KALE COLCANNON

Potatoes are an Irish staple,  sometimes referred to as “Irish Ice Cream". With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, what could be better than a recipe for that most iconic of Irish food, colcannon. I thought I'd show you a great way to try kale with a different twist on this traditional potato and cabbage dish from the Emerald Isle. Kale is related to cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, collards and Brussels sprouts, so if you like any of those veggies, you will love the milder taste of kale.

To most people, kale, or "farmers cabbage" as my grandma called it, is just an ornamental decoration seen in supermarket display cases, or the useless plate garnish that we toss aside at restaurants. With its ruffled, deep green leaves, kale is a pretty vegetable, but it also has a tender texture and a delicate, mild and slightly sweet taste. It’s a great way to introduce greens to your dinner table.

Colcannon is traditional peasant fare of cabbage mixed in roughly smashed potatoes with lots of butter, salt, and pepper. Intended to be hearty and filling, this is cheap food and it's easy to make and also very tasty too, but my recipe substitutes shredded kale for ordinary cabbage, giving the potatoes a wonderfully festive and speckled green appearance.

There are many varieties of kale, so you'll find it available throughout the year. Before cooking, do a thoroughly good job in washing each leaf in a sink of cool running water to remove any sand, dirt or little hitchhikers that may have hidden in the leaves. Sort the frilly leaves and discard any parts that are yellow, limp or bruised. Here, I use kitchen scissors to cut the leaves into bite-sized pieces. Both the leaves and the stems can be eaten, so I'll freeze the stem parts for another day.

This dish has enough personality to stand up to all kinds of personal touches, so don't hesitate to make it your own by adding sour cream, sautéed leeks, onions, chives, or bits of leftover ham, sausage or bacon. Here's how I did it:

Honey Glazed Herbed Carrots

Don't use your Pressure Cooker to boil veggies;

STEAM them!

Vegetables are a great match for the pressure cooker. Since they are steamed, not boiled, they retain more nutrients and the faster release methods keep the bright colors and texture. All that translates into wonderful taste and flavor, and as a bonus, of course, they only take a few minutes to cook.

I like to cook vegetables in the smallest size pressure cooker possible because it will pressurize and depressurize much faster. Also, the newer brands that only need a 1/2 cup of liquid will really speed the process, and the less time foods are exposed to heat, the better. This is always an important consideration when cooking vegetables. If you have a 4qt pressure, which is often sold as part of a set, now is the time to use it.

Steamed baby carrots in a handy accessory pan included with most pressure cookers.
A perforated steaming tray is included with most pressure cookers, and it's a very valuable accessory to have in your cupboard. Test the carrots for doneness; they should be tender, but not soft or mushy. Pour out the water and wipe the inside of the pressure cooker dry. You'll want to use real butter for this dish because margarine contains water that will prevent the honey and herbs from sticking and coating the carrots.

I use a medium high heat to get a nice glaze on the carrots as they get well coated by the honey mixture. Stir frequently, gently moving the carrots around to get them completely covered with the glaze. Keep stirring as the glaze thickens and the little bits of herbs start sticking to the carrots. When it begins to look like there is less glaze in the pan and you can see the bare metal, then the glaze is set. When you dish the carrots, pour any remaining honey mixture over the top.
Sweet and tender enough to appeal to children, the scent of herbs and flavors will tempt adults as well.

Honey Glazed Herbed Carrots

A quick and tantalizingly sweet way to serve carrots with just a hint of dill. It's sweet and savory at the same time, and the aroma of thyme and dill will tickle your taste buds.

1 lb fresh baby carrots, or carrots cut to a similar 2 inches x 1/2 inch thickness
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt to taste
2 tablespoons butter, not margarine

Add 1/2 cup water to the pressure cooker. Wash the carrots and place them in a steamer tray. Place the tray in the cooker, using a cooking rack if needed to elevate it above the water level. Lock the lid in place. Bring to 15psi over high heat, immediately reduce the heat to the lowest possible setting to stabilize and maintain that pressure. Cook 3 minutes. Remove from heat and use the quick release method before opening the lid. Pour off the water and wipe the pressure cooker dry. Melt the butter in the pressure cooker over medium heat. Add the dill and fry a couple of minutes or until the aroma if released. Add salt and honey, stirring to blend. Add the cooked carrots and saute, turning gently until they are well coated with the honey mixture and heated through. Serve hot, spooning any remaining honey butter over the carrots.


Try this dish and let me know how you like it.