Preparation – Chips: Peel and rinse potatoes. Cut each potato in half lengthwise, then cut each half in half. Continue halving the sections until you have 16 long rectangular wedges. Cover in water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 3-4 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels, then let them sit for 5-10 minutes in a colander. Lower a few at a time into the hot oil (yes, you can use the same oil) and fry until they are a golden brown. Drain on a wire rack and sprinkle liberally with salt. Serve with a good malt vinegar (like Heinz).
Rissole
Ingredients:
(usually made from leftovers!)
Potatoes, boiled or fried
Fish, minced (or other minced meat)
Onion, diced
Salt and pepper, to taste
Breadcrumbs or flour
Peanut or other high temperature oil for frying
Preparation: Heat oil in a Dutch oven to 375° or until a bit of flour sizzles when dropped in. Combine all ingredients except breadcrumbs/flour in a bowl and mash together. Scoop up with hands and fashion into golf ball sized portions. Either leave round or flatten slightly. Roll in breadcrumbs/flour. Drop into hot oil and fry until golden brown.
Colcannon
Ingredients:
Red or Yukon gold potatoes, 1-¼ lbs
Cabbage, I small head, chopped
Green onions, ½ cup, chopped
Irish butter, 6 TBS
Salt and pepper, to taste
Preparation: Rinse and quarter potatoes (with or without skins). Cover potatoes, cabbage, and onions with water by at least an inch in a Dutch oven and bring to a boil. Add a pinch of salt and simmer covered until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl. Mash potatoes and vegetables with butter until the mixture is chunky. Season with salt and pepper to serve. (Note: leftover Colcannon can be used to make Rissole!)
Late-for-a-Date Tea Biscuits
Ingredients:
Butter, 1 cup softened
Sugar, 2 cups
Eggs, 3 large
Vanilla Extract, 1 tsp
All-purpose flour, 3 ½ cups
Baking soda, 1 tsp
Salt, ½ tsp
Dates, ¼ cup chopped
Preparation: Heat oven to 350°. Cream butter on medium speed with electric mixer. Add sugar gradually. Add eggs, one at a time. Add vanilla. Be sure all are blended well. In a bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Gradually add to butter mixture until well blended. Divide dough and wrap each half in plastic wrap. Chill 1 hour. Roll each half to ¼-inch thickness on floured surface. Cut cookies with a 2 ½-inch round cutter. Bake for 10-12 minutes until edges begin to brown. Rest on baking sheets for 5 minutes. While still warm, use a toothpick to press 12 notches around the sides like a clockface. Place date pieces onto the 12, 3, 6, and 9 notches. Cool on wire racks.
Mad Hatter Muffins
Ingredients:
All-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cups
Rolled oats, ¼ cup
Light brown sugar, 1 cup
Baking soda, ½ tsp
Orange, I medium, juiced and zested
Oil, 1 TBS sunflower or other light vegetable oil
Yogurt, 1 cup plain
Egg, 1 large
Marmalade, ¼ cup chunky
(or other chunky fruit preserve)
Preparation: Heat oven to 400°. Prepare large, regular, or small sized muffin tin by lightly greasing, coating with nonstick spray, or with paper baking cups. Combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda in a bowl. In another bowl, whisk orange juice and zest, oil, yogurt, and egg. Fold into dry mixture until combined. Spoon 1 TBS (depending on size of muffin tin compartments) into each muffin compartment. Top with 1 tsp. orange marmalade, then cover with remaining muffin mixture. Bake for 15-20 minutes until golden brown on top.
March Hare Madeleines
Ingredients:
Coconut, 2 ½ cups shredded
Sugar, ¾ cup
All-purpose flour, 1 ¼ cup
Egg, 1 large
Yogurt, 1 cup vanilla
Dried fruit, ¾ cup chopped
Preparation: Heat oven to 325°. Grease madeleine molds with butter. Use a food processor or hand chop coconut until fine. Whisk together with butter, flour, egg, and yogurt until smooth. Fold in fruit. Fill molds ¾ full and bake on a baking sheet for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Cool for 10 minutes. Brush with melted butter and dust with a bit of the sugar/coconut mixture. Madeleines can also be brushed with a thin coating of jam before serving.
Dormouse Delights
Ingredients – Crust:
All-purpose flour, 1 ½ cups
Butter, ¾ cup, cold diced
Powdered sugar, ¼ cup
Lemon, 1 zested
Ingredients – Filling:
Eggs, 4 large
Powdered sugar, 1 cup
Lemons, ½ cup juice
All-purpose flour, 2 TBS
Lemon, sliced into small flat quarter rounds
Preparation: Heat oven to 350°. Line 8x8 baking pan with parchment paper. Combine crust ingredients and cut in butter until the mixture resembled fine crumbles. Sprinkle evenly into pan and press to form an even crust. Bake for 20 minutes or until light golden brown. Whisk filling ingredients together until combined. As soon as crust is done, remove from oven and pour lemon filling on top of hot crust. Bake for 18-20 minutes more, or until the filling has set. Cool on a rack until room temperature, then chill for 2 hours. To serve, cut into small triangles and top with a quarter round lemon slice.
Beef and Guinness Stew
Ingredients:
Bacon, 4 slices chopped
Boneless beef chuck, 2 ½ lbs cut into 2-inch cubes
Salt and pepper, to taste
Onions, 2 coarsely chopped
Carrots, 3 cut into 2-inch pieces
Celery, 2 stalks cut into 2-inch pieces
Potatoes, 4 Russet, cut into 2-inch cubes
Garlic, 4 cloves minced
Tomato paste, ¼ cup
Guinness Beer, 14.9 ounces
Thyme, 4 sprigs fresh
Sugar, 1 tsp
Chicken or beef stock, 2 ½ cups or enough to cover by 1 inch
Preparation: In a Dutch oven, cook bacon until browned. Remove and set aside in a bowl, leaving fat. Season beef with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high and brown in bacon fat about 5 minutes. Remove to bowl. Turn down heat and sauté onions and garlic in the remainder of the fat about 1 minute. Add beef and bacon, along with remainder of ingredients, except potatoes. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly to incorporate browned bits from the bottom of the pot, then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally. Remove cover and add potatoes. Raise heat to medium and bring to a low boil for 20-30 minutes, until potatoes are fork tender. Remove from heat and let sit covered for 15 minutes. Serve in a bowl with brown bread and butter.
About the Author
Michelle Busby is a Florida transplant who lived for a time in California where she was an actress, singer, and writer and a member of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA). A life-long thespian and former teacher, she has performed on stage since her teens and has written plays, musicals, and novels for all ages under the pen names of Mickey MorningGlory, Mickey Middleton, and M.M. Busby. An avid puzzle solver, mystery buff, and self-proclaimed foodie, she combines her talents into one large pot where she stews up her Holmes and Watson Culinary Whodunits. She is a member of Sisters in Crime (SinC), Women’s Fiction Writers Association (WFWA), National Association of Independent Writers and Editors (NAIWE), American Copy Editors Society (ACES), and Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI). Michelle lives in Florida with her family.
Readers can visit Michelle at patentprintbooks.com.