St. Pat's Day is near, so Irish soda bread is traditional...i love this stuff warm with butter.




recipe from Simply Recipes


Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients

* 4 to 4 ¹⁄₂ cups flour
* 2 Tbsp sugar
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon baking soda
* 4 Tbsp butter
* 1 cup raisins
* 1 large egg, lightly beaten
* 1 ³⁄₄ cups buttermilk

Method

1 Preheat oven to 425°. Whisk together 4 cups of flour, the sugar, salt, and baking soda into a large mixing bowl.

2 Using a pastry cutter or two knives (can also use your fingers), work butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal, then stir in raisins.

3 Make a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add beaten egg and buttermilk to well and mix in with a wooden spoon until dough is too stiff to stir. Dust hands with a little flour, then gently knead dough in the bowl just long enough to form a rough ball. If the dough is too sticky to work with, add in a little more flour. Do not over-knead! Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and shape into a round loaf. Note that the dough will be a little sticky, and quite shaggy (a little like a shortcake biscuit dough). You want to work it just enough so that it comes together. If you over-knead, the bread will end up tough.

4 Transfer dough to a large, lightly greased cast-iron skillet or a baking sheet (it will flatten out a bit in the pan or on the baking sheet). Using a serrated knife, score top of dough about an inch and a half deep in an "X" shape. The purpose of the scoring is to help heat get into the center of the dough while it cooks. Transfer to oven and bake until bread is golden and bottom sounds hollow when tapped, about 35-45 minutes. (If you use a cast iron pan, it may take a little longer as it takes longer for the pan to heat up than a baking sheet.) Check for doneness also by inserting a long, thin skewer into the center. If it comes out clean, it's done.

Hint 1: If the top is getting too dark while baking, tent the bread with some aluminum foil.

Hint 2: If you use a cast iron skillet to cook the bread in the oven, be very careful when you take the pan out. It's easy to forget that the handle is extremely hot. Cool the handle with an ice cube, or put a pot holder over it.

Remove pan or sheet from oven, let bread sit in the pan or on the sheet for 5-10 minutes, then remove to a rack to cool briefly. Serve bread warm, at room temperature, or sliced and toasted. Best when eaten warm and just baked.

(03-06-2011, 02:46 PM)Lady Cop Wrote: St. Pat's Day is near, so Irish soda bread is traditional...i love this stuff warm with butter.

(03-06-2011, 03:31 PM)Duchess Wrote:

How do you even get to that place in your mind where you would even WANT to cook that. Wherever that "place" is, it's not with me.

It's too..well...meaty lookin'.

(03-06-2011, 03:46 PM)Duchess Wrote:

It's too..well...meaty lookin'.

i swear you crack me up...i'm getting you a nice domestic apron.

(03-06-2011, 03:51 PM)Lady Cop Wrote: i swear you crack me up...i'm getting you a nice domestic apron.

(03-06-2011, 03:26 PM)Cracker Wrote: Does anybody eat edamame? If you do, how do you prepare it? I'm getting bored just steaming it.

(03-08-2011, 11:20 AM)aileen Wrote:

(03-06-2011, 03:26 PM)Cracker Wrote: Does anybody eat edamame? If you do, how do you prepare it? I'm getting bored just steaming it.

Edamame Dip Recipe

(03-12-2011, 03:04 PM)Duchess Wrote:

Do you ever make your smoke alarms go off when cooking?

I just made some super yummy cookies. If you like brownies, you will LOVE these! They are soft in the center, and the tops are shiny and crinkled just like a regular brownie...and they were SUPER easy to make, seriously...like even Duchess could make these! (I'll post the recipe if anyones interested)

this will appeal to adventurous types~~

by Laurel Miller
What constitutes "food" is relative, depending upon what part of the world you call home. In Asia, pretty much anything on no (snakes), two, four, six, or eight legs is up for grabs. Europe, however, has its own culinary oddities, as detailed below. Got maggots?

Iceland
Hákarl: Fermented, dried Greenland or basking shark. This tasty treat is prepared by burying the beheaded and gutted shark in a shallow hole in the ground for six to 12 weeks. Unsurprisingly, the end result is considered noxious to pretty much everyone on the planet aside from Icelanders.

Norway
Smalahove: Boiled lamb's head, traditionally served at Christmas. The brain is removed, and the head salted and dried before boiling. Because they're the fattiest bits, the ear and eye are eaten first. More fun than a wishbone.

Sardinia (yes, it's in Italy, but this one deserved its own listing)
Casu marzu: This sheep's milk cheese has maggots added to it during ripening, because their digestive action creates an "advanced level" of fermentation (also known as "decomposition"). Some people prefer to eat the soupy results sans critters, while the stout of heart go for the whole package. Be forewarned: according to Wikipedia, irate maggots can propel themselves for distances up to six inches. Here's fly in your eye.

Northern Sweden or Finland
Lappkok: This charmingly-named concoction consists of blodpalt--a dumpling made with reindeer blood and wheat or rye flour--served with reindeer bone marrow. Well, Santa's herd had to retire sometime.

Sweden
Lutefisk: This dried whitefish treated with lye is beloved by Scandinavians and their American Midwestern ancestors (let's just say it's an acquired taste). It's traditionally served with potatoes or other root vegetables, gravy or white sauce, and akvavit.

Scotland
Haggis: Who doesn't love a cooked sheep's stomach stuffed with its lungs, heart, and liver, combined with oatmeal? ----->

http://mockforums.net/thread-4689.html?highlight=the+scots

Poland
Nozki: Literally "cold feet," this dish of jellied pig's trotters isn't as repulsive as it sounds. The meat is simmered with herbs and spices until falling off the bone, and set in gelatin. Think of how much fun this would be as a Jello shot.

Read more: http://www.gadling.com/2011/03/16/bizarre-foods-european-delicacies-by-country/#ixzz1GyVH6eI3