Beannachtaí na hÉireann do gach mo chairde!

Which translates to something like...Irish Blessings to all my friends!

I hope that each and every one of you had a fabulous day today. 

Here in New York, the weather was superb, perfect for the wonderful parade through New York City and I am certain many bar crawls! Ahhh, the wonders of Green Beer...lol!
This month marks a year that I have been blogging.
Last St. Patrick's Day I gave you a recipe for a cabbage dish that my mother loved to make. This year isn't going to be any different. We have more cabbage, this time stuffed and baked. Absolutely delicious!
I also made some fabulous Irish Soda Bread, and wasn't distracted today so they didn't burn.  You can find the recipe for the Irish Soda Bread here. Doesn't it look so yummy?

This one is not hard to make. It's easy, and pretty fast. You'll want to make this every year!

I knew that this year I wanted to make stuffed cabbage to go with our St. Patrick's Day celebration.  It's something I always loved when my mom made it, and as luck will have it, my family loves it when I make it too. I'm positive that there are a bazillion recipes for stuffed cabbage however, if you have ever had a cabbage roll that had no flavor, with no seasoning, you would be wondering what's up with that? Trust me, these rolls are packed with flavor!

I bought the largest head of cabbage I could find. I took out the core and covered the head of cabbage in a huge pot of water and brought the water to a boil with the cabbage submerged. After 10 - 15 minutes of the water boiling I started removing layers of the cabbage. Just a few at a time and let them cool off so you can handle them without getting burned.
For the stuffing you will need the following

Ground Beef - 2 pounds
1 large onion, chopped fine
5 cloves garlic, chopped fine
1 head of parsley, stems removed, and chopped fine
1/2 cup grated cheese, any cheese you want! I used Italian Grated cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 grated whole nutmeg
2 - 3 handfuls of  uncooked rice

It's very easy!  Mix everything together.
With a spoon take a nice amount of the meat mixture and put it in the cabbage leaf.

Starting at the bottom, roll up or down depending on how you like to work!

Now fold in the sides and roll up and place on a tray with the seam down.

Line the bottom of your baking pan with cabbage leaves. Place the stuffed cabbage rolls on top.
Cover the cabbage rolls with crushed tomatoes. I made 20 large cabbage rolls, and used 2 large cans of crushed tomatoes and then added 2 cans of water.

At this time you can also add 1/2 cup of vinegar. I used red wine because it's what I had handy. It really makes the taste and flavors pop!
Cover the rolls with more cabbage leaves.

Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 375 degree  oven for an hour. Uncover and let the cabbage rolls cook for an additional 1/2 hour.

The tomatoes cook nicely and the top layers of cabbage protect the rolls from getting dried out.
If you have the time, let the pan rest for 20 minutes before serving.The cabbage will be tender and the rice will be cooked perfectly without being over done.

I like to serve the roll on top of one of the baked leaves.  These are so delicious and satisfying that they could be served on their own!

There are 4 things you must never do: lie, steal, cheat, or drink.
But if you must lie, lie in the arms of the one you love.
If you must steal, steal away from bad company.
If you must cheat, cheat death.
And if you must drink, drink in the moments that take your breath away... 


Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Buon Appetito
Enjoy!
xoxoxo
Lorraine

Schweinshaxe, deutschen Stil (Pork Shanks, oh yeah!)

I believe the title of this post translates to something like Pork Shank, German Style. I know nothing about German food, except for the food that we eat at an Octoberfest once a year.  So if any of you are reading this and say, "What is she thinking, this is not German"! I have to say, I'm sorry. If you have a recipe that you would like me to try please forward it.    :)
It's just sometimes you get a hankering for something and you have to have it. That urge stays with you until you have it, and no amount of anything else you eat, will take away that craving until you satisfy the craving with the food that you are craving!
So here I am with a craving for something that I know absolutely nothing about,  Pork Shanks at Octoberfest. Do I really remember the flavors enough to try to make it for my family? While I may be a little perplexed for just a moment, it will all come together and, I have to tell you that I love when this happens.
 It means that I am about to embark on a culinary adventure. The first few stops are usually shopping for ingredients, perhaps a visit to a farm stand for some local and fresh produce, followed by a visit to the butcher for a different cut of meat.
Today's cut of meat is a pork shank.
I'm thinking apples, apple cider, beer and red cabbage are going to make this dish delicious!

I have to start with a trinity of something. I am using leeks, carrots and celery. I picked up some beautiful leeks at the farm stand and used them in place of an onion.

P.S. Do you like my new knives? My kids bought them for me for Christmas!
Here's my dish and how I made it.
Season the pork shanks with salt, pepper and rosemary and sage.
I started by browning the pork shanks in a little olive oil and butter. I probably used a tablespoon of each.
When the shanks get a nice color on them I removed them from the pan and added the trinity of leeks, carrots and celery and let them cook until they wilted a little.
Measure out 2 cups of apple cider and deglaze the pan with a little splash of apple cider.
Add the rest of the apple cider, along with 1 cup of cider vinegar, and 1 cup of ale.

Taste it and see if you need to add any more seasoning. I added a little more salt and vinegar.
Add the shanks back to the braising liquid.

Cover the pan and bake in the oven at 350 degrees for at least 2 hours.
When done the meat should be tender and come off with a fork.
While the pork was finishing in the oven I made sauteed red cabbage with apples. It was very easy to make and we all loved the taste.

I sliced one head of red cabbage and cooked it in a saute pan with a little olive oil and when it started to wilt I added 1 cup of cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of mustard and 1 teaspoon of caraway seeds. I sliced one crisp apple and mixed  it in with the wilted red cabbage.
I served the pork shanks right on top!
Enjoy!

Buon Appetito
Guten Appetit
xoxoxo
Lorraine