Ham and potato casserole

While it hasn't been particularly cold this winter here in Dublin, who can resist a good casserole on a gray, drizzly day? This dish is pretty versatile, and we often use whatever leftover meat we have on hand, although I do think ham is best, (but smoked sausage is also delicious). I have been known to replace the onions with leeks (very tasty) or sometimes I will also throw in a bit of cauliflower or brocolli. But it's also delicious prepared exactly as described; this is total comfort food at its best.

Ham and Potato Casserole

½ pound cooked ham, cut into medium-small cubes
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons butter
2 pounds potatoes, medium dice, boiled
bread crumbs, mixed with a little melted butter

Sauce:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk (or 1 cup milk and 1 cup cooking water from potatoes)
8 oz cheddar cheese (could also use gruyere or swiss, or a combination of cheeses)

Heat oven to 350°. Toss ham with mustard in a medium sized casserole dish. Let sit while you cook the onion in 2 tbsp butter and a bit of salt and pepper until translucent. Mix onions in with ham, then gently fold in cooked potatoes.

Make sauce: Melt butter over medium-low heat, add flour, then add the milk (to lighten the dish up a bit, you can also make the sauce using the water that you used to cook the potato in), whisking quickly to avoid lumps). Let thicken a bit, then add cheese. Cook until sauce has thickened, 2 or 3 minutes.

Pour sauce over ham mixture, and stir very gently just until combined. Top with buttered breadcrumbs. Bake for 45 minutes.

Recipe from Gwyneth, from a potato cookbook I found years ago

Pecan Caramel Tart

This recipe really should be called, "Oh my goodness, this is so good!" because that is usually the comment I get when I make it. I once brought it to a party to which my dad had invited me. The host told me that I would not be invited back if I ever brought this dessert with me again. He was concerned that he was going to eat the entire thing himself!
While this looks like a fairly complicated recipe, it's really quite simple. The trick to making this successfully is the caramel portion. You want to add the cream and butter when it is still a light golden color so that it has some room to cook a bit more. The finished product should be the color of caramel.

Sweet Pastry Tart Crust:
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon sugar
4 Tablespoons butter, cold and cut up
2 tablespoons solid vegetable shortening, chilled

In a food processor, process flour with sugar to combine. Add butter and shortening. Turn processor on and off in short spurts 6 times. With machine on, add 2 to 2 1/2 tbs cold water through feed tube, just until dough forms a ball. Press dough into bottom and up the sides of a 9 1/2 x 1-inch fluted metal tart pan with removable bottom. Refrigerate.

Filling:

1 cup sugar
2 cups coarsely chopped pecans
2 Tbs. light corn syrup
1 cup semisweet choc. chips (6 oz.)
7 Tbs. Butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, heated

In a deep, heavy 10” skillet, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/3 cup water. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil syrup without stirring, shaking pan back and forth occasionally, until pale golden in color, 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat and add 6 tbs. butter. Return to medium-high heat and stir to combine most of butter. Before completely melted, gradually stir in 1 cup warm cream; be careful as it will bubble up. Whisk vigorously until smooth. Continue to boil, stirring often, until golden tan colored and thickened, 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in pecans. Set aside 1/2 hour to cool.

Preheat oven to 425F. Pour filling over chilled crust. Bake 15 minutes, or until crust is light golden. Cool thoroughly.

In a 2-cup glass measure combine chocolate chips and remaining 1/3 cup cream. Heat in microwave 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, until melted and smooth when stirred. Stir in remaining 1 tbs. butter and vanilla. Let chocolate topping cool to room temperature, then spread evenly over tart.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours before serving.

Paprika Chicken

Paprika Chicken is just plain comfort food. It's simple to make, but tastes oh, so good. The recipe makes plenty of sauce so it's one of those recipes that really needs to be served over rice. I think it's mandatory to go back for a second serving of rice with a bit of sauce poured over it.

Makes 4 servings.

2-3 pounds chicken thighs
3/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons oil
14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 onion,chopped
1/3 cup sour cream
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt and white pepper (to taste)
2 tablespoons sweet paprika

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken, brown on all sides. Remove chicken from pan; pour off all but 1 tablespoon pan drippings. Add onions and garlic to skillet; sauté until browned. Stir in paprika, broth and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Return browned chicken to pan. Cover and simmer 15 minutes then uncover and cook 15-20 minutes more, until sauce is thick and rich and chicken is tender. Stir in sour cream; season with salt and white pepper.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (!!!)

I think this is perhaps the most classic recipe in my family's cookbook, although I think we could easily have a good long debate over it at dinner some day - that is, if we ever all managed to be in the same place for dinner.

My mom was a nurturer. It was just built into her nature. And one of the ways she showed love and care to people was through baking. when we were growing up, and friends came over, my mom would chat with them for a little while, learn about the things going on in their lives, and then she would disappear off into the kitchen for twenty minutes, then come back out as if nothing had happened.

And then 10-20 minutes later, a magical scent would come wafting out of the kitchen, usually brownies or these chocoloate chip cookies.

I probably had this recipe memorized not long after I had grade school, I spent so many afternoons cooking them with my mom. When I feel the need to feel a little closer to my family, this is the recipe I pull out. I have my own technique, and I'm sure each of my sisters does as well. I am not jeopardizing future bake-off winnings by sharing my secrets, so instead I will just post it the way our mom made it.

(OK, I will share one tip - I mix everything by hand, I never use a blender. I find this turns out soft, dense cookies, rather than cake-like ones.)

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 ¼ cups flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup butter
¾ cup granulated sugar
¾ cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips



Preheat oven to 375F. In a small bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda. In a blender, mix shortening, sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until creamy. Add eggs and vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed for about 3 minutes until light and creamy. Mix in flour mixture on low speed until just combined.

Remove bowl from blender and stir to make sure there are no pockets of flour. If dough seems too sticky, add a little extra flour. Stir in chocolate chips. (Here's my mom's secret - use a butter knive so that the it doesn't get too stuck in the dough). Drop 1½ - inch balls of dough onto nonstick cookie sheets, at least 2” apart.



Bake cookies. For soft cookies, bake for about 9 minutes and remove cookies from the oven when there are just barely beginning to turn golden. For crunchy cookies, bake for about 12 minutes and remove cookies from the oven when they have turned golden. If you remember, switch the cookie sheets halfway through baking and they will cook better.



Makes about 45 cookies.

We're big fans of breakfast in this house. Every weekend morning you'll find us tucking into pancakes, waffles, or biscuits, or maybe bacon and omelets, and of course big pots of tea and coffee to wash it down. A few years ago I finally learned to make my mom's biscuit recipe, and now I make these almost every week. My mom, on the other hand, really only pulled out the biscuits on special occasions, so I never realized just how easy they are. The part of this recipe that takes the longest is waiting for the oven to get hot enough!

It's also a great use of all the buttermilk we always have lying around. My mom's original recipe called for Crisco and milk, but I have updated it with fresh butter and buttermilk, which makes a rich but fluffy biscuit perfect for slathering with butter or jam (or topping with gravy, as I am inclined to do on occasion.)



This recipe makes about 16 biscuits, so I usually do a half recipe. I have tried freezing the biscuit dough after it's been cut into rounds, but this seems to result in flat, dense biscuits, so I don't recommend it.

Buttermilk Biscuits

1/2 cup butter
2 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
2/3 to 3/4 cup lowfat buttermilk

Preheat oven to 475ºF. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking powder. With a fork or pastry blender (or your fingers) cut the butter into the flour. Work until you obtain pea-size bits. Stir in the buttermilk by degrees. Stop adding when dough just comes together.

Combine with your fingers just until the dry bits are incorporated, then press the dough into a 1/2 inch thick sheet. Cut into circles with a cookie cutter or small glass. Arrange side by side on a baking sheet. Bake for 5 minutes at 475ºF, then lower the heat and bake another 7-8 minutes at 450ºF. Serve hot with lots of butter and jam.

Chicken Piccata

Chicken Piccata is a simple, quick meal, great for busy weeknights. When I was growing up, my dad's go-to dish when he had very little time to prepare dinner was usually something along these lines - he sauteed chicken breast in a skillet, deglazed the pan with wine or chicken broth, then added seasonings and sometimes cream to vary the flavor. I often follow the same plan, adding and subtracting ingredients based on what's in the fridge. For example, this time I sauteed a bit of onions before deglaxing the pan, for a chunkier sauce.

I also find it works well as a potluck dish for a luncheon - I just make sure there is plenty of sauce, and then serve on top of some pasta with butter and fresh herbs.

½ cup flour
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, pounded to ¼ inch thickness
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 tablespoons white wine (can substitute chicken broth)
3 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons capers (optional)
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Combine four, salt and pepper and use to coat the chicken breasts.

Melt butter and oil in a large frying pan and cook the chicken breasts over medium heat for about 5 minutes per side, until cooked through. Remove and keep warm.

Stir wine into pan juices. Add lemon juice and bring to a boil. Return chicken to pan and cook for about 3 minutes, until sauce thickens slightly. Garnish with capers and parsley.

Bruschetta

Most of the recipes I plan to share here come from one cookbook - my family's cookbook, which was compiled years ago by my very organized sister Joy. The last version was from 2003, and contained most of the recipes we had come to be known for, the ones we got the most requests for, as well as a few recipes that our close friends - extended family, really - also brought over frequently.

My sisters and I have all fielded many requests for a copy of this cookbook. It contains only about 150 recipes, but they are almost universally delicious, and usually easy to make as well. One of the reasons I decided to start this blog was so that I could have a place I could send people who are looking for our famous family recipes, since it seems it could be a long time before we get more precious copies printed.

I will photograph and share recipes as I make them, which may be sporadic at times, but I will try to keep it up. One of the first recipes I thought I would share is one of my party go-to recipes - bruschetta.

Bruschetta sounds easy, but there's a technique to making it really good. I think the secret lies in nicely crisp rounds of French bread, and gently rubbing the toasted bread with the cut half of a clove of garlic.

Bruschetta with Tomato and Basil

One loaf of soft French bread (baguette)

3-4 good quality tomatoes (2 cups) - Roma will work if that's all you can get

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 tsp fresh lemon juice or balsamic vinegar

2 large garlic cloves, cut in half lengthwise

extra virgin olive oil

Combine the chopped tomatoes and basil in a bowl, then sprinkle with salt to taste - you'll need a good bit of salt to bring out the flavor of the tomatoes, but don't over-do it. Stir in the lemon juice or balsamic vinegar, whichever you prefer, and let sit to combine while you toast the bread.

Slice the bread on the diagonal into 3/4 - inch thick rounds. Toast in the oven on both sides, flipping halfway through, until the bread is crisp and lightly golden.

While still warm, rub one side of the toasted bread with the cut side of a garlic clove. Brush each toast with a bit of olive oil. Arrange on a plate, then spoon a bit of the tomato mixture over each toast. Serve right away so the bread doesn't get soggy.