Irish Colcannon & Apple Cupcakes with Whiskey Glaze

This weekend, we celebrated St. Patty's Day with a number of close friends. It started as a casual afternoon get-together and somewhere throughout the course of the evening, the living room exploded into a raging dance floor. Leave it to us to help the Irish celebrate with some damn good song and dance. Luckily, we had filled up on Irish favorites earlier in the day, including bangers and Colcannon, and apple cupcakes with whiskey frosting. Give these recipes a try for an easy jump start to your St. Patty's Day! 

Colcannon is a traditional Irish dish of mashed potatoes stuffed with cabbage. My version uses kale and green onions along with thyme butter. It's hearty and comforting and a perfect way to kick off St. Patty's day. 

8 Russet Potatoes, skin on
1.5 C. Kale, stems removed
1 T. Olive oil
6 green onions, diced
3/4 C. Sour cream
1 stick of Butter, at room temp
1/4 C. Milk
2 T. Thyme
S&P

Place the potatoes in a large pot filled with enough water to cover the potatoes. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a rapid boil. When a fork can easily be inserted into the potatoes, carefully remove them and transfer them to a large boil. 

Bring the pot of water back to a boil and add the kale. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the kale is a bright green. Remove from the heat and drain. 

In a small boil, combine the butter and thyme. Set aside until ready to serve. 

Using a potato masher, crush the potatoes until they are a smooth consistency. (Don't use a hand mixer or you'll end up with gummy potatoes). 

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Drizzle with olive oil and when it glistens, add 3/4 of the green onion. Sauté until lightly browned. Add to the potatoes, along with the sour cream and kale. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper. 

To serve, form a nest with the colcannon with a well in the center. Add a tablespoon of thyme butter into the well and allow it to melt. Garnish with the remaining green onion. Serve with bangers. 

Apple Cupcakes with Whiskey Glaze

Your favorite white or yellow cake batter (shh...I used a box)
1.5 apples, cored and diced
1 T. Cinnamon
1 pinch of nutmeg
2 C. Powdered sugar
3 T whiskey
Preheat the oven to 350.
Add the apples, cinnamon and nutmeg to the cake batter. Toss to combine.
Fill the cupcake pan and bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cupcake comes out clean. Allow to cool before removing the cupcakes from the pan.
In a small bowl, combine the powdered sugar and whiskey. Stir with a fork until smooth. You may need to adjust the amount of sugar or whiskey. Just remember, a little bit of liquid goes a looong way!
Drizzle the cooled cupcakes with the glaze. 

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

Last weekend, my parents visited me in Columbus for the first time and we had an absolute blast!  I was able to show them all around my new city and introduce them to the my closest friends.  All in all, it was a fabulous weekend.  And because we're O'Gara's, you can rest assured that our entire weekend revolved around food!  We shared appetizers and cocktails at Hubbard Grill and swooned over sinful desserts at Pistacia Vera.  I also took my parents on a tour of North Market where we found perfumed honey from a local beekeeper, which became the inspiration for our Sunday Family Dinner.

We made a fantastic (if we do say so ourselves) pork tenderloin that we ate with oven roasted potatoes, onion and fennel, as well as a fun, cheesy pull-apart bread.  Our pork tenderloin turned out so well, I figured it just had to be the next blog post.  This Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin is juicy and flavorful with a crisp, sweet crust that is perfect for a special Sunday dinner.

Honey Butter Pork Tenderloin

2 small pork tenderloins
Salt & Pepper
3 T. Cinnamon honey (or another flavored, local honey)
1/2 C. Butter
1/4 Onion, thinly sliced
1 T. Fresh thyme, chopped

Preheat the oven to 400.

Rub the pork tenderloin with salt and pepper so they are evenly and fully coated.

In a large non-stick skillet, melt the butter and honey over medium high heat.  Stir constantly until the honey and butter come together in a quick bubble.  Carefully place the pork tenderloin into the honey butter mixture.  Allow the pork to sit for about a minute without turning it so that it gets a good sear.  Turn and repeat until all of the pork has a crisp, dark crust.

Remove the meat from the skillet and place in an oven safe baking dish.  Add the onion to the honey butter sauce and toss until the onions darken, about 2 minutes.  Carefully pour these caramelized onions and sauce on top of the pork tenderloin.  Sprinkle with thyme and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes or until the pork is cooked all the way through.  Remove the pork from the oven and allow it to sit for about 5 minutes so all those juices can redistribute.

Slice the pork on a diagonal (it looks nicer) and serve with oven-roasted vegetables.

*Local honey contains local pollen and can be helpful in warding off seasonal allergies.  Plus, you get to support a local farmer instead of a grocery conglomerate!  Check out Brad's Bees at https://www.facebook.com/BradsBees.

White Chicken Chili

This recipe comes from my uncle, Tim Curry, who lives in Tucson, Arizona.  A hearty southwestern dish, it is flavored with cinnamon, cumin and roasted green chilies.  Serve it with some tortillas and avocado or corn bread and you’ve got yourself the perfect, unique fall meal.  Thank you for the recipe, Tim.

8 Large chicken thighs (no skin, with bones to start)

2 T. olive oil

1 Large sweet yellow onion, diced

2-3 Cloves of garlic, minced

1 Bag frozen premium white pearl onions

1 32-oz. can of chicken broth

2 16-oz. cans of white beans, rinsed and drained

1 t. Crushed red pepper flakes (or to taste)

1 t. Cumin

½ t. Cinnamon

2 T. red wine vinegar

1 Large baked potato (or 1 can white potatoes, drained), chopped

1 7-oz. Can roasted diced green chilies

Cilantro, shredded white cheddar, avocado, pico de gallo, for garnish and topping

*I couldn’t find frozen pearl onions, so I substituted regular onion.  I also added yellow corn and hominy in place of half of the white beans.  I garnished mine with cilantro and lime.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil.  Add the chicken thighs and cook over medium heat until they’re almost done.  Remove the chicken and allow it to cool.  Add the onion and garlic to the pot and cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent, but don’t let them brown!  Add the pearl onions (or small white onions if you can’t find them frozen, because I never can now).  Let them cook with the other onions and garlic for several minutes.  Add the chicken broth and let it come to a simmer. 

While the broth is heating, debone and shred the chicken.  Discard any skin, fat or bones and add the chicken to the pot.  When the combination has come to a simmer, add the white beans. 

Season the chili with the red pepper flakes, cumin, cinnamon and vinegar.  Cover the pot and let the chili simmer about 30 minutes.  Remove the cover and add the diced green chilies.  Cook for another 20 minutes.  *If you add the green chilies too soon, their flavor will be lost, so don’t do it!

At this point, season the chili further with more crushed red pepper flakes (or Tepin peppers for a bigger kick, do not use jalapenos).  Serve the chili hot with cilantro, shredded white cheddar or avocado and Pico de Gallo.  This chili tastes great with bread sticks, tortillas or good, coarse bread.