Fit for a Leprechaun

Happy St. Patty’s day to you all.  I hope everyone enjoyed today’s festivities and fun.  With my last name being Jones, it’s pretty obvious that I have more than a wee bit of Irish and Celtic blood running through my veins.  I am celebrating my Irish and Celtic roots from the kitchen, of course, one of my most favorite places to be.  Most people celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with corned beef and cabbage.  That’s fine.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But there is so much more to Irish cooking than just corned beef and cabbage.  I am celebrating today with  scallops in a creamy mushroom sauce; sauteed Brussel sprouts, carrots and parsnips; mashed potatoes and potato scones.  It dawned on me as I was cutting the vegetables that they represented the colors of the Irish flag, green, orange and white.  I did not plan it that way, but that’s just how it worked out, which is kind of fun.  Make enough mashed potatoes to serve and to use again for the potato scones.  My recipes for today were inspired by one of my many Irish cookbooks, The Complete Book of Irish Cooking.   I say inspired by, because anyone who knows me knows that no matter what, I will ALWAYS put my own spin on things and make it uniquely my own.  That’s just how I roll.  It must be the creativity that comes with my Celtic bloodlines.  Erin Go Braugh and Enjoy!

 

Scallops with Creamy Mushroom Sauce

1 1/2 lbs Sea scallops

mushrooms

shallots, minced

bacon

heavy whipping cream

flour

dry white wine

salt & pepper to taste

cheddar cheese

chopped parsley

 

Poach the scallops in a combination of 1/2 water and 1/2 white wine for about 5 minutes.  Remove the scallops and set aside.  Reduce the scallop liquid to about 2 1/2 cups.  Cook bacon to your desired crispness and remove.  Cook shallots and mushrooms in bacon grease for about 3-4 minutes.  Add reduced scallop liquid, 3-4 TBSP flour and heavy whipping cream.  Mix thoroughly then add scallops and bacon.  Pour the whole mixture into a prepared baking pan, top with cheddar cheese and chopped parsley.  Bake at 350* for about 30 minutes.

 

Brussel Sprouts, carrots and parsnip

I sauteed these all together in honey butter (yes the same honey butter you were introduced to with the festival).  Add enough honey to give it a little sweetness.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Cook until your desired outcome is reached.  I like my vegetables with just a slight crunch left to them.

 

Potato Scones

1 cup cooked mashed potatoes

2 cups flour

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 oz softened butter

thyme

majoram

green onions, chopped

milk as needed if dough is too thick.

egg wash

 

Preheat oven to 400*  Grease an 8 1/2 in baking pan and line with parchment paper.  Combine all the ingredients together and form dough into a ball.  Roll it flat and fit it into the baking pan.  Make an egg wash and brush on top of the dough.  I usually use 1 egg and heavy whipping cream, but water or milk is fine too.  They just all have slightly different browning qualities.  Bake for about 25 minutes or until it comes out golden brown and the inserted toothpick comes out clean.  When cooled, cut into 8 wedges.