Recipes

KNR, p. 70 “Irish Peasant Soup”

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During our last trip to Ireland, Sheila and I had lunch in many different restaurants, in both big cities and small villages throughout the country. We were surprised to see that there were two comfort foods common to every mid-day menu: Brown Bread and Irish Peasant Soup. While I’m traveling, if I find something I like to eat, I tend to stick with it, just to be on the safe side. Sheila says I should be more adventurous, but IMO, odd sauces can cover up a LOT of mystery meat.

Having said that, we discovered that each of the places had different recipes for the soup. Sheila came up with this combination of vegetables after striking up a friendship with a chatty cook who revealed that the soups are basically created using whatever is fresh from the garden that week.

Irish Peasant Soup

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Course Soup
Cuisine Irish
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 stalks celery (no leaves) diced into 1/4 inch cubes
  • 2 quarts chicken broth (organic, low sodium)
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1 3/4 cups baby carrots, sliced
  • 1 cup parsnips, peeled and sliced
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 Tablespoon fine sea salt
  • 2 cups coarsely chopped kale

Instructions
 

  • Saute diced celery in olive oil until translucent (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.  Add 1/4 cup of chicken broth if needed to keep from sticking.  
  • Add powdered garlic and onion powder. Stir.
  • Add sliced carrots, sliced parsnips, minced garlic and salt. Add 1 cup more chicken broth, stir, cover and bring to low boil, cooking until parsnips fork tender (about 20 minutes). Stir occasionally.
  • After parsnips are fork tender, add the kale and the remaining chicken broth, cover and continue on simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring every ten minutes.
  • Remove soup from pot a little at a time and puree in blender or food processor until desired consistency, setting aside until entire contents are pureed. Return puree to pot and lightly season with salt, etc. to taste.
  • Reheat before serving.

Notes

Note: If making ahead, this soup gets a little saltier in the refrigerator by the next day.

 

It’s easy to substitute other veggies if parsnips or kale are out of season or unavailable. Keep the seasoning, liquids, and measurements the same. The basic recipe is quite versatile. Promise: nobody will die if you switch out collard greens for the kale.  😉

Enjoy!

 

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KNR, p. 317 “Blackberry Cobbler”

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Everybody in Sheila’s family raved about her grandmother’s cobbler recipe. Grandma never gave up the secret, but did admit it was sooooo easy to make. However, easy to bake doesn’t mean easy to recreate. Sheila tried to duplicate the taste for many years, serving variations to anyone willing to take a chance on yet another attempt. Dessert lovers all, Sheila rarely heard a ‘no,’ whether similar in taste or not. 

BUT, this past week, an historical light clicked on in her brain and she worked on the premise of using ingredients that grandma had available to her at the time. This includes fresh blackberries from her own blackberry patch, and whole milk, because Grandma had cows. Sheila remembered seeing condensed milk in Grandma’s kitchen and asked why. Grandma just smiled and changed the subject, but its use makes a huge difference in flavor.

Sheila’s brother was visiting, tried it with creamy ice cream, whooped between bites, and declared, “She nailed it!”

For your consideration, really easy Blackberry Cobbler:

Blackberry Cobbler

Sheila Kerrian & Grandma
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 40 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Ingredients
  

  • 1 & 1/4 cups self-rising flour
  • 14 ounces sweetened condensed milk
  • 1/2 cup milk
  • 6 Tablespoons melted butter
  • 6-8 ounces fresh blackberries, 1/2 cup reserved for garnish
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar

Instructions
 

  • Pre-heat oven to 325 and grease 13” x 9” baking dish.
  • Place flour, condensed milk, plain milk, and melted butter into large bowl. Mix with large spoon or whisk until blended. Pour into the greased baking dish.
  • Slice blackberries in half, lengthwise. Spread blackberries evenly across top of batter, flat side down, saving a few for garnish.
  • Sprinkle the brown sugar evenly on top of the blackberries.
  • Bake in oven for 35-40 minutes until light golden brown and toothpick inserted into center comes out clean.
  • Let cool on rack for 10 minutes.
  • Serve with ice cream or whipped cream and a few blackberries. (Whipped cream with vanilla flavoring is shown in the top photo)

Notes

 
 
The cobbler can also be baked in a liberally buttered, oven-proof stoneware pie dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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KNR, p. 313 “Apple Pie with Pecan Crumble Topping”

It’s Autumn and with the cooler temperatures in the Northern Hemisphere, also comes an abundance of apples at the grocery and farmer’s markets. Our family is evenly divided between pumpkin and apple pies at Thanksgiving, so we make both.

We have tried several versions of apple pie, but when we tasted one with pecan crumbles on top, we had to recreate it for the holidays. It doesn’t hurt that many schools/churches use pecans as featured items in their Fall Fundraisers, so we always have a healthy supply on hand. Sheila outdid herself with this one, using three kinds of apples for a great flavor. But then, I always show up for pie.  🙂

 

Apple Pie with Pecan Crumble Topping

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 50 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 12" fry pan

Ingredients
  

Topping Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup mashed/rough chopped pecans
  • 1/2 cup all purpose unbleached flour
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 3 Tablespoons softened butter

Filling Ingredients

  • 6 large apples,mixed varieties, about 6 cups sliced apples
  • 2 Tablespoons unbleached flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1/2 cup unsweetened apple juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions
 

Pie Crust Prep

  • Pre-heat oven to 375. Pre-bake favorite single pie crust on middle oven rack, 10-15minutes (until light golden brown). Remove from oven and place on cooling rack.

Topping Prep

  • Place pecans in plastic bag, seal it, and smash the bag with the back of a spoon until the pecans are in small bits.
  • Using a fork, combine all dry topping ingredients in medium sized bowl.
  • Add softened butter and combine, using the fork to mix and create pea-sized crumbles. Refrigerate until needed.

Filling Prep

  • Peel, core, and slice apples. Place in a large bowl and toss with the flour and sea salt.
  • Using non-stick 12” fry pan, stir together apple juice, cinnamon, brown sugar, and vanilla until heated through – about 5 minutes on low heat, stirring occasionally.
  • Add the sliced apples to the fry pan, cover and heat on medium low until crisp tender to taste, for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  • Remove 1 cup of cooked apples from the pan, smash into chunks, then return to pan and toss together until completely mixed. Heat for additional 5 minutes.
  • Place entire batch of cooked apples into the pre-baked pie crust, leveling with a spoon.
  • Spread the pecan crumble on top of the apples two Tablespoons at a time until apples are completely covered to the edges.
  • Place on middle rack of oven at 375 and bake about 30 minutes, protecting the crust from burning with crust covers if needed. Pie is done when crust is golden brown and filling begins to bubble.
  • Place on cooling rack to ‘set’ for 30 minutes.
  • Serve with ice cream and enjoy.

Notes

Time indicated does NOT include making the pie crust from scratch.

 

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