IRISH SPICE BREAD

INGREDIENTS

10 oz Flour
2 ts Baking powder
1/2 ts Baking soda
1 ts Mixed spice *
1/2 ts Ginger, ground
4 oz Sugar, brown, light
2 oz Citron, candied; chopped
6 oz Raisins, plain or golden
4 oz Butter
6 oz Golden syrup **
1 lg Egg; beaten
4 T Milk

* Equal parts of cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.
** Lyons' Golden Syrup, carried in some fancy groceries.
If you can't find it, use Karo light corn syrup.

Sift the flour with the soda and baking powder, and the mixed spice and ginger: then add the brown sugar, chopped peel and raisins: mix.
Make a well in the center.

Melt the butter with the syrup over low heat, then pour into the well in the mixture.
Add the beaten egg and milk and mix very well.

Pour into a greased 2-lb loaf pan and bake in a preheated oven at 325 F for 40-50 minutes, or until it tests done.

This bread will keep moist for several days, and actually improves somewhat during this period.

CHAMP

Potatoes with an Irish Taste!

INGREDIENTS

Make normal mashed potatoes

and add chopped scallions (spring onions)

boiled in a little milk.

COLCANNON

Nice dish to serve with the pie!

INGREDIENTS

1 md Head cabbage, quartered and core removed
2 lb Potatoes, scubbed and sliced - with skins left on
2 md Leeks, thoroughly washed and sliced
1 c Milk
1/2 t Mace
Salt
Pepper
2 Garlic cloves
8 T Unsalted butter

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and boil the cabbage until tender, about 12-15 minutes.
Drain off the water and chop the cabbage.
Set aside.

Bring another pot of water to a boil and boil the potatoes until tender.
Drain off the water and set aside.

Put the leeks in a saucepan, cover with the milk, bring close to boiling and then turn down to a simmer until tender. Set aside.

Add the mace, salt and pepper, and garlic to the pot with the potatoes and mash well with a hand masher.

Now add the leeks and their milk and mix in with the potatoes, taking care not to break down the leeks too much. Add a little more milk if necessary to make it smooth.

Now mash in the cabbage and lastly the butter. The texture that you want to achieve is smooth-buttery-potato with interesting pieces of leek and cabbage well distributed in it.

Transfer the whole mixture to an ovenproof dish, make a pattern on the surface and place under the broiler to brown.

FADGE -- POTATO BREAD

A tasty bread!

INGREDIENTS

2 lb Unpeeled "old" potatoes
1 Egg, beaten
1/2 Stick butter
3 T Flour
1 1/2 T Chopped parsley
1 1/2 T Chopped chives
1 1/2 T Chopped lemon thyme
(these three mixed, opt)
Creamy milk
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
Seasoned flour
Bacon fat or butter for frying

Boil the potatoes in their jackets, pull off the skins and mash straight away.

Add the egg, butter, flour and herbs (if using) and mix well. Season with plenty of salt and pepper, adding a few drops of creamy milk if the mixture is too stiff.

Shape into a 1" round and then cut into eight pieces. Dip in seasoned flour.

Bake on a griddle over an open fire or fry in bacon fat or melted butter on a gentle heat.

Cook the fadge until crusty and golden on one side, then flip over and cook on the other side (about 4-5 minutes on each side).

Serve on its own on hot plates with a blob of butter melting on top.

GUINNESS BEEF STEW

INGREDIENTS

1kg (2lbs) sirloin steak
2 tablesp. dripping
2 onions (large)
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup plain flour
1 cup beef stock
1 cup Guinness
3 carrots
2 bay leaves
1 teasp. dried thyme
(better still..fresh thyme)
6 prunes
2 tablesp. chopped parsley

METHOD

Chop onions, crush garlic and slice carrots.
Cut meat into small chunks.
Cut prunes in half and remove the stone.
Fry onions in dripping.

When golden brown add crushed garlic.
Cook for 1 minute.
Remove onion and garlic from the frying pan and put aside.

Add meat to remainder of dripping in pan and fry until meat is brown on all sides.
Reduce heat and add flour.

Coat the meat with the flour and add stock slowly to form a thick sauce, no lumps if it can be helped.
Add Guinness and simmer.

Add onions and garlic and carrots, herbs and season with salt and pepper.
Stir all ingredients simmer for 1-2 hours.
Don't cover; This gives a thick sauce.

Stir occasionally so that the meat doesn't stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Add the prunes a half an hour before the end.
Add parsley before serving.

This dish can be prepared the day before and reheated rapidly before serving.

IRISH CAKE

A nice cake with Guinness!

INGREDIENTS

1/2 c Butter
1 c Brown sugar
3 Egg; beaten
2 1/4 c Flour, self rising
1/2 ts Apple pie spice
1 pn Salt
2/3 c Raisins; soaked in Guinness overnight
1/2 c Candied peel; soaked
1 1/3 c Golden raisins; soaked
1/4 c Candied cherries
8 fl Guinness or other dark beer

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cream the butter and sugar until the sugar is dissolved; beat in the eggs.

Add the flour, salt, apple pie spice and the soaked dried fruit.
Mix in the Guinness.

Grease a deep 8 inch cake pan and pour the mixture in.

Bake for about 2 hours until firm in the center.

IRISH WHEATEN BREAD

A nice bread!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
3 tablespoons chilled stick margarine, cut into small pieces
1 1/3 cups low-fat buttermilk
2 egg whites

Combine first 5 ingredients in food processor, and pulse until well blended.
With the processor on, drop margarine through food chute, and process for 10 seconds.

Combine buttermilk and egg whites; stir well.
With the processor on, pour the mixture through food chute, and process for 20 seconds or until dough leaves sides of bowl and forms a ball.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface, and lightly knead about 10 times.

Pat the dough into an 8-inch round cake pan coated with cooking spray, and cut a 1/4-inch-deep X in top of the dough.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove bread from pan, and let cool completely on a wire rack.

Yield: 12 servings.

BOXTY

~a traditional Irish dish~
Nice for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

1 cup raw potato
1 cup mashed potato
2 cups plain flower
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
large pat of butter melted
about 1 1/2 cups milk

Grate the raw potatoes into a bowl.
Turn out onto a cloth and wring, catching the liquid. This will seperate into a clear fluid with starch at the bottom.

Pour off the fluid and scrape out the starch and mix with the grated and mashed potatoes.

Sieve the dry ingredients and mix in along with the melted butter. Add a little milk if necessary to make a pliable dough.

Knead lightly on a floured surface. Divide into four and form large, flat cakes.

Mark each into quarters but do not cut right through, and bake on a griddle or in a heavy pan.

If liked, more milk and an egg can be added to make a batter which can be fried in bacon fat.

POTATO FARLS

~also known as potato cakes~
Nice for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

2 cups mashed potatoes
1 cup plain flour
2 tbsp butter
salt

Melt the butter and mix into the potatoes with the salt. Work in the flour quickly but thoroughly and knead lightly.

Divide in two and roll out each half on a floured board to form a circle about the size of a large dinner plate.

Cut in quarters (farls) and cook for about 3 minutes on each side in a heavy frying pan in a little bacon fat.

IRISH SCALLOP PIE

A taste from the Irish Sea!

INGREDIENTS

8 large Scallops*
300 ml Milk
Salt and pepper
2 tb Butter
1 tb Flour
1/2 lb Mushrooms, sliced
4 tb Med.sweet white wine
1 lb Fresh mashed potatoes

* Or 4 scallops and an equal amount of any white fish. Or more scallops, if you like.

Clean the scallops and cut in half, then simmer in the milk for 15 minutes.

Strain, reserving the liquid. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter and stir in the flour, cook for about a minute, stirring, then add the milk gradually, stirring all the time to avoid lumps.

Season with salt and pepper, add the sliced mushrooms and simmer for about 10 minutes longer; then add the sherry or wine and finally the scallops.

When hot, transfer to an ovenproof dish and cover with mashed potatoes, making sure they cover the fish right to the edges.

Dot with the remaining butter and bake in a moderate oven, 350F, for 20-30 minutes, or until the top is turning brown.

IRISH SMOKED COD PIE

Nice flavour!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb Smoked cod
1/2 lb Onions
1/2 lb Shelled peas
10 oz Milk - or substitute 5 oz milk and 5 oz cream
1 oz Flour
1 tsp Dry mustard
1 oz Butter
2 lb Mashed potato

Chop onions roughly and fry in butter until tender. Remove from heat and stir in flour and mustard.

Add milk. Return to heat and stir until thickened. Add cod, cut into 1/2-inch cubes, and peas.

Turn into ovenproof dish and cover with mashed potatoes. Bake in a moderate oven at 400F/200C, for 35-45 minutes, or until golden brown.

(Though not traditional, the addition of 2-3 oz of cheddar cheese to the sauce makes this an extremely tasty dish.)

IRISH STEW

1 lb mutton or lamb in largeish bits
2 oz pearl barley
1 carrot, sliced
3 large spuds, cut into thick slices
1/4 cabbage, sliced
2 leeks, washed and sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Seal the lamb in a large frying pan over a high heat, then place into a casserole dish with just enough water to cover.

Add the remaining ingredients and bring to the boil.
Reduce to a simmer, then cook gently until the potatoes have started to disintegrate (this makes the thick sauce).

Serve with hunks of soda bread and aquam vitae. Can put cobblers/dumplings in if too liquidy.
Eat on a cold day.

IRISH BROWN BREAD

If you can't get to Ireland to savor their wonderful Brown Bread, this is the best recipe I've found using American whole wheat flour:

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole wheat flour
3 tbsp toasted wheat bran
3 tbsp toasted wheat germ
2 tbsp old-fashioned oats
2 tbsp packed dark brown sugar
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tbsp (1/4 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 cups buttermilk

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
Butter a 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Combine first 8 ingredients in large bowl; mix well.

Add butter; rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles fine meal. Stir in enough buttermilk to form soft dough. Transfer dough to prepared loaf pan.

Bake until bread is dark brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes.

Turn bread out of pan and cool right side up on rack.

An American cup is 8 fluid ounces. Unfortunately the American pint has only 16 fluid ounces, but they are slightly bigger than British fluid ounces. I haven't found that this makes a huge difference though.

Flour.............4 oz....................1 cup
Sugar.............8 oz....................1 cup
Butter............8 oz....................1 cup
Rice..............7 oz....................1 cup
Raisins...........7 oz....................1 cup