Erin Go Bragh! - Sheperds Pie for St. Patrick's Day

FOOD:

Shepherds Pie is a perfect St. Patrick's Day meal. A hearty and filling crowd pleaser to fuel more shenanigans. For the Cooking Lounge preparation guide and more photos, click here.

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

Quinoa Turkey Meatballs, Market Salad - Arugula, Peas, Radish

FOOD:

Quinoa Turkey Meatballs, Market Salad - Arugula Peas Radish, Whole Wheat Pita

Quinoa Turkey Meatballs are a high protein, light and healthy recipe. Quinoa Turkey Meatballs store well and are perfect for quick, satisfying meals. Ground turkey, turkey sausage and turkey breast are go-to items for making batch dishes. For a family, couples or singles, batch cooking is so practical; because, you can freeze portions (homemade frozen food) and refrigerate some for tasty, low cost meals during the week. 

Quinoa Turkey Meatballs

Radish Union Square NYC

1lb Ground Turkey

1 cup cooked Quinoa

1 cup sauteed Onions

2-3 cloves minced Garlic

2 large Eggs

1/3 cup chopped Fresh Parsley

Herbs and Spices to taste (get creative with choices)

1/3 cup cooking oil (prefer Olive Oil)

Saute onions in oil till golden; mix in garlic; cook for 2-5 more minutes.

In a mixing bowl, add ground turkey, quinoa, 2 eggs beaten, parsley, herbs and spices, sauteed onion and garlic. With forks or fingers, thoroughly mix all ingredients together. Form meatballs and cook in oiled skillet until lightly browned. Make sure the meatballs are completely cooked. For large batches, increase ingredients in proportion.

Market Salad - Arugula, Fresh Peas, Radish

Arugula Union Square NYC

While walking through Union Square Farmers' Market, in downtown NYC, picked up inexpensive seasonal produce straight from local farms - Arugula, Radish, and English (shell) Peas.

Toss together well washed arugula, shelled peas and thinly sliced radish with a few wedges of stem tomatoes. Quick and easy.
This is a nice summer salad with a peppery bite from the arugula and radish. Good with Oil and Vinegar to keep things simple.
A Lemon Vinaigrette (fresh lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper) on this salad pairs perfectly with the Quinoa Turkey Meatballs, giving the light meal a nod to Mediterranean cuisine.

English Peas Union Square NYC

Enjoy,

Cooking Lounge

photos: wbj

Pulled Pork + Black Sesame Slaw on Pan de Sal

FOOD | RECIPE:

Cooking Lounge participated in kitchensurfing's Chefs + Photographers at Ger-Nis Culinary & Herb Center. There was a fun mix of talented people. WARNING: Links to pure food porn photography in post.

Chefs + Photographers at Ger-Nis  photos: kitchensurfing

Nissa Pierson from Ger-Nis created vibrant herb infused cocktails to compliment the wide range of food. Nissa noted that natural flavor elixirs like colorful beet syrup are simple to make at home. As easy as boiling water...really!

Sorrel French 75 

The Lavender Beet

Rhubarb Pink Peppercorn Tequila Cooler

Sorrel French 75 photo: Ed Lefkowicz

Cooking Lounge prepared Pulled Pork with Carolina Vinegar Sauce, a crowd pleaser that is perfect for slow cooking in the oven or outdoors in a smoker, served with Black Sesame Slaw on Pan de Sal. Pan de Sal is an everyday roll in the Philippines reinterpreted from its Spanish origins. Discovering staples from other cultures jazzes the whole food and cooking experience.

Pulled Pork with Carolina Vinegar Sauce + Black Sesame Slaw on Pan de Sal   photo: Morgan Ione

Sexy Food Photography 
One of the best parts of Chefs + Photographers is bringing together complimentary mediums. As promised, links to food porn. kitchensurfing's, hunger pang inducing blog, documents the culinary journeys in its office lab at Ger-Nis and other locales.  Table 56 were total stand-out, rock stars with their sexy, skilled food presentation of healthful, wholesome, inspired dishes. Table 56 made a pistachio, chia seed chocolate cake with a moist, hearty texture that was just delicious. Chia seeds now on the list of things to play with in the Cooking Lounge kitchen. And, the Morgan Ione Photography blog features lots of tempting pictures from Chefs + Photographers that will make you salivate. Morgan was a delight to meet. Many photos on her website have an ethereal quality.

Here's a recipe guide, and guide is the important word, because Cooking Lounge is more about feeling the food and flavor pairings and having fun in the kitchen once you have basic skills.

Pulled Pork
Pork Shoulder with bone in and marbling. Brine overnight in a solution of salt, oregano, garlic, onion and herbs and spices of your choice. After removing and patting dry, pierce and insert slivers of garlic. Stud throughout and be sure to add garlic between layer of fat and skin; it's like a garlic drip for the meat as the fat melts away. Coat with a dry spice rub. Cooking Lounge used a mixture of salt, pepper, brown sugar, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, curry and oregano.

Slow cook in oven preheated to 225-250 and cook for 8-9 hours with skin side up (tip: dust the skin with sugar for extra special crackling). When meats falls away from bone with ease when pulled, the pork is ready (tip: before removing from oven, broil for a few minutes to assure crispy, crunchy skin. In a smoker, pretty much all the same except no broiling the skin. BUT, you need to keep an eye on the smoker the entire time and have a catch pan for the dripping fat. Smoking kicks Pulled Pork to another level. YUM!

Let the pork rest. Pull away the succulent meat. Chop up the skin (that you do not eat) with some of the luminous, opaque fat.  Mix with meat. Place in large pot on low heat; toss with 1/3 cup Carolina Vinegar Sauce (see below). Cover the pot; cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pan for those bits of extra flavor.


Carolina Vinegar Sauce
Apple Cider Vinegar
Brown Sugar
Crushed Red Peppers
Texas Pete Hot Sauce (made in North Carolina)
Olive Oil
Over low heat, warm 1 cup of vinegar, add a tablespoon of sugar, teaspoon of crushed red peppers, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, and a few dashes of Texas Pete Hot Sauce. Totally scalable for volume and adjust to your taste preferences. Drizzle a little over pulled pork before serving.


Black Sesame Slaw
Slaw is a Cooking Lounge staple with all kinds of easy variations. Slaw is economical, healthful, and, bonus, eating raw. The Black Sesame Slaw has a distinctive Asian twist.
Red Cabbage
Julienned Carrots
Scallions
Cilantro
Coriander Seeds (crush to release fragrant oils)
Toasted Black Sesame Seeds
Sesame Oil 
Cider Vinegar
Celery Salt
Pepper
Sugar
Shred 1.5 lb cabbage and toss with 1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds, 1/2 cup rough chopped cilantro, 4-5 julienned carrots and 1 cop rough chopped scallions. Mix 1/3 cup vinegar, 3 tablespoons of sesame oil with celery salt, pepper, sugar. Pour over slaw and toss, repeat for even distribution of dressing. Chill for at least a few hours so flavors meld.


Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

Zuchinni Provencal

FOOD:

Try Cooking Lounge's quick, versatile zuchinni provencal recipe, for a satisfying and refreshing side dish.

A recipe found, while comparing various versions, suggested adding pasta to make the zuchinni provencal a budget friendly main dish. Good idea. 

Simple, versatile, and economical is a winning combination.

seared pork loin, low flame and slow simmered zuchinni provencal, brown rice

zuchinni

plum tomato

sweet red peppers

fresh thyme

olive oil

onion

garlic

salt * pepper 

low flame and slow simmered zuchinni provencal 

• Quickly brown onions and zuchinni in olive oil over medium heat. 
• Add fresh thyme and chopped garlic. Mix a few times.  
• Toss in diced plum tomatoes.
• Salt and pepper to taste. Other fresh herbs like rosemary or parsley, if you like.
• Lower flame to simmer and cover. 
• Cook 10 minutes, a couple of minutes less if you prefer. 
• Top with fresh thyme before serving. 

chilled, marinated zuchinni provencal salad

• Will need fresh lemon juice or your favorite vinegar.
• Thinly slice, shred, julienne, or dice zuchinni.
• Toss the above ingredients together.
• Make a dressing by thoroughly mixing the olive oil with lemon juice or vinegar.
• Pour over vegetables. Stir and coat all with dressing.
• Chill for at least one hour. Marinate in fridge overnight for lots more flavor. Will keep fresh for days.
• Top with fresh thyme before serving.  

Enjoy,
Cooking Lounge

Shepherds Pie

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FOOD:

Shepherds Pie

Shepherds Pie is an old school favorite but when not done right resembles scary cafeteria grub. One of the best things about Shepherds Pie is you can tailor the recipe to your taste, budget and servings needed. Go from rich and creamy to simple and low fat with ease. Making a meatless version works too. Add your own twist to Shepherds Pie. The Cooking Lounge Shepherds Pie recipe is traditional with the flavors bumped up a few notches. 

Shepherds Pie

Ingredients:

2lbs lean ground beef
1.5 lbs potatoes (peeled, diced and cooked)
2 large onions
10oz baby portabella mushrooms
4 cloves of garlic, a bit more if you like
2.5 cups diced fresh carrots
1 cup green peas
fresh parsley 
dried herbs, try a mix of sage, tarragon and rosemary
olive oil
1/4 wine (red or white)
butter
milk/cream
salt 
pepper

Preparation Guide:

Saute mushrooms in butter with 1/8 cup white wine and a few tablespoons of milk or cream. Season to taste. Set aside. 
Saute onions in a little olive oil with salt and pepper for 5 minutes. Add diced carrots and continue to saute till carrots are tender but not soft. 
Saute ground beef; season with dried herbs, fresh garlic, salt and pepper plus 1/8 cup of white wine. Add fresh parsley when browned. Add the mushrooms in cream sauce that was put aside and mix in with the ground beef; set aside. 

Make your favorite version of mashed potatoes to top the Shepherds Pie then set aside. This is where you can get super creative by adding cheese, heavy cream, pureed celery root and so on. In the Cooking Lounge recipe, we went light on butter (add some olive oil) and milk/cream then mixed in some fresh chopped parley.

Time to combine the earthy ingredients. Preheat your oven to 350. In a large baking pan (13x9 or larger), spread the ground beef and mushroom mixture evenly, toss the peas on top next, then add the carrots and onions. Layering on the mashed potatoes. Sprinkle the top with chopped parsley to add color. Bake until golden brown, approximately 35 minutes. 

I was hoping for leftovers; but, the Pearl St gang devoured the Shepherds Pie. Also, Shepherds Pie is an amazing, almost luxurious meal when made with lamb. Visit soon, more about lamb in upcoming post.

photos: wbj

Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge