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Via: Right Cuisine Food and Travel

By Beth Shaw

Irish Soda Bread is actually a broad term for a lot of different types of bread made in Ireland. The Irish used bicarbonate of soda (baking soda) rather than yeast as the leavening agent for their breads, thus it became known as soda bread. There are basic recipes that can be added to and modified to make all sorts of fancy breads with nuts or fruit, or just a basic hearty, healthy bread. A basic recipe for Irish Soda Bread is below.

Being from the American South, I was raised on cooking with buttermilk and in iron skillets. I’m pretty sure that Southern traditional method of cooking came from our Irish ancestors. That would seem the case when looking at how the Irish cook soda bread. Even though you can use other liquids, buttermilk is what is recommended. And even though there are several methods of cooking the bread, cooking it in an iron skillet is the preferred method.

The basic bread recipe is below. You can use different types of liquids, flour and add fruits or nuts to make it as different as you want to make it.

Irish Soda Bread Recipe

Ingredients:

* 3 1/2 cups flour (either cake flour or all-purpose)
* 1 teaspoon sugar (optional: I prefer it without the sugar)
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda (baking soda)
* Between 8-10 fluid ounces milk or buttermilk (I prefer buttermilk)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Put large cast iron skillet into oven to preheat.

Sift all dry ingredients together. Put dry ingredients into large mixing bowl and make a well in the center. Pour a portion (about 3/4s) of the buttermilk (or whatever other liquid you are using) into the well.

The texture you are trying to achieve is very soft and squishy. Its okay for there to be lumps as long as they look dry and floury and are very squishy when you poke them.

Blending the dry ingredients with the liquid should be done quickly. When you feel you have a good consistency, then turn the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead. Don’t over-knead! You shouldn’t knead more than 15 seconds to a minute. You are just mixing the ingredients, not trying to get a smooth ball of dough. Its okay if its sticky. The more you knead, the tougher the bread will be. The less you handle the dough, the better your loaf will be.

Mold the dough into a domed circle (remembering to handle it as little as possible). Place it in the lightly floured, hot cast iron skillet. Using a very sharp knife, cut a cross in the top of the circle of dough. The cuts should go about halfway down through the sides of the circle of dough. This allows the dough of expand properly.

Place the bread into the preheated oven. Bake at 450 degrees for 10 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees and cook another 35 minutes.

If you want a softer crust, then wrap the cake in a clean cloth while it is still hot. For a crunchy crust, put it on a rack to cool.

Note: There are lots of variations that can be added to make this bead fit for about any occasion. Adding nuts, raisins, peppers, cheese, chocolate or fruit are just a few of the optional modifications.

Via: blogs.creativeloafing.com

Make your favorite Chili’s entree at home.
by Leslie Green

When my husband was building our house 10 years ago, we lived here and there during construction. So needless to say I didn’t have a kitchen to cook in. We ate out 2-3 times a day (crazy, I know). I got extremely familiar with the menus from just about every restaurant known to man.

This dinner is my take on Monterey Chicken from Chili’s. And to be honest it tastes better, because its not some mass produced this and that delivered from Sysco, mindlessly cooked and slapped on a plate.

Recipe after the jump:

CHEESY BBQ CHICKEN BAKE
Serves 4

4 boneless, skinless organic chicken breasts
8 slices of bacon, cut in half
1 onion, caramelized
1 bottle of BBQ sauce (or similar amount of homemade)
Cheese (I used the cheddar and colby jack shredded cheese blend)

1. Place chicken breasts in large zip lock bag and pour enough BBQ sauce in bag to cover the chicken. Marinate them in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
2. Preheat oven to broil HI, with rack four inches from heat
3. In a large oven proof skillet (I used my trusty cast iron skillet), over medium heat, saute chicken until mostly done, about four minutes per side.
4. Cover chicken is BBQ sauce, onions, cheese and bacon (amounts are up to you, just make sure bacon is on top).
5. Place pan in the oven and broil until the bacon has crisped up, about 5 minutes, or until the chicken reads 165 on an instant read thermometer.

No need to go out to eat. Just make it yourself. No gas, no bitchy waitress, no spit in your food, nothing floating in your drink, no tipping. Oh wait, that gives me a great idea. I think I am going to put a tip jar in my kitchen.

Via: canada.com

Apples are available year round but the new crop of fall apples, in the stores right now, are especially delicious — juicy, crisp and at their peak in flavour.

After a trip to the market, we were inspired to create some simple-to-make apple dishes. In both these recipes, we employed the use of calvados, a dry apple brandy, hailing originally from Normandy, in northern France. You can easily substitute fresh-pressed apple juice but you won’t have that warm wonderful taste that only a good brandy can provide.

PUFFED APPLE PANCAKE

MAPLE BAKED-APPLES

Both recipes and how to make these yummy dishes you can find here

Here is a little bit about the history of cast iron cookware…  If you read the whole article, you will find an apple pecan cobbler recipe at the bottom.  If you don’t know much about cooking with cast iron cookware, you also might want to have a look at Cooking in Cast Iron: Yesterday’s Flavors for Today’s Kitchen to get some ideas.

Via: HoumaToday.com

(…)

Cast iron is basically iron that is poured into a mold to create some useful implement. Cast-iron pots and pans are made in this way. Pots and cauldrons were originally made from brass because iron could not be worked, until furnaces creating heat enough to melt it were invented (about 513 B.C. in China and not until 1100 A.D. or so in England).

At this point, pots could be made by making molds out of sand and pouring molting metal into the mold.

The original cooking pots generally had three legs because they were designed to be used over an open fire. Cooking in the home was done in the hearth or fireplace. Stoves with tops for cooking did not come into common usage until the 1700s. This allowed tremendous advancement in cookware, especially cast-iron cooking when pots and pans began to be made in mass quantities.

By 1776, Adam Smith, in his book, “The Wealth of Nations”, could note that the actual wealth of the nation was not its gold, but in its manufacture of pots and pans. Cast-iron cookware was highly valued in the 18th century. George Washington’s mother thought so much of her cookware she made special note to bequeath her cast iron in her will. In their expedition to the Louisiana Territory in 1804, Lewis and Clark indicated that their cast-iron Dutch oven was one of their most important pieces of equipment.

In the 1800s, cast-iron cookware enjoyed tremendous popularity. Manufacturers that arose during that time include Wagner, Lodge, Griswold and John Wright. Some of these manufacturers are extinct today. In the late 1800s, enameled cast-iron cookware became popular and is still commonly used for Dutch ovens. In the 1900s, cookware made from other materials began to become popular, stainless steel, aluminum and pans with Teflon coatings. Today, cast-iron cookware, because of its many qualities and questions about the health effects of other metals, is experiencing a resurgence in popularity. Cooking in cast iron is known to greatly increase the dietary source of iron.

This is especially true when cooking foods high in acid, such as tomato-based sauces. There is less of an effect for foods that are quickly fried in the skillet. As you might expect frequent stirring of food also will increase the amount of iron. Cooking in cast iron can often provide all of this element that a body needs.
HOW TO SEASON CAST-IRON COOKWARE

Seasoning is the process of allowing oil to be absorbed into the iron, creating a nonstick, rustproof finish.

* Wash with hot, soapy water and a stiff brush. Rinse and dry completely.

* Oil the cookware (inside and out) with melted solid vegetable shortening.

* Turn upside down on the top rack of a 350-degree pre-heated oven.

* Put aluminum foil on the bottom rack to catch any excess drippings.

* Bake the cookware for one hour at 350 degrees.

* Let the cookware cool slowly in the oven.

* Store, uncovered, in a dry place when cooled.

Read the whole article

Via: Inside Bay Area

Serves 10

The key to sauteing mushrooms is to have adequate heat and not crowd them in the pan. This allows them to caramelize, which concentrates their flavor.

1 large russet potato

1 pound fresh chanterelle mushrooms, cleaned

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped

10 large eggs

¼ cup heavy cream

2 teaspoons white truffle oil

½ cup grated parmesan

Unsalted butter, as needed

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, as needed

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel the potato and slice to ¼-inch thickness. Heat a 10-inch cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and melt enough butter to coat the sliced potatoes.

2. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and coat them with the butter. Place whole skillet in the oven, and roast potatoes until tender, about 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, saute the chanterelles in a small amount of butter (you may use half olive oil if you’d like), in a large frying pan over high heat. Saute until the juices are released and reduced to a thick sauce, and the chanterelles have begun to caramelize. Remove the chanterelles from the heat; season with the chopped garlic, thyme, salt and pepper.

4. Whisk the eggs with cream, truffle oil, salt and pepper. To assemble the frittata, arrange the potatoes
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in a tidy layer that covers the bottom of the skillet. Add the chanterelles on top of the potatoes in another tidy layer. Pour the egg mixture over the chanterelles, making sure the tops of all of the mushrooms are moistened.

5. Sprinkle the parmesan over the top of the egg mixture. Bake the frittata until the eggs are completely set and the edges are golden, about 30 minutes. Let the frittata rest for about 5 minutes. Using a thin spatula, gently and carefully remove the frittata from the pan onto a cutting board. A long serrated knife works well for slicing.

Calories ect per serving

Via: The SouthtownStar

Be sure to serve this light, baked pancake from Lou Seibert Pappas’ “A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash” as soon as it comes out of the oven. Cast-iron skillets work particularly well with baked pancakes.

SAUTEED APPLE-PUMPKIN OVEN PANCAKE

4 large eggs

2/3cup canned pumpkin

2/3cup whole milk

2/3cup all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/8teaspoon salt

11/2 teaspoons cinnamon, divided

4 tablespoons packed light brown sugar, divided

3 tablespoons butter, divided

4 large apples, peeled, cored and cut into3/8-inch slices

Powdered sugar, for dusting

Heat the oven to 425 F. Place a large cast-iron skillet or a 10- or 11-inch round souffle or casserole dish in the oven to heat.

In a blender, combine the eggs, pumpkin, milk, flour, vanilla, salt, 1 teaspoon of the cinnamon and 2 tablespoons of the brown sugar. Blend for a few seconds to just mix the ingredients. Scrape the sides and blend again to incorporate. Set aside.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter. Add the apples and saute until just tender, about 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 tablespoons of brown sugar and1/2 teaspoon of the cinnamon. Stir to coat the apples, then remove the skillet from the heat.

Remove the cast-iron skillet from the oven and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, tilting to coat the bottom.

Spoon the sauteed apples over the bottom of the cast-iron skillet. Pour the batter over the hot apples, then bake until puffed and golden brown, about 20 to 25 minutes. Dust with powdered sugar and serve immediately.

Start to finish: 40 minutes (15 minutes active)

Servings: 6 to 8

(Recipe adapted from Lou Seibert Pappas’ “A Harvest of Pumpkins and Squash,” Chronicle Books, 2008)

Copyright 2008 Associated Press