Irish Soda Bread

Reuben sandwiches and Irish soda bread.  That's what my family always eats for St. Patrick's Day dinner.  Reubens because my mom can't stand corned beef and cabbage, and Irish soda bread because it's the most delicious bread in the world.  Okay, so Reubens aren't exactly Irish fare.  My family isn't exactly Irish, either.  If you have to rattle off a list like "Irish, Scottish, Dutch, German, Mexican, and maybe Aztec, if that even counts, and maybe Italian instead of Dutch because my great-great-something grandfather may or may not have lied about that when he came to America," then maybe you're not Irish enough to eat corned beef and cabbage, anyway.  Corned beef and sort-of-cabbage on a sandwich oozing with Swiss cheese and thousand island dressing is a far better alternative, I think.  Even my quarter-Irish husband agrees.

And then the soda bread, so hearty and comforting, bursting with little bites of caraway and raisins (or no raisins, if you want).  It's best just out of the oven, still steaming hot, smeared with a little butter--although it's so creamy, it hardly needs the help.  My parents used to limit the number of pieces each person could have, because my ravenous teenage brothers would sneak away with half the loaf if nobody kept guard over it.  They probably still do.  Now I'm married and can bake my own Irish soda bread and eat it too.  I honestly could make this stuff every week and not get tired of it.  Who cares if St. Patrick's Day is almost over?  (Yeah, yeah, I should have posted this three days ago so you could have soda bread with your corned beef.  Just make it anyway.  St. Patrick probably won't mind.)

Irish Soda Bread (from The Good Housekeeping Illustrated Cookbook)
Time:  1 1/2 hours (80 minutes for a half loaf*)
Serves 8

4 cups flour
3 T. sugar
1 T. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda
6 T. butter, cut into small chunks
1 1/2 cups dark seedless raisins (optional)
1 T. caraway seed
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups buttermilk OR milk soured with 1 tsp. lemon juice (let stand 5 minutes)

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Grease a 2-quart round casserole (I like to use a Pyrex bowl).  In large bowl with a fork or whisk, mix flour and next four ingredients (through baking soda).  With pastry blender, cut in butter until mixture resembles large crumbs; stir in raisins, if desired, and caraway.

In small bowl with whisk, beat eggs slightly; remove 1 T. and set aside.  Stir buttermilk or milk into remaining egg; stir into flour mixture just until flour is moistened (dough will be sticky).

Turn dough onto well-floured surface; knead about 10 times to mix thoroughly (you can also do this right in the bowl).  Shape into a ball; place in casserole.  In center of ball, cut a 4-inch cross 1/4 inch deep.  (Supposedly this is to let the fairies out, but it mostly just makes the bread look cool.)  Brush dough with reserved egg.

Bake about 1 hour and 20 minutes, or until a sharp knife inserted in center comes out clean.  Let cool in casserole 10 minutes; remove from casserole and cool completely on a wire rack.

*To make a half loaf, use a 1- or 1 1/2-quart casserole and bake for 1 hour.

Greek-Style Chicken Wraps of Awesomeness, with Homemade Olga Bread and Tzatziki Sauce

Yesterday, in honor of my birthday and the uncharacteristically warm and beautiful weather, my husband and I made these Greek-inspired chicken wraps.  Everything was made from scratch, from the yeasty-sweet flatbread, to the tangy yogurt and cucumber sauce, to the juicy grilled chicken skewers.  They. were. so. good.  If you never cook another thing from this blog, you must give these a try.

Granted, it took us about three hours, start to finish (if partly due to poor planning on my part), and the ingredient list is half a mile long.  I can suggest a few shortcuts:  1. Use store-bought flatbread or pita bread.  2. Use sliced Brakebush chicken and drizzle on the marinade.  3. Buy a wrap from King Gyro's.

Seriously, guys.  This isn't Quick Cooking.  If you want food this good, sometimes you really have to spend a little extra time to make it.  Trust me--it's time well spent.  Just wait for a leisurely, warm weekend, fire up the grill, and do a little planning ahead so you don't waste an extra hour (like me).  Not that I minded.  I got to spend half my birthday eating and cooking with my husband, and it was pretty great.

Some tips before you begin:
-If possible, make the tzatziki sauce a day ahead of time to allow the flavors to meld.
-It's also a good idea to begin marinating the chicken a day ahead, or at least in the morning.
-If you do end up making everything at once, start with the chicken, then make the bread.  While the bread rises and chicken marinates, you can make the sauce, chop vegetables, and start the grill.  With two people, the whole process should take about two hours.

Greek-Style Chicken Wraps (based on the recipe here)
Serves 4-6
Time:  50 minutes, plus 1-24 hours for marinading

Marinade:
3/4 cup balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing (NOT straight balsamic vinegar)
3 T. lemon juice (from 1 1/2 lemons)
1 T. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
3 to 4 fresh boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes

Tzatziki Sauce:
1/2 cup seeded, shredded cucumber
1 tsp. coarse or kosher salt
1 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup sour cream
1 T. lemon juice (from 1/2 lemon)
1/2 T. rice vinegar (OR white vinegar)
1 tsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 to 2 tsp. dill weed (OR 1 T. chopped fresh dill)
1/2 tsp. Greek seasoning (I make my own from the recipe here)

Toppings:
1 small head romaine lettuce, thinly chopped
1 red onion, thinly sliced
1 large tomato, diced
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

In a small bowl, combine first four marinade ingredients.  Place chicken in a large resealable plastic bag.  Add marinade; toss to coat.  Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Meanwhile, soak wooden skewers (if using) in water.  Prepare Olga bread (recipe below).  Chop lettuce, red onion, and tomato.  Preheat an outdoor grill for high heat (you can also broil the chicken, if you must, but it won't be nearly as tasty).

Prepare tzatsiki sauce (best if made the day ahead):  Toss cucumber with coarse salt, and allow it to sit at least 5 minutes (the salt releases excess moisture).  In a medium bowl, combine remaining sauce ingredients.  Squeeze cucumber to remove excess water; stir drained cucumber into sauce.  Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Remove chicken from marinade and place evenly on skewers.  Discard remaining marinade.  Grill chicken until juices run clear (my husband did this part, so I don't know how long it takes).  Remove from heat and wrap in foil to keep warm.

Serve chicken, tzatsiki sauce, and toppings wrapped in warm Olga bread, pita bread, or flatbread.

Homemade Olga Bread (recipe from my parents)

This is the easiest yeast bread I've ever made.  Once you get the hang of it, the rolling and pan frying goes quickly.  It helps to have two people--one to roll the dough while the other cooks it--but the dough can also be rolled all at once (stack lightly floured dough rounds on a plate, then stack them back on another plate as they're cooked).  The result:  a yeasty, slightly sweet flatbread that beats anything you could ever buy at Meijer.  It tastes best fresh out of the pan, but I suppose it could be frozen (although I've never actually tried doing so).  Yum.

Yield:  16 flatbreads
Time:  1 hour, plus 1 hour for rising

1 cup milk
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup butter
1 tsp. salt
1 pkg. yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
1/4 cup warm water
1 tsp. sugar
4 cups flour (divided)
1 egg

Scald milk in a small saucepan by heating it over medium-low, stirring with a whisk, until it reaches 120 F (milk will just barely begin to cook to the bottom of the pan).  Reduce heat to low.  Add honey and butter; whisk until melted.  Remove from heat; cool to lukewarm.

Meanwhile, combine yeast, warm water, and sugar in a small bowl.  Let stand 5 minutes to allow yeast to activate (mixture will become bubbly).  Pour milk mixture into a large mixing bowl.  Add 1 1/2 cups flour and beat well.  Add yeast mixture and egg; beat well again.  Gradually add remaining 2 1/2 cups flour until sticky dough forms (if using a hand mixer, you may need to finish out with a mixing spoon).  Do not add more flour!

Knead for two minutes (I do this right in the bowl).  Cover bowl with plastic wrap or a tea towel; place in a warm place and let rise until double in size, about 1 hour.  Punch down and divide into 16 pieces.  (Roll the dough into a ball, cut in quarters with a sharp knife, roll quarters into balls, then quarter again.)  Roll each piece into a ball.  On a lightly floured surface, roll each ball to 1/8 inch thick (about 7 inches in diameter).

Heat a skillet over medium-high heat.  (I use a regular metal skillet, not a nonstick or cast iron one.)  When skillet is very hot, begin cooking bread (do not add any oil or butter--cook on the dry pan).  Cook each piece for 15 seconds on the first side, then flip with a thin, wide spatula and cook 10 seconds on the second side (yes, you do have to stand there and count).  Serve warm.

Classic Cornbread

My dad always used to make "johnnycake" for breakfast on Sunday mornings before church.  At least, we called it johnnycake--I can't attest to the historical accuracy of our terminology.  My dad's version was just cornbread, baked in a big cast iron skillet in the oven, then sprinkled with sugar and doused with milk.  Sometimes he used cinnamon and sugar to make a smiley face on top.  He was the only one who liked it with milk, though; my brothers and I would just eat the cornbread plain.  Cornbread for breakfast was johnnycake.

So maybe we were a little weird.  I'm pretty sure I wouldn't serve my houseguests cornbread for breakfast.  But I still remember coming down in the morning to the smell of baking cornbread, and hoping to get the piece with the most cinnamon and sugar, and eating it upside down so the tender, buttery top could be saved for last.  And I still love cornbread--I just think it goes better with chili than with milk.

This recipe is pretty basic.  It's the one my dad always used; I think you can still find it on the back of the Martha White cornmeal bag.

Classic Cornbread
Time:  30 minutes

1 cup flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup cornmeal
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
1/4 cup cooking oil

Preheat oven to 425 F.  Grease an 8-inch square baking pan or a 10-inch round iron skillet (a round cake pan works too).  Whisk together first five ingredients.  In a separate bowl, combine eggs, milk, and oil.  Add to dry ingredients and stir to blend thoroughly.  Pour into pan and bake about 25 minutes.

Cranberry-Sweet Potato Bread

Turkey isn't just for Thanksgiving and Christmas (in fact, it isn't for Christmas at all in my family--but that's another story).  Last week, I decided to free up some precious space in my tiny little freezer and hauled out the turkey that had been hibernating there since before Thanksgiving.  (I used Alton Brown's brined roast turkey recipe; you should try it.)  Since I had the giblets and beautiful brown bits in the pan, I made homemade gravy to go with the turkey.  And you can't have gravy without mashed potatoes, so I made some of those, too.  And a pumpkin pie, because pie makes everything better.  And since I can never pass up an excuse to try a new recipe, I finished it all off with a loaf of this cranberry-sweet potato quick bread.  Yum.

Now I know that cranberries aren't exactly common co-op fare, but I still had a bag in the freezer from Thanksgiving, and I'm guessing I'm not the only one.  I've seen them recently at Aldi and Scott's/Kroger, so you can still get them.  I try not to pay more than $1 for a bag.  They keep well, too, if you find a good deal--just pop the whole bag in the freezer.  For this recipe, just make sure to thaw the cranberries first, so they aren't too hard to chop (I would recommend using a food processor; they tend to roll away from a knife blade).

Cranberry-Sweet Potato Bread
Yield:  1 loaf
Time:  1 hour, 25 minutes

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 cup mashed sweet potato (about 1 medium sweet potato, or you can use canned)
3 eggs
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries
2 T. sliced almonds (optional)

Combine first 7 ingredients in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine sweet potato, eggs, orange juice, and butter in a bowl; add to dry ingredients. Stir just until moist. Fold in cranberries.

Spoon batter into a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan; sprinkle almonds over batter (press them down a bit so they stick). Bake at 350° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Let cool in pan 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pan. Let cool completely on wire rack.

Apple-Oat Muffins

At the risk of making everyone think that all I eat is soup and muffins, here's another muffin recipe.  Let's face it.  You can never have too many muffins.  Especially ones like these, bursting with little apple nuggets and chewy oatmeal, golden brown and crusty on top, cakey and dense inside.  Add a hint of cinnamon and you can almost imagine it's still autumn, even though snow is falling and all the trees are looking for their leaves.  (Don't get me wrong; I like snow and winter.  I just like fall more.)

If you still have a few wrinkly apples left from your visit to the orchard a couple of months ago, they will be great for this recipe.  I actually used up some windfalls I still had from the co-op.  If not, any kind of cooking apple will do.  The original recipe calls for plain yogurt, which I happened to have on hand, but sour cream or applesauce can be substituted as well.  (If you have homemade applesauce, all the better.)

Apple-Oat Muffins (from this recipe)
Yield:  1 dozen
Total time:  35-40 minutes

2 cups peeled shredded apple (about 3/4 pound)
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup quick-cooking oats
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup milk
2 T. vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup (8 oz.) plain low-fat yogurt (OR applesauce OR sour cream)
1 egg

Place apple on paper towels; squeeze over sink until barely moist; set aside.  Combine flour and next six ingredients (through cinnamon) in a medium bowl; stir with a whisk.  Make a well in center of mixture.  In a separate bowl, combine milk, oil, vanilla, yogurt, and egg; stir well with a whisk.  Add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.  Stir in apple.

Spoon batter into 12 well-greased muffin cups (they should be filled almost to the top).  Bake at 400 F for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center.

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins

Just before Thanksgiving, in a moment of weakness, I bought two bags of fresh cranberries without the slightest idea of what I was going to make with them.  I'm not a huge fan of cranberry sauce, but I've been on a berry kick lately and I figured they had to be good for something.  Right?  Anybody?

After wasting large amounts of time perusing my favorite recipe website, I decided to try combining this muffin recipe with this one.  The verdict?  You should make them, too.  They're amazing.  And if nothing else, they're the perfect way to use up that last half-bag of cranberries skulking in the fruit crisper.

(Yes, I know cranberries aren't in the co-op.  If you don't have any left over from Thanksgiving, Aldi had them for $.50 a bag on sale last time I looked; I think they're regularly $1.)

Lemon-Cranberry Muffins
Time:  30-45 minutes
Yield:  1 dozen

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup wheat germ (or flour, either whole wheat or AP)
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped fresh cranberries (use a food processor if you have one)
2/3 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted
1 tsp. grated lemon rind (you could also use orange rind)
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 egg, lightly beaten

Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine flour, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir well with a whisk. Stir in cranberries; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, butter, rind, vanilla, and egg; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into 12 greased muffin cups. Bake at for 18 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove muffins from pan immediately; place on a wire rack.

Rustic Herb Bread

During college, I used to spend a night or two every week with some good friends who were willing to give up a room in the basement for me.  My excuse was that the 15-minute drive from their house to school was much better than the 35-minute drive from my house, especially when bad weather and 8:00 classes were involved.  It had absolutely nothing to do with holding their adorable baby, snacking on the world's best apple pie, watching "Lost" until late into the night, or eating meals featuring such deliciousness as Rustic Herb Bread.  Nope.  I just wanted to be a safe commuter.

Rustic Herb Bread (based on this recipe)
Yield:  1 nine-inch loaf
Time:  30 minutes

2 cups flour
1 cup shredded mozzarella OR cheddar (I prefer mozzarella)
1 T. sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. rubbed thyme
1/2 tsp. dill weed
3 T. cold butter
1 egg
1/2 cup plain yogurt OR lowfat sour cream
1/2 cup milk

Preheat oven to 400 F.  Combine first eight ingredients; cut in butter until mixture resembles fine crumbs.  Whisk together remaining ingredients; mix into dry ingredients until just moistened.  Spread into a greased 11" x 7" or 9" round pan; bake for 20-25 minutes.

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P.S.  On a completely unrelated note, Meijer still has the 5.6 oz. packages of blackberries on sale for $.50.  Considering they cost $4 at Kroger, I am definitely stocking up (again) and will be sharing at least one tasty (and easy!) recipe.

Parsnip Muffins

Yes, really.  Don't run away yet.

Despite the fact that I grew up next to a field where parsnips frequently grew in abundance, I think I've only eaten them once in my life.  My brothers and I tended to think of them more as toy swords and play food that were left behind after the harvest, and the one time my mom decided to cook them we were more than a bit skeptical.  But after watching a Good Eats episode on parsnips and seeing a bin of them at the co-op, I decided to give these muffins a try.  I was pleasantly surprised.  They definitely have that unique parsnip flavor, sort of spicy and earthy.  Still a bit unusual, but the spices and almonds balance out the flavors for a tasty, autumn-y snack.

Now if I can just figure out what to do with the rest of my parsnips...

Parsnip Muffins (based on Alton Brown's recipe)
Total time:  1 hour 15 minutes
Yield:  1 dozen

10 ounces parsnips (about 3 small)
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
 3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
3 eggs
3/4 cup plain yogurt (OR sour cream)
1/4 cup applesauce (OR vegetable oil)
3/4 cup sugar

1.  Prepare parsnips:  Cut off both ends, peel, and grate with a box grater.  Or, if you're like me and prefer to keep your knuckles intact, cut the peeled parsnips into large chunks and chop in a food processor.  Either way, you should end up with about 2 1/2 cups.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 F. Place the almonds in a single layer in a pie pan and place in oven while it heats. Bake the nuts until lightly toasted, approximately 10 minutes (check them every few minutes; you should also be able to smell them when they're ready). Meanwhile, thoroughly grease or spray a standard 12-cup muffin tin (don't skimp on the grease—the batter is really sticky).

3.  Combine next six ingredients (flour through salt) in a medium mixing bowl; mix with a wire whisk. Whisk the eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and sugar in a large mixing bowl until combined. Add the flour mixture and parsnips; fold with a rubber spatula until all of the flour is moistened. (Use as few strokes as possible; too much mixing, and the muffins will turn out rubbery. You should still see some flour lumps in the batter.) Divide the mixture evenly among the muffin cups. Sprinkle the top of each muffin with the toasted almonds. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until the muffins reach an internal temperature of 210 degrees F and are golden brown, rotating halfway through baking.

4.  Use a small knife to loosen the muffins and immediately remove them from the tin to a cooling rack; cool for 15 minutes. Serve warm. Store completely cooled muffins in an airtight container for up to 3 days.