Punxsutawney Cakes

Happy Groundhog Day. Those of you that know me, know it's my favorite holiday tradition of the year. I love the excitement of the anticipated sign of spring from the Seer of Seers, Punxsutawney Phil on February 2nd each year. Who would believe the little weather predicting rodent would be 75-90 percent accurate. How about that! I'd say that's more predictable than any certified meteorologist.

However, I really feel Groundhog Day took on an all new meaning years back after watching Bill Murray in Groundhog Day, the movie. Imagine being able to eat all the pancakes and donuts you like and repeat it again the next day, and the next?     

So in honor of Punxsutawney Phil and Bill Murray here's my Punxsutawney Pancakes Recipe. Hearing the alarm clock at 6AM on Groundhog Day just isn't the same without a tall stack of pancakes and carafe of good coffee to wake up to.

Punxsutawney Pancakes Recipe

Happy Groundhog Day to you all.

View Original Groundhog Day Movie Trailer on TCM.

Don't Cry For Me Sardo

Having a good stock of cheese in my fridge is one of those things that's very important to me. It goes hand in hand with having good bread and wine at the ready. Today - I have a good cheese find for you, I found it at my local Citarella Market and it's of Argentine origin, called Sardo. Sardo is similar to the familiar Pecorino Romano, but milder, a bit salty and made from cow's milk rather than sheep's milk. It is wonderful to see cheeses imported from Argentina gaining in popularity; I have been a long time fan of Argentine wines such as Malbec. 

Sardo is delicious grated on pastas or risotto. To get you inspired for a quick weekday dinner, with or without the Malbec - enjoy my recipe.

Eggplant And Rigatoni 
Makes 4 servings

From George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series
chefgeorgehirsch.com

1 pound rigatoni pasta, cooked
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups eggplant, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, chopped
6 plum tomatoes, deseeded and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/4 cup pitted calamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup white whine
1 cup chicken broth
1 teaspoon each: dried basil, oregano, thyme, hot pepper flakes
2 Tablespoons pine nuts, toasted in a sauté pan or oven
2 Tablespoons fresh basil
Parmesan or Sardo cheese to taste and fresh black pepper

Preheat a large nonstick saucepan.  

Add half the olive oil; then eggplant, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bell pepper. Cook 5-10 minutes or until light brown.  

Add the wine, chicken broth, olives, dried basil, oregano, thyme and hot sauce. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes; mix in the cooked rigatoni. Top with remaining olive oil.

Top with fresh basil, toasted pine nuts and grated cheese.

Better, One Quart at a Time

There's something good to be said for putting on your robe (a long one please) and stepping outside your front door in the morning to fetch a fresh glass bottle of milk. And the convenience of fresh yogurt, sour cream, and farm eggs, would be extra good. I admit, the convenience would be very, very nice, but I am more excited about the quality of the product that would be delivered. Here, fresh means better.

I live out in farm country and yet the dairy farmers of yore are-no-more. There is definitely a want for these types of quality products. A good indication is the surging sustainable movement and more farm cooperatives gaining notoriety. Locally, boutique farm products are becoming more widely available. But, I am still hoping for the milkman to come back to town.

I stumbled upon Hornstra's Dairy Farm, a family owned operation suppling Grade A quality milk, and dairy products to South Shore Massachusetts, and They DELIVER! The operation is done old-school; with Vat Pasteurization and glass bottles; ensuring every product is the freshest and purest available.

Doing things the old-fashioned way means that their herd is not injected with synthetic hormones. 100% of Hornstra Farms' milk comes from their own cows, and is free of synthetic growth hormones. Just call them happy and healthy cows. Vat pasteurization method means they heat their milk to 145° F for 30 minutes. This gives the milk the smooth sweet taste of yesteryear. 

FYI, pasteurization involves heating milk to kill bacteria. Nearly all milk sold in industrialized countries is pasteurized. Most milk is pasteurized using the Flash Pasteurization Method, which is accomplished by heating the milk to 161° F for 15 seconds and then quickly cooling it.

Now wouldn’t a glass of Hornstra's Farm milk delivered go well with a Banana Muffin? Wherever you live, I hope you have a Hornstra's close by. I'm thinking of buying a house in MA., just for the milk, delivered in a glass bottle.

Short Ribs Far East Style

Summer may bring visions of slabs of pork ribs sizzling on the grill, but what do you do when the date is Feburary 1 and it's still a bit too chilly outdoors? Simply take to the art of braising. Its long, slow cooking that infuses flavor by caramelizing the meat and vegetables; creating the makings of a full flavorful sauce. One of my good friends makes a classical version, which is excellent and tempting to prepare; but I'm offering a different flavor here today, which has been a viewer favorite- with a savory and sweet spin. Enjoy!

Short Ribs of Beef with Orange Ginger Sauce 

Makes four servings 
As seen on George Hirsch Living it UP! TV series 
chefgeorgehirsch.com 

4 pounds beef short ribs, bone in 
1/4 cup flour, for coating beef short ribs 
2 Tablespoons olive oil 
4 cloves garlic, sliced thin 
1 Tablespoon fresh ginger, peeled and chopped 
1 leek, whites only cut into one inch pieces 
2 teaspoons sesame oil 
2 teaspoons sherry 
2 teaspoons soy sauce 
juice of one orange 
1 1/2 cups beef broth 

Coat beef ribs with flour, shaking off any excess. 

Preheat a braising or sauce pot to medium high temperature. Add olive oil and sear beef short ribs until well browned, turning only once on each side. 

Drain any excess oil. Lower temperature of pot, add garlic, ginger, leeks, sesame oil, sherry, soy sauce, orange juice and beef broth. Bring sauce up to a boil, then lower to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 1 1/2- 2 hours or until meat is beginning to fall away from the bone. 

When short ribs are fully cooked, remove meat from pot. Raise the temperature of the sauce to a low boil. Reduce the sauce to naturally thicken. 

Serve with steamed dumplings and stir-fry vegetables.

Top Of The Muffin To You

Who doesn’t like a good muffin? Afterall, once the recipe is mixed, it bakes in minutes and is ready-to-serve. Or, pack them up for an easy take along snack or mid-day treat.

WARNING: You may need to pack extra if taking muffins to the office. After all, sharing is just a nice thing to do!

Tips: Using very ripe bananas (black) is the key to success with a banana muffin recipe. Save up ripe bananas and freeze in a plastic bag until you have enough to make a full recipe.
For a "lower fat" muffin replace the butter in-part or all with applesauce. 

Banana Nut Muffins

recipe adapted from George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook 

makes 10-12 muffins

For the Crumb Topping:

1/3 cup light brown sugar
2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 Tablespoons nuts, chopped
1 Tablespoon sweet butter

In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nuts. Blend butter in with a fork until mixture is crumb like.

For the Muffin Mix:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups, about 3-4 large very ripe bananas, mashed
1/2 cup pure cane granulated sugar
3 Tablespoons honey
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 cup walnuts or pecans, chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
1/2 cup sweet butter, melted; or replace with part/ all applesauce

Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. 

In a large bowl, mix together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, honey, egg, cinnamon, vanilla, zest, nuts, and melted butter. Fold in banana mixture by hand with a spatula into the flour mixture until just moistened. 

Place batter into muffin cups filling each cup to three quarters full. Divide the crumb topping evenly over the top of muffin batter.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes. Check for doneness with a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin; done when toothpick comes out clean; or when touched lightly the muffin should have a slight resistance to finger pressure.

image, wickedfood

Get Your Haggis On

For 21 years, an estimated 6 million Americans of Scottish descent have had to celebrate Burns Night (I'll get to Burns in a moment) without an authentic haggis. Haggis was banned by US authorities in 1989 because they feared its main ingredient - minced sheep offal - could prove lethal, according to The Guardian. Update, good news for Scottish Americans, the haggis ban has been lifted. So now, get your haggis on.

Each year during the week of January 25th, Burns fans gather for suppers to celebrate the birth of Scottish bard Robert Burns, who was born Jan. 25, 1759. At what are referred to as Burns Suppers, like the one at St. Andrews, there are poetry readings, kilt wearing and Scotch whisky drinking. And of course, main course haggis consumption. 

painting of Robert BurnsRobert Burns (1759-1796) was a Scottish poet and a lyricist. He is widely regarded as the national poet of Scotland, and is celebrated worldwide. He is the best known of the poets who have written in the Scots language, although much of his writing is also in English and a "light" Scots dialect, accessible to an audience beyond Scotland. He also wrote in standard English, and in these pieces, his political or civil commentary is often at its most blunt. Also, Burns most notably penned the poem/song Auld Lang Syne. To create your own Burns Supper. 

Visit Macsween of Edinburgh

Have fork in hand? Well- not so fast. You should know that haggis is a dish containing sheep’s stomach stuffed with ‘pluck’ (heart liver and lungs) chopped with onion, oatmeal, suet or fat, salt and just the perfect seasoning blend of secret seasonings that Colonel Sanders might envy, simmered in broth or water for 3-4 hours like a chitterling, savoury pudding or blood sausage.

Haggis is traditionally served with mashed rutabaga and potatoes and during a Burns Supper with glasses of Scotch whiskey. According to the Larousse Gastronomique, "Although its description is not immediately appealing, haggis has an excellent nutty texture and delicious savoury flavour".

Down in the Galley

Everyone has an idea of what is the perfect vacation. But just getting to your vacation destination involves a lot of steps. The packing, planning, driving, flying, driving and unpacking, can be an exhausting ordeal and we have only arrived at one destination. To get to our next destination we must repeat the same steps all over again.

Corp. Exec Chef Alfredo Marzi and George Hirsch

Solution. Cruising offers so many options for rest, relaxation and pampering. And let’s not forget an endless amount of dining options, all within walking distance. From room service, buffets, formal nights and wine tasting programs; there are more possible dining options than you will ever fit into any vacation. It’s OK having all those dining options because the gym is only a short walk to burn off the filet mignon and chocolate soufflé you ate right after the cheeseburger and fries.

So just how does all that food actually get on your plate? Come with me on a behind the scenes tour of the Princess's Cruises ship's galley with Corp. Exec Chef Alfredo Marzi and see just how. I was amazed and I know you will be too.

TV Segment: © Hirsch Productions, George Hirsch Living It UP! TV series

George Hirsch Lifestyle TV Segment: Princess Cruises