Lickity Split St. Patty's Day Party
March 17, 2005

The true Irish find it hysterical the way Americans celebrate St. Patrick’s Day: green beer, goofy decorations, corned beef and cabbage diners. But holidays and a reason to cheer are always important-- especially a holiday that falls in March when cabin fever is at pitch peak.

You can pull together a quick party by going authentic Irish: mix some Guinness Stout beer with some pale ale to whip up a traditional “Black and Tan” celebratory beverage. It is delicious and loaded with nutrients. (This is the beverage that new Irish mothers receive postpartum to restore vigor and get the breast milk flowing!) Make a pot of tea, for the kids and serve it with milk and sugar. While you are sipping on that, fry up some thick sliced bacon and preheat the oven. Mix together one of the fast Soda Bread recipes below.

Hearty and versatile soda bread can handle anything you might like to serve, from butter and jam, to flowing egg yolks, to dense pates- it’s fabulous and easy! This bread is great all by itself, too- I’m thinking it must have inspired the old Irish proverb “I don’t even butter my bread, I consider that cooking.” So keep it easy,and Erin Go Braugh!

Traditional Irish Soda Bread
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine 3 and one half cups of flour with one half teaspoon each of sugar, salt, and baking soda. With clean hands, knead in 2 cups of buttermilk (or fresh milk spiked with 1 tablespoon of vinegar.) You can add 1 cup of raisins and/or 2 tablespoons of caraway seeds if you like.  The dough will be sticky, so carefully mold it into a mound and place on a baking sheet dusted with cornmeal. Score it with an “X” in the top of the dough and bake for 35 minutes or until it sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Irish Brown Soda Bread
Follow the same directions above, except combine 2 cups of whole wheat flour with 1 cup white flour and one half cup oatmeal flakes; then add remaining dry ingredients. Omit raisins and caraway seeds.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008