Irish Soda Bread (with currants)

As you all know, I am not a baker let alone a bread maker. I leave that job for my husband. But since he is away and I was having a craving for soda bread, I had to make it myself. I was very close to buying a ready made bread mix at the store; all I had to do was add water, but when I saw Ina Garten make this bread on her show, I figured I would give it a try. I used butter instead of shortening in my recipe but the outcome was still good. What I really like about this recipe is that in less than an hour you can have freshly baked soda bread for your family.

INGREDIENTS (makes one loaf)

• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
• 6 tablespoons solid shortening such as Crisco (I used unsalted butter)
• 2/3 cup currants mixed with 1 tablespoon of flour
• 2 teaspoons caraway seeds
• 1 cup buttermilk

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

In a large bowl sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, nutmeg, and sugar. Using a pastry blender or fingertips, work the shortening into the flour until the consistency is the same as that of small peas. Stir in the raisins and caraway and mix to distribute evenly. Gradually stir in the buttermilk, 1/4 cup at a time, using only enough to allow the dough to come together. Knead the dough for 1 to 2 minutes. Shape the dough into a round loaf and place on a greased baking sheet. Cut an X on the top and over the sides of the loaf. Bake for 45 minutes or until the bread sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a rack.

Irish Potato Pancakes

(Photo by Marge Perry / December 21, 2005)

Sadly, the great writer Frank McCourt died today. If you don't know who he is, then I'm sure you've read his book (or watched the movie) "Angela's Ashes." I have to say that I wouldn't have read any of Mr. McCourt's books had it not been for my friend, Amy. When we lived and worked in Boston, she invited me to a reading at the Copley Hotel. I was skeptical, but decided to go because she said there was an open bar.

Anyway, Mr. McCourt was the guest speaker and he was supposed to read from his new book, "'Tis," however all I recall was that he told us stories of his family, of Ireland, of moving to America and just made everyone laugh with his wonderful Irish sayings and his Irish wit. He was a great storyteller and, I think, a great writer.

Here's a great recipe for Irish potato pancakes, a.k.a., latkes. Serve the potato pancakes while crisp. I don't know what they would top these with in Ireland, but I know here in the states we love sour cream or apple sauce on our pancakes. RIP Frank.

INGREDIENTS (makes 6 pancakes)

• 2 medium potatoes
• whole egg
• 4 slices Irish rashers or lean Canadian bacon
• 1 tablespoon finely diced onion
• 1 teaspoon chopped parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS

Peel and grate raw potato; place in a bowl. Beat egg, and add to the potato.

Slice the raw lean bacon into thin strips (julienne). Add to the potatoes along with the diced onion, parsley, salt, pepper, and cheddar. Combine thoroughly.

In a crepe pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Pour the mix onto the pan. Cook on both sides, until golden brown.

Recipe courtesy of epicurious.com

Hallowe'en Pumpkin Soup with Smoked Bacon

I first heard of Chef Neven Maguire a few years ago when I visited Ireland with my husband. Neven had a cooking show on television there and I found it quite amusing and he made really good dishes. Then, last year when I visited my in-laws in Minnesota, I noticed Neven Maguire's cookbook at their coffee table. By now, of course, I had to have the cookbook because it is full of classic yet simple Irish and International recipes--and this recipe is one of them. So, long story short, my husband went through so many hurdles to get me Neven Cooks! But I finally have it now and I will cherish it forever. On a sad note, I lost my camera, so these pictures are not very good since I had to take them with my mobile phone.

INGREDIENTS (serves 6)

• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 onion, diced
• 4 oz. raw, smoked bacon (about 4 strips, I used Hickory Smoked Bacon)
• 2 lbs. pumpkin flesh, peeled, de-seeded and cubed
• 1 Tablespoon tomato paste
• 2 pints low sodium chicken stock
• 3 ounces heavy cream
• Pinch of nutmeg
• Pinch of ginger
• Pinch of allspice
• Pinch of ground coriander
• Pinch of red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
• A couple of tablespoons of whipped cream, for garnish
• Toasted pumpkin seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

In a large, heavy saucepan melt the butter on medium heat. Add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the bacon and cook for an additional 5 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and add the cubed pumpkin. Sweat for 6 to 8 minutes to release flavors. Add tomato paste and stir for 2 minutes. Then pour in the stock and an additional 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus one pinch of nutmeg, ginger, allspice and coriander and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Bring to a bubble then simmer, covered, for 20 to 25 minutes or until pumpkin is fork tender. Lastly, add the heavy cream and simmer a few more minutes. Blend the soup in batches with your blender (or use a hand blender, if you have one) and keep simmering. Taste soup and season more, if needed.

To serve soup, pour into bowls and place a dollop of whipped cream and sprinkle a few toasted pumpkin seeds on top. Serve with warm bread.

Traditional Irish Breakfast

Happy St. Patricks day everyone! Today is one of my husband's favorite holidays, mainly due to his Irish heritage. And one of his most favorite Irish dishes is the traditional Irish breakfast. You can totally make this at home; you'd be surprised how many specialized markets and online stores carry food from Ireland. You totally need the real thing to make this, but you can always improvise, as well. Don't forget to serve Irish hot tea and brown bread on the side. This meal is just brilliant!

INGREDIENTS (serves 4)

• 1 packet of Irish Sausages
• 1 packet of Irish bacon (or Canadian bacon)
• One Pack of White Pudding
• 4 Eggs
• 2 large tomatoes, cut in half
• 1 pint white mushrooms, sliced
• Irish Butter
• Grated Dubliner Cheese

DIRECTIONS

You are basically going to fry the bacon, sausages and white pudding until they are fully cooked and golden brown all around (do not fry the bacon crispy, keep it soft and well browned.) Keep them in a warm oven, covered with foil while you finish the rest.

Next, fry the mushrooms in Irish butter until soft, about 5 minutes. Season lightly with salt and pepper and set aside in oven.

Season tomatoes with salt and pepper and fry them, cut side down. Set aside in oven.

Finally, fry the eggs and grate Dubliner cheese on top if desired. Divide all this Irish goodness among four plates and be ready for your tummy to be happy!

Remembering Ireland

It seems like it was only yesterday that I was in Ireland with my husband and parents. It was definitely a journey I’ll never forget. Every year when St. Patrick’s Day comes around, I get very nostalgic for the beautiful Irish landscapes, the incredible Irish people and excellent Irish cuisine. Oh, and I don’t want to forget the excellent Guinness Beer—another Irish import—and whiskey.

I think my sister-in-law and I may do something special for St. Patrick’s Day today. We’ve both been craving corned beef and potatoes…and don’t forget Irish coffees! Or we may go to a party…but believe me, whatever we do will not compare to actually being in Ireland. It is truly one majestic gem.

One of my favourite things about our trip to Ireland was all the incredible food we had. I don’t think we ever had anything bad there. In recent years, fish is becoming very popular in Ireland and all their smoked fishes are excellent. But what can I say about the traditional Irish breakfast…probably the best breakfast in the world. I think every morning we had a fried egg, rashers, sausages, boxty and white or black pudding.

I was incredibly surprised when we made our way to Galway and I had what had to be the best mussels ever. If you ever find yourself in Galway, you must go to the Druid Lane restaurant and try their fresh Galway Bay Mussels. Un-freaking-believable.

And, of course, no trip to Ireland is complete without making a pilgrimage to the Guinness brewery in Dublin. As you all know, I’m not a beer drinker, but I have to say that the Guinness I had in Ireland was probably the best ever! So, whatever you decide to do for St. Patrick’s Day, just be safe, keep it authentic and for crissakes don’t order any Irish car bombs—that’s the most anti-Irish drink ever!

Boxty - Irish Potato Pancakes

It's amazing how St. Patrick's Day is a much bigger deal here in the United States than in Ireland. But it is still so much fun. My husband's family has a tradition of watching The Quiet Man (yes, it's that John Wayne and Maureen O'Hara movie) every St. Patrick's Day. I'm still getting used to their tradition—I find the movie quite silly, to tell you the truth—but I have definitely gotten used to their Irish food. There is nothing like good, authentic Irish food that sticks to your bones...and what is more authentic than boxty (Irish potato pancakes)? Believe you me, you will love these fried up cakes, for breakfast, lunch or dinner!!!

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup raw, grated potatoes
• 1 cup leftover mashed potatoes
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup (about) milk to mix
• Butter or oil for frying

DIRECTIONS

Place the grated raw potatoes in a clean cloth and wring to remove excess moisture.

Whisk together flour, salt, and baking powder. Combine flour mixture into raw potatoes, mashed potatoes, and eggs. Add a little milk, if necessary, to make a pliable dough.

Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and add butter or oil. Drop potato batter by the tablespoon into the hot pan. Brown on both sides (about 3-4 minutes per side). Butter each boxty and serve hot.

Irish Brown Bread

When I was in Ireland last October, I fell in love with the brown bread that the Irish serve with just about every meal. Brown bread is hearty bread with whole wheat flour, oats, wheat germ and it tastes incredible when you spread some real Irish butter all over it. But a secret of this delightful bread is that just about every household in Ireland makes the bread from a mix...yes, a mix! There are several excellent brown bread mixes out there. I personally have used Odlums Brown Bread Mix but I hear that McCann's also has a good bread mix. Oh, and if you actually want to make traditional Irish brown bread from scratch, here's the recipe. If you make it, let me know how it came out.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ¾ cups all purpose flour
• 1 ¾ cups whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons toasted wheat bran
• 3 tablespoons toasted wheat germ
• 2 tablespoons old-fashioned oats (do not use quick-cooking oats)
• 2 tablespoons packed dark brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 2 cups buttermilk

STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF. Do not start until the oven is hot.
2. Butter and flour a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan.
3. Put the first 8 ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Mix well.
4. Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal.
5. Scoop out a well in the flour and pour in about ¾ of the buttermilk. With your fingers draw the flour into the buttermilk, mixing them with as light a touch as you can. The dough should come together easily into a soft ball, if it is too dry add a little more buttermilk but avoid allowing the dough to become sticky.
6. Turn the dough onto a floured board and transfer dough to prepared loaf pan. Place in the oven immediately.
7. After 10 minutes reduce the heat to 400ºF. Bake for another 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and knock on the base of the loaf - if it sounds hollow it is done. If not, return to the oven for about 5-10 minutes more.

Irish Seafood Chowder

One of the best seafood chowders I've ever had was at the restaurant inside the Old Midleton Distillery (a.k.a. Jameson's Irish whiskey) in Midleton, Ireland in County Cork. Perhaps it was all the whiskey we had that day, but this dish had it all: the right amount of creaminess, potatoes and seafood cooked just right. And the Irish brown bread served on the side with real butter made the dish become one of the most memorable to me—and my family. Unfortunately, I couldn't find the actual recipe they use there, but this one is somewhat close. But if you ever want to have the best seafood chowder, then you're just going to have to make a trip to Ireland!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 8)

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped (about 10 oz)
• 1 celery stick, finely sliced
• 1/3 cup button mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large potato, peeled and cut into small dice
• 3 tomatoes, cut into small dice
• 1 tablespoon tomato purée
• A pinch of saffron strands
• 1/4 cup Pernod (or dry, white wine if you can't find Pernod)
• 1 quart (32 oz) of fish stock
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 lb mixed fresh fish fillets, such as salmon, cod, swordfish or monkfish, cut into 1 ½" cubes
• 2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
• ½ cup whipping cream
• 4 tablespoons finely sliced scallions, to garnish

DIRECTIONS

Melt the butter in a large saucepan and cook the onion, celery and mushrooms over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until soft. Add the potato, tomatoes, tomato puree, saffron strands, and Pernod. Bring to a boil then add fish stock, and a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil again, and skim off any scum that rises to the surface. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and then cook for 15 to 20 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Purée half the mixture in a food processor, then return it to the pan. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Bring back to a boil and add the fish and finely chopped parsley. Stir in the cream. When the chowder has returned to the boil, remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes.

Ladle into eight warm soup bowls and garnish with the scallions, and serve immediately with a side of Irish brown bread.

Traditional Irish Champ

Can you believe St. Patrick's Day is almost here? It seems like only yesterday that I made my first Irish-American dinner of corned beef and cabbage. But to make a "true" Irish dinner for this St. Patrick’s, we lads need to make traditional Irish champ, boiled bacon and sautéed cabbage. Aren't you getting hungry already? I sure am. As you may have guessed, champ is basically mashed potatoes, but of course no one does mashed potatoes better than the Irish.

INGREDIENTS (Serves 8)

• 4 lb Potatoes
• ½ pint whole milk
• 8 oz spring onions (scallions), chopped
• 4 oz unsalted butte, divided
• Salt and Black Pepper

DIRECTIONS

1. Peel potatoes and put them in a large pot full of cold water. Bring to a boil and cook 20-30 minutes, or until potatoes are cooked through. A sharp knife should easily pierce through the potatoes.
2. In a small sauce pan, simmer the milk and spring onions together for five minutes.
3. When potatoes are done, drain potatoes well and mash thoroughly.
4. Add the hot milk, including scallions, salt and pepper, and half the butter.
5. Serve the champ piled high on a serving dish. Make a well in the middle and add the rest of the butter in the centre. Oh, and don't forget to accompany your Irish dinner with some Guinness on the side!

Corned Beef and Boiled Potatoes

I grew up thinking that Corned Beef and Cabbage was a traditional dish served in Ireland. When I lived in Boston the pubs everywhere used to serve this so-called traditional Irish dish during St. Patrick's Day. But after some investigation I found out that Corned Beef and cabbage is more of an Irish-American dish. According to Bridgett Haggerty of the website Irish Cultures and Customs she says that their research shows that most likely a "bacon joint" or a piece of salted pork boiled with cabbage and potatoes would more likely [have been a feast in] the rural parts of Ireland.

Nevertheless, corned beef is a favorite dish of mine, specially during the winter months. However I am not a fan of boiled cabbage. It just does not sit well with me. I used a Corned Beef and Cabbage recipe from AllRecipes.com but I tweaked it a little and omitted the cabbage. The corned beef still came out delicious and my husband was very happy with the dish. He said it reminded him of St. Patricks Day in Minnesota. Weird, huh?

INGREDIENTS (4 servings):

• 2-1/2 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
• 8 small red potatoes

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover pot and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender (about 2 hours for a 2-1/2 lb brisket).
2. Add whole potatoes and cook until the potatoes tender, about 15 minutes. Remove meat and let rest 5 minutes before serving.
3. Slice meat across the grain and serve with the potatoes.