Eat Your Greens
Published March 16, 2022
Feelin' the warm weather vibes this Saint Paddy’s Day with an unconventional meal bursting with festive greens and finished with tastes of the tropics.
Spinach Pillows of Corned Beef Colcannon
A paper-thin spinach pasta pillow stuffed with whipped potatoes, boiled onions, buttery kale and slow cooked corned beef rivals some of the best colcannon you can get. When topped with some reduced braising sauce and served with a side of cheddar herb bread, you can turn this flavor-bursting dish into a satisfying meal. Have left over filling? No problem. Turn it into a Saint Paddy’s Day Shepherd’s Pie or Corned Beef Potato Cakes.
For the Corned Beef:
3-4 pound corned beef, flat cut brisket with spice packet
1 cup beef broth
2 bay leaves
Water
To an 8-quart pot, add brisket, seasoning packet, bay leaves and water to cover just about an inch over the meat. Cover and simmer on low-med heat 4-5 hours or until fork tender. Chop one cup of corned beef for filling below. Set aside braising liquid.
For the Filling:
6 Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into large chunks
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lightly packed cups chopped kale, washed well, stems removed
1 yellow onion, chopped
½ cup milk
1 cup braised corned beef, noted above, finely chopped
Put the potatoes and onions in a medium pot and cover with water by an inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt and bring to a boil. Boil until the potatoes are fork tender, about 15 minutes. Drain in a colander and add back to the pan. Pour in the milk, and gently mash with potato. Reduce the heat to medium to ensure complete softness. Add salt and whip with handheld mixer or add to kitchen aid bowl. Whip for one minute until lighter consistency is achieved.
While potatoes are cooking, melt the butter in a pot set over medium high heat. Add the kale. Cook for 3-4 minutes or until wilted. Salt to taste. Add the buttered kale to the bowl of potatoes and gently fold in corned beef.
Set mixture aside.
For the Pasta:
3 eggs
3 cups spinach, lightly packed
3 cups flour, plus more for rolling
¼ tsp salt
Boil a small pot of water. Add spinach and boil for 2 minutes until spinach is cooked and wilted. Drain, squeeze dry, and let cool. Add the eggs and cooked spinach to a food processor and pulse for 10 seconds. Attach the dough hook to a stand mixer and add the flour, salt and egg/spinach mixture. Mix for 3-5 minutes until the mixture comes together as a ball. Add a spoonful of water at a time if the dough is too crumbly or a spoonful of flour if the dough is too sticky. When the dough is smooth, wrap it with plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
Attach the pasta roller accessory to the stand mixer. Divide the dough into 4 pieces, press them into flat rectangles. Be sure to flour each side well. Pass one of the pieces through the machine on speed 1 on no.0. Fold the ends towards each other and pass it through again. Continue to pass the dough through, reducing the thickness from no. 0 to 5. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can roll out the dough with a rolling pin on a well-floured surface.
Set the pasta sheets on a well-floured surface and loosely cover with plastic wrap to prevent drying while working with the remaining dough. Using a ravioli mold, lightly dusted with flour, set one strip of dough carefully on top. Scoop filling into hallows, being sure to not over stuff each one. Cover with another layer of dough and roll the top of the mold to seam the dough together, adding flour as needed to prevent sticking. Turn mold over and carefully remove each individual pillow. Set aside and repeat until all dough is used.
Boil a pot of salted and oiled water. Reduce to low simmer and add raviolis. Cook 4-5 minutes or until pasta is fully cooked. Serve with reduced braising liquid.
For the Sauce:
1 ½ cups of corned beef braising liquid
1 tablespoon of butter
Salt
Strain braising liquid into a small pot set on medium -high heat. Reduce to ½ cup. Add butter and salt to taste. Drizzle over spinach pillows.
Potato Cheese Soup Topped with Pistachio Pesto
This soup is a twist on an old favorite, garnished with a textured bright pesto to liven things up.
For the soup:
1 head cauliflower, cored and cut into bite size
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
5 Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and quartered
3 sprigs fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
4 cups chicken stock
2 cups water
2/3 cup heavy cream
1 1/2 cup grated Gruyere Cheese
Preheat 425°F. Spread the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet. Drizzle generously with oil and season with salt. Roast for 20 minutes in the oven, flipping halfway through.
While cauliflower is in the over, peel and cut potatoes. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and garlic to the pan. Cook garlic, stirring often, for 2 minutes or until fragrant. Add potatoes, thyme, chicken stock, water, heavy cream and roasted cauliflower to the pan. Simmer over medium heat until potatoes are fork tender. Remove thyme stems from the pan. Using an emulsifying blender, blend soup until smooth. Add cheese and stir until melted. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve with Pistachio Pesto garnish.
For the Pistachio Pesto:
1/3 cup unsalted pistachios, toasted, plus more for garnish
1 ½ cups packed watercress
¾ cup packed fresh parsley
2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup lemon juice
Kosher salt, to taste
To a food processor add the pistachios, watercress, and parsley until coarsely chopped. Add oil and lemon juice and process until smooth. Season with salt. Drop a teaspoonful on top of soup and gently stir top layer of soup to form a circle of pesto. Add additional finely chopped pistachios if desired.
Garlic Herb Twist Bread
Bread lovers take notice! This cheddar herb twist loaf checks all the boxes – beautiful presentation, melt in your mouth delicious and the perfect complement to any Saint Paddy’s Day meal.
I used the recipe noted and adapted from here – I replaced the parmesan cheese with ½ cup finely shredded aged cheddar and added 2 more tablespoons of butter to the herb mixture.
No Bake Tropical Cheesecake with Pistachio Crust
A light easy dessert that reminds you of the tropics, garnished with just enough green for a lucky celebration.
2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1 ¼ cups water, divided
1 cup roasted salted pistachios, divided
1 ½ cups graham cracker crumbs
½ cup butter, melted
1 ¼ cups sugar, divided
4 (8oz) packages cream cheese, softened
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 ½ tsp coconut extract
Zest of 1 lime
½ cup unsweetened coconut, finely chopped
½ cup sweetened coconut, toasted, optional for garnish
½ cup raw pistachios, chopped, optional for garnish
Sprinkle gelatin over ½ cup water in medium bowl. Let set for 5 minutes. Finely chop roasted, salted pistachios. Mix with graham cracker crumbs in small bowl and add butter and ¼ cup sugar. Press firmly into the bottom of a 9x9 square pan lined with parchment paper.
Bring remaining ½ cup water to a boil over high heat. Add sugar to dissolve and pour over gelatin mixture until completely dissolved.
Beat cream cheese, vanilla and coconut extracts in medium bowl for 1 minute. Add gelatin mixture, lime zest, and chopped unsweetened coconut. Pour over crust and refrigerate for 2 hours or until firm. Garnish with toasted coconut and/or chopped raw pistachios.
Coconut Mojito
A little mint goes a long way in this deliciously tropical drink. Cheers to warmer weather vibes.
4 ounces cream of coconut
4 ounces rum
2 ounces fresh lime juice
16 mint leaves
4 cups of ice
Blend all ingredients in a blender. Garnish with mint and lime slice.
Enjoy!
Renée Meuse Lovley