vagabond

Erin Go Bragh! There is a wee bit of Irish in all of us. I'll be making these culinary delights this weekend. All washed down with huge amounts of Guinness, of course. Anyone who finds himself in BFI or SEA is welcome to join us!

Irish Soda Bread
4 cups organic gluten flour
1 tablespoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup raisins or dried currants (optional)
1 1/2 - 2 cups buttermilk (or use regular milk combined with 2 teaspoons white or cider vinegar
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Butter a baking sheet or cake pan.

2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, baking powder, and soda, then stir in the raisins, if desired. Add enough buttermilk to make a soft, kneadable dough.

3. Turn out the dough onto a floured surface and knead it briefly. Shape it into a round loaf and place it on the baking sheet. Cut a cross in the top of the loaf with a single-edged razor blade or a very sharp floured knife.

4. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack.
Yield: 1 loaf



Corned Beef & Cabbage
Ingredients:
4-pound corned beef brisket - 'silverside' if you can get it; many butchers are familiar with the term and can prepare your cut of brisket in this special way. But, do allow them several days to prepare it properly.
3 large carrots, cut into large chunks
6 to 8 small onions, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon powdered English mustard
1 large spring of fresh thyme and several parsley stalks tied together
1 cabbage
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
1. Put the corned beef into a large pot with the carrots, onions, mustard powder and herbs.
2. Cover with cold water; bring to a boil and then lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. From time to time, skim fat from top as it rises.
3. Discard the outer leaves of the cabbage and cut into quarters, Add to the pot. * Cook for another one to two hours or until the meat and vegetables are tender.
4. Serve the corned beef cut into slices and surrounded by the vegetables. Serve with a generous amount of potatoes, boiled in their jackets and freshly made mustard. (We use Colman's which is readily available). In addition to the English mustard we also like the following horseradish sauce:

Horseradish Sauce
1/2 pt Whipping Cream
2 tablespoons prepared horseradish
Whip cream until it stand in peaks. Fold in horseradish.

Beef & Mushroom Pie
Ingredients:
Double pastry crust
1 lb beef steak, cut into small cubes
1 Tablespoon flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup cooking oil
1 onion, chopped
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1 Teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 cup beef stock
3/4 cup Murphy's Irish Stout
1 egg, beaten.

Method:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare double pastry crust
3. Dredge meat lightly with flour and season with salt and pepper.
4. Brown meat in oil, a few pieces at a time. Remove and set aside.
5. Add musrooms and onions to the pan and sauté for 5 minutes.
6. Return meat to the pan; add the Worcestershire Sauce and Murphy's. Simmer over very low heat, uncovered for 1 hour. If the mixture becomes too thick, cover halfway through.
7. Transfer the mixture to a 9-inch pastry-line pie plate. Cover with the top crust, crimp the edges and brush with beaten egg. Cut slits in the center of the crust.
8. Bake until golden brown - about 45 minutes.


Rhubarb Pie
Ingredients
2 sticks butter
1/4 cup sugar
2 eggs
3 cups flour
1 lb rhubarb
3/4 cup sugar
1 beaten egg with pinch of salt for glazing

Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Make pastry: Cream butter and 1/4 cup of sugar together; add the eggs and beat for several minutes. Mix in the flour, little by little, to create a stiff dough. Chill for at least an hour. This is important because otherwise the pastry will be difficult to handle.
2. When the dough is thoroughly chilled, divide in half. Roll out half to about a quarter inch thick and line a 9-inch pie plate.
3. Slice the rhubarb into 1/2inch rounds, place in pastry lined pie plate and sprinkle with the 3/4 cup of sugar.
4. Roll out the remaining dough, cover the rhubarb, trim and crimp the edges to form a seal.
5. Use left over pastry to make pastry leaves. Decorate top of pie and then paint top with the beaten egg.
6. Bake in preheated oven until the pie is golden and the rhubarb is soft - 45 minutes to 1 hour.
To serve: Sprinkle warm pie with sugar and serve with lightly whipped cream. Makes 8 to 12 servings.

Irish Stew
Ingredients:
3 lbs lamb chops
12 baby or 5 medium carrots
12 baby or 5 medium onions
2 1/2 cups stock (lamb if possible) or water
I package frozen baby peas, defrosted
8 to 10 potatoes
sprig of thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped parsley and chives for garnish.

Method:
1. Cut the chops into chunks and trim off excess fat. Set aside.
2. Render down the fat on a gentle heat in a heavy pan, discarding the pieces.
3. If the carrots are young and the onions small, leave them whole. Otherwise, prepare and cut them into chunks.
4. Toss the meat in the hot fat until it is slightly browned, then quickly toss the vegetables as well.
5. Layer the meat and vegetables in a large oven-proof casserole, carefully seasoning each layer with salt and pepper.
6. Deglaze the pan with the stock or water and pour into the casserole.
7. Peel the potatoes and lay them on top of the casserole so that they will steam while the stew cooks. Season the potatoes.
8. Add the sprig of thyme, bring to a boil on top of the stove. Cover and transfer to 375f degree oven, or allow to simmer on top of the stove, until the stew is cooked - about 1 1/2 hours, depending on whether the stew is made with lamb or mutton.
9. When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, degrease it and reheat in another saucepan. If you wish, you can thicken it slightly by whisking in a little roux into the boiling liquid. Check seasoning and pour back over the stew.
10. Bring back up to the boiling point, sprinkle with chopped parsley and chives and serve from the pot. Or, for a really appetizing way to present this dish, brown the top layer of the potatoes under the broiler, sprinkle with the herbs, and then serve.