Boxty is a traditional Irish potato pancake recipe. It is often made with a mix of leftover mashed potato and grated fresh potato.  It is currently being featured in Irelands finer restaurants with chefs putting their own unique spin on them.  Pairing them with fresh Salmon is a truly Irish dinner. Enjoy!

This recipe from Sovann Sot, the executive chef at Dublin Square Restaurant and Bar in Cherry Hill, makes four restaurant-size servings, but it would probably serve at least six at home.

SALMON BOXTY

Boxty:

1 pound boiling potatoes

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 eggs, beaten

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

Pinch ground nutmeg

2 tablespoons flour

2 to 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (for frying)

Salmon:

2½ pounds salmon fillets

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, plus more as needed

1 cup chopped onion

1 tablespoon chopped fresh tarragon

1 pint (2 cups) heavy cream

Salt and pepper to taste

To prepare boxty, line a large bowl with cheesecloth. Grate potatoes into bowl, using large holes of grater. Squeeze the cloth to extract as much starchy liquid as possible. Discard liquid, return potatoes to bowl and stir in onions, eggs, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Add flour and mix well.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Drop the potato mixture, 1 tablespoon at a time, into the skillet; do not crowd the pan. Flatten each cake with a spatula and cook 3 to 4 minutes on each side. Repeat until all the potato mixture is used, adding more butter to the pan as needed.

Dice salmon into large cubes. Melt butter in a pan over medium heat, add salmon cubes, onion and tarragon and cook until the salmon is lightly browned on all sides. Add the heavy cream, reduce heat and simmer until the salmon is cooked through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To serve, place 2 boxty cakes on each of 4 plates and spoon some of the salmon over them. Top with 2 more boxty cakes and the remaining salmon.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe adapted from Betty Cichy, www.phillyburbs.com

Beef and Guinness Pie
2 pounds boneless beef chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
3 tablespoons water
1 1/2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup beef broth
1 cup Guinness or other Irish stout
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs

Puff Pastry dough- 1 Sheet
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tablespoon water

Special equipment: 4 (14-ounce) deep bowls or ramekins (4 to 5 inches wide; see Shopping List, page 301) or similar-capacity ovenproof dishes  Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.

Pat beef dry. Stir together flour, salt, and pepper in a shallow dish. Add beef, turning to coat, then shake off excess and transfer to a plate. Heat oil in a wide 5- to 6-quart ovenproof heavy pot over moderately high heat until just smoking, then brown meat in 3 batches, turning occasionally, about 5 minutes per batch, transferring to a bowl.

Add onion, garlic, and water to pot and cook, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of pot and stirring frequently, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Stir in beef with any juices accumulated in bowl, broth, beer, Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns, and thyme and bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce is thickened, about 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Discard thyme and cool stew completely, uncovered, about 30 minutes. (If stew is warm while assembling pies, it will melt uncooked pastry top.)  Put a shallow baking pan on middle rack of oven and increase oven temperature to 425°F.

Divide cooled stew among bowls (they won’t be completely full). Roll out pastry dough on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin into a 13-inch square, about 1/8 inch thick. Trim edges and cut dough into quarters. Stir together egg and water and brush a 1-inch border of egg wash around each square. Invert 1 square over each bowl and drape, pressing sides lightly to help adhere. Brush pastry tops with some of remaining egg wash and freeze 15 minutes to thoroughly chill dough.  Bake pies in preheated shallow baking pan until pastry is puffed and golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Reduce oven temperature to 400°F and bake 5 minutes more to fully cook dough.

Gourmet
October 2004

A big bowl of steamed mussels with fragrant broth and crusty bread will help any Monday night. Especially this cold, slippery no-sun Monday.

We just got fresh mussels in this morning! A pound of PEI mussels averages around 20 pieces. We made this recipe for 2 people. Simply double for more!

Come early to get baguettes before they sell out!

You will need a large stock pot with cover- if you have small stock pot make in two batches

2 pounds PEI mussels from Savenor’s
2 TB olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, sliced
pinch of fresh thyme
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2  lemon, juiced (or 2 TB lemon juice)
1/2 cup chicken broth
2 plum tomatoes diced
1/2 cup roughly chopped parsley
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large fresh baguette (clear flour, iggys or nashoba) or rustic loaf

Method:

If any mussels are chipped or already open please discard (the butchers should be giving you only the best ones) Clean the mussels under a cold running tap, removing the beard on each one and lightly scrubbing them; set aside.

Using a large slotted spoon, remove the mussels from the stock pot. Strain the broth into the saffron mixture. Bring to a boil. Add the mussels to the pan. Spoon the liquid over them. Divide the mussels and broth among shallow bowls.  Serve with baguette or rustic bread.  Enjoy and Savor!

Here is a traditional yummy dumpling recipe and everything you need you can find in our stores!

These dumplings, called jiaozi, are a favorite in northern China, where the entire family is involved in the preparation. They are served on New Year’s Eve. From “Chinese Feasts & Festivals,” by S.C. Moey. Note: Wonton wrappers can be found freezer or refrigerator section at Savenors .

Marinade:

• 1 tbsp. soy sauce

• 1 tsp. salt

• 1 tsp. sesame oil

• 1 tsp. rice wine or dry sherry

• 1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

•¹/₂tsp. ground white pepper

Filling:

• 10 oz. ground pork

• 7 oz. Chinese Napa cabbage, minced and squeezed dry

• 1 tsp. grated fresh ginger root

• 3 green onions, minced

• 40 wonton or dumpling wrappers, see Note

• Soy sauce or oyster sauce

Directions

In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, rice wine or sherry, black pepper and white pepper; mix well. Pour the marinade over the ground pork and mix until well combined. Cover with a cloth and allow to marinate at least 30 minutes in refrigerator, then add the cabbage, ginger root and green onions; mix well.

To make the dumplings: Place 1 tablespoon of the filling in the center of a wrapper and dab the edges with a little water. Fold the wrapper in half to form a semicircle, enclosing the filling, and press the edges together to stick. If using a square wrapper, fold in half diagonally to form a triangle. Repeat until all the filling is used up.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Carefully drop 10 to 15 dumplings into the boiling water and gently stir so that they do not stick together, then cover and return to a boil. Add 1 cup of cold water to the pot, cover and bring the dumplings to a boil again.

Repeat to bring the dumplings to a boil for the third time, then when all the dumplings float to the surface, remove them from the pot.

Transfer the dumplings to a serving platter greased with a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together. Continue to cook the remaining dumplings in the same manner.

Serve immediately with dippling bowls of soy sauce or oyster sauce on the side.

Variation: To make pot stickers: This is same recipe except that pot stickers are pan-fried in a skillet over medium heat with 1 tablespoon oil for 3 minutes until browned on bottom and cooked throughout. To ensure that they are well cooked, cover the skillet for part of the time while frying them.

Savenors Simple Pot Roast

• 1/4 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• 3 lb Savenors Chuck Roast
• 2 or 3 tablespoons fat or oil
• 2 onions, sliced
• 1 or 2 carrots, peeled and cubed
• Herbs and other seasonings as desired
• 1 cup liquid (wine, bouillon, tomatoes, vegetable broth, etc.)

Season the flour with the salt and pepper and pound the mixture into the meat with the edge of a plate. Brown meat on all sides in the hot fat or oil. Add the onions, cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Add the carrots, herbs, seasonings and liquid. Cover tightly and simmer 3 1/2 -4 hours. You can also place in  pre heated oven (250 degree) for 3 ½ -4 hours until meat is fork tender. Add desired vegetables during the last 20 or 30 minutes. Turn heat off and let rest for 30 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and Pinot or Rioja.  Roast can keep for 4 days in fridge and usually tastes better second day.

All items (except wine and kirsch) can be picked up at Savenors!

Ideas for dipping:
Cubed Clear Flour Baguettes or Iggys Baguettes
Savenor’s Colorado Lamb Tips
Savenor’s Local Grass Fed or USDA Prime Sirloin Tips
Cubed Savenor’s Smoked Ham
Crisp and cubed Granny Apples

# 1/2 pound Swiss-style cheese such as Emmenthaler, shredded
# 1/2 pound Gruyere cheese, shredded
# 2 tablespoons flour or cornstarch (use cornstarch if cooking gluten-free)
# 1 garlic clove, halved crosswise
# 1 cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
# 1 tablespoon lemon juice
# 1 tablespoon kirsch (cherry brandy)
# 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
# Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

1 Place the shredded cheese and cornstarch in a plastic freezer bag. Seal, shake to coat the cheese with flour or cornstarch. Set aside.

2 Rub the inside of a 4-quart pot with the cut garlic, then discard. Add the wine and lemon juice to the pot, and bring to a low simmer on medium heat. Bit by bit, slowly stir the cheese into the wine. Stir constantly in a zig-zag pattern to prevent the cheese from seizing and balling up. Cook just until the cheese is melted and creamy. Do not let boil. Once the mixture is smooth, stir in kirsch, mustard and nutmeg.

3 Transfer the cheese to a fondue serving pot, set over a low flame to keep warm. If your pot is thin-bottomed, a lit candle will probably do. If thick-bottomed, you can use a small Sterno.

4 Arrange various dipping foods around the fondue pot. (A lazy Suzan works great for this.)

To eat, spear dipping foods with fondue forks or small forks. Dip to coat with the cheese, and eat.

Sheryl Julian has the nicest recipe for stewing and souping. We had to share! Any Savenor’s meats can be used for this, especially our flavorful grassfed beef from Massachusetts or fresh chick from Rhode Island!

You can turn almost any stew, casserole, or braise into a hearty soup. Begin by sauteing an onion in oil, then stirring a seasoning into the oil and cooking it for a minute. This can be cumin or another aromatic spice, a mixture of chopped fresh herbs, chili in adobo sauce, and so on. Soup made from leftovers does not simmer very long since most of the ingredients are already cooked.

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon cumin, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, 2 tablespoons chili in adobo sauce, or another seasoning
3 cups cooked cubed meat and vegetables
6 cups chicken stock
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 can (15 ounces) white, black, or kidney beans or chick peas
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, thyme, or oregano
1. In a soup pot, heat the oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the onion and cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes or until it softens.

2. Add the cumin, herbs, chili, or other seasoning. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.

3. Stir in the meat and vegetables, chicken stock, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and beans or chick peas. Turn up the heat and bring the mixture to a boil.

4. Lower the heat, cover the pot, and simmer the soup for 10 minutes. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley, thyme, or oregano. Sheryl Julian

So Juliana and I spent a good chunk of time yesterday thinking of recipes that could make our 1960s Mad Men cut.  Despite Julia Child starting to teach Americans how to cook French food, it was also the decade that gave us Pop-Tarts and Tang.  A little more challenging than we initially thought, but here are our picks.

Iceburg Wedge Salad (pictured above)

Iceburg Lettuce

Savenor’s Own Cob Smoked Bacon

Stonewall Kitchen Blue Cheese Dressing

Fry the bacon until crisp.  Remove from frying pan and lay on paper towels to remove excess grease.  While the bacon is cooling, slice the iceburg lettuce into wedges.  Carefully wash the wedges, let dry.  While the lettuce is draining, chop up the bacon.  Place the wedges on plates, drizzle with dressing and sprinkle bacon on top.  I went with about 1 strip of bacon per wedge, using 1- 1lb package for 1 head of lettuce.  But I love bacon.

Cheeseball

Port Salut (France)

Lars Cripsy Onions

Crunch up the crispy onions, set aside.  Roll the Port Salut into a ball and then roll the cheese ball in the onions.  Chill.  Serve with your choice of crackers.  Pat (the Cambridge Cheesemonger) also suggested rolling the cheese into smaller balls (roll for a while, packing densely) then rolling into the onions and frying for 30-40 seconds.

Mini Franks

Kobe Beef Mini Cocktail Franks

Crooked Birch Spicy Pineapple & Ginger Sauce (Cambridge) or Blue Dragon Sweet Dipping Sauce (Boston)

Pineapple (cut into pieces)

Over medium heat, warm the mini franks in a saute pan.  When the franks are slightly browned, reduce heat and add enough sauce to cover and let simmer.  Serve with pineapple on the side.

Swedish Meatballs

½ cup Ians Panko (or other breadcrumbs)

1/4 cup Stoneyfield Organic milk

3 tablespoons Cabot butter, divided

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

A pinch plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

3/4 pound Savenor’s Ground Beef

3/4 pound Savenor’s Ground Pork

2 large egg yolks

1/2 teaspoon Christina’s black pepper

1/4 teaspoon Christina’s ground allspice

1/4 teaspoon Christina’s freshly grated nutmeg

1/4 cup King Arthur’ all-purpose flour

3 cups Kitchen Basics beef broth

1/4 cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 200.

Combine the bread crumbs and milk in a bowl and set aside.  In a medium saute pan over medium heat, melt 1 tablespoon of butter.  add onion and a pinch of salt and cook until the onions are soft. Remove from heat and set aside.

In another mixing bowl, combine the bread crumb and milk mixture, ground chuck, pork, egg yolks, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt, black pepper, allspice, nutmeg and onions.  Roll into approximately 1-1/2 inch balls.

Heat the remaining butter in the saute pan over medium-low heat.  Add the meatballs and saute until all sides are golden brown.  Remove meatballs from pan using a slotted spoon (leave liquid in the pan) and place into oven-save dish and then place in oven.

Reduce the heat to low and whisk in the flour until lightly browned, about a minute or two.  Gradually whisk in the beef stock and continue whisking until the sauce begins to thicken.  Add cream and cook until gravy reaches the desired consistency.

Remove meatballs from oven, add the gravy and serve.