SCV Reader March 2016

34 • THE Reader
w h at a Pa i r!
everyone’s a ‘little bit irish’
on St. Patrick’s Day
Enjoy this baked corned beef
and cabbage hash recipe
by Beth P. heiserman
Contributing Writer
March 2016
Have you ever had an Irish wine?
Many people are familiar with Irish
whisky, beer and even Irish
liqueurs. Who doesn’t love Irish crème
liqueur and coffee? However, the Irish do
make wine, too!
They grow varietals like Cabernet Sauvignon,
Merlot, Sauvignon Blanc, Gewürztraminer,
and many others. They also
produce apple and pear hard cider and
even mead (honey wine).
The European Commission has now officially
listed Ireland as a wine producing
country. We know from history that in the
5th century, the monks planted a vineyard
at the Cistercian monastery in County
Kilkenny.
In 1300 an Irish Dominican friar, Father
Geoffrey, who spoke many languages,
wrote about viniculture and fermentation.
As time passed, fewer monks were
needed for the production of wine because
many wine-educated Irish started to commercialize
the industry. Today we have
many winemakers in America and other
parts of the world which had ancestors
who made wine in Ireland.
Did you know that the traditional St.
Patrick’s Day dinner of corned beef
and cabbage started
in the early 1900’s in
New York?
This dish was
originally made
with bacon and
cream. Many Irish in
the United States realized
that corned beef was a less expensive
choice than using the traditional bacon. In
Ireland, pork was very economical, but in
America it was pricey.
Americans ate beef which was very affordable.
The Irish middleclass frequented
many Jewish delis and markets where they
would enjoy eating corned beef.
Corned beef and cabbage became so
popular it was served at President Lincoln’s
inauguration dinner in 1862.
My grandmother always made casseroles
for dinner in her CorningWare or Pyrex
dishes, which I still have. Casseroles are
comfort food and remind us of good memories.
She would tell me stories of my
grandfather’s stepfather George, whom
was Irish.
Every year my grandmother would make
corned beef and she would wear a silver
leprechaun pendant for St. Patrick’s Day.
Even though we weren’t Catholic, she
would celebrate this holiday for George’s
memory because he was Irish.
And isn’t everyone a “little bit Irish” on
St. Patrick’s Day?
Baked Corned Beef and Cabbage Hash
Recipe by Beth P. Heiserman
Ingredients
1 cabbage, chopped
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1/2 cup Reyes 2013 Sauvignon Blanc
1 lb corned beef
3 cloves garlic, chopped
8oz. carrots, sliced
8oz. parsnips, sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 cup nonfat milk (you can use any type
of milk or cream)
1 tbsp. Dijon mustard
1 lb Yukon potatoes, cut into chunks
6 oz. Dubliner cheese, shredded
1/4 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over
medium heat. Add the onion, salt and pepper
and Reyes 2013 Sauvignon Blanc and
cook, covered, stirring occasionally,
until tender, 8 to 10
minutes.
3. Add the corned beef and
garlic and cook,
sear on both sides,
for about 4 minutes.
4. Remove from heat and fold in
the cabbage, carrots, potatoes,
parsnips and parsley.
5. In a bowl, whisk together the milk and
mustard.
6. Pour the cream mixture into pan.
7. Cover the Dutch oven with lid or foil,
and bake for 45 minutes.
8. Uncover, sprinkle with the cheese, and
bake until the potatoes are tender and the
top is golden brown, 25 to 30 minutes
more. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
R
Beth P. Heiserman is the sales and marketing
director for Reyes Winery in Agua
Dulce. She is also the event director for the
Sierra Pelona Valley Wine Festival. Heiserman
has spent her life in a “food and wine”
family, as well as working in restaurants and
in the sale of “spirits.”
Garden Gates
continued from page 33
4. Add plant choices and construction material
preferences.
5. Fill in the details from final finishes to
furniture and décor.
There are two really big reasons to do a
plan. The first is so you can avoid making expensive
mistakes. The second is to keep control
over the whole process. Whether you
intend to do the work yourself, bring in some
consulting or help or hire someone to do
everything for you, you want to end up with
your garden, not someone else’s. You will
want a landscape you’ll love living in for
The Cougars’ hannah Green (West Ranch high) began at Sonoma State before transferring to College of the
Canyons. She led the state in blocked shots this year and was third in rebounds. in one game, she had 15 blocked
shots.
Basketball
continued from page 20
ago at the William S. Hart Union High School
District after 37 years. He spent the last seven
years of his teaching career at the Academy
of the Canyons and has also taught and
coached basketball at Hart High.
COC freshman Marina Rojas has been a
strong asset for Herrick as she runs the floor
from the point guard position and led the
team with 15 points and two steals in its final
home game of the year.
In 2014, Herrick won his 500th game as
head coach. He currently has an overall
record of 514-223.
-----
The Valencia High girls’ basketball team
beat West High of Torrance by 30 points in
the first game of the season. So you would
think it wouldn’t take much effort to at least
record a win against the same team in the
CIF-SS 1AA quarterfinals. But West High rallied
for a 43-41 comeback win in the playoffs
to upset the No. 2-seeded Vikings and end its
season, much to Valencia head coach Jerry
Mike’s dismay.
The Vikings were outscored 17-9 in the
fourth quarter and ended the year with a 23-
7 record.
The Vikings won the Foothill League with
a perfect 10-0 record and were led by the
play of Kenadee Honaker, and Kayla Konrad,
who finished the night against West with 13
points. They received clutch long-distance
shooting from Sabrina Thompson all season
long.
many years.
A plan breaks everything down into understandable
pieces and can keep you from
feeling overwhelmed. You can even do your
installation a little at a time in accordance
with your time and budget and still be confident
all the pieces will fit together in the end.
Drawn or printed designs offer you control of
your over-all budget by allowing you to plan
ahead and prioritize.
Start with basic design principles, make
sure everything works practically, consult experts
to avoid making major mistakes and
have that physical landscape plan in hand before
breaking soil. This will be your most important
tool in creating a landscape you can
love for years — with or without a lot of rain.
The Vikings won their second-round game,
63-28, over Downey High after receiving a
first-round bye.
----
The Hart girls’ basketball team made it to
the second round of the CIF-SS Division 2A
playoffs before a road loss ended their season
against Dos Pueblos of Goleta, 68-65.
Coached by Terra Palmer, the Indians ended
the year at 15-13. Nicole Benz led the team
with 25 points and seven rebounds in the
final game.
----
Trinity Classical Academy fell in the quarterfinals
of the CIF-SS Division 5A girls’ basketball
quarterfinals, 48-41.
Trinity junior point guard and co-captain
Taylor Oshiro led her team with a game-high
31 points in the loss. Trinity head coach Jessica
Bethke’s Knights ended the year 16-6
and advanced to the division quarterfinals for
the first time.
The only other player to score for Trinity
besides Oshiro was JaNasjia Bethke, who had
10 points.
----
Santa Clarita Christian girls’ basketball
team did much of the same as Hart, falling in
the second round of the 5A playoffs in a 49-
28 loss to Avalon of Catalina Island. Payton
Schwesinger led SCCS (13-8) with 20 points.
R
Steve Pratt reports news and notes and from
in and around Santa Clarita Valley press boxes,
locker rooms and coach’s offices.
Don’t balk at spending a little money and/or
time here. It will be worth whatever you invest
and could end up saving you thousands
of dollars. R
You can find Jane locally at Gates & Croft
Horticultural Design where she offers garden
consultations and quick-sketch or formal landscape
plans (www.gatesandcroft.com). A professional
artist and writer, she is the author of
“All the Garden’s a Stage” and “Design a Theme
Garden”. She is a licensed landscape contractor
and a member of the Association of Professional
Landscape Designers, Garden Writers
Association and Great Garden Speakers. Jane
is a resident and avid gardener here in Santa
Clarita.