Irish Soda Bread

I used to spend a lot of time in Ireland as a student and became, among other things, very fond of what they called "brown bread" in County Cork. It wasn't all that brown compared with our German dark breads, but with the standard packaged and sliced white bread it certainly was. I remember specifically excellent open sandwiches with butter and ham for tea.

Decades later I found the recipe and tried it. It's really very easy to make.

Why does it work so well?

Soda bread is a variety of quick bread in which sodium bicarbonate (otherwise known as "baking soda" or "bread soda") is used as a leavening agent instead of yeast.

The ingredients of traditional soda bread are flour, baking soda, salt, and buttermilk. The buttermilk in the dough contains lactic acid, which reacts with the baking soda to form tiny bubbles of carbon dioxide. An advantage of quick breads is their ability to be prepared quickly and reliably, without requiring the time-consuming skilled labor and temperature control needed for traditional yeast breads.

In Ireland, the flour is typically made from soft wheat, so soda bread is best made with a cake or pastry flour (made from soft wheat), which has lower levels of gluten than a bread flour. In some recipes, the buttermilk is replaced by live yoghurt or even stout. Because the leavening action starts immediately (compared to the time taken for yeast bread to rise), bakers recommend the minimum amount of mixing of the ingredients before baking; the dough should not be kneaded much.

Various forms of soda bread are popular throughout Ireland. Soda breads are made using wholemeal, white flour, or both. In Ulster, the wholemeal variety is usually known as wheaten bread and is normally sweetened, while the term "soda bread" is restricted to the white savoury form. In the southern provinces of Ireland, the wholemeal variety is usually known as "brown bread" (sic!) and is almost identical to the Ulster wheaten.

Thank you Wikipedia!

Ingredients:
350g plain or wholemeal flour
½ tsp salt
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
300ml buttermilk

Method:
Preheat the oven to 400F/200C/Gas 6.
Tip the flours, salt and bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl and stir.
Make a well in the centre and pour in the buttermilk, mixing quickly with a large fork to form a soft dough. (Depending upon the absorbency of the flour, you may need to add a little buttermilk if the dough seems too stiff but it should not be too wet or sticky.)
Turn onto a lightly floured surface and knead very briefly and gently.
Form into a round and flatten the dough slightly before placing on a lightly floured baking sheet.
Cut a cross on the top and bake for about 30 minutes or until the loaf sounds hollow when tapped. Cool on a wire rack.

Next time I do it, I'll try it with oatmeal. (Very easy to make, just crush rolled oats in a food processor.)

To be honest, my soda bread didn't quite look like that, but more like a very thick disc with a flat top, however, it didn't impair the taste. No idea what mistake I made.

More from Kartoffel Country

I promised to post the recipe for my my very special, heavenly potato salad (Kartoffelsalat) recipe  here already. So there you are:

Kartoffelsalat is popular all over Germany, but the recipes are many, various and different depending on region, there are cold and warm ones as well (the latter I dislike, but that's just me). Mine has no claim to any German regional roots, the more as I come from Westphalia, lived for 11 years in Bavaria and am living now for more 12 years in Saxony, so I've come to know and appreciate a lot of regional German cooking.

This simple recipe is based on 6 middle-sized waxy potatoes (and on trial and error). The  other quantities are more or less to taste.

Ingredients
6 waxy potatoes
Pork belly and fatback
Mayonnaise, preferably home made
1 1/2 Bockwursts or the equivalent amount of boiled ham
4 hard boiled eggs
Pickled gherkins (I prefer those with a tad of sweet)
1 large onion
Salt and pepper
Mustard

Bockwurst
(CC BY-SA 3.0 from Wikimedia Commons)

Pork Belly

Fatback

Method
Boil the potatoes in the skin, peel and cut into slim, but not too slim slices.
Render small dices of  pork belly and fatback in the pan to the point where they are shrivelled to tiny crispy bits. I use about an eighth of the pork belly and fatback each pictured above. Add the crispy bits and the fat to the potatoes.
Add the mayonnaise. (I'm too stupid to make my own mayonnaise but there are excellent products from smaller regional food companies here in Saxony. I never use one of the big brands - disgusting.) The amount is up to taste, but use enough because the mayonnaise will otherwise "vanish" in the process of "permeation" (can't think of a better word).
Cut the Bockwurst into not too small dices and add. Same goes for the ham. (I prefer Bockwurst to ham, even though Kartoffelsalat is mainly eaten with Bockwurst.)
Cut the eggs in thick slices and add. They will lose shape anyway.
Cut the pickled gherkins into small dices and add.
Do the same with the onion.
Add salt, pepper and a little bit mustard to taste.
Mix well and let stand overnight covered in the fridge for "permeation".
Should the result be too solid, you can add a bit of cream instead of more mayonnaise.
Mix again well before serving.

This is how it will approximately look. As I said before, I take my illustrations from cookbooks or the Internet, because amateur snapshots of food tend to be offputting.
This recipe uses cucumber instead of pickled gherkins. I tried it. Not to my taste but surely an alternative if one doesn't like gherkins.

 Garnish with slices of boiled eggs and dainty sticks of pickled gherkins.

Kartoffelsalat mit Würstchen ("Wiener" or Bockwurst) is the, in some regions of Germany, traditional Christmas Eve dish. Read my article about an Anglo-German Christmas Eve.

The Adventures of an Anglo-German Christmas Eve

Mid-December, I came across this video. (Hint for Anglophiles: the English Heritage videos are all worth watching!)

As one can't English get ginger wine in the shops here (which is more of a sort of liqueur) and there was'n enough time to get it via Amazon (and frankly, I was pre-Christmas broke), I got a decent white wine and soaked thin slices of fresh Ginger in it for a week in tightly closed glasses in the fridge. I was aware that this wouldn't be close to a substitute for genuine ginger wine, but it had to do.)

The ingredients were meant for a huge bowl, so I broke it down to a much smaller portion, suitable for two.

250g Brown Sugar (85g)
7 lemons (2,5)
750ml Gin (250ml)
750ml Ginger Wine (250ml)
250g Honey (85g)
A Pinch of Cloves
1 tsp Cinnamon
1 tsp Nutmeg
Hot Water

When it came to the spices I realized that buying them individually would be prohibitively expensive and got a mixture of German Lebkuchen spices instead which contains cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg and apart from that nothing which would do any harm to the brew, such as allspice, coriander, ginger, fennel, mace and caraway.

The first portion was too sweet, too watery, not hot and not quite spicy enough, so I reduced honey and sugar, put in more gin and spice, heated mixture and bowl gently first and used boiling instead of hot water.

It was a treat!

With it went the, in some regions of Germany, traditional Christmas Eve dish "Würstchen ("Bockwurst" or "Wiener") und Kartoffelsalat". I gave it a little bit more pizzazz by using Berner Würstchen (Bernese Sausages, i.e. "Wiener" wrapped in very thin slices of bacon) and maybe I'll post my very special, heavenly potato salad recipe later. (I did!)

All in all, it was a great success.

Btw, the bowl is the soup bowl from KPM Berlin, "Rocaille" with handpainted flowers, as is the rest of the dinnerware.

Full English Breakfast

The best of English cooking: Life saver in the case of a bad hangup, and, in less dramatic situations, the best comfort food ever.

Sausage and Bacon
The combination of both bacon and sausage is one of the essential elements to a full fry up. A simple pork sausage (like the banger) is ideal, the type of bacon is up to preference.

Tomatoes
The tomato may seem like an optional garnish; I assure you, it is not. The sweetness and acidity that come from a cooked tomato goes a long way in cutting the fattiness that is inherent in the rest of the plate. The way you prepare your tomato is once again a matter of taste—a stewed tomato will work, but simply cutting a tomato in half and frying it in leftover bacon fat, then finishing it with a bit of cracked black pepper, is a quick and delicious way to go. Many proper fry ups will come with grilled tomato (that's broiled, for you American English speakers).

Fried Bread
Fried bread is just what it sounds like—sliced bread toasted in a pan with butter, lard, or bacon drippings. It is important to not underestimate the amount of fat you will need to get a perfectly crisp piece of fried bread—a couple tablespoons per slice is not unheard of. It's a bit surprising, but absolutely worth it. You only need a slice or two to satisfy the craving; after that, you may find yourself reaching for a plain piece of toast.

The Eggs
Lastly, the egg. Normally two, but sometimes three eggs cooked to your preference. The runny yolk to my mind is essential—it's the sauce that brings the whole plate together!—although those die-hard scrambled fans will without a doubt disagree with me.

Kidneys
A few quickly fried kidneys make a great addition to any fry up. Lamb kidneys are the right size for a morning meal, and have a more delicate flavor than beef kidney. Kidneys are simple to prepare: simply remove the interior sinew, toss with seasoned flour, and fry in butter. If you're feeling adventurous, deglaze the pan with a few big shakes of Worcestershire sauce and some stock for a quick pan sauce.

Kippers
Gently poach the kippers in milk and remove the bones, then flake them into scrambled eggs. Or simply fry your kippers and use them as the bed for your fried or poached eggs.

Mushrooms
Mushrooms often come along with a fry up, either roasted in the oven or fried in some butter. Generally you're looking for a white button mushroom cooked whole and seasoned gently to let all of its mushroom flavor come through. Serving mushrooms in a fry up is a nice inclusion because it offers a moment of pause from the sausage and bacon every few bites, but holds true to many of their meaty qualities.

I got it from here.

Syler's Catholic Cooking - More than just Recipes

 The Sage from Texas sent me that a long time ago:

DECEMBER

December 4: Feast of St. Barbara
I know you all remember the St. Barbara’s Ceremonies out at Fort Concho. Those are precious memories to me, and Major Hawk kindly provided me with the particulars on the ceremony, which contains an account of her martyrdom identical to the one in the 1917 Catholic Encyclopedia, as well as the receipt for that most delectable of beverages:
ST. BARBARA'S ARTILLERY PUNCH
Ingredients:
Some of previous year's punch -- Represents Tradition
Red fruit drink -- Represents Artillery Color
Dark Red Wine -- Represent Bloodshed
Dark Rum -- Represents Coming of the Storm
Golden Rum -- Represents Hope of Victory
Peach Brandy -- Represents "Procurement" From Officer's Stores
Molasses -- Represents Axle Grease
Spring Water -- Represents Importance of Fresh Water
Bourbon -- Representing the Southern Gentleman's drink
Mixture of Lemon Juice and Brown Sugar -- Squeezings from the Sponge
Lime Juice and Sliced Fruits -- To Ward Off Scurvy
Dark Apple Cider -- Represents Cleaning Water From the Guns
Rose Petal -- Represents Sweethearts
Hardtack, Coffee, and Corn -- Rations of the Common Soldier
Brown Sugar Mixed with Water -- Represents Mud From the Battlefields
Black Licorice Cake Decoration -- Represents Gun Powder
Horseshoe -- Honors the Horses
Chocolate-covered Cherries -- Represents Canister Shot
Sock with Powdered Sugar -- Represents Dust from Marching
Artillery Saber to Stir
Ceremony:

Black Bun

I am still amazed that this recipe worked for me that well.

Ingredients for Pastry Case:
12 oz plain flour (3 cups)
3 oz lard (6 tablespoons)
3 oz butter or margarine (6 tablespoons)
Pinch of salt
Half teaspoon baking powder
Cold water
Ingredients for Filling:
1 lb seedless raisins (2¾ cups)
1 lb cleaned currants (2¾ cups
2 oz chopped, blanched almonds (Third of a cup)
2 oz chopped mixed peel (¼ cup)
6 oz plain flour (1½ cups)
3 oz soft brown sugar (Third of a cup)
One level teaspoon ground allspice
Half level teaspoon each of ground ginger, ground cinnamon, baking powder
Generous pinch of black pepper
One tablespoon brandy
One large, beaten egg
Milk to moisten
Grease an 8-inch loaf tin. Rub the fats into the flour and salt and then mix in enough cold water to make a stiff dough (remember, it is going to line the tin). Roll out the pastry and cut into six pieces, using the bottom, top and four sides of the tin as a rough guide. Press the bottom and four side pieces into the tin, pressing the overlaps to seal the pastry shell.
Mix the raisins, currants, almonds, peel and sugar together. Sift in the flour, all the spices and baking powder and bind them together using the brandy and almost all the egg and add enough milk to moisten.
Pack the filling into the lined tin and add the pastry lid, pinching the edges and using milk or egg to seal really well. Lightly prick the surface with a fork and make four holes to the bottom of the tin with a skewer. Depress the centre slightly (it will rise as it cooks).
Brush the top with milk or the rest of the egg to create a glaze.
Bake in a pre-heated oven at 325F/160C/Gas Mark 3 for 2½ to 3 hours. Test with a skewer which should come out clean; if not, continue cooking. An uncooked cake sizzles if you listen closely!
Cool in the tin and then turn onto a wire rack. Cool thoroughly before storing until Hogmanay.

Irisches Sodabrot

450 g Weißmehl oder zur Hälfte Vollkornmehl
1/2 Tl Salz (bzw. nach Geschmack)
1/2 Tl Backsoda
1/2 Tl Weinstein (Tartarus depuratus, gibt's in der Apotheke)
300 ml Buttermilch (bzw. nach Bedarf)
Die trockenen Zutaten zusammensieben. So viel Buttermilch hinzufügen, dass der Teig weich, aber gut knetbar ist. Auf einem leicht bemehlten Untergrund kneten bis weich.
Ofen auf 220°C vorheizen. Den Teig rund und ca. 3,5 cm hoch formen. "Tortenstücke" mit einem Messer markieren. Auf einem ungefetteten Backblech 30 Minuten backen. Das Brot darf nicht dunkel werden, evtl. Hitze reduzieren. Nach dem Backen in ein Tuch einwickeln, damit es weich bleibt.
Variationen: 2 El Butter in den Teig reiben.
Statt Buttermilch fettarme Milch nehmen, dann aber 1 Tl Weinstein hinzufügen.
In der gutgefetteten Brotform (dann etwas länger) backen.

Dundee Cake

This is one of the first things I made when I took up cooking. I was quite desperate because, at first, the finished cake showed huge, ugly cracks and a friend of mine said I ought to soak the dry fruit and peel in water. Yeah, well, water... So I took Scotch and replaced the "two tablespoons of liquid" with Scotch as well.

Oh yes, and make it in time, because it ought to rest for at least two days before eating.

Not to be given to children!

For a 20cm = 8" cake tin
175 g soft butter
175 g sugar
3 large eggs
225 g flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
30 g ground almonds
2 tablespoons Scotch, take the superfluous liquid from the soaked fruits if there is enough left.
550 g chopped crystalized orange and lemon peel/glacé cherries and other dried fruit
at least half a bottle of Scotch
50 g blanched almonds (for the topping).
Let dried fruits etc. soak for AT THE VERY LEAST 12 hours in Scotch.
Pre-heat oven to 175°C. Grease and flour the cake tin.
Cream butter and sugar until soft and light.
Beat the eggs and add to the mixture. Save a bit egg white to glaze the almonds for the topping.
Sift flour, ground almonds and baking powder together. Fold into the creamed mixture together with the 2 tablespoons of Scotch.
Stir dried fruits etc. into the creamed mixture.
Spoon into tin, top with blanched almonds, brush the almonds with egg white.
Bake for 30 mins, then reduce heat to 150°C and bake for another 1 1/2 hours or until firm to touch.

Schottischer Früchtekuchen

Muss durchziehen, daher am besten mehrere Tage vor Verzehr zubereiten. Mengen für eine 20-cm-Springform:
175 g weiche Butter
175 g Zucker
3 große Eier
225 g Mehl
1 Tl Backpulver
30 g geriebene Mandeln
550 g Orangeat, Zitronat, Belegkirschen (kleingehackt), Tockenfrüchte (Rosinen, Korinthen, Aprikosen - letztere kleingehackt -), alles nach Geschmack oder wie vorhanden
Whisky bis zum Abwinken zum Einweichen der Trockenfrüchte
Mandeln (gepellt) zum Dekorieren
Trockenfrüchte MINDESTENS über Nacht in Whisky einweichen.
Ofen auf 175°C vorheizen. Springform fetten und bemehlen. Früchte in Whisky einlegen.
Butter und Zucker cremig miteinander verrühren. Eier schlagen und mit unterrühren. Etwas Eiweiß zum Bestreichen der Mandeln verwahren. Mehl, Backpulver und geriebene Mandeln zusammensieben, unter die cremigen Zutaten heben, mit den eingeweichten Trockenfrüchten (einschließlich der verbliebenen Flüßigkeit) verrühren, alles in die Form Löffeln, glattstreichen und mit den Mandeln belegen (ring- oder sternförmig).
Mandeln mit Eiweiß bepinseln, 30 Minuten backen, dann Hitze auf 150°C reduzieren und weitere 1 1/2 Stunden backen, bzw. bis er "durch" ist.
Ich habe Whisky genommen, da es ein schottisches Rezept ist, man kann aber sicher auch stattdessen Sherry, Rum, Calvados, Cognac/Weinbrand oder sowas nehmen.

Bauernfrühstück - Farmer's Breakfast

Ingredients:
150 g bacon
750 g boiled and skinned potatoes
1 large onion
2 large pickled gherkins
4 eggs
A little bit milk or cream to beat with the eggs
Salt and pepper
Butter

Method:
Dice the onion and bacon and brown in the butter. Dice gherkins and potatoes and add to the onions and bacon to fry. Add salt and pepper to taste. When the potatoes are golden brown, the beaten eggs are added and cooked briefly together with the potatoes.

Serves 4.

Very basic, but really delicious dish from Westphalia. Serve WITH BEER!!!


Bauernfrühstück für 4 Personen

Zutaten:
150 g Schinkenspeck
750 g Pellkartoffeln
1 Zwiebel
2 Gurken
4 Eier
etwas Milch zum Verquirlen der Eier
Salz

Anleitung:
Zwiebeln in kleine Stücke schneiden und in der Pfanne mit Butter anbraten. Speck hinzugeben und ebenfalls anbraten. Kleingeschnittene Gurken und Pellkartoffeln in die Pfanne geben und braten lassen. Nach Belieben salzen. Wenn die Kartoffeln die gewünschte Bräune erlangt haben, werden die mit Milch verquirlten Eier über die Kartoffeln gegeben und nur kurz mitgebraten.

Bier ist ein MUSS!

Welsh Lamb

1.35-1.8kg (3-4lb) lamb (leg or shoulder)
300ml (½ pint) Cider
225g (8oz) Honey
2 tbsp Rosemary
1 tsp Ginger
Salt and Pepper

Pre-heat oven to 230°C: 450°F: Gas 8
Line an ovenproof dish with foil
Rub the lamb with salt, pepper and ginger
Place lamb joint in the dish and sprinkle with rosemary.
Cover the lamb with honey and pour cider around it.
Cook for 25 minutes per pound and 20 minutes extra
After 30 minutes reduce the temperature to 200°C; 400°F: Gas 6
Baste during cooking adding more cider if necessary

I've tried it (with New Zealand lamb) and it's dead easy to make and very good.

Schottische Krabbentarte (Partan Tarte)

230 g Mehl
50 g Butter
50 g Schweineschmalz
Eiswasser
2 bis 3 Dosen Krabben oder Krebsfleisch (ausgedrückt)
2 Eier
310 ml Sahne
1 Zwiebel gerieben
2 El frische Petersilie feingehackt
20 ml Zitronensaft
Salz
1 Prise Cayennepfeffer
1 Prise Muskat, gerieben.

Aus Mehl, Butter, Schweineschmalz, Salz und Eiswasser Mürbeteig zubereiten. 26-cm-Springform fetten, Teig zwischen zwei Blättern Pergament- oder Backpapier ausrollen, Form ca. 5 cm hoch auskleiden, Ränder gerade abschneiden. Teig mit Gabel einstechen. Alles 1/2 Stunde im Kühlschrank ruhen lassen.

Backofen auf 180° vorheizen, Krabben auf dem rohen Teig verteilen, Eier, Sahne, Zwiebel, Petersilie, Zitronensaft, Salz und Cayennepfeffer mit dem Mixer gut verschlagen. Mischung über die Krabben gießen, mit Muskat bestreuen und in ca. 50 Minuten fest und goldbraun backen.