Less Turkey, More Bull, with King George VI Pie

To celebrate the massive and incredible and stunning changes about to be Wrought in our World (I for one am still patiently waiting, for with the appointment of "20 Hawks, Clintonites and Neocons" to top posts before you could recover from your post-election hangover, it appears that the more things change, the more they stay the same) - in any case, to celebrate the nature of the change, I am doing Thanksgiving with good, old-fashioned, BEEF AND POTATOES, I'm done with election gobble-gobble, I mean, WHERE'S THE BEEF?

This Change is beginning to look like Halloween all over again. And therefore, for this Permanent State of Halloween we have found ourselves in, reminiscent of the ForeverNEver Irish-Brit conflict in an ironic way, ironic because it would not make money for the evil elite to have that conflict ever, ever end, how about some BRAISED BEEF with as much Irish beer and and whiskey you can muster up, spuds a la COLCANNON, and King George VI's very own special Pumpkin Pie, to celebrate America's new Thanksgiving of Bogus Change.

After all, King George has run yet another one of his "choicest boys" up the flag (you did know he had a penchant for this kind didn't you?) and into the deadliest cage of them all, deadlier than the Colorado ones of days of yore. There's more on that at my Black N Crispy political kitchen, if you can find it.

I would suggest for your listening pleasure preparing this All Bull Thanksgiving, Sinead O'Connor's "Nothing Compares to You". It is arguably one of the 25 saddest songs in the world, in my book the saddest, and sing it for our Last Thanksgiving Supper, and for the blackbird in the white cage who could fly us away, if he himself only could do so for himself. This is because at precisely "7 hours and 15 days" into his "Co-Presidency", Americans were again cheated of any right for justice on real legal matters. See for yourself:

Mario Murillo: “There’s been talk about a close ally and friend of Obama as a potential Attorney General for the United States, Eric Holder, who is currently defending Chiquita Brands International in its defense against dozens of plaintiffs here in Colombia, working families who were targeted by paramilitaries who were funded to the tune of $1.7 million over the last several years. It’s a major scandal. And if this guy becomes the Attorney General under an Obama administration, then it’s going to be really hard to find justice in this case coming from the United States.”

Xyz_Recipe Girl: "Ummm, that would be any case that goes against PNAC, can you say Banana Republic in the new Administration and not get sued?"

COLCANNON - adapted from Irish Food recipes all over the world - traditionally served at Halloween - now spruced up for America's Final Harlequin Banquet.

INGREDIENTS

3 lbs of thin skinned medium sized potatoes
1 medium green cabbage
1 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup copped green onions
6 Tbl butter
Lots of Salt and Pepper

I like this best with cabbage, but have made it with kale, turnip greens, bok choy, brussel sprouts, spinach, and a goodly mix of all of the above, and still like it best with green cabbage.

METHOD

1. Wash spuds, with brush if not organic, leave skins on, place in cold water in large pan, best to be large enough to allow them all have their own place at the bottom, to cover by a third. Salt it liberally.

2. Cover and Bring to a boil then reduce to Medium heat.

3. After about 15 minutes (usually the halfway plus point) pour out 2/3 of the water, leaving the spuds in just a little bit of water, reduce the heat a teensy bit more, let the potatoes cook for about 10-15 minutes. You must keep the covered, cuz its the steam that does its magic here.

4. In the mean time, quarter the cabbage, cut into very thin slices and place in a pot with a bit of BOILING water and salt, and cook til soft, should not be more than 7 minutes. When done, drain immediately if not sooner, salt and pepper LIBERALLY, nad add 2-3 TBL of the butter.

5. Back to the spuds, when done, drain the water, put the spuds in a bowl, and remove the skins, mash in the bowl with a potato ricer.

6. Put the potato pan back on the stove, add the buttermilk and onions, bring to a boil, then add the mashed potatoes, and stir furiously.

7. Add the cabbage, and the rest of the butter if it is too stiff, else save the butter for adding to the serving bowl, mix well, until fluffy. Does not matter if chunks of spuds are in there.

Put in a heated dish and serve hot with the optional butter globbed in the center, and fresh pepper/salt, sprinkle with parsely. There is no better comfort food, political or not.

I forgot. You will want to do these spuds last, to keep them hot, it's easy and fast as a last minute dish.

BEER or WHISKEY BRAISED BEEF

INGREDIENTS
2 pounds really really good beef, like tri-tip chopped into largish stewing sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds carrots
3 large onions
4 Tbl all pupose flour
1 Tbl + 1 more Tbl cumin for marinating
4 Tbl olive oil
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
1 tsp Basil
1 Tbl molasses
1 cup chicken or vegetable stock - no MSG
Parsley

METHOD
1. Cut tri-tip ino chunks a bit larger than for stewing, and marinate in balsam, salt, pepper and cumin.
2. Dice the onions and peel and cut the carrots into finger sized lengths, and not too fat across.
3. Heat the oil and onions in a large pan until fat and transluscent definitely NOT where they lose their water and give up the ghost, cuz they are going into the oven.
4. Remove onions to a large pan for the oven, placed for now on top of the stove burner, on low to keep warm.
4. Mix cumin and flour, salt and pepper
5. Coat the beef with the flour mix, and brown in the pan that did the onions, adding more oil if needed. Brown.
6. Add basil and a few Tbl guinness to beef in pot, cook for a minute or two, and add molasses with a few tbl of stock.
7. NOW remove to the place on top of onions in the oven pan.
8. Bring to low simmer, arranging carrots (no potatoes or anything else please) around the beef
9. Slowly add rest of Guinness and bring to low simmer.
10. Now lastly add remaining stock, and cover with foil.
11. Bake in a 325 - 350 degree oven for 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Serve with colcannon, very delicious COMFORT food both, and ya gonna be needing it in the days ahead, esp., mid 2009.

You will want to end with Irish Coffee and King George VI Pumpkin Pie - recipe is next. In the UK in the '60's and '70's they used to call this Gollywogg pie, as this pumpkin pie will include UN-CHIQUITA BANANAS, as indeed so I was slandered as a young girl, going to a top British school... but we shan't be as crude here, or shall we? Hmmmm!