Irish Soda Bread from Ina Garten

I decided that we needed one more culinary ode to Ireland before St. Patrick's Day actually arrived.  What better than Ina Garten's Irish soda bread?  Remembering just how sticky the dough can be, I threw open a few windows in the kitchen for a nice breeze to cool my brow while I kneaded away.  I really should have put the air conditioning into use because it was 82 degrees here at noon.  Here in the midwest!  Here where we've had some of the biggest snows in mid-March!  To be honest, I've overdramatized the kneading as there's very little to be done.  I've not overdramatized our weather.  It is glorious!

I did tweak Ina's recipe just a tiny bit.  Why would I do that?  Certainly not because it needed tweaking.  I did it because I only had raisins in the house.  Ina uses currants.  I tripled the amount of orange zest simply because I had that much when I finished grating the orange.

Don't despair at the very sticky dough that you fear might just slide off the baking sheet.  It doesn't!  It holds it's place and, in about 45 minutes, you have this lovely golden loaf.

While it's still slightly warm, slice yourself a silky piece..or two..slather with a little butter and some orange marmalade.  It was lunch time.  I had a glass of cold milk.  Had it been 3 p.m., I'd have prepared a pot of tea.

Irish Soda Bread inspired by Ina Garten

4 cups flour, plus extra for raisins
4 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
4 Tbsp cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 3/4 cups cold buttermilk
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 Tbsp grated orange zest
1 cup raisins

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper

1.  Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Combine on low speed for 30 seconds.  Scatter the butter in and mix, on low speed, until the butter is crumbled into the flour.
2.  In another bowl, lightly beat the buttermilk, egg and orange zest together.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture for about 1 minute or until flour is incorporated.  Combine the raisins with one tablespoon of flour and then mix into the dough.  The dough will be very wet and sticky.
3.  Liberally flour a wooden board and scrape the dough out onto the board.  Using well-floured hands (I used a dough scraper too), knead the dough a few times and form into a rough, round loaf.  Place the loaf onto the prepared sheet pan and cut an X into the top (not easy with the soft dough--I ended up cutting a rough X with kitchen scissors).  Bake for 45-50 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.  The loaf should sound hollow when tapped.
4.  Cool on a rack.  Delicious served warm or at room temperature.

ENJOY!

Bangers and Mash

My first taste of bangers and mash was in a London pub on Fleet Street.  I was poor, traveling on a tight budget, and the dish was cheap and filling.  It wasn't particularly memorable.  The conversation going on around me was, however, very interesting.

We had quite a bit of the colcannon (see previous post) left over when The Baker made a trip to Costco and came home with....

... authentic Irish style bangers.

I'm not sure how Irish bangers differ from English bangers.  As near as I can determine, bangers are simply sausages.  The sausages can contain various meats and seasonings.  The term "bangers" is thought to have come into existence when the sausages burst open when boiled.

Since it is pre-St. Patrick's day week, I thought that making the colcannon into potato pancakes simply by forming them into patties, dredging in a beaten egg, dipping them in plain breadcrumbs and sauteing in a bit of butter and olive oil would make a nice accompaniment to the bangers.  To avoid "fireworks, I decided to saute the bangers as well.  I just wasn't in the mood for explosions!!

The bangers were a bit bland but, when paired with a grainy mustard, were quite tasty.

ENJOY!

Irish Porridge

"Let broth boil slowly,

but let porridge make a noise."

(Irish Proverb)

Porridge is one of the oldest dishes served in Ireland.  It is usually made from rolled, crushed or steel-cut oats and is one of the first foods served to infants.  In some homes, porridge is the staple of breakfast, bubbling away as the family wakens.  At times, it appears on the supper table.

The Baker and I enjoy porridge (we call it oatmeal) at least once a week for breakfast.  With golden raisins, real maple syrup and milk stirred in and toasted walnuts or pecans sprinkled on top, it is the perfect start to a day.

I couldn't resist a wee bit of orange!

Irish Porridge


4 cups water
1 cup steel-cut Irish Oatmeal
1/4 tsp salt

1.  Bring the water to a boil and spinkle the oatmeal in stirring well.  Add Salt.
2.  Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
3.  Serve with brown sugar or maple syrup, milk, chopped and toasted nuts, fruit--whatever your taste calls for!
This recipe serves four.  Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator and reheated.

ENJOY

Irish Steak

Actually, the steak is a N.Y. strip but the preparation is deliciously Irish!!

Don't despair of us having a corned beef on the St. Patrick's Day table.  After all, we need the leftovers for The Baker's famous Puffed Reubens after the holiday feast.

In the meantime, we needed something quite delicious to stand up to the colcannon (see previous post) and this steak did just that.

Gaelic Steak


2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 NY strip steaks
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large shallot, minced
4 ounces mushrooms (crimini, shitake or a mixture), sliced
1 tsp honey
1 tsp whole-grain mustard
2 Tbsp Irish whiskey 
3/4 cup beef stock
3/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper


1.  Heat butter and oil together in a large skillet over medium high heat.
2.  Add the steaks and saute 3-4 minutes on each side for rare to medium rare (or to taste).
Transfer to a warm plate and cover.  Place in warm oven while finishing the dish.
3.  Add the garlic, shallot and mushrooms to the pan and saute 2-3 minutes.
4.  Stir in the honey and mustard and cook for another minute.
5.  Add the whiskey and stock, raise the heat and and cook until reduced in half, about 5 minutes.
6.  Lower the heat a bit and stir in the cream.  Simmer until slightly thickened, about 3 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper and leave on low heat while preparing the steaks.
7.  Slice the steaks, on the diagonal, about 1/4 inch thick.  Add back to the sauce until just heated through.  


ENJOY!

Colcannon--An Irish Tradition

Growing up in Virginia meant celebrating St. Patrick's day with the "wearing of the green" if one had an article of clothing that was green.  As far as I know,  there was no dying of anything green, no parades and the markets were not filled with corned beef and cabbages.  I was quite surprised to find that St. Patrick's day celebrations were started in pre-revolutionary war America by Irish Protestant immigrants.  They wanted to celebrate their heritage and introduce others to their customs.  Obviously they had great success!

Chicago goes all out for St. Paddy's Day!  There is a parade held on the Saturday before St. Patrick's Day.  This year, the 17th is on a Saturday.  The city will be a sea of green!  Maybe I should say a "river of green" since the Chicago River will be dyed green this coming week.  That tradition was started in 1962 when green dye was used to check for sewer discharges.  There was an "aha" moment when the workers had a vision of the entire river flowing green.  It is quite a spectacle from the bridges.

In my search for our St. Patrick's Day menu, I came across a recipe that hasn't been on our table in awhile.  It has long been a dish served from Irish kitchens.  I came across this little ditty that I'm sure Irish cooks hum when preparing colcannon.

The Little Skillet Pot

"Did you ever eat Colcannon, made from lovely pickled cream?

With the greens and scallions mingled like a picture in a dream.

Did you ever make a hole on top to hold the melting flake

Of the creamy, flavoured butter that your mother used to make?"

Chorus:

"Yes you did, so you did, so did he and so did I.

And the more I think about it sure the nearer I'm to cry.

Oh, wasn't it the happy days when troubles we had not,

And our mothers made Colcannon in the little skillet pot."

The dish is usually prepared with cabbage as the green.  I found some nice Brussels sprouts in the market and decided to use them.

In full disclosure, that is not a shamrock decorating the dish.

Colcannon 

2 pounds of russet potatoes, peeled and cut into large pieces

2 cups Brussels sprouts, cut in half,  steamed until al dente and then sliced

2 green onions, minced

6 Tbsp butter, cut into pieces

1 cup of whole milk, hot

Salt and pepper to taste

1.  Cover the potatoes with water, add salt and bring to a boil, cover the pan and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Check for doneness after about 15 minutes.  When done, drain most of the water away and mash.

2.  To the still hot potatoes, immediately add the minced green onions and stir in.  Add the butter and the hot milk and stir occasionally as the butter melts.

3.  Stir in the Brussels sprouts.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

ENJOY!

A Need for Green-Broccoli Soup

I'm still thinking about what to prepare for our St. Patrick's day feast.  I'm leaning away from a corned  beef brisket since we'll only be two.  However, that would mean we'd have no leftover brisket for the baker to prepare his delicious sandwiches from later in the week.  Of course, there's always the deli corned beef.

In the meantime, I felt we should start putting something green on the table and sat down to make a grocery list.  In checking the crisper drawers and pantry, I found I had all the ingredients to do a cream of broccoli soup.  I use the word "cream" lightly because, well it is very light on cream.  In fact, it has no cream at all--just a dollop of half and half.  It's delicious!  I'm eating the soup as I prepare this post.

The soup is my need for something warm as well as green.  After some spectacular weather--Wednesday graced us with a high of 65--today is windy and cold.  Truly we don't need cold weather to enjoy a good bowl of soup around here.  In fact, we enjoy it year around.

Here is today's bowl:

Broccoli Soup from refrigerator and pantry

Broccoli, about 1 pound, separated into florets with stems peeled and rough chopped
1 medium potato, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 quart of good chicken or vegetable stock (I used chicken)
Salt and Pepper
Half and Half, about 1/4 cup

Put all ingredients, except salt, pepper and half and half, into a large pot, bring to a slight boil.  Lower heat, cover and simmer until the vegetables are soft.  Salt and pepper to taste. Puree with an immersion blender (or regular blender/food processor).  If you have an immersion blender (I don't know what I did without one), you can puree it right in the pot and cleanup is a breeze!  Add half and half to taste.

ENJOY!

Cornbread to Celebrate My Mother's Birthday

Today is my mother's birthday.  I won't tell you how old she would be.  A true southern lady, she thought it "tacky" for someone to even inquire as to one's age.

In later years she once said that she wanted to "live to be ninety-nine".  Why not one hundred?

She didn't want Willard Scott to announce her age on the Today Show!!

Although she didn't live to be ninety-nine, she lived a very long and very full life.  

One of seventeen children, she enjoyed a closeness with her siblings that spilled over into the lives of her children and their children.  Although the older generation are now all gone, the cousins still keep in touch and see one another when possible.

Mother loved her Southern Baptist religion, her family and friends.

Mother also loved food.  She could eat six ears of corn, slathered in butter,  salted and peppered,  in one sitting.  She liked her coffee strong, well creamed and heavily sugared.  She "doctored" fresh fruit by adding lots of sugar and letting it sit for awhile to "make juice".  Although it isn't o.k. to discuss her age, she was proud to tell one and all her weight.  

"I'm 5'2 and weigh 99 pounds."  

The weight is true but I don't think she was ever quite 5'!!

Mother loved cornbread.

It had to be made in a cast iron skillet.

That was the iron clad (no pun intended) rule.

She sometimes added sugar (not true southern).

She always slathered her's in butter.

Quite often, she enjoyed leftovers crumbled into a glass of buttermilk for a bedtime treat.

Corn Bread


1 1/4 cups yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/3 cup milk
1 cup buttermilk
2 eggs, beaten
8 Tbsp butter, melted

1.  Preheat oven to 425 and place a 9 or 10 inch skillet inside to heat while oven is heating.  The larger skillet will produce a thinner and crispier cornbread.
2.  In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients.  Whisk in the milk, buttermilk and eggs along with all but a tablespoon of the melted butter.
3.  Remove the hot skillet from the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 375.  Use the remaining tablespoon of butter to coat the bottom and sides of the hot skillet.  Immediately pour the batter into the skillet and place into the oven.  Bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the cornbread is set in the middle and firm.

ENJOY!