A Wee Taste of Ireland

Happy Saint Patrick's Day!

Somehow having the 17th land on a Saturday, makes the whole idea of Saint Paddy's Day much more festive!

Last year I made a traditional brown Irish soda bread instead of  white, raisin-filled soda bread. And we liked it so much, and it was so easy, that we are having it again this year.  It tastes much like a whole wheat yeast bread and rises up so nicely... I like to slice it in wedges though to make it more traditional, and serve it buttered.

Irish Brown Soda Bread

And I made up an Irish beef stew and let it simmer in the crock pot all day while we went for our 6 mile run and took part in some other activities.  Normally when I make a beef stew I use crushed tomatoes, but I didn't have any on hand so I used diced tomatoes instead, and pureed them in the blender before putting them in the crock pot.  Either way, the P+ values are going to be the same.

To assemble the meal, I steamed some fresh green beans to serve alongside the stew and the bread.  Wonderful!

Irish Beef Stew in the Crock Pot
Makes 4 servings

• 1 pound stewing beef, cubed
• 1/2 envelope dry onion soup mix 
• 1-1/2 cup canned diced tomatoes,  pureed in blender
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp pepper
• 1-1/2 cups carrots, cut in 1/2" lengths
• 2 cups potatoes,  cut in chunks
• 1 cup onion, sliced vertically 

1. Layer carrots, potatoes, onions, beef cubes, onion soup mix, tomatoes, water, salt and pepper in slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on LOW for 8 hours.
3. Ladle into 4 bowls to serve.

Per serving.
Weight Watchers P+ = 8.
Calories 339; Protein 36g; Carbohydrate 30g; Fat 7g; Fibre 5g.

All stew ingredients in the slow cooker and ready to start.

8 hours later, ready to serve.

Cut and butter some bread wedges, steam some fresh green beans.

Happy Meal!

Printable Recipe

Have a wonderful, Happy and Green Day!

Irish Brown Soda Bread

I usually make a soda bread with raisins for Saint Patrick's Day.  This year I decided to see if I could find one that uses whole wheat flour instead of white.... and I did. 

I found several, actually, and most of them called for oats, which I didn't want in my bread.  So, I came up with my own.  I think the Irish actually call it soda cake, rather than bread.

Soda bread would traditionally be baked on a hot cast-iron griddle over an open peat fire. The griddled soda bread would be cooked into a round with an indentation marking the quarters; each quarter when broken off, hot and warm is called a farl.

Today, the bread is baked in the oven with consistent results; a light hand is still important though.

This is a fairly heavy bread and just cries out for butter and jam!

Irish Brown Soda Bread

• 2 cups whole wheat flour
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 cup skim milk with 1 Tbs lemon juice added (the lemon juice sours and thickens the milk)

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add the milk and stir to form a loose dough.
3. Lightly dust the work surface with flour and turn out the dough. Knead the dough gently until smooth.
4. Shape the dough into a ball and flatten to roughly 2 inches thick. Using a sharp knife lightly slash the surface of the dough in the shape of a cross.
5. Place the dough on a greased, baking sheet and bake in the oven for 30-35 mins until well risen and a light brown color.
6. Leave to cool.
7. Cut into 8 wedges.

Weight Watchers P+ = 3.  About right for a slice of whole wheat bread.
Calories 120; Protein 5g; Carbohydrate 23g; Fat 1g; Fibre 2g

It really set off the corned beef and cabbage dinner that we prepared in the slow cooker.

Printable Recipe