Irish Country House Cooking

 Ballymaloe Irish Stew

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  I love that anyone can be a little Irish today!  

Our kitchen smelled just like an Irish country house today while I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew and White Soda Bread with Herbs.  Both recipes are by Darina Allen and can be found in her cook book Irish Traditional Cooking.  

These recipes were a new adventure for me because I traditionally make Corned Beef and Cabbage every year for St. Patrick's Day.  I was worried that this country stew might be a little bland for our palette.  I couldn't be more wrong.  It was better than good, it was delicious!  

Darina's Irish stew is simple comfort food at its best.  The recipe calls for lamb stock and I used Swanson's chicken broth instead.  The lamb flavored it perfectly and the end result tasted more like home-made stock.

 The stew is a simple dish to assemble and make.  The lamb shoulder chops, carrots and pearl onions are browned and then layered in a dutch oven.  Then the sliced potatoes are layered on top to steam while the stew cooks in the oven for about an hour.  From what I read, this is the traditional way you layer and cook an Irish stew. 

And since it's St. Patrick's Day, of course you need to have Irish Soda Bread.  Soda bread comes together very easily and with such simple ingredients:  flour, salt, baking soda and buttermilk.  You stir it all together with your hand and then tidy it up into a round loaf.

And according to Irish Folklore, you  must cut a deep cross in the bread to let the fairies out!  This way the fairies won't jinx your baking!

 Darina's Irish Soda Bread 

This holiday meal has been one of the most enjoyable meals I have ever made.  We loved this Irish stew so much that it is now going to be our traditional St. Patrick's Day dinner.  Thank you, Darina for your wonderful Irish recipes.  

And if you're not familiar with Darina Allen, do read up on her.  Darina is the most famous cook in Ireland.  She owns the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Ireland.  And yes, I would love to visit the Ballymaloe House, Restaurant and Cookery School someday if we ever visit Ireland.

A new wok

 The Wok Shop

My latest culinary journey is Chinese cooking.  

Chinese cuisine has been a favorite of mine my entire life.  The night before I was born, my parents went out for Chinese food.  Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, I always picked The House of Lee in Oakland, California for my birthday dinner.  And, one of the very first cookbooks I ever bought was Chopsticks, Cleaver and Wok by Jennie Low about home-style Chinese cooking.  

 Grace Young Cookbooks

My current Chinese cooking journey has been fueled by cookbook author, Grace Young.  I recently discovered her wonderful cookbooks and Craftsy class The Art of Stir Frying.  Grace is known as The Wok Queen and definitely knows a thing or two about woks.  She generously shares her expertise on the best type of woks to buy along with how to season and care for them.

A wok is essential for authentic Chinese stir-fry cooking.  And, since I believe in having the right kitchen tools for cooking, I decided to replace my older Magnalite aluminum wok with a a real Chinese wok.  And, according to Grace, the best place to buy a wok is San Francisco's The Wok Shop.  So during Chinese New Year, my husband and I made a trip to The Wok Shop.  

 The Wok

For those of us who cook on residential ranges, Grace recommends the wok above which is a 14" carbon steel, flat bottom wok.  Its small flat bottom gets it closer to the flame for high heat stir-frying.  And a nice feature are its wood handles so you don't have to run after pot holders while stir-frying. 

Wok Ambassador, Tane Chan

When you go to The Wok Shop, all you have to do is tell them that Grace Young sent you.  I lucked out on my visit and the charming owner, Tane Chan helped me.  I didn't have to tell Tane a thing, she knew just the wok I was supposed to have.

If you need a wok,
The Wok Shop is the place to go.
(And, they sell online)

The Wok Shop
718 Grant Avenue
San Francisco, CA 94108
(415) 989-3797

Mushroom Soup

 Mushroom Soup

 I recently made mushroom soup for the first time at home which was inspired by our recent Oregon travels.  After deliberating over a number of recipes, Anthony Bourdain's Mushroom Soup from his Les Halles Cookbook won out.

Mushroom Mix

The only change I made to the recipe was that I used a mixed variety of mushrooms instead of all button mushrooms.  It was delicious!

Here is the restaurant and trip that inspired me to make mushroom soup at home...

The Barlow Room

While exploring Oregon's Willamette Valley wine country, we ventured over one evening to the small town of Dayton.  We headed to Dayton because of the Czarnecki family whose cooking revolves around wild mushrooms.  They own the world-renowned Joel Palmer House and recently just opened The Barlow Room, a more casual restaurant in a really cool old brick building.  We opted for The Barlow Room on this trip. 

Joe's Wild Mushroom Soup

The famous mushroom soup, a Czarnecki family recipe for over 50 years, did not disappoint.  

The Joel Palmer House

There's always a reason to come back to Oregon.

Next time, we're in town, we're dining at The Joel Palmer House.  Their entire menu is based on creative local cuisine, where wild mushrooms are the star!

Pomegranate Season

 Pomegranate Seeds

Growing up in California, pomegranate season has always been a sign that summer is ending and fall is beginning.

Now that I live near a farm in Yuba County, I have been able to watch pomegranates grow, ripen and come into season over the past few months.  According to my local farmer, Lacie Robertston "they are ready now with the perfect balance of sweetness and tartness".

At the farm...

 Pomegranate buds in early August

Pomegranate in late August

 Pomegranate in September

It's late September and the pomegranates are ready now.  Besides just cracking them open and eating the seeds, we loves them in salads, too.  

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Pomegrantes

This beautiful fall salad by Georgeanne Brennan was inspired by a cheese plate.  Having just returned from vacationing in Oregon where we sampled a lot of cheese plates...I couldn't wait to make this salad.

  I made it today with just picked pomegranates and Barlett pears from local farms along with Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Company's Original Blue.  I highly recommend spending the extra money to buy a really good blue cheese like Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese. (Locally both Raley's and Nugget Market carry it.)

You can find the recipe in the Williams-Sonoma book Salad of the Day by Georgeanne Brennan or here at this link on the Williams-Sonoma website:

Pear Salad with Blue Cheese, Walnuts and Pomegranates

I can't wait to make it again and try it with hazelnuts next time for a little more Oregon flair!


(Farm photos taken at Robertston Family Farm in Yuba County, CA)

Trying new things

 Chinese Long Beans

One of the best parts about getting a weekly CSA Produce Box is that

 it's a surprise every week with what produce will be inside the box.

Let's Stir Fry

Recently our weekly box had beans in it that I had never seen before.  I found out they are called Chinese long beans or snake beans.  So I did a little research, got out my wok and did a Chinese stir fry with them. 

Dow Gok Chow Ha Kau

I found a recipe for Prawns with Chinese Long Beans (Dow Gok Chow Ha Kau)  in one of my older cookbooks,  Chopsticks, Cleaver and Wok by Jennie Low.  The recipe called for hot bean sauce and I substituted black bean garlic sauce and it was delicious.  

I discovered that Chinese long beans when stir fried stay crispier than other beans.  I'm a fan now and can't wait to try more recipes with them and my wok.


(Farm photo taken at the Robertson Family Farm in YubaCounty, California.)