Irish Potato Soup
Irish potato soup has many regional variations. All are tasty, filling and typical of a country that depended on the potato for its daily food. In coastal parts of the country, mussels, cockles and clams were frequently used. When the season was good and vegetables were plentiful, most of these soups were rich, nourishing vegetable broths.
Ingredients
- 1 kg potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 large onions, sliced
- 90g. (3oz.) butter
- 5 cups water
- 3 tablespoons mixture of finely chopped parsley, thyme and sage
- pinch of pepper & salt
- 2 tablespoons of cream
- 1 ¼ cups milk
- 2 tablespoons chopped chives or mint
Method
Sauté the potatoes and onions in the butter for approximately 15 minutes but do not brown.
Place them in a large saucepan, add water, herbs, salt and pepper and simmer for approximately 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
Puree the mixture in a blender or food processor.
Transfer to the saucepan, add the milk and bring to the boil.
Serve hot, garnished with cream and the chopped chives or mint.
Irish Soda Bread
Farmhouse style bread in Ireland is tasty and while most of it is baked with yeast, Soda Bread, made with bicarbonate of soda, is the best-known Irish bread specialty. It is essential to use buttermilk or sour milk to get the true flavour, however, if fresh milk is used 1 teaspoon of cream of tatar should be added to dry ingredients.
Ingredients
- 6 cups flour
- ¼ tablespoon bicarbonate of soda
- ¼ tablespoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk or sour milk
Method
Pre heat the oven to 200 degrees celsius.
Mix all dry ingredients in a basin and make a well in the centre.
Stir in the milk vigorously. If necessary add more milk, but the mixture should not be too thin.
On a floured board flatten the dough into a circle approximately 4 centimetres thick
With a floured knife make a cross in the dough.
Place the baking sheet into the preheated oven for approximately 40 minutes.
Brown Irish Soda Bread may be made as above but using 500g of whole-wheat flour and 250g plain white flour - a little more milk may be required to mix the dough.
