Irish Recipes
Corned Beef Bake
1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup prunes
1 orange, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon orange juice
Trim excess fat and discard. Cover corned beef with water; soak for about 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry. Place corned beef on a large piece of heavy duty foil (large enough to wrap the brisket. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking or roasting pan.
Top corned beef with carrots, prunes, orange slices, onion slices, and bay leaf. Seal foil over the brisket. Bake at 350° for 3 1/2 hours. Combine brown sugar and orange juice. Open foil and brush with mixture. Bake for 30 minutes longer. Serves 8 to 10.
Buttermilk Bannock
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt to taste
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins or currents
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Stir flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and raisins together. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then add to dry ingredients. Stir until a sticky batter is formed. Scrape batter onto well floured surface and knead lightly.
Shape batter into ball, then place in round non-stick casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oiled. Mark a cross in the center, using a sharp knife. Bake uncovered in preheated 350° oven for about 1 1/4 hours.
Wait 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove bread from casserole, then cool on wire rack. If desired, cut loaf into quarters and then slice thinly.
Serves 6.
Cabbage and Apples
1 medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 cups apples, sliced, peeled
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup of fine bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Drop chopped cabbage in boiling water and cook 3-5 minutes. Until slightly tender but still crunchy. Drain well.
Layer cabbage and apples in a 2 - quart casserole, sprinkling sugar and bread crumbs on each layer.
Pat top layer flat before adding last crumbs. Pour melted butter over top of casserole. Cover and bake at 350° For 45 minutes, or until hot throughout. Remove cover during last 15 minutes.
Boxty
1/2 pound raw potato, finely grated
1/2 pound mashed potato
1/2 pound all-purpose flour (appox 2 cups)
milk
1 egg
salt and pepper
Combine grated and mashed potato. Add salt, pepper and flour. Beat egg and add to mixture with just enough milk to make a batter that will drop from a spoon. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a hot griddle or skillet.
Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Irish Soda Bread
1lb/ 1/2kg/ 4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1pt/ 1/2 lr/ 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Now work quickly as the buttermilk and soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly - too much handling will toughen it, while too little means it won't rise properly.
Form a round loaf about as thick as your fist. Place it on a lightly-floured baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a floured knife. Put at once to bake near the top of a pre-heated oven, gas mark 8, 450°F, 230°C, for 30-45 minutes. When baked, the loaf will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Wrap immediately in a clean tea-towel to stop the crust hardening too much.
Wheaten bread or brown soda is made in exactly the same way but with wholemeal flour replacing all or some of the white flour; this mixture will probably require less buttermilk. Another variation is to add 1/2 cup of sultanas to the white bread - this loaf is known as Spotted Dick.
Irish Chocolate Cake
Sponge
175g/ 6oz self-raising flour
1/2tsp salt
50g/ 2oz dark chocolate
110g/ 4oz butter
175g/ 6oz caster sugar
80g/ 3oz cooked mashed potato
2 eggs, beaten
4tbsp milk
Filling
110g/ 4oz dark chocolate
125ml/ 4fl oz double cream
50g/ 2oz icing sugar
3tbsp Irish cream liqueur
Preheat oven to gas mark 5/ 190°C/ 375°F, and grease and line two 20cm/ 8 inch cake tins. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour with each addition. Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack. While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well. Use the filling to sandwich the sponge layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.
1 corned beef brisket, about 4 pounds
2 cups baby carrots
1 cup prunes
1 orange, sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tablespoon orange juice
Trim excess fat and discard. Cover corned beef with water; soak for about 1 hour. Rinse and pat dry. Place corned beef on a large piece of heavy duty foil (large enough to wrap the brisket. Place in a 13x9x2-inch baking or roasting pan.
Top corned beef with carrots, prunes, orange slices, onion slices, and bay leaf. Seal foil over the brisket. Bake at 350° for 3 1/2 hours. Combine brown sugar and orange juice. Open foil and brush with mixture. Bake for 30 minutes longer. Serves 8 to 10.
Buttermilk Bannock
4 cups all-purpose flour
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt to taste
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup raisins or currents
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
Stir flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda and raisins together. In another bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk, then add to dry ingredients. Stir until a sticky batter is formed. Scrape batter onto well floured surface and knead lightly.
Shape batter into ball, then place in round non-stick casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray or oiled. Mark a cross in the center, using a sharp knife. Bake uncovered in preheated 350° oven for about 1 1/4 hours.
Wait 10-15 minutes before attempting to remove bread from casserole, then cool on wire rack. If desired, cut loaf into quarters and then slice thinly.
Serves 6.
Cabbage and Apples
1 medium head cabbage, coarsely chopped
2 cups apples, sliced, peeled
1/3 cup sugar
1 cup of fine bread crumbs
6 tablespoons butter, melted
Drop chopped cabbage in boiling water and cook 3-5 minutes. Until slightly tender but still crunchy. Drain well.
Layer cabbage and apples in a 2 - quart casserole, sprinkling sugar and bread crumbs on each layer.
Pat top layer flat before adding last crumbs. Pour melted butter over top of casserole. Cover and bake at 350° For 45 minutes, or until hot throughout. Remove cover during last 15 minutes.
Boxty
1/2 pound raw potato, finely grated
1/2 pound mashed potato
1/2 pound all-purpose flour (appox 2 cups)
milk
1 egg
salt and pepper
Combine grated and mashed potato. Add salt, pepper and flour. Beat egg and add to mixture with just enough milk to make a batter that will drop from a spoon. Drop by tablespoonfuls onto a hot griddle or skillet.
Cook over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes on each side.
Irish Soda Bread
1lb/ 1/2kg/ 4 cups plain flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp sugar (optional)
1pt/ 1/2 lr/ 2 cups buttermilk or sour milk
Sieve the dry ingredients into a large bowl. Scoop up handfuls and allow to drop back into the bowl to aerate the mixture. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft dough. Now work quickly as the buttermilk and soda are already reacting. Knead the dough lightly - too much handling will toughen it, while too little means it won't rise properly.
Form a round loaf about as thick as your fist. Place it on a lightly-floured baking sheet and cut a cross in the top with a floured knife. Put at once to bake near the top of a pre-heated oven, gas mark 8, 450°F, 230°C, for 30-45 minutes. When baked, the loaf will sound hollow when rapped on the bottom with your knuckles. Wrap immediately in a clean tea-towel to stop the crust hardening too much.
Wheaten bread or brown soda is made in exactly the same way but with wholemeal flour replacing all or some of the white flour; this mixture will probably require less buttermilk. Another variation is to add 1/2 cup of sultanas to the white bread - this loaf is known as Spotted Dick.
Irish Chocolate Cake
Sponge
175g/ 6oz self-raising flour
1/2tsp salt
50g/ 2oz dark chocolate
110g/ 4oz butter
175g/ 6oz caster sugar
80g/ 3oz cooked mashed potato
2 eggs, beaten
4tbsp milk
Filling
110g/ 4oz dark chocolate
125ml/ 4fl oz double cream
50g/ 2oz icing sugar
3tbsp Irish cream liqueur
Preheat oven to gas mark 5/ 190°C/ 375°F, and grease and line two 20cm/ 8 inch cake tins. Sift flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Melt chocolate in a bowl placed over a saucepan of hot water. In a separate bowl, cream butter and sugar together until fluffy, then beat in the chocolate and mashed potato. Gradually beat in the eggs, adding a little flour with each addition. Fold in the rest of the flour and stir in the milk.
Divide mixture between cake tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until top is firm but springy to the touch. Remove from oven and after a few minutes, turn out on a cooling rack. While the cake is cooling, make the filling. Melt the chocolate as before, stir in the other ingredients and mix well. Use the filling to sandwich the sponge layers together and coat the top and sides of the cake.