Irish Soda Bread- Bread Pudding
This is a great dessert for St. Patrick’s Day. Simple and not too sweet, it is a perfect way to finish your holiday meal. It is made with a traditional Irish soda bread. I used a loaf of soda bread I had baked the day before. You could buy a loaf of soda bread, if you prefer. I included the recipe for soda bread at the bottom of this post.
The bread was cubed up and allowed to sit around for a day, to dry out a little. You can also cube the bread and toast it in a low oven for 10-15 minutes. A slightly dried bread will stand up better to the custard.
For the custard I used milks, eggs, flavorings and a little whiskey. I would have added Bailey’s, if I had it. The addition of alcohol is optional.
Store cooled bread pudding in the fridge, but take out before serving- or warm a little before serving. It is great just as is, but you could dust with powdered sugar, or top with a scoop of ice cream or a spoonful of whipped cream.
Irish Soda Bread – Bread Pudding
6-8 c. cubed, day-old soda bread- recipe follows
2½ c. milk or half and half
5 eggs
½ c. sugar, plus extra for sprinkling on top
¼ c. whiskey, optional
1 T. vanilla
1 T. cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350. Grease 9×9-inch baking pan. Place cubed soda bread in prepared pan. Set aside. Beat together remaining ingredients and pour over the soda bread. Sprinkle top with a little extra sugar. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until bread pudding is set and a little golden on top. I used a glass pan- it might take a little longer in a metal pan. Bread pudding should be golden around the edges, too. Cool a bit before serving. Serve as is, or with whipped cream or ice cream. Serves 6-8.
Soda Bread
2 c. flour
½ t. each baking powder and baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter
¾ c. raisins, currants or golden raisins
2 t. caraway seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 c. buttermilk
melted butter, optional
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Combine egg and milk and set 2 tablespoons of this mixture aside. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dough forms into a ball. Place on baking sheet, brush with reserved egg mixture and cut a crisscross on top of loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. Place on rack to cool. You can brush the loaf with a little melted butter, if you like. Makes 1.
Reuben Calzones
There is more than one way to enjoy corned beef. This time of year, because of the St Patrick’s Day specials, corned beef is on sale at lots of stores. These calzones are a fun way to serve corned beef.
While more often made with Italian ingredients, you can make calzones with other fillings, too. I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again.
These are a fun way to make a Reuben, but with a twist. You can leave the sauerkraut out, if you like. I add some thousand island dressing to the calzones, but serve extra on the side. They also freeze well, so you can make a batch, enjoy some fresh, and freeze some for later. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Reuben Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 c. Thousand Island dressing, recipe follows
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 c. sauerkraut, squeezed dry
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough, add a spoonful of Thousand Island dressing, place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Add a tablespoon or two of the sauerkraut, if using. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
If you want to make your own dressing, here is the recipe
Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. sweet pickle relish
Mix ingredients together and serve, or chill until needed.
Irish Soda Bread
It’s that time of year. Irish food in on the mind. This soda bread is a classic. Simple and fast to make, it can be served with breakfast, lunch or dinner.
The soda bread is like a big scone or biscuit. It has a crisp, outer crust, with a crumbly, soft center. I like to serve soda bread with butter and jam.
I used raisins, but you can substitute currants, golden raisins, or just leave them out, if you prefer.
I make soda bread all through the year, not just for St. Patrick’s Day. Right from the oven with some butter and jam. Yum.
Irish Soda Bread
2 c. flour
½ t. each baking powder and baking soda
¼ t. salt
2 T. butter
¾ c. raisins, currants or golden raisins, optional
2 t. caraway seeds
1 egg, beaten
1 c. buttermilk
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Dust a baking sheet with a little flour. Combine dry ingredients in bowl and cut in butter to resemble coarse crumbs. Add raisins and caraway seeds. Combine egg and milk and set 2 tablespoons of this mixture aside. Add remaining milk mixture to flour mixture and combine just until dough forms into a ball. Place on baking sheet, brush with reserved egg mixture and cut a crisscross on top of loaf. Bake about 25 minutes or until bread sounds hollow. Makes 1.
Reuben Strata
If you need a new recipe for corned beef- I would suggest making this strata. It contains all the ingredients found in a traditional Reuben sandwich, but with a twist. These “Reubens” are baked, after being soaked in an egg custard.
The dish is assembled at least a few hours before baking, so you can make it the day before, or in the morning. Just pop in the oven about an hour before you want to serve it.
Strata just means layers. Ingredients are layered before pouring over an egg/milk mixture. These layers add flavor to the final dish. In this strata, layers include rye bread, Swiss cheese, corned beef, sauerkraut and thousand island dressing. Of course, you can play around with the ingredients you use. If you don’t like sauerkraut, you can leave it out- or only put in on some of the sandwiches. Strata can be served for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner.
I used very thinly sliced corned beef from the deli. You can also use home-cooked corned beef. Just dice it or shred it up. I also used homemade Thousand Island dressing, but use what you like. You can also serve extra dressing on the side.
Reuben Strata
12 slices rye bread
6 slices Swiss cheese
12 oz. thinned sliced corned beef- or 2 cups chopped corned beef
1 c. sauerkraut, squeezed dry
½ c. Thousand Island dressing*
3 eggs
2 c. milk
½ t. salt
½ t. hot pepper sauce, or to taste
Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish. Place six slices of bread on bottom of the dish. You might have to trim the bread to fit. Top each slice of bread with a slice of cheese. Top cheese with the corned beef and sauerkraut. You can use a little more or less sauerkraut, depending on your taste. Spoon about a tablespoon of the dressing over each “sandwich”. Top with remaining six slices of bread, trimmed to fit pan, if needed. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over sandwiches. Cover dish and let stand in the fridge, several hours or overnight. Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until puffed and set. Let sit a few minutes before serving. Serves 6.
*Homemade Thousand Island Dressing is just equal parts of sweet pickle relish, ketchup and mayo. You can make your own pretty easily.
Potatoes O’Brien
In all honesty, I love potatoes in pretty much any dish. Sometimes you just want to go with an old time classic. I always loved when my mom made potatoes O’Brien.
Potatoes O’Brien are hash browns, with onions and diced peppers. The combination is so tasty. To speed up the cooking process, I cooked the potatoes in the microwave first. You could also just use raw, diced potatoes. Either way, the end result is sure to be a hit.
Potatoes O’Brien could also be a nice side dish for your St. Patrick’s day dinner.
Potatoes O’Brien
oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 c. chopped sweet pepper- I used baby peppers, sliced in rings
2 lbs. potatoes, diced, peeling is optional
salt and pepper
fresh parsley and thyme, optional
In skillet, heat a couple of tablespoons of oil. Saute onion until tender, add peppers and cook until they peppers are tender. Remove from skillet and set aside. Add a few more tablespoons of oil to the skillet and let it get pretty hot. Add the potatoes and cook, stirring often, until the potatoes are browned. They should be cooked, tender in the middle, crisp on the outside. I cooked the potatoes in the microwave first, then diced them once they were cool enough to handle. This made them cook up faster, but raw potatoes are fine, too. Return onion mixture to skillet with the potatoes, season with salt and pepper to taste and add the fresh herbs, if you like. Stir together until heated through. Serves 4-6.
Roasted Corned Beef
After hearing about roasting corned beef, I finally did it. I can see why those who have raved about the results were so excited. The end result was a roast that was tender, flavorful and kind of pretty, too. I had searched the internet for directions and found a wide assortment of recipes. Most of the roasting temps were in the 300-325 degree range. Cooking times varied from 2-6 hours. All of the recipes I found added water to the roasting pan- but amounts varied widely – from a few tablespoons to several cups of water.
There were also all sorts of options for a spice/sweet rub. I used ingredients I thought would work with the corned beef and I was not disappointed. I used maple syrup, za’atar spice and some brown sugar. Recipe for the za’atar follows after the roasting directions.
I was concerned that the roasted corned beef would be too salty. It was not. A lot of the salt comes out in the water used in the roasting process. I tasted a piece of the roasted onion in the pan and it was super salty. The cooking liquid was, too. The roast was not too salty.
Roasted Corned Beef
4-5 pound corned beef
1/2 c. maple syrup
2-3 tablespoons za’atar
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2-3 cups water*
Remove the meat from packaging. Rinse with cool water and pat dry. Discard the seasoning packet. Place a wire rack in a roasting pan and place the roast on the rack. Brush the roast with about 1/4 cup of the maple syrup. Sprinkle the za’atar over the meat and rub to cover evenly. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup of the brown sugar. Rub the sugar into the roast. Place onions in the roasting pan and add about two cups of water. The meat should be above the water. Seal the roasting pan with foil or cover with a tight fitting lid. Place in a preheated 325 degree oven and roast for 2 1/2- 3 hours. Add more water, if needed. See note below. Pierce roast to make sure it is tender. Brush with the rest of the maple syrup and sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar. Return to oven, uncovered, and cook until top of roast browns nicely, about an hour. Remove from oven. Let rest 15-20 minutes before slicing.
* The water amount became an issue for me. I thought the pan was sealed tightly, but at 2 hours, I smelled a faint burning smell. The roasting was was just out of water. I added more, replaced the foil and returned the roast to the oven for another hour. I had used a pretty big pan, in relation to the size of the roast- and obviously, the foil was not sealed as tightly as I thought. Check the roast a time or two – to be sure the water does not run out. By the same token, you don’t want the meat sitting in water. If you use a smaller roasting pan, or use a tight fitting lid, you might not need to add more water at all.
There are a number of variations of this recipe. This is the version that I made.
Za-atar Spice Mix
1 T. whole coriander
1 T. whole cumin
2 T. dried marjoram- you could use thyme instead
2 T. sumac- available at some specialty stores
2 T. sesame seeds- I toasted mine.
in small skillet, toast coriander and cumin until you can just start to smell them. Let them cool, then grind them up in a spice mill or coffee grinder. Combine this mixture with the rest of the ingredients and stir to combine well. Store in a cool, dry place.
Shepherd’s Pie
If you are looking for a traditional dish for St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to make a Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s pie is a mix of ground lamb and veggies, in a gravy, that are topped with mashed potatoes. Then it is baked until the mixture is heated through and potatoes brown a little.
It’s a lovely dish anytime, not just for a holiday. There are a lot of variations for shepherd’s pie, but is most often made with ground lamb. You can use other ground meat. It will still be tasty, just less traditional.
The potatoes are mashed, then spread over the meat mixture. You can pipe the potatoes on top, for a pretty presentation. I used a small ice cream scoop to place my potatoes on top. It looked pretty good.
I brushed the potatoes with some beaten egg, to give them a nice shine. You can sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese, if you like. For even more color on the potatoes, you can place under the broiler for a few minutes.
I used sherry in my gravy. Red wine would also be nice. I also added some parsley to my mashed potatoes.
Shepherd’s Pie
2 T. oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lbs. ground lamb
2 c. peas
5 T. flour
1 c. chicken stock- or a bit more
½ c. sherry
2 t. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. potatoes
1 c. sour cream
3 T. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 egg
Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions until tender. Add carrots and cook until carrots are tender. Add lamb and cook until lamb is no longer pink. Add peas and flour, then stir until flour is mixed in. Add stock, sherry and thyme. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While cooking the meat mixture, peel, dice and boil potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes and mash until smooth. Add sour cream, butter and seasonings. Place meat mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. You can spread them, pipe them on or, as I did, use an ice cream scoop. Beat the egg and brush the potatoes with the egg. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown and mixture is heated through. You can place under the broiler, if you like, for more color. Serves 6-8.
Shepherd’s Pie
If you are looking for a traditional dish for St. Patrick’s Day, you might want to make a Shepherd’s Pie. Shepherd’s pie is a mix of ground lamb and veggies, in a gravy, that are topped with mashed potatoes. Then it is baked until the mixture is heated through and potatoes brown a little.
It’s a lovely dish anytime, not just for a holiday. There are a lot of variations for shepherd’s pie, but is most often made with ground lamb. You can use other ground meat. It will still be tasty, just less traditional.
The potatoes are mashed, then spread over the meat mixture. You can pipe the potatoes on top, for a pretty presentation. I used a small ice cream scoop to place my potatoes on top. It looked pretty good.
I brushed the potatoes with some beaten egg, to give them a nice shine. You can sprinkle with some Parmesan cheese, if you like. For even more color on the potatoes, you can place under the broiler for a few minutes.
I used sherry in my gravy. Red wine would also be nice. I also added some parsley to my mashed potatoes.
Shepherd’s Pie
2 T. oil
2 onions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 lbs. ground lamb
2 c. peas
5 T. flour
1 c. chicken stock- or a bit more
½ c. sherry
2 t. thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. potatoes
1 c. sour cream
3 T. butter
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ c. chopped parsley
1 egg
Heat oil in large skillet. Sauté onions until tender. Add carrots and cook until carrots are tender. Add lamb and cook until lamb is no longer pink. Add peas and flour, then stir until flour is mixed in. Add stock, sherry and thyme. Cook until thickened and bubbly. Season to taste with salt and pepper. While cooking the meat mixture, peel, dice and boil potatoes until tender. Drain potatoes and mash until smooth. Add sour cream, butter and seasonings. Place meat mixture in a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with the mashed potatoes. You can spread them, pipe them on or, as I did, use an ice cream scoop. Beat the egg and brush the potatoes with the egg. Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until potatoes start to brown and mixture is heated through. You can place under the broiler, if you like, for more color. Serves 6-8.
Corned Beef Hash
Seemed like a good time for comfort food. My mom used to make the best hash. Making hash for lunch yesterday, gave me a chance to think about her. She taught me so much about cooking- and life.
I didn’t have any specific recipe for hash, so I made a point of writing down what I did, and measuring ingredients, so I could share the recipe with you.
The hash tasted a lot like my mom’s. That made me smile and gave me some comfort. Here is the recipe. Hope you give it a try.
Corned Beef Hash
2 T. oil, butter or bacon fat
2-3 medium onions, peeled and chopped
1-1½ lbs. potatoes, about 4-5 medium, cooked and cut in cubes
1 lb. corned beef, cut into ½- inch cubes
¼ c. fresh parsley
Salt and pepper
Eggs, optional
In skillet, heat up your fat of choice. Cook onions over medium heat until translucent. Add cubed potatoes and cook until potatoes and onions are starting to brown. Rather than constantly stirring, I let the potato and onion mixture cook a few minutes, then turn over sections with a spatula. It seems to get them brown faster. Add the corned beef and continue cooking until everything is starting to get a little crispy. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper. At this point you can serve it. I like to add the eggs. To add the eggs, crack and add eggs, one at a time, to the pan. Keep some space between the eggs, if you can. Turn heat down to medium low and cover the pan. It should take about 5 minutes for the eggs to cook, with the whites firm and the yolks runny. Try not to keep peeking. I know you want to, but every time you remove the lid, the heat dissipates. Wait 3 minutes to check the first time, if you can. Don’t set the heat too high, or you will burn the bottom of the hash while the eggs cook. I usually add one egg for each person I am serving. Feel free to allow more eggs per person, depending on your guests. Serves about 4.
Note: You have to get the potatoes cooked in some way. I just baked them in the microwave, then peeled and diced them. Boil, bake, steam, your choice. Just get them cooked before you start. I removed the potato skins, but only because I had a few spots on the potatoes. You don’t have to peel them, if you don’t want to.
Corned Beef Calzones
I thought this might be a nice time to share this recipe. Seems like a lot of people are cooking with corned beef in the next few days. If you have leftover corned beef, you can use it in these tasty calzones. You can also used deli slice corned beef.
I made these for a friend a while back and we were talking about them the other day. I decided to make them again.
They are almost a Reuben, but I didn’t include the sauerkraut. You could, if you liked. I sometimes make these with thousand island dressing inside them as well, but I decided to leave it out and serve it on the side instead. I thought I would share the recipe with you.
Corned Beef Calzones
3 ¼ c. flour
1 c. rye flour
1 T. sugar
1 t. salt
1 package quick-rising yeast
1⅓ c. hot water
1 T. oil
1 lb. thin sliced corned beef
8 oz. shredded Swiss cheese
1 egg , beaten
Caraway seeds, optional
Set aside 1 cup of the all-purpose flour. Combine remaining flour with the other dry ingredients in a medium bowl. Stir in water and oil and gradually stir in enough flour to make a soft dough. Turn onto lightly floured surface and knead until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover dough and let rest 20 minutes. Divide dough into 8 pieces and roll one piece into a 6-8 -inch circle. In the middle of the dough place 1 ounce of the Swiss cheese and 2 ounces of the corned beef. Brush the edge of the dough with water. Fold over the dough in half and press the edges to seal. Brush the edge again with water and roll the edge over again. It will give you a prettier look and seal the calzone better. Repeat with remaining dough and fillings. Place calzones on greased baking sheets- or on a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper liner. You will end up with 8 calzones in all. Only put 4 on one baking sheet. Cover and let rest 15 minutes while preheating the oven to 400 degrees. Before placing calzones in the oven brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with the caraway seeds, if you like. Also poke a few holes in the tops with a fork to help steam to escape while baking. I put both baking sheets in the oven at the same time and switch them halfway through baking. Bake in a preheated 400-degree for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. If baking both at once switch them after 10 minutes or so. Cool slightly before eating. Serve warm and refrigerate leftovers.
If you want to use regular yeast use warm, rather than hot water. Also, allow a little more time for the dough to rise the first time, about 40 minutes. Everything else will work the same.
If you want to make your own Thousand Island Dressing, just combine equal amounts of sweet pickle relish, mayo and catsup.
