Recipes

Irish Soda Bread

6 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons cornstarch

2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 ½smilies cups buttermilk

]]> Note: No yeast is necessary in this dish… never has been in real Irish Soda Bread. Craig, my assistant, and I worked a long time on this recipe to get something that reminded me of the bread that I’d had while touring in Ireland as a student. I really believe that we are very close to the loaves offered the families in this country by our Irish immigrant grandmas. Also, baking powder and cornstarch are unusual in an "authentic" Irish Soda Bread be aware that in most recipes and sugar is considered optional.

Preheat oven to 375° F.
Add all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl and mix very well. Pour all of
the buttermilk into the bowl at once and stir, using a wooden spoon, just
until a soft dough is formed. Do not try to make it smooth at this point. Pour the contents of the bowl out onto a plastic counter and knead for a minute or so until everything comes together.
Divide the dough into two portions and shape each into a round loaf, pressing the top down a bit to just barely flatten it. Place the loaves on a large ungreased baking sheet. (I like to use the nonstick kind.) Sprinkle some additional flour on the top of each loaf and, using a sharp paring knife, make the sign of the Cross in slashes on the top of each.
Allow the loaves to rest for 10 minutes and then bake on the middle rack of the oven for 40 minutes, or until the loaves are golden brown and done to taste. Cool on racks.

Makes 2 loaves

Hot Cross Buns

1 cup scalded milk
¾ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ cup sugar
3 cups flour
2 tablespoons butter
1 egg

½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup raisins stoned and quartered
½ yeast cake dissolved in
¼ cup lukewarm water
¼ cup currants

]]> Add butter, sugar, and salt to milk; when lukewarm, add dissolved yeast cake, cinnamon, flour, and egg well beaten; when thoroughly mixed, add raisins, cover, and let rise over night. In morning, shape in forms of large biscuits, place in pan one inch apart, let rise, brush over with beaten egg, and bake twenty minutes; cool, and with ornamental frosting make a cross on top of each bun.

Garlic Bread

½smilies pound butter
½smilies pound margarine
1 cup parsley, chopped

8 to 12 cloves garlic, minced
½smilies cup Romano cheese (optional)

]]> Soften butter and margarine to room temperature. Mix and fold in parsley, garlic and cheese. Spread on long loaf of French bread cut in thick slices. Place on hot grill until toasted.

Cheese Blintzes

Shell:
2 cups flour
¼ cup sugar (go lighter, use less)
2 large eggs

½ tsp. vanilla
milk (only to thin to rolling consistency)

Filling:
equal amounts of cottage and farmers cheese

1 tbsp. sugar (go easy)
1/4 tsp. vanilla

]]> Roll out shell 4x6" about to an oval. Fill with large tablespoon 2" long, 1" wide. Keep dough dry or it will stick together.

Focaccia Bread

2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon white sugar
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme

½ teaspoon dried basil
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mozzarella

]]> 1 In a large bowl, stir together the flour, salt, sugar, yeast, garlic powder, oregano, thyme, basil and black pepper. Mix in the vegetable oil and water.
2 When the dough has pulled together, turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, and knead until smooth and elastic. Lightly oil a large bowl, place the dough in the bowl, and turn to coat with oil. Cover with a damp cloth, and let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes.
3 Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Punch dough down; place on greased baking sheet. Pat into a 1/2 inch thick rectangle. Brush top with olive oil. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese.
4 Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Yields 1 focaccia/12 servings

Bagles

1 cup very warm water (110 to 115 degrees, not steaming)
½ tablespoon yeast
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon molasses
½ teaspoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon salt
2 cups bread flour (plus about 2/3 cup to incorporate while kneading)
1 ½ tablespoons sugar (for water bath)
cornmeal (for dusting)

]]> 1. Combine the warm water and yeast in a medium bowl and stir until the yeast is dissolved. Be sure the water is not too hot, or it may kill the yeast.
2. Add the corn syrup, molasses, and oil to the bowl and stir thoroughly. Add the salt.
3. Pour the 2 cups of bread flour into the bowl and incorporate it with the other ingredients.
4. Sprinkle a little of the reserved flour over the dough in the bowl and turn it out onto a surface that has been dusted with more of the reserve flour (depending on your climate you may not have to use all of the reserve flour, but you will surely use most of it). The dough should become very smooth and elastic, dry to the touch, and not tacky. You will have to knead for 6 to 7 minutes to get the right consistency.
5. Put the dough back into the bowl or another container, cover, and let it rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes. The dough should double in size.
6. Punch down the dough and cut it into 4 even portions. Working with one portion of the dough at a time, form the dough into a ball. Turn the edge of the dough inward with your fingers while punching a hole in the center with your thumbs. Work the dough in a circle while stretching it out and enlarging the center hole so that it looks like a doughnut. The hole should be between 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Place the 4 portions of shaped dough onto a greased board or baking sheet, cover (a clean towel works well), and allow the dough to rise for 20 to 30 minutes. The dough should nearly double in size.
7. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
8. Fill a medium saucepan 2/3 full of water and bring it to a boil. Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar to the water.
9. Working with one bagel at a time, first enlarge the hole if it has closed up to less than 3/4 of an inch. Be careful not to overwork the dough at this point or it won't have the proper consistency. Drop the bagel into the water, cover the saucepan, and boil for 20 seconds. Flip the bagel over, and boil for another 20 seconds. Immediately take the bagel out of the water with a slotted spoon, let the water drip off for about 10 seconds, then place the bagel onto a baking sheet that has been dusted with cornmeal. Repeat for the remaining bagels. Be sure the bagels do not touch each other.
10. Bake the bagels for 26 to 30 minutes, or until they are light brown.

Makes 4 bagels.

Dutch Apple Cake

1 cup scalded milk
2 ¾ cups flour
1/3 cup butter Melted butter
1/3 cup sugar
5 sour apples
1/3 teaspoon salt

¼ cup
1 yeast cake
½ teaspoon cinnamon
2 eggs
2 tablespoons currants

]]> Mix first four ingredients. When lukewarm add yeast cake, eggs unbeaten, and flour to make a soft dough. Cover, let rise, beat thoroughly, and again let rise. Spread in a buttered dripping-pan as thinly as possible and brush over with melted butter. Pare, cut in eighths, and remove cores from apples.

Press sharp edges of apples into the dough in parallel rows lengthwise of pan. Sprinkle with sugar mixed with cinnamon and sprinkle with currants. Cover, let rise, and bake in a moderate oven thirty minutes. Cut in squares and serve hot or cold with whipped cream sweetened and flavored.

Health Food Muffins

1 cup warm wheat mush
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ yeast cake

¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup lukewarm water
2 ¼ cups flour

]]> Mix first four ingredients, add yeast cake dissolved in lukewarm water, and flour; then knead. Cover, and let rise over night. In the morning cut down, fill buttered gem pans two-thirds full, again let rise and bake in a moderate oven. This mixture, when baked in a loaf, makes a delicious bread.

Date Bread Varient
After the first rising, while kneading, add two-thirds cup each of English walnut meats cut in small pieces, and dates stoned and cut in pieces. Shape in a loaf, let rise in pan, and bake fifty minutes in a moderate oven. This bread is well adapted for sandwiches.

Date and Walnut Loaf

¾ pound pitted dates
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 ½ cups + 3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon allspice

¼ teaspoon ginger
2 tablespoons butter, room temperature
1 ¼ cups sugar
2 small eggs, lightly beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 ½ cups coarsely chopped toasted walnuts

]]> Preheat oven to 350º F. If dates are not already chopped, chop them coarsely. There should be about 2 1/2 cups. Put dates in a mixing bowl. Blend baking soda and boiling water. Pour this hot mixture over the dates.

Sift together flour and spices and set aside. Put butter and sugar in bowl of electric mixer and blend. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Start beating on low speed while alternately adding flour mixture and the dates with their liquid. Add walnuts and blend well. Butter a 9 x 5 x 2 3/4- or 3-inch loaf pan. Pour in batter and place in oven. Bake about 1 hour 10 minutes.

Crepe II - Basic Crepe Recipe

4 eggs
1 cup flour
½ cup milk

½ cup water
½ teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons melted butter

]]> Measure all ingredients in to blender jar; blend for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides. Blend for 15 seconds more. Cover and let sit for 1 hour. (This helps the flour absorb more of the liquids.)
Makes 12-14 crepes.

Recipe Variations
For a Sweeter crepe: add 2 teaspoons sugar and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
For a Chocolate crepe: add 2 tablespoons chocolate sauce to sweet crepe recipe

Crepes

2 c Flour
2 tb Sugar
2 lg Eggs

2 c Milk
2 tb Oil, cooking

]]> Combine the flour, sugar, eggs, and milk and beat until smooth. The resulting batter should be the consistency of thin cream.

dd oil to the batter and mix lightly.

Grease an 8-inch crepe pan or frying pan lightly with butter and heat until the butter is quite hot but not burned.

Ladle about 1/3 cup (or a bit less) of the batter into the pan and rotate the pan to spread the batter evenly. Cook the crepe until it looks firm and is lightly browned at the edges (about 1 minute) then turn the crepe over with a thin spatula or your fingers and cook the other side for about 30 seconds.

Grease the pan with a bit more butter about every other crepe, or when the crepes begin to stick.

Repeat until the batter is gone.

Serving Size: 12

Cream Scones

2 cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
4 teaspoons baking powder
4 tablespoons butter

2 teaspoons sugar
2 eggs
1/3 cup cream

]]> Mix and sift together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Rub in butter with tips of fingers; add eggs well beaten (reserving a small amount of unbeaten white) and cream. Toss on a floured board, pat, and roll to three fourths inch in thickness. Cut in squares, brush with reserved white, sprinkle with sugar, and bake in a hot oven fifteen minutes.

Cranberry Bread

2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated sugar
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

¼ cup unsalted butter
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon grated orange zest
¾ cup orange juice
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, chopped

]]> Into a large bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and soda.
Cut in the butter until the mixture is crumbly. Add egg, orange zest and orange juice all at once. Stir just until the mixture is evenly moist. Fold in
the cranberries. Spoon the batter into a greased 9x5x3-inch loaf pan. Bake
at 350 degrees F. for 1 hour and 10 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean. Remove from pan and cool on wire rack.

Corn Bread

¼ smilies cup sugar, sifted
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups flour
3 teaspoons baking powder

¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 ½smilies cups milk

]]> Note: Tommy Ryan credits the consistent excellence of Durgin-Park's corn bread to a women called "Cornbread Helen," who had worked in the kitchen for twenty-five years when he arrived in 1960. "She gave me the recipe, and I didn't change a thing," he says. "Although she used to make it in big stone crocks. Today we put the batter into baking pans to cook it." How does the batter get into the pans from the big vat in which it was made? Baker Martin Gonzales scoops it out with his hands and splashes it straight into the baking pan.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a bowl mix the sugar and the beaten eggs. In a separate bowl sift flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the flour mixture to the egg mixture. Add the cornmeal, melted butter, and milk. Beat just enough to mix Pour into a 8x12x1/2-inch-deep baking pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. This makes one pan full, which cuts into 20 squares.

Makes 20 servings

Core Pizza - The Sauce

1 small (6 oz) can of tomato paste
olive oil
1 small onion, chopped fine

4 cloves garlic, chopped or pressed
1 tsp fennel seed
herbs and pepper and salt
fluid (see below)

]]> This sauce is a rich and flavorful example of a "Core American" sauce, and it's another favorite. Every now and then, I get in the mood for this, instead of the lighter New York sauce. Note that this recipe makes enough sauce for leftovers, unless you like a very strongly sauced pizza! It is a very bold sauce and should not be overused. "Paint" the crust with it; don't drown it. The rest can be frozen for later use. Here's how to make it:

Saute the garlic and onion together until the onions are well cooked. Add the fennel, tossing quickly over the heat, then add tomato paste. Add herbs, pepper, and salt to taste.

What you'll have at this point is a rather thick glop. It must be thinned with some kind of fluid. Another point of personal choice is upon us. A bold red wine is one way to go; this makes a sauce that is likewise very agressive and flavorful and truly memorable. Some find the flavor a bit too strong, however, so you may wish to experiment with a bit of water or milk along with the wine. Milk can be used entirely, in fact, and a very yummy, much milder sauce results. If you have a heavy hand with the herbs, milk is a good choice. I've been known to toss in a bit of vinaigrette to confuse people, too. It adds nicely to the flavor. Optionally, a bit of honey or sugar can be used to cut the acid of the tomato flavor.

Note that, when you use wine, cooking out the alchohol is optional!

The Sauce - Simple

A few tablespoons of canned, crushed tomatoes
A sprinkling of whole or crushed fennel seed
herbs and pepper and salt
The sauce that I like best is a good deal more "New York style" than it is "Core America." The Core American sauce is a simmered sauce with lots of flavor, and is provided below as Sauce Version II. This sauce is the kind that you'll find on the best pizzas in my Native Homeland - which is to say, the grey-skied stretch of coastal states known as the U.S. Eastern Seaboard, in the corridor of towns stretching from Richmond to Boston. There, in little Greek and Italian pizzerias, you'll find the good stuff, and part of the secret is the sauce.

And the secret is that it's no "sauce" at all - simply crushed tomatoes from a can, spooned onto the crust directly and then sprinkled with fennel, a few herbs, and salt and pepper, to taste. Before sprinkling, spread the tomatoes evenly around the circle of dough with a wooden spoon, your fingers, a spatula, or (for the avant-garde) a live gerbil (wear gloves; they scratch). This sauce is light and full of bright, tomato flavor. It can be put on thin or thick, as you like it.

That's it. That's the whole sauce, honest. Move on.

Note: Canned tomatoes? Very definitely. In addition to being an economic necessity in the pizzerias that made this sauce famous, canned plum tomatoes are simply the best for sauces. The tomato varieties available fresh (in the United States, any way) aren't great "sauce tomatoes," although they make excellent additions, as a topping. That's the way Queen Margherita had her pizza "sauced," after all - with fresh tomatoes only. But we can have the best of both worlds. To use fresh tomatoes as a topping, chop or slice them and place them directly on the sauce, before any other ingredients.