Vision of Spring

George Hirsch March 18, 2025

With spring now upon us it's the perfect time to plan the early spring herb garden.

PLANNING YOUR OUTDOOR HERB GARDEN

Nothing compares to the flavor of fresh herbs in cooking. Now is the time to plan your fresh herb garden for an abundance of flavorful herbs at your fingertips. But before you start digging, there's a little bit of planning to take into consideration.

First, consider the amount of time you have to spend and tend to your garden. If you're a weekend gardener, then a little patch of kitchen herbs is a great start. You can always increase the size of your garden next year. But if you're an avid gardener, go crazy! Add more exotic herbs and fragrant ones such as lemon verbena, lemon grass, pineapple sage, and Thai basil.

Find a good location for your garden. Most herbs need five or six hours of sunlight and soil slightly on the dryer side. Plant close enough to your back door for when you're running from the kitchen to the garden.

Lay out your garden on paper. Think about style. Do you like a formal orderly appearance to your garden or a more natural style? Keep in mind when planning to include walking paths so you can reach to weed and harvest your herbs and keep your feet dry when the ground is wet.

What to plant? If you intend to cook with herbs, list the ones you use most often. If you like fragrant or colorful herbs, ask your local garden shop what grows well in your area. And herbs like a fairly neutral or slightly alkaline soil. If you know your soil is acid, add some lime when preparing your soil.

When planting, try to keep the annuals and perennials separate so that when the end of the season comes, you won't disturb the roots of the perennials when you pull out annuals. Keep taller plants to the back of the border or in the center of your bed and smaller ones near the edges to form borders.

Enjoy my Green Goddess, aka—Sauce Au Vert Recipe with fresh spring chive and parsley.

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Irish Bread Pudding

George Hirsch March 13, 2025

Lá Fhéile Pádraig: Gaelic for Saint Patrick's Day or St. Paddy's. I like to use day-old French bread in my bread pudding recipe, or Cinnamon-raisin bread, sweet rolls, and even leftover Irish Soda Bread can also be used. Serve with a vanilla ice cream spiked with a wee bit of Irish. Slàinte

Irish Bread Pudding

Makes 10-12 servings

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2 Granny Smith or baking apples, peel, cored, and chopped

3-4 cups cubed dry French Bread, Irish Soda, Brown Bread, or Cinnamon Raisin Bread

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 cup raisins, plumped in 1 cup hot water for 5 minutes

2 Tablespoons butter, melted

4 cups milk

8 eggs

1 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons cocoa powder

2 Tablespoons vanilla

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 cup Irish Whisky

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pre-grease an 8 x 8-inch or 10-inch round cake pan.

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Combine the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cocoa powder in a medium bowl and beat with a whisk until well blended. Add whiskey and slowly pour over the bread mixture. Add optional chopped chocolate. Poke the bread, completely covered with the milk mixture, and let sit for 10-15 minutes.

Place a pan larger than the cake pan or skillet in preheated oven and place the pan holding the bead pudding inside. Immediately fill the outer pan with enough hot water to come up one inch on the sides of the bread-pudding pan.

Bake at 375 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove the pan from the water bath, reduce the temperature to 325 degrees, and bake for 25 additional minutes. Remove the bread pudding and allow to set for twenty minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream and a good Irish Coffee! Sláinte!

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Corned Beef and Cabbage

George Hirsch March 8, 2025

Since March is officially 'Irish Awareness Month,'’ I want to offer you the luck of the Irish by kicking off a St. Patrick's Day food tradition with Corn Beef and Cabbage...umm, Irish-American, that is, and not part of the repast on the Emerald Aisle.

Since the early 1900s, Americans proclaimed corned beef and cabbage their favorite Irish dish, even though it never had graced dinner tables in Ireland. Since then, Americans have embraced it as the St. Patrick's Day meal, March 17th. Corned beef got its name before refrigeration when meat was preserved using coarse grains of salt, called 'corn.’ Today, beef is corned with spices strictly for flavor, not preservation, so the meat must be refrigerated. Whether you're a wee bit Irish or not, boost your luck by celebrating St. Patrick's Day with friends and a feast.

It is said that President Grover Cleveland once noticed the aroma of corned beef and cabbage coming from the servant’s quarters at the White House. He asked to trade his dinner for the staff meal and commented, " This was the best dinner I had had in months."

Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Duit, Gaelic for Saint Patrick's Day

Corned Beef and Cabbage with Boiled Vegetables

Serves six-eight

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3-pound corned beef brisket

4 cloves garlic, peeled

Fresh ground black pepper

2 Tablespoons pickling spices,

3 bay leaves

1/4cup sugar

1/4cup cider vinegar

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

6 carrots, peeled

6 Yukon potatoes, scrubbed

3 turnips, peeled

1 head cabbaged, leave core on and cut into eights

Place corned beef brisket in a very large soup pot. Fill the pot with cold water to cover the meat. Add sugar, cider vinegar, pickling spices, bay leaves, and garlic.

Bring to a boil over high heat. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, skimming off the any scum that rises to the surface with a large spoon.

Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and let it simmer for 1-2 hours. Test the meat for tenderness with a large fork; it should have a little resistance. Be careful not to overcook corned beef, or the meat will become dry and stringy. If fully tender, turn off the heat and let the meat rest in the liquid.

Add all the vegetables to the pot with the meat one hour before serving and before the meat finishes.

Timetable for the vegetables:

• onions, simmer 1 hour

• carrots, potatoes, and turnips simmer for 30 minutes

• Simmer cabbage for 20-30 minutes

Slice only as much meat as you will immediately serve, keeping the rest in one piece for future use. Serve with a variety of mustards and horseradish.

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Grilled Salmon, Irish Style

George Hirsch March 6, 2025

Salmon is one of Ireland's most prized and tastiest types of fish. Although domestically in the US, it is spotty at best to find, some markets in the US import fresh, organically farm-raised Irish Salmon; however, it would be a better experience to fly over to the Emerald Isle yourself and go angling to catch your own—which I suggest. Stateside, you can fire up locally available salmon with some Irish flavor, and you will be delighted.

Use a simple marinade and baste with honey + Irish whiskey for the salmon, highlighting ingredients the Irish produce very well. The honey, whiskey, and a little lemon juice make a complementary flavor enhancer.

Chef George’s Irish Whiskey Salmon

Makes four servings

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Whisky Glaze

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons Honey

2 Tablespoons Irish whiskey

juice from 1/2 lemon

1 1/2 teaspoons lemon zest

Fresh ground black pepper to taste.

Mix all ingredients

2 pounds salmon fillet or 2 1/4 lbs. salmon steaks

Cut the salmon fillet into four pieces. Marinate the salmon in the whisky glaze for 30 minutes. While the salmon marinates, prepare the Tomato Dill Salsa (recipe follows) and marinate for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill or non-stick sauté pan to high.

Remove the salmon from the marinade and place it on the grill or in the sauté pan for 8-10 minutes, turning the salmon once. After turning the salmon, brush the top side with the remaining whiskey glaze left in the marinade dish. The fish is cooked when it turns pink.

As an Option, serve the salmon with the Tomato Dill Salsa on top for a fresh crunch.

Tomato Dill Salsa, SEE RECIPE BELOW

Tomato Dill Salsa Makes one cup | from ‘George Hirsch Know Your Fire’ cookbook

4 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 scallion, chopped

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 Tablespoon cider vinegar

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine the tomato, bell pepper, cucumber, scallion, dill, olive oil, vinegar, and black pepper, and marinate for 30 minutes.

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Gumbo Time

George Hirsch February 27, 2025

A good gumbo takes time; a great gumbo takes longer…

Nothing is more satisfying than a hearty bowl of Gumbo, whether a stew or a soup-like dish. It reminds me of Mardi Gras and Carnival on Tuesday, March 1st—Fat & Shrove Tuesday.

Gumbo is Cajun and Louisiana's official state dish, celebrating their heritage of sustenance off the land. On several occasions, I have been part of an actual Cajun 'Gumbo' party, an all-day outdoor celebration. There is nothing like cooking a gumbo with a little outdoor flavor—especially if the meats or vegetables have been pre-grilled or smoked before being added to the gumbo pot.

Numerous ingredients can be added to a gumbo, but it's really all about utilizing what’s on hand. Chicken and duck are the usual meats, as are ham and smoked sausage. A seafood gumbo can contain shrimp, crab, and oysters. However, the basic ingredients used in any gumbo are the “holy trinity” of onion, celery, and green peppers, thickened with a dark roux.

Additionally, the make-up of a Cajun Gumbo is the use of heritage ingredients such as the African vegetable okra and the cooking influences of local Choctaw Indians, French, German, and Spanish settlers. The addition of tomatoes is more Creole and not of Cajun influence. Adding tomatoes with all the other ingredients in the gumbo pot provides a wonderful mix of culture and full flavor. With Louisiana's rich culture, it is essential to note that preparing a gumbo goes far beyond the making of this ‘stew’ and brings together the community.

This new kind of gumbo may just be stepping back to the Cajun way, with everyone contributing to the pot for the goodness of the stew. Laissez les bons temps rouler!

This full-flavored gumbo is a lighter version than the Cajun traditional, yielding to the heavier butter and flour versions, making a more traditional stew or soup. However, the basics of broth and rice hold true, and the rest is up to you. Make it seafood with crab, shrimp, or crawfish, or with chicken, duck, or vegetables.

George's Gumbo

Makes six servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | GHL Adapted from George Hirsch Living it UP! cookbook.

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 pound boneless chicken thighs, diced

1/2 pound smoked sausage (chorizo or kielbasa), chopped

1 large onion, chopped

1 green bell pepper, chopped

3 green onions, chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 cup okra, fresh or frozen, sliced

6 cloves garlic, chopped

2 cups canned whole tomatoes, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon each, oregano, thyme, sage

1 Tablespoon fresh parsley

1 Tablespoon hot sauce, or more to taste

2 teaspoons gumbo file powder, dissolved in 1/4 cup chicken broth (for thickening)

Fresh ground black pepper

Optional:

1 pound large (26-30) size shrimp, peeled & devened, save shells for broth

2 cups cooked steamed white or brown rice

Heat a large soup pot to a medium temperature. Add the olive oil, chicken, and smoked sausage. Add the onion and cook until a light golden color, stirring occasionally. Add the green bell pepper, green onion, celery, and garlic; cook for 2 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, chicken broth, parsley, oregano, thyme, sage, hot sauce, and fresh ground black pepper. Bring the soup to a boil and then simmer for 30 minutes. Add the okra and gumbo file. Simmer for at least an additional 35 to 45 minutes. Additional slow simmering time will intensify the flavors.

Before serving, add shrimp and cook for 5-8 minutes until done.

Serving suggestion: Serve with a scoop of steamy hot rice

Note: If using shrimp, cook shrimp shells in chicken broth for ten minutes to extract additional flavor, strain shells, and use broth.

Gumbo file can be found in the spice section of your market.

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