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Ingredients

• 2 cups fresh basil leaves
• 1/4 cup parmesan (or substitute Beehive Cheese shredded blend)
• 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• fresh ground pepper
• salt
• ~
• 1 bunch asparagus - cut into 1" pieces
• 1 cup fresh spring peas
• 1 cup thinly sliced leeks
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• ~
• 1 lb orecchiette pasta (farfalle, penne, etc. are perfect substitutes)
• dry white wine (optional)
• lemon juice
• salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions

1. Make a simple pesto by processing basil, garlic, olive oil, and pine nuts in a food processor until coarsely chopped. Add cheese and pulse until desired consistency is reached. Salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
2. In a large dutch oven or wide stock pot, heat 2 tablespoons of oil. Add asparagus, peas, and leeks. Cook until crisp and tender - approximately 4-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for approximately 1 more minute. Move vegetables to plate and set aside. Lightly wipe out pot.
3. In the same dutch oven or pot, cook your pasta per the package instructions until al dente (typically 7-10 minutes). For an extra layer of flavor, you can substitute dry white wine for 25-40% of the total cooking liquid. Strain the pasta, reserving 1 cup of the cooking liquid.
4. Gently mix cooked vegetables into the pasta. Fold in pesto as desired.  Add up to 1 cup of the reserved pasta water to make final dish as saucy as desired. Finish with a light splash of lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.

Between some Irish heritage and being born on St. Patrick's Day, I've always had an affinity for Irish culture. And of course, Irish cuisine!

The absolute best way to enjoy Irish fish and chips is to visit The Emerald Isle in person - no recipe can replace the added experience of the salty sea air and green rolling hills. But if you must celebrate our favorite March holiday away from Ireland, we're sharing this excellent recipe which is easy to make at home. Or, you can also enjoy these as part of an Irish themed dinner at our private dining experience at Kimball Terrace on the 19th and 20th of this month.

Eat well. And Éirinn go Brách!

-Ryan

To achieve the right doneness and the right crisp, the potatoes need to be cooked twice - once at a lower temperature for a longer period, and then again at a higher temp for a shorter period. This can be accomplished several ways, but perhaps the easiest - especially on shorter notice, is to use a single fry pot and run your cooking in three stages. First, fry the potatoes for the first time while the oil is coming up to temp. Second, once the oil is hot, batter and fry your fish. Third, fry the potatoes for the second and final time.  

Ingredients

• 3 pounds of potatoes (Yukon golds or Russets both work well), cut into 1/4 - 1/2 inch plank fries
• 3-4 quarts (depending on your fry pot) frying oil (we prefer peanut oil or standard vegetable oil over canola oil)
• 1 1/2 pounds of cod (or other thick fillet white fish like haddock), cut into ~3-4 oz pieces
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 cup cornstarch
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
• kosher salt
• 12 ounces cold beer (we recommend a light bodied lager or pale ale, but many beers, including non-alcoholic beers work well - just try to avoid the dark stouts and ales, as well as very hoppy beers and IPAs)

Directions

1. When you're ready to begin cooking, pat fish fillets dry with paper towels and season lightly with salt and black pepper. Hold uncovered in refrigerator until ready to batter and fry.
2. Whisk the 1 1/2 cups flour, cornstarch, baking powder, paprika, and cayenne together in a medium bowl. Set aside.
3. Prepare 2 baking sheets with cooling racks to hold your fish and chips after they cook.
4. Combine potatoes and oil in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot. Cook over high heat, until oil has reached a boil (5-7 minutes). Continue to cook, stirring only occasionally and gently, until potatoes are limp and only just beginning to brown (15-20 minutes). Using a skimmer or mesh basket, remove potatoes from oil and transfer to one of your prepared baking sheets with rack.
5. Heat the oil to 375 F. While it is heating, transfer 2/3 cup of the flour mixture to a baking sheet or large plate. Add the cold beer to the remaining mixture and stir until smooth.
6. Dredge the fresh fillets in the dry flour mixture until well coated on all sides. Using tongs, dip the fillets into the batter, ensuring the batter coats all sides. Allow any excess batter to run off and return to the dry mix plate again.
7. Once the oil is at 375 F, add battered fish to oil. Fry, turning each fillet occasionally, until the batter coating is golden brown - about 6-8 minutes. Transfer fried fish to your second baking sheet with rack to drain. If it's necessary to fry your fillets in multiple batches, make sure the oil returns to 375 before you start a second batch.
8. After all fish fillets are fried, allow the oil to return to 375. Add the fries and cook for the final time until golden brown and nicely crispy on the exterior - about 3-5 minutes. Return fries to sheet with rack and season with salt to taste.
9. Enjoy fish and chips immediately while hot. Serve with tartar sauce and/or malt vinegar.

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/8 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 1 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 3/4 cup whole milk
• 2 tablespoons orange liqueur (can substitute orange and/or lemon juice)
• additional olive oil and sugar

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Grease a 9-10" spring form pan with olive oil, add parchment to the bottom, grease parchment and lightly dust with sugar. Tap out any excess.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
4. Using your mixer with a whisk attachment, whip eggs at medium speed until light and foamy - about 1-2 minutes. Add sugar and lemon zest, increase speed to high and whip until the mixture is pale yellow, very light, and falls off whisk in a slow ribbon - about 3-5 minutes.
5. Reduce mixer speed back to medium. While running, slowly pour in the olive oil in a steady stream. Mix until incorporated and thickened - about 1 minute.
6. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Add approximately half of the dry ingredients and mix just until incorporated. Scrape down the bowl as needed. Add the milk and orange liqueur, and mix until incorporated. Add the second half of dry ingredients and mix just until combined.
7. Pour into prepared pan, smooth top, and lightly sprinkly the top of the batter with sugar.
8. Place pan in the oven on a middle rack, close, and immediately reduce oven to 350 F.
9. Bake until top is nicely golden brown, center is firm, and a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with only crumbs - approximately 30 - 40 minutes.
10. Transfer pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan for 10 - 15 minutes.
11. Remove the cake from the pan, using a paring knife to loosen from the edges as needed. Discard the parchment, and allow cake to continue to cook on a wire rack until completely cool - approximately 1-2 hours.
12. Serve with fresh fruit, zabaglione, custard, etc. as desired.

"Wow. These are delicious. And all this time, I thought I hated Brussels sprouts!"

Yeah, we hear that a lot.  

Ingredients:

• 1 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
• 1 large shallot, thinly sliced
• 1 cup cooked bacon, diced
• 1 cup pure maple syrup
• 1/2 cup cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• sea salt
• fresh ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan combine syrup, vinegar, and sugar. Bring to simmer and cook for 1-3 minutes until sugar is fully dissolved and mixture is not grainy. Set aside.
2. Heat approximately 2" of fat (peanut and/or canola work well or try beef tallow for a real treat) in a large Dutch oven or other heavy pot on your stove to 375 degrees.
3. Add Brussels sprouts to the hot oil and immediately cover. The sprouts have a lot of moisture and will splatter intensely during the early cooking stage.
4. Fry Brussels sprouts until they reach a dark golden brown - about 6 minutes, adding the shallots about half way through the cook time. You may need to work in 2-3 batches depending on the size of your pot.
5. Using an oil skimmer, slotted spoon, or wire basket, remove Brussels sprouts and shallots from the fryer and move to a cooling rack to drain. Lightly blot with paper towels.
6. In a large bowl gently toss the sprouts and shallots together with the glaze and diced bacon.
7. Lightly season with sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. You can add or substitute red pepper flakes, cayenne, sesame seeds, green onions, etc. as desired.

Alternative preparation:

If you have no way to safely avoid the splattering of the cold sprouts when they hit the hot oil, you can try this optional cooking method.

1. Combine the cold sprouts and cold fat together in your Dutch oven or heavy pot.
2. Move to the stove and heat over high heat.
3. Cook the sprouts until dark golden brown - about 20-25 minutes. Stir occasionally during cooking, but take care not to over agitate which will cause the leaves to separate.

Enjoy!

1/1/21 & 1/2/21

1/8/21 & 1/9/21

1/15/21 & 1/16/21

1/22/21 & 1/23/21

1/29/21 & 1/30/21