Creamy Colcannon (Cabbage and Potato) Soup with Cheddar Straws

St. Patrick's Day is next week so time to start getting your Green on!  If you'd like to try an Irish dish that's easy to make and delicious while there is still a chill in the air, try Colcannon soup. Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish made from potatoes and cabbage or kale with milk, cream or butter added. It may also contain other ingredients such as scallions, leeks, onions and chives and often eaten with boiled ham or bacon.  I've made Colcannon soup before but without the creamy twist and cheddar straws.

This version, again from Full-On Irish by Kevin Dundon, is made with savoy cabbage, potatoes, leeks and onion, thickened with cream and served with cheddar straws on the side.  A delicious combination!  Don't the cheddar straws remind you of a rustic walking stick? 

Whether used in soup, slaw or egg rolls, I love cabbage!  It is thought that cabbage was domesticated in Europe somewhere around 1000 BC (!), although Savoy Cabbage was not developed until the 16th Century. 

As you prepare to take a mental stroll through the lush green meadows of The Emerald Isle, grab your cheddar walking stick and enjoy a bowl of hot Colcannon. It will warm the cockles of your heart.

Creamy Colcannon Soup with Cheese Straws

Adapted from Full-On Irish by Kevin Dundon

Printable Recipe

Serves: 4 - 6

FOR THE CHEESE STRAWS

They can be made up to three days in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. Crisp in a preheated oven at 200C/400F/Gas 6 for 2-3 minutes before serving.

175 g/6 oz sheet ready-rolled puff pastry, thawed if frozen
Plain flour, for dusting
50 g/2 oz Cheddar, finely grated
1 egg yolk beaten with 2 tsp water
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4.

To make the cheese straws, place the puff pastry on a lightly floured work surface and sprinkle the Cheddar over half of the puff pastry in an even layer. Fold the portion without cheese over the cheese layer to enclose the cheese layer completely.   Roll out to its original size, using a little extra flour if necessary. Place on a baking sheet and brush with the beaten egg and place in the fridge for 15 minutes to rest.

Cut the chilled cheese pastry into 10 cm/4 in lengths, each 1 cm/1/2 in wide. Hold the ends of each strip between your fingers and twist the ends in opposite directions. Arrange the twisted strips on non-stick baking sheets and sprinkle a little salt over each one. Bake for 10-15 minutes or until crisp and golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.

FOR THE SOUP

50 g/2 oz  bacon, diced
1 onion, finely chopped
225 g/8 oz russet potatoes, cut into small dice
1 leek, trimmed and white part only thinly sliced
150 g/5 oz Savoy cabbage, thick stalks removed, shredded
700 ml/1 1/4 pints vegetable stock or water (I used chicken stock)
150 ml/1/4 pint cream (I used fat free half and half)
25 g/1 oz room temperature butter, diced (I omitted)

Snipped fresh chives or scallion for garnish - optional

Heat a large stock pot and sauté the bacon over a medium heat for a couple minutes until the fat is rendered. Stir in the onion, potatoes, leek and cabbage, then cover with a lid and cook over a low heat for 15-20 minutes until well softened but not browned, stirring occasionally.

Pour the vegetable stock or water into the cabbage mixture and bring to the boil, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the cream and simmer for a few minutes until the soup has a creamy texture.

To serve, remove the soup from the heat and whisk in the butter. It is important not to reboil the soup once the butter has been added or you’ll find it will curdle. Ladle the colcannon soup into cappuccino cups or warmed serving bowls and arrange a cheese straw to the side. Serve the remaining cheese straws in a separate dish at the table or use as a canape.

Chai-Spiced Love Knots

Last month, Val at ValSoCal posted a recipe for Espresso Glazed Breadsticks that looked so delicious I couldn't wait to try them!  Rather than dipping them in an espresso glaze per her recipe, I decided to bake the espresso flavor right on them.  While I was thinking about how to do that, I decided to also do a Chai spin on the seasonings since I love Chai-spiced tea. I also turned my bread sticks into love knots for Valentine's Day :)  These are the perfect weekend treat paired with a hot cup of coffee, tea, Cappuccino - or milk. 

With my less-than-perfect 'Barista' skills I made a heart in my Capuccino.  The dunking was delicious!

The next time you have a morning to spread a little lovin', try these and thank you to Val for the inspiration!

Since there were several questions on how I made the heart outline in my cappuccino, I thought I'd answer here in my post as well as in the comments.  My method was certainly not the professional Barista way of doing it.  I took a toothpick and pulled the dark color from the outer "crema" ring of the espresso inward to the milk foam layer.  It took several attempts at getting bringing enough of the dark layer in to get the heart dark enough.  Here is a YouTube on how they really do it...

Chai-Spiced Bread Sticks

Adapted from Espresso Glazed Breadsticks at ValSoCal
Printable Recipe

1 can refrigerated bread sticks (such as Pillsbury)
6 tablespoons sugar (I used 5 tablespoons of regular granulated sugar and 1 tablespoon of coarse sparkling sugar)
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon vanilla paste or scrape 1/2 vanilla bean

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone liner.

Mix together the sugars and all of the seasonings with a fork until well combined.

Unroll dough and separate into strips and place on baking sheet. Sprinkle generously with sugar mixture. Pull and twist into pretzel shapes, if desired, or make simple twisted bread sticks and place on the lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the top with any remaining sugar.

Bake for 10 to 13 min or until golden on the edges. Remove and cool.

These are best eaten freshly baked,  the day they are made.

Mustard Puffs and How To Make a Turkey Napkin Fold

I loved the simplicity of this recipe when I first saw it in Dorie Greenspans' new cookbook Around My French Table.  Dijon mustard wrapped in puff pastry and baked until golden brown. And it can be prepared ahead of time. Perfect for Thanksgiving, I thought!

I had hoped to use the French mustard that a good friend brought back for me from her trip to France in September but when I read how much mustard I would be using, I chose a good, locally produced, mustard rather than using my dear gift. Instead,  I used a deli-style mustard with horseradish so the mustard flavor would really stand out.

The puff pastry is rolled out, the mustard is spread on the lower half of the dough and then the top is folded down over the mustard half.

Then, the dough is cut into strips and placed on a lined baking sheet and baked until golden brown and delicious. My biggest change to Dorie's recipe was using freshly ground, coarse pepper and sea salt to top the puffs.  I loved how it brought out the flavor of the mustard. Perfect with a glass of wine on a chilly fall evening!

These are easy and soooo good! I found that the mustard flavor increases the cooler they get. You see them served in a beer glass and they would taste wonderful with beer. You will find the recipe below.

Today, I got a head-start on setting my Thanksgiving table and folded the napkins.  (I'm showing you the whole table completely set, but afterward, I tipped the glassware upside down and removed the dinner plates so they won't get dusty.)  I loved setting my Easter table with bunny napkins and when I found this video for turkey napkins I had to try it!  I think it was very easy and I love how they look.

You can find the video clip on how to fold the turkey napkins by clicking here.  I don't use the gourd as shown in the video. 

Mustard Puffs
Adapted from Mustard Batons by Dorie Greensspan
Printable Recipe

2 sheets frozen puff pastry, thawed
All purpose flour, for rolling out puff pastry
½ cup Dijon mustard
1 large egg
Coarsely ground pepper
Sea Salt

A ruler
Pizza or pastry cutter

Place the racks inside the oven so that the oven is divided into thirds. Preheat oven to 400F. Place a silicone baking mat or parchment paper on two large baking sheets.

Take one pastry sheet out of the package and keep the other refrigerated until ready to use. On a lightly floured surface, roll out the dough until it measures 12 x 16 inches, approximately, with the shortest end facing you. Find the middle and mark it lightly. On the lowest half, spread about ¼ cup of mustard, stopping about 1/8 inch from the side and bottom edges. Fold the top of the dough over the bottom. Mark the pastry every ¾ inch or so, then cut into strips using a pizza/pastry cutter or sharp knife.

Carefully, transfer the strips to one of the lined baking sheets (keeping about 2 inches between them since they will puff up) and chill or freeze while you work on the second sheet of puff pastry. At this point, you can freeze them on the sheets and then wrap air-tight until ready to use for up to 2 months.

When ready to bake, beat the egg with a little cold water and brush the tops of the strips. Sprinkle them with coarsely ground pepper and sea salt (Dorie suggests poppy or sesame seeds).

Bake for 8 minutes, rotate and transfer the sheets, then bake for another 7 to 8 minutes until golden brown. Cool slightly before serving.

Grissini - Bread Sticks Made with My Pasta Rollers

I have been wanting to make my own Grissini ever since I took a cooking class from a local chef a couple of weeks ago.  While we prepared some fabulous dishes with the chef, we were able to sip wine and snack on wonderfully crisp, pencil-thin Grissini that he had sitting out on the counter.

One of his assistants in the kitchen had told me that they made them with pasta rollers so all I needed to do was find a recipe! After a bit of searching on the internet I found one on the Los Angeles Times website that sounded just right. Instead of rolling out the dough and cutting it by hand, I got out my KitchenAid stand mixer and pasta attachments.

After the dough was assembled, kneaded and allowed to rise, I passed the first section of dough through my pasta roller and, much to my delight, it worked beautifully!  It took a little trial and error to get the pieces formed into a nice rectangle.

The sheets of dough were then passed through the widest pasta cutter attachment that came with my set, which cut them into approximately 1/3 inch-wide strips, which was exactly what the recipe called for.  

Here are all my pans lined up and ready for a another short rise before they are baked.  Just before I popped them into the oven, I misted them lightly with olive oil spray and then sprinkled them with sea salt.

 

Success!  They were just like the ones made in the chef's kitchen!  I made one batch with chopped thyme added to the dough and another batch with chopped rosemary.  I believe these will last for a couple of week ~ unless we eat them all before then ;)

Grissini - 'Pasta Style'
Adapted from The Los Angeles Times
Printable Recipe

Makes about 4 dozen bread sticks

1/2 cup warm water
1 package active dry yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour, divided
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
Finely chopped herbs of your choice, such as rosemary or thyme

Prepare four baking sheets by lining them with parchment paper or silicone baking mats.

Combine the warm water with the yeast, sugar and one-half cup of the all-purpose flour in a large bowl. Allow to rest for 10 minutes or until bubbly.

Add the remaining 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour, the wheat flour, olive oil and salt and mix together lightly. Pour out onto a clean surface and knead for about 5 minutes, until smooth and elastic. Clean the bowl and coat it with a thin layer of olive oil then return the dough to the bowl, cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour.

Remove the dough from the bowl and divide it into four pieces.

Pasta Roller Instructions:

It's best to work with one piece of dough at a time from rolling the rectangles to cutting into strips to avoid letting them dry out too much and to prevent sticking.

Using the roller attachment of your pasta machine (I use a KitchenAid stand mixer with pasta attachments) run the first section of dough through until you obtain an evenly-shaped rectangle about 4 inches wide by 10 inches or so long. You may have to fold the dough over several times before you achieve a nice rectangle - just as you would with pasta dough.

Still working with the same piece of dough, attach the 'wide cut' roller (as in fettuccine width) and feed dough rectangle through the cutter.

Quickly, separate the dough strips onto one of the prepared baking sheets, spreading them out flat and leaving about 1/2 to 1" between each strip. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes or until they puff up slightly.

Repeat with the remaining sections of dough, one at a time.

Alternately, you can roll out each piece into a rectangle, 4 by 12 inches using a rolling pin. Cut the dough lengthwise into one-third-inch-wide strips using a sharp knife or pizza cutter. 

While strips are resting, preheat oven to 400 and place one shelf on the highest level of the oven.

When ready to bake, spray one sheet of grissini with olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt or sea salt.

Bake the grissini in single batches on the top shelf of the oven until lightly browned, about 9-10 minutes, rotating halfway through. Watch carefully during the last minute or two so they don't get too dark. Cool, then store in a large plastic bag or preferably in a rectangular plastic container so that they don't break.