The thread common between my Irish great-grandmothers, Mary and Bridget, and many women of that era,
was that they knew what to do with the ingredients they had on hand to
feed a multitude. Both their spirits inspire my rendering of these
recipes.
Irish Potato Soup
6 large potatoes
2 small yellow onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk
salt
pepper
dried parsley flakes
Place potatoes and onions in soup pot, sprinkle with salt and cover with water. Boil until tender. Puree in blender. Return to pot. Stir in milk and butter. Add salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Simmer until ready to eat. (In the version I copied from my mom's handwritten recipe collection, the last line read, "Simmer until 5:20." Presumably until my dad got home from work. )
Substitutions and suggestions:
-For a heartier soup, mash vegetables by hand with a fork, leaving bigger chunks, substitute chicken broth for the milk, use fresh parsley, and go heavier on the pepper.
-For a vegan version, choose Yukon or other golden potatoes or red skins. Omit milk and butter. Add a few drops of olive or grapeseed oil.
-If you don't care for soda bread, add grated cheddar cheese and chopped chives when serving. Serve with a crusty rustic bread. (Cheese and chives don't go well with soda bread).
Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 margarine or butter
1 well-beaten egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 cups golden raisins
Sift three cups flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Cut or rub in butter. Combine well-beaten egg, buttermilk and baking soda. Combine with dry ingredients. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Knead on floured surface. Add remaining one cup of flour as needed for kneading. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky. Place in a nine-inch skillet.Gently press the dough to flatten to edges of skillet. (Grease the skillet if not well-seasoned.) With blunt end of a table knife, press a cross into the top. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes to an hour. Should have a browned and solid crust. Remove from skillet at once. Brush with butter.
Substitutions and suggestions:
-A baking stone may be used instead of an iron skillet. Bread will be rounder like a ball and much crustier.
-Currants or any chopped dried fruit may be substituted for the raisins.
-Replace caraway seeds with fennel seeds.
-On a whim, Evdoxia, my Greek cooking teacher, substituted Crisco for the butter and added a cup of finely crushed walnuts. The result sort of veered away from the distinctive taste of Irish soda bread, but it was scrumptious!
Irish Potato Soup
6 large potatoes
2 small yellow onions
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups milk
salt
pepper
dried parsley flakes
Place potatoes and onions in soup pot, sprinkle with salt and cover with water. Boil until tender. Puree in blender. Return to pot. Stir in milk and butter. Add salt, pepper and parsley to taste. Simmer until ready to eat. (In the version I copied from my mom's handwritten recipe collection, the last line read, "Simmer until 5:20." Presumably until my dad got home from work. )
Substitutions and suggestions:
-For a heartier soup, mash vegetables by hand with a fork, leaving bigger chunks, substitute chicken broth for the milk, use fresh parsley, and go heavier on the pepper.
-For a vegan version, choose Yukon or other golden potatoes or red skins. Omit milk and butter. Add a few drops of olive or grapeseed oil.
-If you don't care for soda bread, add grated cheddar cheese and chopped chives when serving. Serve with a crusty rustic bread. (Cheese and chives don't go well with soda bread).
Irish Soda Bread
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 margarine or butter
1 well-beaten egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons caraway seeds
2 cups golden raisins
Sift three cups flour, sugar, salt, baking powder. Cut or rub in butter. Combine well-beaten egg, buttermilk and baking soda. Combine with dry ingredients. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Knead on floured surface. Add remaining one cup of flour as needed for kneading. Knead about 5 minutes or until dough is no longer sticky. Place in a nine-inch skillet.Gently press the dough to flatten to edges of skillet. (Grease the skillet if not well-seasoned.) With blunt end of a table knife, press a cross into the top. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes to an hour. Should have a browned and solid crust. Remove from skillet at once. Brush with butter.
Substitutions and suggestions:
-A baking stone may be used instead of an iron skillet. Bread will be rounder like a ball and much crustier.
-Currants or any chopped dried fruit may be substituted for the raisins.
-Replace caraway seeds with fennel seeds.
-On a whim, Evdoxia, my Greek cooking teacher, substituted Crisco for the butter and added a cup of finely crushed walnuts. The result sort of veered away from the distinctive taste of Irish soda bread, but it was scrumptious!
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