This is Dublin Coddle, also known as Irish Potato and Sausage Stew. Now, I have no idea if this is authentic as I have never had it in Dublin, in Ireland…. or frankly anywhere at at time, so I hope that I am not embarrassing myself too much. Critiques — at least on the looks of things — are welcome. I will say that I like all the ingredients (onions, potatoes, bacon, sausage, broth and herbs) and together they tasted terrific and it wasn’t hard to make at all. At the end of the day, it is a bit similar to a German or a ‘standard European stew’. It’s a good way to end St. Patrick’s Day.
Dinner
King Arthur Baking’s Irish Brown Bread
I know that everyone and their brother makes soda bread around this time of year, and I am no different. This time, I made it with wholemeal flour, so a little darker, a little more rustic and really really quite flavorful. A nutty flavor, for sure. Not very sweet at all, so would go great with a sharp cheddar too. I’ll be back to sourdough making soon enough, but this was great for this week! This is the recipe from the KA site and that is also where I got the wholemeal flour.
I love seafood. Most any kind of seafood really, but shrimp are actually one of those super-easy things to make, and because they are mostly IQF on the boats (Individually Quick Frozen), they are fresh when they are frozen and great to keep on hand. This is a garlic and saffron recipe that comes together very quickly. There are two things to be careful of though — be careful not to overcook the shrimp (less than 10 minutes will do) and the sauce can split if you aren’t careful. Paying attention and doing everything expeditiously certainly helps.
Stuffed peppers have been on the rotation for dinners for years. Mostly, I go along more the “Italian style (with a garlic and basil tomato sauce), but I thought that I would do something a little different this time, with more of a Mexican style, with black beans, corn, and leaning to cumin, coriander and a sharp cheese. It’s a great dish to make in the winter. I’d stick with red, orange or yellow peppers over the green as they can be a little bitter. Also, this recipe is flavorful, but not overly spicy.
Today was just a day that I needed Mac & Cheese. And not just any Mac & Cheese, I went for this Mushroom Spinach and Boursin Baked Mac & Cheese. Hearty, garlicky, cheesy, delicious. Now I am going to fall into a food coma on the sofa in front of a hockey game. Because that is about all the effort that I have left. Ahhh, comfort food!