Saint Patty's Day Hash

A fantastic hash starring greens including Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and green onion for that green St. Patty's day custom.  And don't potatoes help make this Irish?  A great way to lower carbs and amp up the veggies.
4 golden potatoes, scrubbed
2 Tbsp butter plus 1 Tbsp olive oil

2 small leeks, trimmed, washed and sliced
10-12 Brussels sprouts, base trimmed and quartered lengthwise

1/2 lb cabbage, cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1/2 small head)
1/2 lb broccoli floweretts, about 2-3 cups
1/4 tsp red chili pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced

Prick the potatoes on all sides with the tines of a fork. Microwave for 2 minutes on each side, four times, rotating, each time. Remove the hot potatoes with a towel and carefully slice into eighths.

Heat a large non-stick skillet and add the butter and olive oil and brown the potatoes over medium heat for about 15-20 minutes. 

Turn the potatoes with tongs regularly so that they brown on all sides. Salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile get your veggies all lined up.

Sauté the leeks and Brussels sprouts in a large pan in a bit of olive oil. 

After about 5 minutes, add the cabbage and the broccoli and continue cooking another 5 minutes or so, until the veggies are only just becoming crisp tender. 

Add the red pepper flakes and the garlic and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Now toss in the potatoes with the green veggies and tip into a serving bowl.

Serves 6 as a side dish.

Guinness Bangers and Beef Stout Stew

Want a hearty stew to keep you going through the middle of the week, but you're a working stiff like me?

Use a pressure cooker.

There are many new (read: safe) models out there that you can use on your stovetop; or fully electronic versions for your counter top. Don't let ancient fears keep you from being green - you will probably use less than half the energy to cook a stew.  And less than half the time.  They should be mandatory in every kitchen. And - you can be eating in under an hour, compared to 3.  That's worthy of the weeknight.

When I think of stews, my thoughts often wander to the United Kingdom.  They are geniuses at the hearty stew.  So get your shiny, sparkling, spanking new high-tech pressure cooker dirty with this.

Or, go buy one.
2-1/2 to 3 lb chuck roast, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
1 lb favorite sausages, cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces - I used chorizo
2 small leeks, cleaned and cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces
3 cloves garlic, smashed
1 tsp herbes de Provence
2 Tbsp tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce
1 pint 6 oz Guinness Extra Stout Beer

3 carrots, peeled and sliced
3 parsnips, peeled and cut into coarse matchsticks
1/2 head large cabbage, coarsely chopped

In a large pressure cooker or Dutch Oven, brown the beef in 3 batches, in a bit of canola oil. Brown each side of the beef, for about 10 minutes per batch, setting aside in a bowl. Add a bit more canola oil in pot and brown the sausages, leeks and garlic for about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Add the herbs de Provence and cook another 2 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook another 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Add the beef stock and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. 

Now add the stout beer and stir well.

Pressure Cooker:
Cover pressure cooker and bring to max pressure for 10-12 minutes. Depressurize naturally (slowly, off heat - about 10 minutes - then bring down any remaining pressure manually).

Meanwhile, sauté the carrots and parsnips to brown them up a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage just to heat through.

Now put the veggies into the stew and re-pressurize the pressure cooker. Cook for 2-3 minutes and allow the stew to depressurize naturally again.

Dutch Oven:
Simmer meat for 2 hours, covered, at 350F in oven. Meanwhile, sauté the carrots and parsnips to brown them up a bit, about 5 minutes. Add the cabbage just to heat through. Set aside until meat has cooked 2 hours. Then stir veggies into stew and cook another 30 minutes.

Serves 8.

Steak and Guinness Pie

1/3 lb thick-cut bacon, diced
2 lb chuck roast, cut into one-inch cubes
1/2 cup flour

1 large (grapefruit-sized) onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 medium carrots, peeled and diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp Herbes de Provence, or Italian herbs
2 tsp garam masala

1 liter Guinness Stout beer
2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
2 Tbsp tomato paste

2 1-lb packages puff pastry (2 12x12- inch sheets per package)
1 egg whisked with 1 Tbsp water

Preheat oven to 450F. In a large oven-going Dutch Oven, fry the bacon in a bit of olive oil, until fragrant and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the onion, celery and carrots and continue cooking for about another 10 minutes, until the veggies are softened and caramelized a bit. Add the garlic, herbs, and the garam masala and cook another 2 minutes, stirring often. Set mixture aside.

Meanwhile, toss beef cubes with flour in a large bowl. Brown the beef in the Dutch Oven in a bit of canola oil, in batches (2-3 batches), until browned on all sides. Remove beef to a bowl. Deglaze Dutch Oven with the beer, and return the beef and veggie mix to the casserole. Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and the tomato paste and pop stew in the oven. Salt and pepper to taste.

Bake for 45 minutes, covered. Stir stew, add a bit of water if necessary and reduce heat to 325F. Bake for about another hour, until meat is extremely tender. Now your stew is done! You can make your pie now if the timing is right, or better yet, let the stew sit for a day or two in the refrigerator - the flavors will develop beautifully.

Preheat oven to 375F. Line two pie plates each with one puff pastry sheet. Fill pies with warm stew filling. If you refrigerated your stew beforehand, warm on the stove before filling pies. Cover each pie with another sheet of puff pastry. Paint the crusts with eggwash and poke a few vent holes in the crust with fork times. Its a good idea to put a baking sheet on the oven rack below the pies to collect any filling bubbling over. Bake about 30 minutes, until crust browns nicely, and pie filling is piping hot. Makes 2 pies, serving 8.