Irish Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS
3 ½   cups all-purpose flour
1    teaspoon sugar
1    teaspoon salt
1    teaspoons baking soda
6-7 ounces buttermilk

METHOD
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Sift together all the dry ingredients into a large mixing bowl. Make a well in the center and add half of the buttermilk and begin to stir together. Add more liquid sparingly, if you need to – the dough should be raggy, soft and dryish. Blend the ingredients and then, with floured hands, knead the dough briefly, 1 or 2 minutes.

Form into a flat disk and place onto a lightly floured baking sheet. With a sharp knife, cut a cross into the top of the loaf. Bake for 10 minutes and then lower the heat to 350 and bake until golden brown, about 4 to 6 minutes. Do not over-bake.

Based on a recipe from  “IrishAbroad.com”

Irish Lamb Stew

This dish was probably originally made with mutton instead of lamb because the source recipe asked for 8 hours cooking time. Not for me – mutton.

INGREDIENTS

1 ½  pounds lamb, cut to 1 inch pieces (3 cups)
1      pound white potatoes cut to 1 inch (about 1 cup)
1      large leek, washed and sliced thickly, white and pale green (1 cup)
2-3   carrots, peeled and cut to ½ inch (1 cup)
2      stalks celery, cut to ½ inch slices (1 cup)
1 ½  cups low sodium chicken broth
2      teaspoons fresh chopped thyme
2      teaspoons fresh chopped flat leaf parsley leaves
2      teaspoons dried rosemary

METHOD

Combine lamb, potatoes, leeks, carrots, celery, broth and spices in a large sauce pan. Cover and cook at a simmer for 40 to 50 minutes until the lamb is tender. Remove from the heat and serve immediately. Will serve 3 to 4 people.

This recipe can be doubled to serve more people.

Modified from  a recipe in the internet site “IrishAbroab.com.”

Corned Beef Potato Casserole

INGREDIENTS
1 ½   teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼      cup chicken broth
1 ¼   pounds Yukon Gold potatoes (2 cups sliced)
 ½     pound corned beef in small cubes
1+     cup shredded Dubliner cheese
2       cups shredded green cabbage (1/2 head)

1       thinly sliced medium leek, about 1 1/2 cups   
             (white and pale green parts)
½      teaspoon dried dill
         Paprika

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 325 F. Grease the sides and bottom of an 8 inch baking dish with butter. Stir together the broth and mustard. Thinly slice the potatoes using a mandolin. Spread 1/3 of the potatoes in the bottom of the dish, slightly overlapping and leaving no gaps.

Add 1/3 of the cheese and 1/2 of the cabbage, leeks and corned beef. Pour 1/2 of the mustard mix over the layer. Repeat these layers and then top with the remaining 1/3 of the potatoes and add the remaining cheese.

Sprinkle the dill and a bit of paprika over the potatoes. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Uncover and cook for 8 to 10 more minutes to brown the potatoes on top. Remove from the oven and allow it to cool for a few minutes before serving. Will serve 4 to 6 people as a main dish.

Red Cabbage and Apples

They just don’t make better side dishes than this. I can’t wait for St. Patrick’s day to have this with a pork dish and the Irish brown bread. A nice glass of ale will have to accompany it all since I don’t know of any Irish red wines to pair with it.

 

INGREDIENTS
1    large head of red cabbage
2    tablespoons cider vinegar
3    tablespoons granulated sugar
1/8  teaspoon cinnamon
½   cup water
3    Macintosh, Gala or Fuji apples

METHOD

Cut the cabbage into four pieces, remove the core and shred the cabbage. Place into a large steel skillet. Mix the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon and water and pour over the cabbage. Bring to a low boil.

Peel, core and cut each apple into 8 even pieces and put on top of the cabbage in the skillet, cover and cook for about 15 minutes until the cabbage is soft and the apples soft. Remove the cover and cook for about 5 more minutes to evaporate most of the liquid. Remove from the heat and serve immediately.

Bacon Mushroom Frittata

INGREDIENTS
2    strips bacon or 1 thick cut strip
½   cup chopped celery
1    leek, sliced, white and pale green parts (3/4 cup)
4    cloves garlic, minced
2    cups sliced mushrooms
½   cup roasted red peppers, chopped
1    tablespoon dried thyme
¼   cup soft cream cheese, cut into small cubes
6    eggs, beaten
2    tablespoons chicken broth

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350 F and grease the sides and bottom of a 10 inch oven proof pie dish. Cut the bacon into ½ inch squares (about 1 cup) and place into a medium skillet over medium-low heat. Cook the bacon slowly until fairly crisp, stirring now and then.

Add the celery, leeks and garlic to the skillet. Cook these for 4 to 5 minutes until crisp--tender and add the red pepper and mushrooms. Cook for 2 more minutes and remove the vegetables to the prepared pie pan baking dish, spreading them into an even layer.

Distribute the cream cheese evenly over the vegetables and mix the broth with the beaten eggs. Pour the eggs over the vegetables. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the frittata is puffed up and golden brown. Allow it to cool on a wire rack before serving. Chilled overnight and warmed again in the morning makes it taste even better.

Lentil And Brown Rice Soup

While the list of ingredients looks a bit long, this is not a difficult dish to make and the results are really great. Outside of taking three sauce pans it really is easy. It started out several different places all of which were not very good. After much sitting and thinking about it, the following plan came about and it tasted so good I ate it all one evening. It has a middle-eastern or Moroccan flavor but is not really spicy; a hearty and healthy soup for the cold winter days.
 
INGREDIENTS
½   cup brown rice
1    cup beef broth
1    cup water
½   teaspoon salt
 
¾   cup lentils, picked over and rinsed
1    cup red wine
1    cup water
1    teaspoon ground cumin

½   cup carrots diced to ½ inch

½   cup celery diced to ½ inch
1    small Yukon Gold potato diced to ½ inch
1    small white onion, chopped
1    cup chicken broth
1    cup beef broth
1    cup water
1    teaspoon each paprika, cumin, cardamom, turmeric and coriander
1    preserved lemon*, seeded, chopped, or 2 tablespoons lemon juice
1    pinch red pepper flakes
2    bay leaves

METHOD

In a small sauce pan, place the rice, broth, water and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 40 to 45 minutes until the rice is tender. If the liquid level gets low, add water ¼ cup at a time.

In another sauce pan, add the lentils, red wine, water and cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover and cook for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils are tender. If the liquid level gets low, add water ¼ cup at a time.

In a large saucepan, add all the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until all the vegetables are soft. Remove the bay leaves and place the soup into a blender or food processor and blend to a puree. Rinse out the sauce pan and return the puree to it. When the rice and lentils are cooked, add to this sauce pan and reheat.

*NOTE: See the information about Moroccan Lemons in this blog

Polenta Pizza

INGREDIENTS
½   cup polenta mix
2    cups water
1    can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
½   teaspoon dried basil
½   teaspoon dried oregano
½   cup shredded Monterrey Jack cheese
½   cup shredded Mozzarella cheese
¼   pound pork sausage

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 375 F after the polenta is nearly finished. Bring the water to a boil in a medium sauce pan and add the polenta mix. Cook and stir constantly for 15 minutes until the polenta becomes very stiff. Using a 10 or 13 inch rimmed pizza pan, pour the polenta into the pizza pan and spread it evenly. Let it rest for 7 to 10 minutes to harden.

Place the polenta/pizza into the oven and cook it for 7 to 8 minutes to dry it out slightly. Remove from the oven. In a small bowl, mix the tomato sauce and the two spices and then evenly spread them over the top of the polenta. Spread the cheeses over the top also, being sure to get some close to the edge.

Cook the sausage in a skillet until well browned, breaking up the lumps with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle this on top of the pizza and place the pizza into the oven. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes and check to see if the cheese has all melted. If it has not , return it for a few more minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK. When the cheeses are well melted, remove from the oven and cool for a few minutes on a wire rack before slicing and serving.

 

 

 

 

Irish Brown Bread

INGREDIENTS2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup bulk oat bran
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk or 2% milk
1 tablespoon to 1/4 cup molasses
2 tablespoons melted butter or butter substitute

METHODPreheat the oven to 375 F and grease a baking sheet or line it with parchment paper.Mix together the dry ingredients in a medium dish. Add the buttermilk, molasses and melted butter and mix well to form a stiff dough. Knead several times on a lightly floured board

Form into a ball and place onto the baking sheet. Cut an X into the top with a small knife. Bake in the middle of the oven for 35 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on a wire rack before serving.

　

Lime Beef with Eggplat

INGREDIENTS
½   pound beef loin cut into ½ inch cubes (1 cup)
      Juice of 1 lime (about 3 tablespoons)
2    tablespoons olive oil
1    medium onion, chopped (1 cup)
1    can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
1-2    medium Japanese or Italian eggplant, diced to ½ inch (2 cups)
¼   cup water
½   teaspoon salt
1    tablespoon garlic powder
2    tablespoons chopped cilantro or parsley (optional) for garnish

METHOD

Before preparing the other ingredients, place the cubes of beef in a medium bowl and add the lime juice, stirring to thoroughly coat the beef. Marinate for at least 5 minutes.  Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a medium skillet and add the beef and lime juice. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes, turning often, to brown the beef. Remove to a large bowl and retain.

Place the onions into the skillet and cook for 6 to 7 minutes until they are translucent and quite soft – do not brown. Remove to the bowl with the beef. Place the tomatoes and eggplant into the skillet, add the water, salt and garlic powder and cover. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 12 to 14 minutes until the eggplant is tender. Add the beef and onion, mix and cook for 2 to 3 minutes to reheat all the ingredients. Remove from the heat and serve.

 

Smoky Tomato Soup

This is a thick, smoky flavored soup best eaten in 4 ounce servings. The recipe will provide 5 to 6 servings of this size.

INGREDIENTS2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium white onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
4 pounds tomatoes, skinned, seeded, chopped or
       1 26 ounce package POMI chopped tomatoes or
       2 15 ounce cans diced tomatoes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon cumin powder
1 pinch red pepper flakes

　
METHODIn a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and add the onions and peppers. Cook for 12 to 14 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender. Add the tomatoes, paprika, garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes.

Cook for 5 to 6 minutes and remove from the heat. Using batches if necessary, pour into a blender or food processor and blend to a puree. Return to a clean sauce pan and thin if necessary with a bit of water. Season to taste and serve.