Soda Breads

I found this recipe on this website. I like to make bread at home, and these soda breads might be a fast and easy way to make a loaf.

Ingredients
450 g / 1 lb / 3 1/2 cups flour (either cake flour or all-purpose)
1 teaspoon sugar (optional: you can absolutely omit this if you prefer sugar free soda bread)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
Between 200-300 ml / 8-10 fluid ounces buttermilk, sour / soured milk, or plain ("sweet") milk, to mix

Sift the dry ingredients together at least once or twice to make sure the bicarbonate of soda is evenly distributed. Put the sifted dry ingredients in a good big bowl (you want stirring room) and make a well in the center. Pour about three-quarters of the buttermilk or sour milk or whatever in, and start stirring. You are trying to achieve a dough that is raggy and very soft, but the lumps and rags of it should look dryish and "floury", while still being extremely squishy if you poke them.

Blend quickly (but not too energetically!) until the whole mass of dough has become this raggy consistency. Then turn the contents of the bowl out immediately onto a lightly floured board or work surface, and start to knead.

The chief concern here is speed: the chemical reaction of the bicarb with the buttermilk started as soon as they met, and you want to get the bread into the oven while the reaction is still running on "high". Don't overknead! You should not spend more than half a minute or so kneading... the less time, the better. Fifteen seconds may well be enough, because you don't want to develop the gluten in the flour at all. If you do, you'll get a tough loaf. So don't overdo it!

For a cake-style soda bread, flatten the lump of dough to a slightly domed circle or flat hemisphere about 6-8 inches in diameter, and put it on the baking sheet (which should be dusted lightly with flour first). Then use a very sharp knife to cut a cross right across the circle. The cuts should go about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough, so that the loaf will "flower" properly.

Put the cake's baking sheet into the preheated oven. Handle it lightly and don't jar it: the CO2 bubbles in the dough are vulnerable at this point of the process.

Let the bread alone, and don't peek at it! It should bake for 45 minutes at 400-450° F. (One of our Irish neighbors suggests you give it the first 10 minutes at 450°, then decrease to 400°. Also, if you have a fan oven, use temperatures 10° lower or so, as fan ovens have a tendency to run hot.) At the end of 45 minutes, pick up the loaf and tap the bottom. A hollow-ish sound means it's done. For a very crunchy crust, put on a rack to cool. For a softer crust, as above, wrap the cake in a clean dishcloth as soon as it comes out of the oven.

If farl is your choice, use the same very sharp knife to slice cut the circle of dough into four wedges. Try not to crush or compress the dough where you cut it (if the knife is sharp enough, you won't).

Dust a hot griddle or frying pan with a very little flour, and put the farls on/in gently. The cut edges should be 1/2 inch or so apart to allow for expansion. Give the farls 20 minutes on a side. They should be a sort of mocha-toasty color before you turn them. Keep an eye on the heat -- they scorch easily. When finished, take the farls off the heat and wrap them in a light dishtowel, hot side down. (The residual steam works its way up through the soda bread and softens the crust formed by the process of baking on the griddle, making it more amenable to being split and toasted later.)
Both ways, the soda bread is wonderful sliced or split and served hot, with sweet butter and/or the jam or jelly of your choice.

Cincy Spins on Irish Classics

Photo from my first meal in London, July 2008.

Polly Campbell has had some lovely recipes in the Wednesday Enquirer every week. I see it on the table at work and my mouth waters and I want to run out to Findlay Market and go home and cook. Tomorrow, as I have done for the past 3 or 4 St. Patrick's days, I'll be heading to Arnold's for an Irish Stew and a pint. Can't wait.

Molly's Traditional Irish Stew

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound of lamb in 2-inch cubes
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and roughly chopped
1 cup onion, roughly chopped
1 cup parsnips, roughly chopped
1 cup carrots, roughly chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 cups beef stock
½ pint (1 cup) Guinness stout
Salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Heat oil in a large skillet until shimmering, but not smoking. Add the lamb pieces and cook until brown, turning once or twice. You may need to do it in two batches so you don't crowd the pan. Layer lamb pieces in a lidded casserole dish with onions, parsnips, carrots, garlic and thyme.

Add the stock and Guinness, and cover the dish tightly to cook. Place in the oven and cook for an hour. Add the potatoes, replace the lid and cook for another hour.


Brazenhead Shepherd's Pie

2 pounds potatoes
6 tablespoons milk
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound ground tenderloin
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 medium onion, finely chopped
¼ pound diced carrots
½ cup frozen green peas
¼ teaspoon dried dill
½ teaspoon thyme
Pinch crushed red pepper
½ teaspoon each salt and pepper
1 cup beef stock
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons corn starch
Shredded cheddar cheese

Peel and cut potatoes into chunks. Cover with water in a pot, bring to boil and cook over medium until tender (a fork should easily pierce the potato). Mash the potatoes. Gently warm the milk and butter together. Add to potatoes slowly until they are fluffy but not too wet.

Heat olive oil in large skillet. Add the beef and cook until browned. Drain, if desired. Add garlic, onion, carrots and peas. Mix, and turn heat to medium and cook 5 minutes. Add dill, thyme, crushed red pepper, salt and pepper, cook for 2 minutes. Add beef stock and Worcestershire sauce. Dissolve corn starch in cold water, add to skillet. Cook over high heat until thickened. Pour into a casserole dish, cover with mashed potatoes, sprinkle with shredded cheddar cheese and bake until potatoes are brown and crusty.

Gordon Ramsay’s Shepherd Pie

Last year I got really into Gordon Ramsay's F word UK Series. This is a really simple recipe that makes a hearty comfort food dish. I found this typed out version of the recipe at this website. More F word recipes can be found at this website. A cheaper way could use beef (is this called Cottage Pie?), healthier versions could use turkey and someday I plan to experiment with a Vegan version.

The Filling:
Olive Oil (2 Tbsp)
Ground Lamb or Beef (about 1.5 lbs)
1 Large Carrot (grated)
1 Large Onion (grated)
Fresh Rosemary
Fresh Thyme
Minced Garlic (I used 4 cloves)
Salt
Pepper
Worcestershire Sauce (several splashes)
Tomato Puree or Paste (no more than a small can)
Red Wine (several glugs)
Chicken Stock (not sure, but it looks like about 1/4 cup)

The Mash:
Golden Potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
Heavy Cream ( 1/4 cup)
Butter (3 1/2 Tbsp)
Salt
Pepper
Egg Yolks (2)
Parmesan Cheese (1/4 cup, minimum)

Prep Work:
Dice the garlic
Separate your herbs from the stems
Separate your Egg Yolks
Peel and Slice your potatoes into even pieces
Open your wine if it’s not already
Open your can of Tomato Paste
Cooking the Potatoes:

This part is easy as pie (no pun intended), just boil some water, throw some salt and your potatoes in, and set a timer for 15 minutes – start on your filling. Upon the timer going off, take your potatoes out and strain the water off. Put potatoes back into the pan, or into a medium mixing bowl. Mash the potatoes with their ingredients from above and keep warm (your filling should be about done by this point)

Cooking the Filling:
Pour Olive Oil into a hot, rather large pan, then add meat. Stir meat as if your life depends on it for a few minutes so it’s nice and brown, and broken into very small pieces. Add your Rosemary, Thyme, and Garlic, then stir some more. Quickly add your Carrot, and Onion, stir a little longer. The idea at this point is to get everything to a minced consistency.

Add Worcestershire Sauce, stir, add Tomato Puree, stir, add Red Wine and sweat down for a minute or two. Add chicken stock and cook for 3 more minutes. I made mine without the stock because I didn’t notice it the first time I watched the show. You can add it, or leave it out.

Final Instructions:
Scoop your meat mixture into a deep casserole or other oven safe dish and then spoon the mash over the top. Spread the mash over the top of the mix with the bottom of the spoon and then sprinkle a generous portion of Parmesan cheese over the top. Poke the top with a fork several times to give it a peaked look and stick it in the oven at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes to brown the potatoes and set the pie. Serve it up and watch people melt! Oh I love Shepherd Pie!

Patron Saint Germain

I like listening to the Dinner Party Download, here is a cocktail featuring St. Germain, an elderberry liqueur from Paris.

The Exchange Elixir, as mixed by Dave DiCerbo at Les Halles bistro, NYC:

In a shaker add:
2 oz. vodka
2 oz. St. Germaine
fresh lemon and lime juice
dash cranberry juice for color
dash grapefruit juice
Add ice, shake and strain into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel.

More recipes at St. Germain's website.

Winter Squash and Bacon Pizza

This is a tasty pizza we found in Cooking Light magazine a few years ago. The sage and roasted onions are so yummy in winter and autumn months.

Ingredients
3 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash (about 1 pound)
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup (4 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled

To prepare topping, combine squash, onion, and oil in a large bowl, tossing to coat. Place on a jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 450° for 25 minutes or until tender, stirring once. Sprinkle with sage, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and pepper; toss to combine.

Set half of squash mixture aside. Combine remaining half of squash mixture and broth in a medium bowl; mash with a fork until smooth. Spread mashed squash mixture over pizza crust, leaving a 1/2-inch border. Top with remaining squash mixture, cheese, and bacon. Bake at 450° for 15 minutes or until lightly browned. Place the pizza on a cutting board; cut into 8 equal pieces.

Note: To freeze, let the dough rise once, punch down, and shape into a ball. Place in a heavy-duty zip-top plastic bag coated with cooking spray; squeeze out all air, and seal. Store in freezer for up to one month. To thaw, place dough in refrigerator for 12 hours or overnight. With scissors, cut away the plastic bag. Place dough on a floured surface, and shape according to recipe directions.


Nutritional Information
Calories:
226 (24% from fat)
Fat:
6.1g (sat 2.5g,mono 2.1g,poly 0.6g)
Protein:
8.6g
Carbohydrate:
35g
Fiber:
2.3g
Cholesterol:
15mg
Iron:
2.3mg
Sodium:
295mg
Calcium:
125mg
Joanne Weir, Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2005

Hähnchenschnitzel mit Kraut und Kartoffen

A few weeks ago I made a Modern Fusion German meal consisting of of chicken schnitzel, sweet potato pancakes and a braised Red Kraut. But this week I decided to make my own more traditional SauerKraut so I wanted to revisit this meal and hopefully perfect it.

Bread Crumbs for Schnitzel
A couple of weeks ago I just used Italian Herbed bread crumbs with some Fenugreek added. What about Rye Bread with some Turmeric and Fenugreek leaves? Cincinnati's Servatti's barkery has an Oldenburger Rye that is pretty light in flavor.

SauerKraut
This was pretty easy. I found this recipe on Wild Fermentation and slightly altered it. I just did one head of cabbage, some course salt, a wee bit of crushed garlic and some sliced onions (garlic and onions help detox the body) along with some carraway seeds and threw them in some cloth-covered jars and made sure the shredded cabbage was below the surface of the brine.

Simple Quiches

This post is for my Sister in Austin who asked me how to make Quiches during a breakfast at La Madelaine, a Texas Frenchified version of Panera. The not-so-sexy food pic from above is from a quiche I made for a picnic at a Cyclocross bike race last November.

Mama CloClo's Pie Crust
1 stick.........Butter
2 oz or 2 t...Cream Cheese
1 1/4 c........Flour
1t ...............Sugar (unless you want to make it savory)
1/4 t...........Salt

1) Cream Butter and Cream Cheese
2) Mix Dry Ingredients separately
3) Add Dry Ingredients to butter and cream cheese using mixer on high setting
4) Flatten dough on floured board and refrigerate (set some dough aside for edge)
5) Transfer to pie pan and pick edges with a fork
6) Pre-bake in 375˙ oven for 20 minutes.

We use pie crusts for all sorts of meals, from empanadas to pot pies. You can also substitute veggie Crisco for the butter/cream cheese mixture for your Vegan homies. Here is another recipe:


Clotilde Dusoulier's Crust Recipe from Chocolate Zuchini
- 170 grams (1 1/3 cups) flour
- 85 grams (1/3 cup) sugar (I use an unrefined blond cane sugar)
- 85 grams (3 ounces) semi-salted butter, chilled (if you use unsalted, add a good pinch of salt)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

So typically for the quiche I go really healthy and use skim milk and it with a bunch of veggies and some not-so-healthy cheddar. Here is a quick and easy recipe for the quiche filling:

Everyday Food's Crustless Broccoli-Cheddar Quiches
Butter, for ramekins
Coarse salt
1 package (10 ounces) frozen broccoli florets
6 large eggs
1/2 cup half-and-half (I would substitute skim milk!)
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese (3 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350°.
1) Butter four 8-ounce ramekins (or a 9-inch pie dish); set aside.
2) Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add broccoli; cook 1 minutes. Drain well; transfer to a cutting board, and blot dry with paper towels. Chop coarsely.
3) In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, half-and-half, 1/2 teaspoon salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in broccoli and cheese.
Place ramekins on a rimmed baking sheet. Ladle broccoli mixture into ramekins, dividing evenly.
4) Bake until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Serve with crusty bread and a mixed-green salad, if desired.

Per serving: 266 calories; 19 grams fat; 17.2 grams protein; 5.9 grams carbohydrates; 1.7 grams fiber