Luck O' the Irish!

One favorite way to celebrate March is to celebrate green. Green is the color of Saint Patrick’s Day and also happens to be the color of spring. What we know here in the United States as traditional Saint Paddy’s Day food is actually Irish American Food. Corned Beef and cabbage, a traditional holiday dish in the U.S. takes on a gourmet flavor with ShopRite Culinary Workshop Instructor Chef Harold Glassman’s recipe below. Braised in beer and topped with a whole grain mustard sauce, this corned beef and cabbage will wake you from your winter slumber.

Prepare a holiday treat for a neighbor or friend with a Philadelphia style confection that is gifted every Saint Patrick’s Day by Irish Philadelphians: Irish Potato Candies. You’ll find these candies for sale at ShopRite Supermarkets in Philadelphia and South Jersey. Try your hand at making a batch for your family; these cinnamon dusted coconut candies are a special treat. This recipe is definitely kid-friendly too.

Another way to think or eat GREEN is to try some new leafy green vegetables. We all know by now the benefits of dark green leafy vegetables: iron, vitamin C, fiber, minerals and much more. Try our wilted greens recipe with your holiday meal or make a weeknight meal out of the Lucky Leprechaun Soup and some delicious fresh baked bread from ShopRite.

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day! May you and your family have the Luck O’ the Irish !

For more delicious recipes and entertaining culinary instruction, register for the upcoming Spring 2009 ShopRite Culinary Workshops at a store near you.

Happy Cooking!

Chef Faith

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Green Salad with Green Goddess Dressing*

*Exclusive Chef Faith Alahverdian recipe

Click here for printable version of this recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

2 cups fresh watercress
1 cup fresh arugula
1 cup romaine lettuce leaves

Green Goddess Salad Dressing
3⁄4 cup ShopRite mayonnaise
1⁄2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. chopped fresh tarragon
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tbsp. white wine vinegar
1⁄2 tsp. anchovy paste
La Baleine Sea Salt
Simply Organic Whole Black Peppercorns
3 tbsp. chopped fresh chives

Directions

1. To prepare salad greens, rinse watercress, arugula and romaine lettuce leaves. Pat dry with paper towels. Tear leaves and toss together in salad bowl. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.
2. To prepare Green Goddess Salad Dressing, combine mayonnaise, buttermilk, tarragon, parsley, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, anchovy paste, sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste in blender container. Cover and blend until combined. Stir in chives. Toss with salad greens. Serve immediately.

Per Serving: 216 calories, 2g carbohydrate, 1g protein, 22g fat, 3g saturated fat, 0g fiber,
12mg cholesterol, 293mg sodium

Recipe note: This salad dressing was created during the Roaring '20s to honor an actor
appearing in a play named “Green Goddess.”

A good idea: This classic dressing can also be used as a complementary sauce for fish and
shellfish.

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Lucky Leprechaun Spinach Soup*

*Exclusive Chef Faith Alahverdian recipe

Click here for printable version of this recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 27 minutes

Makes 6 servings

Ingredients

3 tbsp. Enova Oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 large clove elephant garlic, sliced
1 rib celery, diced
3 cups baby spinach leaves
4 cups chicken stock or broth
2 tbsp. cornstarch mixed with 3 tbsp. water
1 1⁄2 cups whole milk
1⁄4 tsp. Simply Organic Ground Nutmeg
La Baleine Sea Salt
Simply Organic Ground White Pepper
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. Heat oil in large soup pot over medium heat 1 minute. Add onion, garlic and celery; cook and stir 5 minutes until soft. Add spinach; wilt, stirring constantly, about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Stir in stock and simmer 10 minutes. Purée using an immersion blender. Stir in cornstarch mixture and bring to low simmer. Cook, stirring constantly, 8 minutes.
3. Stir in milk, nutmeg, sea salt and white pepper to taste. Bring to low simmer. Serve, garnished with parsley.

Per Serving: 180 calories, 14g carbohydrate, 6g protein, 11g fat, 2g saturated fat, 1g fiber,
11mg cholesterol, 279mg sodium

Recipe note: Elephant garlic is actually more closely related to the leek. Although larger in comparison to other garlic, it is milder in flavor.

A good idea: This soup is a delicious way to get more vegetables into your meal and diet.

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Country-Style Wilted Cabbage and Greens Sauté*

*Exclusive Chef Faith Alahverdian recipe

Click here for printable version of this recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes

Cook time: 16 minutes
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

4 strips slab bacon, cut into 1⁄2 -inch pieces
2 tbsp. Enova Oil
1 large sweet onion, diced
1⁄2 tsp. Simply Organic Caraway Seeds, crushed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1⁄4 cup pre-shredded carrot
2 cups shredded savoy cabbage
1 jar Kühne German Red Cabbage, drained well
2 cups Cut ’n Clean Country Style Mixed Greens
1 1⁄2 cups corned beef stock or chicken stock

Directions

1. In a large, deep sauté pan, cook bacon over medium heat until soft. Remove
   bacon from pan. Add Enova Oil to pan and heat slightly.
2. Add onion, caraway seeds, freshly ground pepper to taste, and garlic; stir and cook
   3 minutes or until soft and fragrant. Stir in carrot, both cabbages, and mixed greens;
   sauté 2 minutes.
3. Add stock and cover pan. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer until the liquid is evaporated, about 8 minutes. Return bacon to pan and check seasoning. Add kosher
   salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Per Serving: 140 calories, 20g carbohydrate, 3g protein, 5g fat, 2g fiber, 5mg cholesterol,
140mg sodium

Recipe note: Savoy cabbage has loose crinkled pale to dark green leaves. It has a mellow
flavor and is considered an excellent choice for cooking. Cooking cabbage lightly, as in
this recipe, helps retain vitamins and color, and also reduces odor.

A good idea: Try savoy cabbage as a soft wrapper for different vegetable or meat fillings.

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Chef Harold’s Beer-Braised Corned Beef with Baby Potatoes and Irish Cheddar

*An original recipe by ShopRite Culinary Workshop Instructor Chef Harold Glassman.

Click here for printable version of this recipe

 

Prep time: 20 minutes*

Cook time: 2 ½ hours until fork tender

*stand time 25 minutes
Makes 8 servings

Ingredients

1 (approx. 4-lb.) ShopRite Brand Corned Beef with the enclosed spice packet
1 tbsp. Simply Organic Pickling Spice
1 (6-pk.) Irish dark beer
1 celery rib
1 carrot, peeled and halved
1 clove elephant garlic, split in half
1 lb. Ruby Gold Baby Potatoes, scrubbed well and halved
11⁄4 cups shredded Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese
4 tbsp. ShopRite butter
1 cup heavy cream
1 tbsp. whole grain mustard

Directions

1. Place the corned beef, contents of spice packet, pickling spices, and beer in a large
   stockpot; let stand 10 minutes.
2. Place pot over medium heat; add celery, carrot, and garlic. Bring to boil; reduce heat to medium and cover slightly. Cook corned beef until fork tender, about 2 ½ hours. During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add potatoes and cook until fork tender. Remove potatoes to a greased baking dish.
3. Remove pot from heat and allow corned beef to stand in liquid until ready to slice.
4. Preheat oven to 375°F. Remove corned beef to a cutting board, retaining juices in the pot. Slice desired amount to serve; cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Allow remaining corned beef to cool down before storing in the refrigerator.
5. Sprinkle potatoes with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Dot with butter and top with Dubliner cheese. Bake until bubbly and golden.
6. To prepare whole grain mustard cream sauce, pour off 1⁄4 cup of the corned beef stock
   through a strainer into a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat until reduced by half. Discard remaining stock, if desired. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Add heavy cream and wholegrain mustard. Heat gently until thickened. Do not boil.

Per Serving: 310 calories, 11g carbohydrate, 20g protein, 20g fat, 1g fiber, 110mg cholesterol, 1170mg sodium

Recipe note: This easy, tangy sauce can also be prepared with drippings from pork or veal.

A good idea: Make New York deli-style corned beef sandwiches the next day by gently
steaming the corned beef using some of the reserved corned beef stock.

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Irish Potato Candies

Click here for printable version of this recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes
Makes 2 ½ dozen pieces

Ingredients

1 (3-oz.) pkg. ShopRite cream cheese, at room temperature
1⁄4 tsp. Simply Organic Vanilla Extract
Pinch of ShopRite salt
2 cups ShopRite powdered sugar
1 cup sweetened coconut flakes
Additional powdered sugar
(for dusting hands)
About 1 tbsp. Simply Organic Ground Cinnamon

Directions

1. In large bowl combine cream cheese, vanilla, and salt; beat with wooden spoon
   until smooth.
2. Slowly add 2 cups powdered sugar, stirring until thoroughly blended. Stir in coconut.
   If dough is too sticky, sprinkle with more powdered sugar, 1 tablespoonful at a time.
   Wrap tightly in plastic wrap; refrigerate for 20 minutes or until firm enough to handle.
3. Dust clean hands with additional powdered sugar; roll cheese mixture into bite-size,
   potato-shaped pieces.
4. Place cinnamon in small bowl. Roll each piece in cinnamon.
5. Cover and store in airtight container in refrigerator for up to one week.

If desired, each candy may be placed in a mini foil party cup.

Per Piece: 60 calories, 10g carbohydrate, 0g protein, 2g fat, 0g fiber, 5mg cholesterol,
25mg sodium

Recipe note: To soften a 3-ounce package of cream cheese quickly in the microwave,
remove it from the foil wrapper; place it on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave at 50%
power (medium) for 30 seconds. Let stand 1 minute before using.

A good idea: Give these candies a tropical flair; roll them in finely chopped macadamia nuts
instead of cinnamon. Or try rolling them in sweetened cocoa powder.