New at the Haggis and Herring

Please welcome J3

Jonathan Morgan Saraga

Born Dec 29

Everyone is great now that Mom is over the shock of having three sons!!!  I was seriously thinking girl.  My apologies to Jonathan for calling him Stella for the last 9 months.

 J1 is thrilled to have another brother.  J2 had no idea what to make of things but kept pointing at him saying "baby" so that seems fine.

Thank you all for all the love and support!

M and the J's


Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
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Rickard's Cardigan Beer-braised Ribs

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy to him.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

When I was at the Rickard's Cardigan launch, Brewmaster Matthews was telling me about beer-braised ribs that his wife had made. Although I wasn't able to get my hands on the recipe, I still wanted to give it a try myself.

My main problem was that I've never made ribs before. Ever. Mostly because I've been a little intimidated by ribs culture. It's very competitive and very secretive. I worked myself up to buying some ribs - so I was committed. Now to find a recipe.

I realized that finding the right recipe for me was going to be a big challenge. Many recipes took hours and hours. Some used slow cookers. I didn't have time for that - this meal was being made on a weekday. I eventually found one - beer braised ribs at Serious Eats. That recipe gave me a method that I could work with, as well as a set of ingredients that I could adapt.

It smelled great when it was in the oven and the ribs tasted great. They were tender, but not fall-off-the-bone soft. The cayenne added a nice kick as well, and the garam masala complemented the spices in the beer.

Rickard's Cardigan Beer-braised Ribs

1 rack pork ribs, membrane removed and split into three separate parts
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 tsp garam masala
2 or 3 cinnamon sticks
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tsp cayenne
5 cloves garlic, crushed with the flat edge of a knife
1 bottle Rickard's Cardigan
1 tbsp flour
1/4 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 300-degrees and season ribs with salt and pepper.
2. In a Dutch oven, heat oil on medium-high and sear ribs on both sides once piece at a time and set aside.
3. Add garam masala, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, garlic, beer, and stir.
4. Add back ribs, bring to a boil and cover. Transfer to oven and let cook for 75 minutes - until meat is tender.
5. Transfer meat to a foil-lined pan and preheat broiler. You can add additional salt and pepper if you prefer. Broil on both sides until brown and crisp (1-2 minutes).
6. Skim cooking liquid of fat, strain using a sieve and bring to a boil. Mix the flour and water together and add to liquid. Stir until thickened and pour on top of ribs.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes

Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

NOTE: This post was scheduled by Daniel Saraga of Haggis and Herring before he suddenly passed away.  We have decided to ensure his scheduled posts continue.  Daniel's wife Meredith posted her eulogy.  Please read more about our wonderful Daniel.

September cooled down right away, just the way I like it. I dislike hot-and-sticky August. Cool nights, warm soup, some hearty bread and a beer. That's my idea of a September dinner.

Earlier that week, I read Chaya's Swiss Chard Soup recipe and it inspired me. I knew I had to make my own version. You can read Chaya's post if you'd like to learn more about Swiss chard.

Well, I've made my first soup of the season, and according to Meredith, I've set the bar high. The cheese in the soup really complimented the beer. We nearly finished the entire pot ourselves - with barely enough left over for lunch the following day.

Swiss Chard and Cheddar Soup

2 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
2 carrots, chopped
4 cups chopped Swiss chard, cleaned and chopped
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
3-4 cups vegetable broth
1 can mixed chickpeas and kidney beans, drained
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp pepper
1 cup shredded old Cheddar cheese

1. Heat oil in a deep pot on medium and fry onions for 3-5 minutes.
2. Add garlic and carrots and continue fry for another 3-5 minutes.
3. Add Swiss chard and stir for 2-4 minutes, until wilted.
4. Add broth, beans, thyme, salt, oregano, and pepper, stir, cover and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce to medium and let simmer, covered for 30-40 minutes.
6. Remove 1 cup of vegetables into a separate container and and using an immersion blender, puree.
7. Add pureed vegetables back to pot, stir in cheese, and serve.

Recipes by the Haggis and the Herring: tasty world recipes tested in our kitchen
Try other tasty recipes