Classic Soda Bread

My Dads Soda Bread Recipe

Who doesn't love Soda Bread. This is my Dads recipe and its so simple to Mae but tastes hearty and reminds you why it's so much better to bake your own Bread every now and then.

Ingredients:
450g/1lb Cream/Plain Flour
1 level teaspoon Bread Soda
2 level teaspoons Bextartar
Good pinch of Salt
1 tablespoon Sugar
25g/1oz Margarine
A little over 1/2 pint Fresh Milk

Method:
Sieve flour, bread soda, Bextartar and salt into a bowl. Add sugar if required.




Rub in the margarine to resemble breadcrumbs, lifting mixture with fingertips to introduce air to the dough.



Add milk and mix to make a soft dough and turn onto a lightly floured board and knead a little.



Turn the smooth side up and shape into a round.



Place the dough on a floured tin.Cut a cross over the top.



Bake in a pre-heated oven, 400°F/200°C/Gas 6 for 40-45 minutes.
When baked the underneath when "tapped" should have a hollow sound.
Cool on a wire tray. Cover with a tea towel to give a soft crust.

Variations:
A hand full of raisins may be added to the dry ingredients before adding the milk; this will give a nice Station Bread!

Enjoy
Paul

CockTail Time! - Mojito

It's Mojito Time!

This is a recipe for Mojito I've used for a while now and it seems to go down well at parties. I scaled  the recipe for one serving, but you can adjust it accordingly and make a Jug full if you prefer. It's a very refreshing drink for hot summer days. Tonic water can be substituted instead of the soda water but the taste is different and somewhat bitter. Mojito's are delicious and are very easy to drink but pack a big alcohol punch that creeps up on you. You have been warned!

You will need:

9/10 fresh mint leaves.
1/2 lime cut in to wedges.
1 cup of ice cubes.
2 tablespoons of Sugar or to taste.
1 and 1/2 fluid ounces of White Rum.
1/2 cup of Club Soda (Tonic water if you cant find Club Soda)

Place mint leaves and 1 lime wedge into a sturdy glass. Use a muddler (or long spoon) to crush the mint and lime to release the mint oils and lime juice. Add 2 more lime wedges and the sugar, and muddle again to release the lime juice. Do not strain the mixture. Fill the glass almost to the top with roughly crushed Ice. Pour the rum over the ice, and fill the glass with Soda water. Stir, taste, and add more sugar if desired. Garnish with the remaining lime wedge and enjoy!

Polenta Fries- Tastier than you think!

Who knew Polenta could taste so good. These are a good option for your friends who have a gluten intolerance, but heck I eat them just for Fun!2

You will need 18oz of plain polenta, it looks like a big block of cheese.
2 Tbsp olive oil
Course salt and freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried dried oregano or chilli pepper if your feeling adventerous

Preheat over to 180C degrees.

 Unwrap the Polenta and cut into chunky chip size shapes.

 

Drizzle olive oil on a large rimmed baking sheet. Place polenta chips on baking sheet; season with salt and pepper, and turn gently to coat with oil. Arrnage wedges in a single layer.

Bake, turning once with a thin metal spatula, until golden and crisp, 45-50 minutes. Drain on a paper-towel-lined plate. Transfer to a shallow dish, and toss with Italian seasoning before serving.

Enjoy

Mona !

This is Mona the latest addition to the McGovern-Flores family .

Ghost of Titanic

On a recent trip to Belfast I stopped off at the new Titanic expo. Opposite the shinny new building sits the abandoned shell of the Drawing Room where Titanic was brought to life.. I took this photo thru a hole in the frosted window. I love that the reflection of the new titanic building is caught in the reflection on the glass.

Ok so it's a Cup Cake!

Ok! Ive avoided doing cup cakes for so long because the world and its mother makes cup cakes. but I like gadgets and I found some cool little silicone press forms to make marzipan flowers. They seemed perfect as a topping for cup cakes, so cup cakes it is!

for this you will need

200g of plan flour,
200g of castor sugar,
100g unsalted butter
2 tsp of baking power.
1/2 tsp of salt

3 eggs
150ml of Milk
1 tsp of Vanilla Essence

For the topping
Whipped Cream
Two tbs of Sugar
Half tsp of Red Coloring

Mix the first 5 ingredients in a bowl until they combine to the consistency of breadcrumbs.

 whisk the eggs, milk and vanilla  until combined then slowly add the flour and sugar mixture gradually.

 Pour in to a jug to make it easier to fill your cup cake cases. remember its a sponge mixture so it will rise a little. place in the oven at 180 for about 20-25 minutes.. but to be honest you will know from the color and if u skewer them the  skewer will come out clean when ready.

 Roll out some store bought icing (life's too short to make your own!)

 using the template cutter that comes with the form press cut out the shape ready for your mold.

 Position the icing shape on the mould.

 Press firmly the two sides of the mold together

 Once released you should have a pretty delicate edible flower.

 

Once released from the mold you can use food coloring to pain or like i did sprinkle with a little edible glitter.

Whip some Sugar and Cream together adding the tiniest drop of red food color to make a luxurious topping and decorate with your hand made flowers.

Enjoy!

Summer Strawberry Jam

You will need :

• 3 cups fresh strawberries, sliced (about 1½ pint baskets or 4 cups whole berries or 1 pound)
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

ahead of time chill a small plate or bowl in the freezer or over ice water this will help you test if the jam is ready to set.

Chop and slice the strawberries.

 

In a 10 or 12-inch wide pan, bring fruit, sugar, and lemon juice to boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.

Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly and skimming foam as necessary. Cook about 8-10 minutes, until mixture begins to look syrupy and thickens slightly.

Spoon ½ teaspoon of the hot fruit onto the cold plate and let it rest for 30 seconds. Tip plate to one side; jam should be a soft gel that moves slightly. If mixture is thin and runs down side of plate, the gel is too soft. Return pan to the heat and cook jam 1 to 2 minutes longer, stirring constantly.

Remove from heat and repeat test if you need to. its trial and error to be honest,so don't worry if it takes sometime to get it right

At this stage  I like to add a Vegan setting agent to make it more of a jelly jam than just a preserve. (Just follow the directions on the pack)

Add the Veg Gel mix to the cooling jam and mix in completely.

 Boil your jars for about 10 minutes or so to sterilize them. (use a pair or silicone thongs to remove from the boiling water and drain on a clean tea towel.

Pour in to your sterilized jars allow to cool before sealing.

Boil the sealed jars and for another 10 minutes and let cool 12-24 hours. The heat from the jam will destroy mold spores. Mmmmmm Mold Spores!

Roast peppers and goats cheese on toasted ciabbita

I was inspired to try this lunch recipe when I went to Avoca in the city recently . It's a well toasted ciabbita drizzled with olive oil and pesto. Topped with roast peppers and asparagus and goats cheese...

I tend to do a big batch of roast peppers and keep them in an air tight container in the fridge ready for when I fancy a nice flavoursome lunch.

You will need:

A selection of bell peppers
Poblano peppers
Courgette
Asparagus
Ciabbita bread
Olive oil
Sea salt



Chop the bell peppers in to quarters, the poblano peppers in half and courgettes in to slices.




Place under the grill for about 15 minutes or until the skins start to blacken and char. You may need to move and turn the peppers to ensure an even charring.




Place the still warm roast peppers in a a plastic bag which will allow the peppers to sweat which will make the skin easier to peel off.




In theory the skin should peel off effortlessly, but don't be dis heartened if some are a little trickier than others.




Slice a ciabbita in two, drizzle with olive oil and toast till lightly golden.




Now assemble your ingredients. Drizzle the ciabbita with pesto and olive oil or ballymaloe relish then top with a selection of the skinned roast peppers, asparagus and courgette. Add a few generous discs of goats cheese on top. Place under the grill again until the cheese begins to melt. Serve on a bed of rocket with some raspberries and walnuts mixed through.

Enjoy

Rocket and pistachio pesto

The Americans call it Arugula, we call it Rocket but call it what you like it makes a beautifully fresh base for a very quick and easy pesto.. I've used it drizzled on toasted ciabatta and topped with roast peppers and melted goats cheese or mixed thru some fresh pasta as a hot meal or allow to cool in the fridge as a salad.. Give it a go it takes about 5 minutes to make and keeps in the fridge for about 1 day.

To make you will need:

2 cups, packed of fresh Rocket.
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup shelled pistachios, lightly toasted
1 garlic clove, roughly chopped
1/4 teaspoon red chilli flakes
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste


Lightly toast the 1/4 cup of pistachios in a dry pan.




Place the rocket in the bowl of your food processor or blender. Add olive oil, pistachios, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Pulse until smooth, about 30 seconds.



It's that simple!! Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use immediately or store, refrigerated in an airtight container, for 1 day. Allow to warm to room temperature before serving.

My dream mixer. ..... Mmmmmmm Kitchenaid!!!!

Can't wait. I know I'm a cooking nerd. Some men drool over sports cars or page three models. But for me it's the kitchenaid food mixer.. Martha Stewart uses one for god sake!!! So it must be good. Ive ordered mine on e bay and I know when it arrives all my sponge cakes will be ultra spongy .. My cheese cakes more cheesy and frosting extra frosty.. In short it will change my life and Martha and I will meet once a week for coffee and home made kitchenaid cake.. Ok maybe I'm getting a lil ahead of myself...

Rodolfo's Rice krispie cakes

My partner Rodolfo has been wanting to make sticky marshmallow rice krispie cakes for ages. So I let him loose in the kitchen and I have to say they are truly delicious! Give them a try and release your inner child..

You will need:

3 tablespoons butter or margarine
1 package (10 oz., about 40) regular marshmallows (colour doesn't matter)
6 cups Of Rice Krispies cereal.

To make:




1. You will need 3 tablespoons of butter or margarine





Also about 40 marshmallows, colour doesn't matter.


Melt the butter on a medium heat and add the marshmallows and allow to melt completely and then remove from heat.



Add KELLOGG'S RICE KRISPIES cereal. Stir until well coated.


Pour into a deep non stick dish spreading into the corners with a buttered spatula




Using wax paper evenly press mixture into a pan coated with cooking spray.




Allow to cool and cut into 2-inch squares. Best if served the same day.




Note

-For best results, use fresh marshmallows.
-1 jar (7 oz.) marshmallow crème can be substituted for marshmallows.
-Diet, reduced calorie or tub margarine is not recommended.
-Store no more than two days at room temperature in airtight container.
-To freeze, place in layers separated by wax paper in airtight container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. Let stand at room temperature for 15 minutes before serving.