With St. Patrick's Day approaching on Thursday, I'll dedicate this post to all things Irish. Here are a few tasteful reasons why celebrations are in order from County Kerry + why Irish chefs cook with such passion using their "produce from the sea".
a Burns Night out
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This week the Scots will again raise their forks to uniquely celebrate a way to wrap up the short days of January's chill. We can learn something here. Celebrate all + enjoy the moment - Spring is right around the corner.
For more than 25 years, an estimated 6 million Americans of Scottish descent have had to celebrate Burns Night (I'll get to Burns in a moment) without an authentic haggis. Haggis was banned by US authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient - minced sheep offal - could prove lethal, according to The Guardian. Update, good news for Scottish Americans, the haggis ban has been lifted. So now, get your haggis on.
Each year during the week of January 25th, Burns fans gather for suppers to celebrate the birth of Scottish bard Robert Burns, who was born Jan. 25, 1759. At what are referred to as Burns Suppers, like the one at St. Andrews, there are poetry readings, kilt wearing and Scotch whisky drinking. And of course, the main course of haggis consumption.
painting of Robert BurnsRobert Burns (1759-1796) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt. Also, Burns most notably penned the poem/song Auld Lang Syne.
Visit Macsween of Edinburgh
Have fork in hand? Well, maybe not so fast. You should know that haggis is a dish containing sheep’s stomach stuffed with ‘pluck’ (heart liver and lungs) chopped with onion, oatmeal, suet or fat, salt and just the perfect seasoning blend of secret seasonings (that Colonel Sanders might envy), simmered in broth or water for 3-4 hours like a chitterling, savoury pudding or blood sausage.
Haggis is traditionally served with mashed rutabaga and potatoes during a Burns Supper, might I add with a few glasses of Scotch Whiskey. According to the Larousse Gastronomique, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour". Hmm.
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Long Live The King
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So what does it take to create a company that keeps producing the same superior quality products for more than one-hundred years? King Oscar's explanation might sound simple, but it's true.
You start a company. You make good products. The word gets out and more people want what you make. You grow. You expand into new markets. And all of a sudden you are over 100 years old. - King Oscar
The Rich Norwegian heritage of King Oscar might have a bit to do with it too. Maybe the only thing that has changed is the way you open the can; keyless entry.
Anchovies are a perfect addition to my no yolk dressing. May even fool the authentic Caesar Dressing diehard with a discriminating palate adding a little saltiness without the non-lover anchovy bite. And, served with my Tomato Tapenade becomes a perfect entertaining starter!
No Yolk Caesar Dressing
Makes 2 servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
With the backside of a tablespoon, combine 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar, 2 cloves fresh garlic (or I really prefer 4 cloves of caramelized garlic and a Tablespoon of Dijon mustard together, into the bottom of a wooden bowl. Add lemon juice from half a freshly squeezed lemon and a few anchovies to taste. Crush anchovies into a paste with back of the spoons. Finally, whisk in 4 Tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil, until emulsified. 2 Tablespoons freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano. Set aside. Note, dressing can be refrigerated for up to one week.
Wash and dry Romaine lettuce leaves. Add Romaine lettuce leaves to wooden bowl. Add dressing, and toss. Add fresh made croutons and top with freshly shaved Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly ground pepper. Serve with additional whole anchovies on the side.
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LAMB Sausages, as seen on George Hirsch Lifestyle
This sausage recipe is in the style of Merguez, a North African lamb sausage, is full of highly seasoned ground lamb with a nice earthy flavor, making it one of the tastiest sausages around. Perfect for a casual brunch, informal lunch or a formal dinner.
George's LAMB Sausages
Makes 8 Sausage Patties
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
1 ½ pound ground lamb
1 egg
1/4 cup chopped scallions
2 cloves garlic chopped fine
1 Tablespoon Italian parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon each ground garlic powder, teaspoon paprika, rosemary, thyme, basil, ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
Pinch of fresh ground nutmeg
Optional: 1 Tablespoon Pine nuts
Combine the lamb, and all the ingredients in a well-chilled bowl and mix gently but well. Form the mixture into 8 patties and refrigerate for 2 hours or overnight. Pre heat a sauté pan until hot drizzle a few drops of olive oil, add patties and cook until brown on each side. Only turn patties once. Serve warm for breakfast, brunch or for a savory dinner.
Tips:
- Lamb Sausages are ideal for grilling as the smoke adds another layer of flavor.
- Make extra raw patties and freeze for easy future cooking.
Pasture Awareness
The Bottom Line: Poultry and eggs pasture raised taste better than those raised in confinement.
Pastured poultry (not referring to pasteurization process, that's for foods such as milk, cheese and beer) is a technique used for raising chickens or other poultry right on green pastures. The birds are always kept on fresh pasture by systematically moving them around every few days, which allows the birds to be raised in a cleaner, healthier environment. And fed the old fashioned way- on fresh green pasture grass and with wholesome grain.
'Pastured living' is not only good for the chickens- but chickens managed correctly, are good for the pasture. Hens are brillant at finding and eating small seeds, insects, and tender grass and leaves. Their manure leaves behind a healthy shot of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. The trick is to move the hens before the pasture has been pecked and scratched to death.
Although there is nothing new here, since farmers have been raising poultry on pastures for centuries in this manner. In fact, most domesticated poultry was raised outdoors until the 1950s when large confinement egg and poultry operations found they could mass produce product confined in restricted conditions. Even though the majority of poultry is now produced in high-density factory farms, the good news is a rising number of growers have chosen to raise their poultry in outdoor free range pastures instead of indoor confinement to produce a high quality, farm-fresh, all-natural product. Which brings us back to quality, quality, quality. That's good stuff.
The pastured poultry movement has found great support among consumers, chefs and restaurateurs because of the high quality and unsurpassed flavor of such products. And so, local farmers continue to see growth with demand for premium-priced pasture-raised poultry and eggs.
Nutritional Benefit: Deep-yellow-yolked eggs, the sign of natural chock full of beneficial Omega 3 fatty acids.
In Season: Pastured eggs are seasonal, hens lay less as the days get shorter. In industrial confined egg operations they use artificial lights. However, while the ladies are resting and not earning their keep, they are eating even more expensive grain because of shorter daylight and colder days. Just one of the reasons why pastured eggs will cost more.
Inspiration: See what hard work, dedication, and pride in what the natural earth creates. Chris and Holly of Browder's Birds Mattituck, on the North Fork LI are career changers who run Long Islands's only organic & pastured poultry farm. On the west coast Soul Food Farm owners Alexis and Eric Koefoed raise pastured chickens for both eggs and meat. They turn sunlight, grass, bugs, and high-quality domestic feed into animals that live a healthy and humane life --free to roam in fresh air and peck and take dust baths — and then into delicious and healthy food. They are driven by the belief that "You are what you eat, and what you eat, eats." Soul Food Farm, Vacaville, CA.
Resources: For more information on where to find pasture eggs near you:
American Pastured Poultry Producers Association
When eggs are this good they need to take center stage, or center of the plate. So here's my Eggs Benedict Recipe, taken from Know Your Fire cookbook by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco.
Know Your Fire cookbook by George Hirsch with Marie Bianco
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