Murphy’s in a Clogher Valley Mist

 

It has been 10 years (!!) since I first posted this recipe. My guess is that a lot of you haven’t seen it, so I think it’s time, here on Throwback Thursday, to post it again. It’s tasty, seasonal, and the name is unbeatable as far as recipe names go. You must serve this at your St. Patrick’s Day dinner. You must!

 Murphy’s in a Clogher Valley Mist

Named for the Dungannon Valley where Grange Lodge, a small Georgian country house, is situated.  This recipe is from proprietor Norah Brown.

 1-1/2 pounds boiling potatoes, unpeeled (I used Melissa’s Baby Ruby Gold)

2 T.unsalted butter, melted and cooled

4 slices bacon

½ c. heavy cream

1 c. (4 oz.) Smoked Gouda, shredded

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

 Preheat the oven to 400°F.  Butter a 1-1/2 qt. baking pan. (This green one would be perfect.)

 Cook the potatoes in salted boiling water for 15 to 18 minutes, or until tender.  Drain and let cool to the touch.  Cut each potato into four wedges.  Place the wedges, skin side down, into the prepared baking pan and toss with the butter.

In a large skillet over medium heat, cook the bacon until crisp.  Using a slotted metal spatula, transfer to paper towels to drain.

 Pour the cream over the potatoes, sprinkle with the grated cheese, and crumble the bacon over all.  Season with salt and pepper, and bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cream has thickened and the cheese has melted.

 Serves 4.

  This recipe is from The New Irish Table by Irish-American culinary journalist Margaret M. Johnson. Delish!

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Puréed Broccoli Soup

 

I don’t know what you did over the weekend, but for me, it was a weekend of wild discovery. One of the things I discovered was that I own a blender. Seriously, I did not know. I happened to be rummaging around in a kitchen cabinet that I tend to avoid due to its chaotic nature, and found a blender container. I wondered why I had this container with a strange lid until I realized that it goes with my mini ninja chopper (that I have had for about 15 years). What a surprise!

This discovery was quite fortuitous because I also became acquainted with the absolutely delightful Kevin Lee Jacobs and his YouTube channel by the same name. From there, I discovered that Gordon Ramsay wasn’t quite the jerk that I thought he was, and, finally, from there I discovered the pure deliciousness of broccoli purée soup (which is where the blender came in).

I was looking for a new way to prepare broccoli, and that’s how I found Kevin. Kevin made a broccoli purée that he made look wonderful, attributing his find to Gordon Ramsay. I knew that I had to give this a go because it seemed like the perfect starter for a St. Patrick’s Day meal. Once I found that I did indeed own a blender, the rest is history.

There really isn’t much of a recipe for the soup, although I’ll try to write one up below. I tend to always use a bit of nutmeg when I’m working with any type of cruciferous vegetable (or spinach), so I added some here, making this recipe my own. Essentially, you just cook broccoli, blend it up with a little of the cooking water, season it, and serve. What could be simpler than that?Puréed Broccoli Soup

1 large head broccoli
6-7 c. cold water
1 T. sea salt
4 gratings fresh nutmeg
Freshly ground black pepper

In a medium stock pot, add salt to water, and bring to a rolling boil. While water is heating, cut florets off of the head of broccoli, rinse well, and drain. Once water has reached a boil, put all of the broccoli in at once, and set a timer for four minutes. When the four minutes are up, drain the broccoli, but reserve 2 cups of the broccoli water. Place drained broccoli into a blender, add the nutmeg and a half cup of the broccoli water, and purée. Add more water, as needed, to reach the desired texture. That’s it!

You can top it with a swirl of heavy cream or a little dollop of sour cream (as I did) and a few gratings of cracked pepper. Gordon Ramsay serves his with a slice of goat cheese at the bottom, so I suppose you could do that as well. Personally, I thought it was perfect as is.

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