I made a yummy batch!

What you need:

· 3 1/2 cups skim milk
· 1 cinnamon stick (use a big one from your local Mexican/Brazilian market)
· 1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise, seeds scraped out
· 1 teaspoon salt
· 1 1/4 cups uncooked jasmine rice, rinsed and drained
· 3/4 cup sugar (I use unrefined brown)
· 1 1/4 cups heavy whipping cream
· 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest

How to make it:

In a large saucepan, combine milk, cinnamon, vanilla seeds and pod and salt. Bring to a boil on medium heat. Add rice, return to a boil, stirring so that the rice does not stick. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until all liquid has been absorbed by the rice and rice is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Do not let mixture brown or burn. (If this happens - throw it out to the cat or dog - can't save burnt milk).

Remove rice from heat and immediately stir in sugar until dissolved. Mix in some whipped cream and lemon zest into cooled rice pudding. Yummy yum!

Now, one would think that would be enough to keep a Chef happy as an offering for dessert, but of course he had a better idea!

He takes the cold rice pudding and makes little rice balls out of them, rolling them in toasted coconut flakes (that all of you have laying around your pantry) then he does the unthinkable!

He deep fries them! Aaaaaaagh. This man is addicted to the fryer. However, after I finished ranting and raving I did taste a bite of this tempting dessert. He drizzled a little bit of freshly whipped cream and a blackberry honey we got at the market last week and yes, I have to admit, it tasted divine. That is what you get for making dessert around here - someone else showing up and stealing your idea and making something quite ordinary into something oh - so - NOT ordinary!

That is all the WiseWords I have for today!

WiseMóna

Here comes Friday - Wise Comfort Food Alert

It is not often the Chef parts with recipes but this week the brother of one of our former employees (and dear friend) asked for a few of the old Rondos Recipes. Whilst digging through the files I came across this one and let me tell you if you have not tried it - you will soon become a huge fan! This recipe is for a large yield so whittle it down if you are not feeding 10 pp :-)

Steve - this ones for you dear - Happy Friday!

TASSO MAC & CHEESE: (Large Yield)

Ingredients:

Onion, diced 2 cups
Tasso ham, small dice 3 cups
Cream cheese 3 cups
Cheddar, shredded 2 cups
Milk 4 cups
Eggs 2 each
Roasted garlic, fine chop ½ cups
Penne pasta, al dente 2 ½ lb. cooked
Breadcrumbs ½ cups
Butter ¼ cups
S & P Pinch
Cayenne Pepper Pinch

Procedure:

1) Sauté onion and tasso ham
2) Add Cayenne Pepper (remember Tasso ham is spicy)
3) Thicken w/ milk and cheeses
4) Finish w/ eggs and noodles
5) Top w/ breadcrumbs
6) Bake until golden brown

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

OH - PS - WARNING!! This is not at all heart healthy or good for you and actually addictive stuff. Eat with caution!

When living in the land of potatoes, what is a girl to do?

Ron has been cooking these potatoes for a very very long time, and they remain one of my very favourite dishes. Irish people (for the most part) are still rather fond of the spuds (myself included) and I would say eat potatoes at least 4 times per week.

As I do most of the weekday cooking around here, I have to now come up with interesting ways to present dinner in order to not get that look of disdain from the Chef that says "potatoes and cabbage again???" - yes, I actually have to think about what I am making for dinner every day!!!

To start with, I used left over potatoes, but if you start from scratch - buy some little potatoes, boil them until tender. Then smash them a little bit and drop them in the fryer for a few minutes until they crisp up nicely. (Alternative to the deep fryer is to brush with olive oil and bake in a very hot oven - just as tasty and a lot healthier!) We usually just have 2 little bowls of sauce - one with Mae Ploy Sweet Chili Sauce (yum) and some sour cream. This is where I panicked, because we did not have any and believe it or not, sour cream is not easy to find in the supermarkets around here. I guess not a big demand for it. So, clever clogs here decided to make her own!

What to do??First figure out what ingredients you do have and try to wing it!
I had buttermilk and whipping cream. I mixed a cup of each and heated it up on the stove. Then I left it sitting in a warm place to ferment for the rest of the day. (you could leave it up to 2 days) or just until it is thick. (I left it in beside our open fire, so it accelerated the fermentation process (yawn, I know). Then leave it in the fridge to cool down. ( I left it outside on my kitchen windowsill because it was freezing outside and I took my chances with the neighbouring cat!).

You now have creme fraiche!! Which is NOT sour cream, BUT the Chef and little crumb catchers around here really loved it!

It keeps for about a week if you use fresh cream to start with.

Note to all aspiring cooks out there - If it doesn't thicken, you have either over-heated the cream or not heated it enough. Practice makes perfect - says she who has made it more times than she would care to mention before getting it right!

Happy eating,

That is all the WiseWords I have for today,

WiseMóna

Casu Marzu (Sardinian Maggot Cheese)

Casu what??? OK, fasten your seat belts for this one. We were just watching one of my favourite TV shows - Gordon Ramsay's " The F Word " . They do these little snippets in between the cooking demonstrations and this time it was to educate us on Sardinia's delicacy - Casu Marzu - fondly known as Sardinian Maggot Cheese. (for real).

So what the Sardinians do (and have been doing for centuries) is they take a perfectly formed wheel of Pecorino (sheeps milk cheese, dry and yummy), they cut the top off, dig out a little cheese to attract flies, then leave it for a few months to ferment. During that time, the 'cheese flies' lay their eggs and the maggots hatch. The maggots help with breaking down the fats in the cheese and promote fermentation. The cheese gets really soft and runny with a clear liquid forming in the center. The maggots are also clear about a 1/3 of an inch long and they can jump about 8 inches "in your face'' when you try to eat this delicacy!

Some people remove the maggots before spreading it on their Sardinian flatbread, and some treat this like a caviar and believe it is a powerful aphrodisiac (Pay attention Chef of mine - you would have to work a little harder than bringing rotten maggoty cheese to the boudoir with me!!!)

Here is the best part - if you open it up and the maggots are dead - they do not eat it, it is considered rotten and they throw it away!!!!!!

If it ain't good enough to keep the maggots alive, then it belongs in the rubbish!!!!!

I am sure I have disgusted enough of y'all for one night,

That is all the WiseWords I have for tonight,

WiseMóna