Parsnip Celery Root and Apple Gratin

This recipe was inspired by a dish I had at Cornucopia, one of my favorite restaurants in Dublin. The restaurant is a sheltered, warm little hideaway just off Grafton Street and out of the cold bustle of Dublin. It is always packed with a line of people waiting to eat the delicious vegetarian and often vegan menu items, which change from moment to moment throughout the day, depending on what the cooks feel like making.
It was here, when I was 18, visiting Ireland with my mom that I first realized I wanted to have a restaurant.
I made this a couple weeks ago for an Irish party I had and it was definitely the hit of the night. Since then, I've made it a couple more times- The lovely thing about it is that it's very simple.
The cheese gets nice and crispy while the apples provide a sweet balance to the astringent celery root.

I have made this gratin with potatoes instead of the celery root, but I don't think it's quite as good- and celery root is very good for you- cooling and slightly cleansing (which you need to balance out all the butter and cheese!)

If you've never cooked celery root before, don't be intimidated by it's less than attractive appearance! The hairy, gnarled monster can be easily tamed with a good sharp knife. Celery root, which is also called 'celeriac', is available all winter long, as it keeps well.












Look for ones that are free of soft brown spots. Celery root can also be eaten raw- and is typically made into a salad called remoulade- with mayonnaise. It has been eaten in Europe for centuries (it was even mentioned in Homer's Odyssey!). It has tons of Vitamin C, potassium and phosphorus. Oh, and scrub it well before using- because there is often sand and dirt hiding in the roots!

I used an aged Shannon chedder on top, but gruyere would also be delicious!

Recipe:
Serves 6-8 people

4 large Parsnips
6 crisp, tart apples like fuji
1 large, or 2 smaller celery roots
8 cloves of garlic- peeled and sliced thinly
4 tablespoons kerrygold butter cut into teaspoon-sized pieces
1 cup thinly sliced cheese- such as Dubliner, Kerry Gold, aged Chedder, or Gruyere
1 cup bread crumbs (optional)
1/4 cup chopped parsley
fresh thyme- several tablespoons chopped, plus more for garnish
salt, pepper

Begin by boiling a large pot of water. While it is heating, begin peeling the celery root- and then slicing it in 1/4 inch slices. When the water boils, add the celery root. Boil for 7-10 minutes. Meanwhile, peel the parsnips and slice them into 1/4 inch slices or rounds. Check the celery root- it should boil until just barely tender- but take it out with a slotted spoon before it's beginning to crumble- then do the same with the parsnips.
While the parsnips boil core and slice the apples.
Heat the oven to 350

With the par-boiled vegetables and the apples set aside, rub the inside of a large baking dish with a sliced clove of garlic- then butter the dish.
Layer the parsnips, celery root and apple- sprinkling garlic and parsley between the layers. When finished, top with the butter and the rest of the parsley and thyme. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and then add the rest of the garlic.

Then layer the cheese on top. You should have enough to cover it entirely, if you don't, grate more.

Then top the entire thing with the breadcrumbs.

Bake in the oven for at least an hour, or until the cheese is slightly crispy on the edges and the smells overwhelming the kitchen can no longer be resisted!

Irish Brown Bread

After frolicking around Ireland for a few weeks, I've returned with renewed inspiration for the kitchen and a desire to infuse my meals with the hearty warmth that the Irish seem to just innately possess.

You'll have to forgive me because I'm more than slightly obsessed with Ireland, and this blog will surely reflect that for at least the next few weeks.

Throughout County Kerry, which is where I spent most of my time (and where I hope to move someday), I encountered fantastic food- little organic cafes, health food stores and of course pubs. Every meal was accompanied by cider, guinness or tea, and almost every meal included potatoes and brown bread, or soda bread, a staple in the Irish diet, which is as easy as it is nutritious and wonderfully satisfying.












It is made in various ways- but always contains buttermilk and baking soda which are the leavening agents (yeast doesn't do well in damp Ireland). It is made traditionally with oatmeal or graham flour, which is courser than regular whole wheat flour because it contains the germ and the bran of the wheat.

As with any simple recipe (or any recipe at all, for that matter), the quality of the ingredients is of utmost importance- flour goes rancid easily, and organic, yellow butter will add tremendous flavor, as well as the buttermilk, which, again, should be organic and non-homogenized. Baking soda as well, only keeps for about 6 months, and one should only use the non-aluminum kind as aluminum is very toxic.

Since graham flour is hard to find outside of Ireland, you can substitute a little less than one-half cup wheat bran for one-half cup all-purpose flour as well as 2 teaspoons wheat germ (which needs to be fresh and kept refrigerated, since it spoils easily).

Since the coarseness of the flour as well as the effectiveness of the baking soda will vary, you'll need to experiment and maybe make a couple batches before you get it just right, but fortunately it's incredibly simple.

RECIPE:

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• 3/4 cup Irish, quick cooking (non instant) oatmeal
  
• 1 cup whole-wheat graham flour (or 1/2 cup white plus almost half cup bran and a little germ)
  
• 2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 tablespoons cold unsalted kerrygold butter, cut into small pieces
• 1 2/3 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

Whisk together the flours, oatmeal, salt, baking soda, and baking powder in a large bowl. With a pastry blender or your fingertips, blend in butter until it resembles small peas. Add buttermilk all at once; stir with a fork until mixture holds together.

In the bowl, pat the dough into a dome-shaped loaf about 7 inches in diameter. Lift out dough; transfer to lined sheet.

Lightly dust top of loaf with flour. Cut a 3/4-inch-deep cross in top, reaching almost all the way to edges. This symbolizes the Celtic cross, which is said to bless the bread and those who eat it.

Bake, rotating sheet halfway through, until a skewer inserted, comes out clean and it's nicely brown (about 1 hour and 20 minutes). Try to let it cool a bit before you slather it with big pats of kerrygold butter and devour it!

It freezes well and can be used later as a topping for apple crisps when sugar is added to it.

Simply delicious cheese ravioli....

I spent Christmas with my mom and my brother. It was a miraculous few days because we were almost entirely without technology; the internet, phones, even the radio were all out of commission. The result was a luxuriously simple holiday.

We made a big Indian feast on Christmas eve (to enjoy all of the chutneys I'd made), and on Christmas day we went for a big hike and then my brother, David, and I made raviolis.
It was my first time making raviolis and they were so simple and turned out deliciously!

We used a pasta maker and a little ravioli crimping tool but I'm sure you could just roll the dough out and use a fork to crip the edges. The dough is simple and the filling is as well.

For the dough:

2 cups flour, plus more for rolling
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the flour and salt on a flat work surface; shape into a mound and make a well in the center. Add the eggs and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil to the well and lightly beat with a fork. Gradually draw in the flour from the inside wall of the well in a circular motion. Use 1 hand for mixing and the other to protect the outer wall. Continue to incorporate all the flour until it forms a ball. Knead and fold the dough until elastic and smooth, this should take about 10 minutes. As our directions said: Good dough never sticks to your fingers.

Brush the surface with the remaining olive oil and wrap the dough in plastic wrap; let rest for about 30 minutes to allow the gluten to relax.

Meanwhile make the filling by combining in a bowl and mixing well:

1 cups ricotta cheese
1/2 cup crumbled chevre, at room temperature
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 egg, beaten

Dust the counter and dough with a little flour. Press the dough into a rectangle and roll it through a pasta machine, 2 or 3 times, at widest setting. Pull and stretch the sheet of dough with the palm of your hand as it emerges from the rollers. Reduce the setting and crank the dough through again, 2 or 3 times. Continue tightening until the machine is at the narrowest setting; the dough should be paper-thin, about 1/8-inch thick (you should be able to see your hand through it.). Dust the sheets of dough with flour as needed. You can also make these by rolling the dough with a rolling pin, but it's just a little trickier..

Beat 1 egg with 1 tablespoon of water to make an egg wash. Dust the counter and sheet of dough with flour, lay out the long sheet of pasta, and brush the top surface with the egg wash, which acts as a glue. Drop the filling on 1/2 of the pasta sheet, about 2-inches apart. Fold the other 1/2 over the filling like a blanket. With a ravioli press or your fingers, gently press out air pockets around each mound of filling. Use a sharp knife to cut each pillow into squares and crimp the 4 edges with a fork or the ravioli press to make a tight seal. Dust the ravioli and a sheet pan with cornmeal to prevent the pasta from sticking and lay them out to dry slightly while assembling the rest.

Cook the ravioli in plenty of boiling salted water for 4 minutes; they'll float to the top when ready, so be careful not to overcrowd the pot. Lift the ravioli from water with a large strainer or slotted spoon.

We made a simple mushroom sauce to go on top.... just sauteed mushrooms and onions, a little flour, cream, white wine....I wanted white truffle oil (as I usually do!) but there was none to be had.

Cornmeal Orange Waffles with Hazelnut Butter

Corn and citrus are a magical combination. My first introduction to this splendid pair was the Corn Lime Cookies at Los Bagels in Arcata. The crunchiness of the cornmeal and the sweet tartness of the citrus is sublime.

This is my waffle incarnation....it serves two very hungry people or 4 more moderately hungry people.

3/4 cup cornmeal
3/4 cup spelt flour (or you can use wheat)
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons rapadura sugar or brown sugar
2 large free range eggs
1 cup yogurt
3 tablespoons finely grated orange zest
3 tablespoons melted butter or coconut oil

Hazelnut Butter:

1/4 cup hazelnuts, chopped
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons maple syrup
tablespoons orange zest

First make the butter by toasting the hazelnuts in a heavy pan until lightly brown and fragrant. In a small bow mix the syrup and butter and beat with a wooden spoon until light and fluffy. Stir in the nuts. Scrape into a serving bowl. Alternatively you can heat the mixture and pour it over the waffles.

Then make the waffles....In a large bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Whisk in the eggs, yogurt and zest until well blended, then stir in the butter or oil.

Cook in a hot, greased waffle iron and serve piping hot with the butter.

Morrocan Curried Lentil Soup

This is a warming winter soup- make a big pot and keep it on the stove.....
It is delicious with a little creme fraiche on top (or yogurt or goat cheese- just anything creamy).

I used to have a philosophy that any soup was better with 3 universal toppings: avocado, goat cheese and cilantro.... So far, I have found that it works with most soups...


serves 6 or so....
2 onions, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
6 cups vegetable stock or water
2 cups red lentils
1 piece kombu
1 (14.5 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup chopped celery
2 teaspoon garam masala
2 teaspoons ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon olive oil or ghee
salt of course.... to taste
creme fraiche (optional)


Sautee the onions in large, thick bottomed pot....add the garlic after about 10 minutes or so....saute a bit longer. Add the ginger and saute a few minutes more. Before the onions or garlic start to brown, but are nicely cooked through, add the celery, carrots and continue to cook, adding more ghee or oil if necessary.

Stir in the tomatoes, stock, lentils, kombu and spices. Bring to a boil and then simmer....for about an hour or so, or until the lentils are nice and soft.....

top with chutneys or creme fraiche.... It would be delicious with a spicy glass of syrah.

Huckleberry Apple Tart

Last night I had the last of our tree's apples that I needed to use, and still a few huckleberries in the freezer from Thanksgiving. I decided to make a tart.
The crust I made with white spelt flour- and coconut oil and ghee. I added a few tablespoons of sugar to the crust as well as a 1/2 tsp or so of salt. I think the sugar in the crust made it extra crispy, which was nice.
The coconut flavor wasn't too overpowering and blended nicely with the apples. Sorry I don't have a more precise recipe- but tarts are so simple!

I just blended a cup or so of flour with the sugar and salt and then blended the coconut oil and ghee in in with my finger tips- just enough so it is well integrated- maybe 1/2 a cup of oil total. Then I sprinkled some cold water on- just maybe a tablespoon. It held loosely together in a ball- but not tight enough to roll out, so I just put it in a tart pan and patted it down. The less water you use the better the crust!

Then I just mixed the apples, and huckleberries and a few tablespoons of sugar as well and spread the mixture over the crust. I baked it at between 350 and 400 for about a half hour.

It was delicious- my roommate Annie called it a "tart orgasm" which doesn't sound the best, but I was flattered none the less...

Cumin Pecan Shortbread

My friend John and I made a version of these shortbread cookies for our teacher who was getting married last week.

Shortbread is endlessly versatile- you can experiment with many flavors- saffron, almond, cornmeal-citrus, cardamom and lavender are some of my favorites.

RECIPE:

2 tbsps cumin seeds

1 cup finely chopped pecans

1 pound unsalted butter

1 1/4 cups light brown sugar, lightly packed

4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

Preheat oven to 275°F.

Dry roast the cumin in a heavy frying pan until fragrant, then set aside.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients to form uniform dough. Divide into several balls and refrigerate for 20 minutes or so. Working one batch at a time, roll the dough out on a cutting board covered with parchment paper. Roll to about an 1/8th of an inch thickness. Cut out shapes with cookie cutters. The dough can also be rolled out in logs, then sliced into disks.

Place the cookies on baking sheets lined with parchment paper, and bake until lightly golden, about l5 minutes. Allow cookies to cool slightly, then transfer to racks to cool. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.