The Seasonal Plate

HAPPY MARDI GRAS also known as Fat Tuesday 

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I thought you might want to get a jump start on your planning for St. Patrick's Day. The following recipes I submitted this week for the food column The Seasonal Plate. 

May you have warm words on a cold evening,

a full moon on a dark night and

a smooth road all the way to your door.

Irish Toast

Toast St. Patrick’s Day with a pint of Guinness or a full bodied wine such as Malbec or Cabernet.  Pair the corned beef casserole meal with Irish soda bread or brown bread, refreshing cool Minty Ice Cream Squares and a Dubliner Irish salad.

Corned Beef-Noodle Casserole

Cook’s note: Use a 12 x11 rectangular shape baking dish or a 13 x 9 pan. The recipe calls for using dry spinach noodles but regular wide egg noodles can be substituted.

Ingredients:

• ¾ LB. deli corned beef, chopped
• 10 oz. package of spinach egg noodles
• 1-3/4 cup grated Swiss cheese (reserve ¾ cups for topping)
• 1 small can sauerkraut, well drained (optional)
• 1 small onion, chopped about ¾ cup
• 1 can low fat cream of chicken soup
• 1-3/4 cup 2 % milk
• 1 TB. yellow mustard
• 2 TB. poppy seeds
• 3 TB. parsley flakes (reserve 1 TB. for topping)
• 2 slices of whole wheat bread
• 2 TB. melted butter

Directions:

• Cook noodles al dente, rinse, drain and set aside
• In a blender or food processor crumble bread with 2 TB.softened butter and 1 TB. parsley flakes
• Sauté onions in 1TB.olive oil
• In a bowl combine soup, milk, poppy seeds, mustard and 2 TB. parsley flakes
• In a greased baking dish layer as follows:

½ of the cooked noodles

chopped corned beef

1 cup grated Swiss cheese

sauerkraut

sautéed onions

remaining noodles

• Pour soup mixture over noodles/corned beef
• Sprinkle remaining ¾ cup Swiss cheese and top with bread crumbs, cover with foil
• Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes covered, remove foil and bake 8 minutes longer
• Let dish set 10 minutes before serving

Minty Ice Cream Squares

Cook’s notes: Use a 13x 9 glass pan. Recipe adapted from Pillsbury Holiday Baking. Ganache frosting is from A Taste of Anchuca cookbook by Chris Brinkley.
Ingredients:

• One package (14. 6 oz.) Oreo cookies 
• 5 TB. softened butter 
• 1 cup semi-sweet or bittersweet chocolate chips 
• 1 TB. Kahlua or Baileys Irish Crème 
• 1 cup heavy whip cream 
• 5 TB. butter reserve 2 TB. for frosting 
• ½ gallon green mint chocolate chip ice cream 
• Andes crème de menthe chocolate candies, unwrapped 

Directions:

• Remove ice cream from freezer and set aside to soften 
• In a food processor finely crumble cookies doing 12 at a time 
• Add in 3 TB. melted butter and mix well 
• Pat crumbs into glass pan, put in freezer for 30 minutes 
• When crust is firm add softened ice cream spreading evenly over crust using a butter knife, return to freezer for 45 minutes 

Ganache frosting:

• Heat whipping cream just to boiling point 
• In food processor chop 1 cup chocolate chips 
• While processor is going slowly stream in hot cream 
• Add in 2 TB. softened butter and 1 TB. Kahlua/Bailey’s Irish Crème, blend in all together 
• Pour cooled ganache icing over the top of the ice cream and return dish to freezer 
• Freeze one hour before covering with foil 
• Add one Andes mint on top of each piece when served

 Dubliner Irish Salad

Cook’s notes: The salad was named after the Irish capital city, Dublin. Dubliner cheese is sharp and sweet with a texture close to Parmesan cheese.

Recipe comes from Kerrygold and serves 4

Salad Ingredients:

• 8 butter lettuce leaves, rinsed and crisped
• 1 can or jar (15oz.) pickled beets or roast beets with 2 stalks of diced celery
• 1large cucumber thinly sliced
• 8 oz. grated Dubliner cheese or Parmesan cheese

Tarragon Mustard Vinaigrette Dressing Ingredients:

• 1 TB. lemon juice
• 2 TB. white wine vinegar
• 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp. crushed dried tarragon or 1 TB. fresh minced tarragon
• sea salt and pepper to taste
• 1minced garlic clove
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• ¼ tsp. sugar

Salad Directions:

• Line 4 salad plates each with two lettuce leaves
• Arrange equal portions of pickled beets or roasted beets with celery , cucumbers and grated cheese on lettuce
• Drizzle dressing over top of each salad

Dressing Directions:

• Use a small bowl to whisk or jar with a screw top to mix ingredients, refrigerate  one hour, shake again or whisk right before serving

 Bon Appetit!