My Grandmother Always Told Me That Each House Had Its Own Flavor And That It Was All In The Way They Seasoned The Pot .

I Know that many will disagree over this ,but I guess you have to displease some people some times .Many a time I have been told that in a true sense of the way that their is no real Traditional way of a meal in Ireland .It was more of a what the family could afford to eat or what they had for crops that year .Tis not hard to see when you just think about it .

But one thing is very true and stands the test of times, is that the Irish, God and food go hand & hand .

Of all the many things that my Gram made for us ,I believe that the Soda Bread had to be a fav of mine .For you see she always had the best home made jams that filled the table at tea time .I think to this day I can still taste and smell the many different fruits .Below you will find the recipe for the Soda Bread ,give it a try you might find that it will be a fad on your family table .

White Soda Bread

INGREDIENTS

1 lb (450g) plain white flour
1 level teaspoon baking soda/bicarbonate of soda
1 level teaspoon cream of tartar
pinch of salt
4 oz (115g) sugar
4 oz (115g) sultanas or raisins or currants
1 egg
half a pint (285ml) butter milk

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Preheat oven to (180°C), (350°F), (Gas Mark 4)
2) Sieve flour, soda, cream of tartar and salt into a bowl
3) Rub in butter lightly with finger tips until the mixture looks like bread crumbs
4) Add dried fruit and sugar and mix well
5) Beat egg in a separate bowl and add buttermilk, mix well
6) Add to other ingredients and mix into a dough
7) Turn onto lightly floured board, knead and mould into a smooth round dough
8) Put into a greased baking tray and flatten to about 2/3 inch thick
9) Bake for 40-50 minutes, until bread is golden brown
10) Remove from oven and leave to cool

Now don't get me wrong there was some things that were passed down with time ,but its as Gram says no 2 recipes are the same they are all as diff as day is to nite .That is were the seasoning of the pot comes in and how no 2 recipes are the same .Why even today I bet you would not follow a book recipe to the tee ,and whys that ! Because you know what you like in you food so you season your pot to your own taste.

Below is Grams recipe for Irish Stew .Feel free to change it in any why you see fit (shhhh) I do .

Irish Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 lb (900g) Gigot Mutton or Lamb chops ...(stewing beef if nice and lean work well)

2 lb (900g) Potatoes

1 lb (450g) Onions

1 large Turnip....... (this I pass on )

4 large Carrotts

1 bay leaf

1 Sprig of Parsley

Pepper & Salt

Pinch of thyme ,sage (or favorite mix of herbs)

1 and a half pints (850ml) of Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Divide the meat up into even cutlets (ignore if using lamb chops)
2. Cut off all excess fat from meat
3. Peel and half Potatoes
4. Peel and Slice the Onions
5. Peel and Chop Turnip and Carrots
6. Place the Meat in a Large Pan, add a pinch of pepper, salt, bay leaf and seasoning on top
7. Place the remaining Ingredients in the Pan in layers as following:
Meat - Onions - Turnips - Carrots - Potatoes
8. Add a pinch of seasoning between each layer
9. Add Water, salt, pepper and seasoning to taste bring to the boil
10. Reduce heat and place lid on Pan, simmer on a gentle heat for 2 hours
11. Check regularly and stir if necessary to ensure no sticking is occurring
12. Add additional water if required, remember the dish should be quite thick, so do not make it too watery.
13. Chop the Parsley finely and lightly sprinkle on top of stew when serving

Then there were the fun things that we kids did with Gram that will live in my mind till we meet in Heaven. Sundays was the day we always had our play time as our Fathers & grandfather were out tending to what ever it was that they did .Gram use to say they went out and Complained about everything under the sun .That way when it come time to eat it was out of them and floating on the breeze ,till the next Sunday came about .Funny is it not what little things that your Grams say they stick in your mind .If not for them I would never have known that my parents made the same mistakes as I ,or that they were just as bad .As you all know your parents tell you they had it so bad ,dear me they had to walk 20miles all up hill in 10feet of snow with only one shoe that had a hole ,if that's not bad enough the poor souls had to walk another 20 miles (up hill again) in not 10 but 15 feet of snow (you see it snow wile they were in school, you know the school that had no heat )to get back home again .hehehe.Gee the things you learn about the good ole hard times .

Well below is the recipe for that Irish Toffee I dream about .

Irish Toffee

INGREDIENTS

8 oz (225g) Brown sugar

8 oz (225g) Black treacle

8 oz (225g) of Golden syrup

6 oz (175g) of Butter/Margarine

INSTRUCTIONS

1) Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and heat under a moderate heat until the sugar is dissolved 2 ) Increase heat, boil for 8/10 minutes remove from heat, test for setting point

3) To test for setting point, drop some of the mixture into a cup of water - if mixture hardens setting point has been reached

4) Pour into a greased tin, and leave to cool until toffee is comfortable to handle

5) Remove from tin, work into long strips, pull and twist, when toffee becomes too hard to work, cut as desired

"NEW" Just Clio's Angels "1"	"NEW" Just Clio's Angels "2"	"NEW" Gifts From Friends To Clio
"NEW" Angel Love pg.1	"NEW" Angel Love pg.2	"NEW" Words To Live By (a must see)	"NEW" Clio's Hero The Best Lady In The World ( Mom)	"NEW" More Irish Cooking From Clio

Clio's Awards pg.1	Clio's Awards pg.2	Clio's Awards pg.3	Clio's Awards pg.4	Clio's Awards pg.5
Clio's Awards pg.6	Clio's Awards pg.7	Clio's Awards pg.8	Clio's Awards pg.9	Clio's Awards pg.10
Clio's Awards pg.11	Clio's Awards pg.12

Please Take A Min And Sign My Guest Book And Let Me Know You Were Here ,And How You Find My Site *VBS* Thanks....Clio

ViewMy Guestbook SignMy Guestbook

SignMy Guestbook ViewMy Guestbook

You Are The Visitor To One Of Clio's Pages Since Jan 11/99