With celebrating St. Pats this week I share one of my favorite vintage shows from GHL celebrating the Irish. So much about what is so-called popular in food today is really about remembering what was a necessity of yesteryear. Join me with Ireland's TV celebrity chef Rachel Allen as we share our views on preserving while plating up from the ground up.
Enjoy this warming dish made with simple, yet quality ingredients to prepare for any occasion
George’s Gnocchi with Crispy Sausage & Swiss Chard
Makes 6 servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | georgehirschlifestyle
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
8 ounces Italian Sausage, cooked whole, cooled then sliced thin
4 cups Swiss Chard, Tuscan Kale, or spinach; washed, green leaves roughly chopped
8 cloves caramelized garlic
2 apples, 1 green / 1 red, chopped small
2 fresh sage leaves
1 pound gnocchi
½ cup of water from gnocchi
¼ cup Parmesan cheese or to taste
Fresh ground black pepper
Pre heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat.
Heat a large pot of water to a boil.
To the sauté pan, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil, sliced sausage and cooked until sausage begins to crisp and brown. Remove sausage and add remaining olive oil, kale, apples and sage. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until kale and apples soften.
Meanwhile, add gnocchi to the boiling water and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Remove gnocchi with a strainer and add to the kale. Top with crispy sausage and Parmesan cheese.
Join me this Weekend on GHL for Create TV's Weekend Marathon, Sweet as Pie
In honor of National Chili Day - Feb. 25th, here's my Chili Cornbread Recipe as a side dish for your big pot of Chili in Beer Sauce. BTW - my cornbread has got a little kick. Enjoy!
Chili Cornbread
Makes 1 loaf
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
6 ounces cornmeal, fine grind maize
5 ounces all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 Tablespoons sugar
1 Tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup plain low fat yogurt
2 ounces milk
1 whole egg, beaten slightly
4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 jalapeno chilies, split de seeded & chopped
4 cloves caramelized garlic, crushed
1 green onion or scallion, chopped
1/2red pepper, roasted and chopped
1 Tablespoon sesame or poppy seeds, toasted
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro leaves, rough chopped
Pre heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a10 inch cake pan or iron skillet.
Mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and honey. Add the yogurt, milk, egg, and olive oil. Combine the jalapenos, garlic, green onion, or scallion, red pepper, cilantro, and half the sesame seeds, then stir in.
Mix all the ingredients until the dough comes together, use caution to not over mix.
Place the cornbread into a greased cake pan or iron skillet. Sprinkle the remaining sesame seeds on top. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool slightly before removing the bread from the pan.
Join me this Weekend on GHL for Create TV's Weekend Marathon, Sweet as Pie
An Arepa is best described as dense, yet spongy corn-flour rounds, or pita-like corn pockets which are actually corn pancakes. Crisp on the outside and steamy-soft in the middle, these unleavened patties pay homage to South America's traditional national cuisine, specifically Venezuela + Columbia.
Sometimes nicknamed "the burrito killer" because of it's soft and smooth insides with its golden crispiness. Arepas can be a snack or a meal, and made as exotic as your culinary imagination. Their versatility is the reason why they are at the center of every meal, served from breakfast to dinner in South America.
The Arepa is commonly eaten plain with coffee + eggs.
The Arepa is commonly stuffed with an infinite amount of savory fillings such as; black beans, pulled pork or grilled chorizo + grilled shrimp.
The Arepa is commonly topped with cheeses such as cheddar or queso fresco, grilled eggplant, avacado, tomatoes with caramelized onions (as a veggie option).
Serve a spicy chimichurri sauce on the side.
Note about corn flour: Arepa flour is a pre-cooked corn flour and should not be confused with masa harina. Arepa flour is sold as masarepa, harina precocida, or masa al instante. It can be found in Latin American groceries under the names Harina Pan from Venezuela or Goya Masa de Arepa is a good substitute; either white or yellow.
There are many recipes and variations to making arepas. Some traditional ways call for no oil but I prefer the softness the oil lends to this recipe.
Arepas Recipe
Makes 4 – Three-inch cakes
1 1/4 cups arepa flour, see note*
Pinch salt
1 1/4 cups warm water
1 teaspoon vegetable or canola oil, plus extra for cooking
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a bowl, mix arepa flour and salt. Pour in water and mix with a spoon until the dough comes together. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest for 5 minutes. Remove dough from bowl. Place on a wooden board and knead for about 5 minutes moistening your hands and board lightly with additional warm water while kneading if necessary.
The dough should be smooth and free from cracks around the edges. It should be moist and not sticky. Form into four smooth balls and flatten with the palms of your hands into disks about 3-inches around and 1/2 inch thick.
Add a small amount of oil to a pre-heated non-stick pan over medium heat and cook arepas on each side just until a very light brown and a crust forms.
Place on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes or until the arepas make a hollow sound when tapped. Cut a slit in one side of the arepa to make a pocket with fillings.
Stuff arepas with pre made fillings such as black beans, pulled pork, grilled chorizo, grilled shrimp, cheeses such ascheddar or queso fresco & grilled eggplant with tomatoes, caramelized onions as a veggie pleaser.
Serve with a Chimichurri made from a mix of parsley, garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, salt, fresh ground black pepper
*Note about corn flour: Arepa flour is a pre-cooked corn flour and should not be confused with masa harina. Arepa flour is sold as masarepa, harina precocida, or masa al instante. It can be found in Latin American groceries under the names Harina Pan from Venezuela or Goya Masa de Arepa is a good substitute; either white or yellow.
Comfort foods never go out of style. Stuffed baked potatoes are an ideal accompaniment from todays show with meatloaf and pan gravy. Prepared traditionally in an indoor oven or max the flavor on the grill. Either way is a comfort winner.
George’s Grilled-N-Stuffed Potatoes
Makes Four Servings
chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle
6 large Idaho potatoes, scrubbed
¼ cup virgin olive oil
sea salt
½ cup chicken broth
8 cloves caramelized garlic
2 egg yolks
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
2 Tablespoons chives
1 teaspoon hot sauce
Freshly ground black pepper
Pre heat grill or oven to high or 400 degrees F.
Pierce potatoes with a fork, rub outside of potatoes with oil, sprinkle with salt and place on a hot grill. Bake for 45-minutes to one hour, turning every ten minutes. Remove potatoes from grill when they are fully cooked. With a small paring knife, test by piercing through skin, when knife slips out easily they are done. Cool potatoes slightly.
Hollow out potatoes by cutting around the top edge on an angle lengthwise, using caution not to cut through the bottom skin of potato. With a large spoon hollow out the inside of the potato, saving pulp in a separate bowl.
Mash potato pulp with a fork and add caramelized garlic, broth, egg yolks, 1 ¾ cup cheese, chives, hot sauce, and back pepper. Blend all ingredients well and stuff back into four of the hollowed out potato skins, slightly mounding filling over the top. Top potato with remaining cheese and drizzle with a little olive oil.
Place potatoes back on a hot grill on the top rack and heat until potatoes are hot.
