Mouth watering moments
When st. Patrick's Day rolls around, it seems there's a wee bit o' the Irish in most of us. Parties, get-togethers and family dinners wouldn't be complete without a meal of corned beef and cabbage, so why not try something different and combine these two ingredients in a soup, served with some good oldfashioned Irish soda bread.
Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup
Use leftover cooked corned beef or
deli corned beef in this flavourful
soup.
Serves 6 to 8.
Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 cup sliced celery
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 pints chicken broth
1 1/2 cups chopped or julienne-cut
carrots
1/2 small head cabbage, coarsely
chopped, about 4 to 5 cups
1/4 cup pearled barley
1 small bay leaf
1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
1/2 teaspoon dried leaf thyme
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black
pepper
2 to 2 1/2 cups diced cooked corned
beef, about 10 to 12 ounces
1 can (14.5 ounces) tomatoes, diced,
undrained
Salt, to taste
Method
Heat butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add onion and celery; sauté, stirring frequently, until tender. Add garlic and continue cooking for 1 minute. Stir in chicken broth, carrots, cabbage and barley. Add the bay leaf, parsley, thyme, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer for 45 minutes. Stir in corned beef and tomatoes; increase heat and return to the boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer, uncovered, for 15
Nutritional value per portion: Calories 704, Cholesterol 83mg, Sodium 1038mg, Potassium 3070mg, Carbohydrates 112.2g
Irish Soda Bread
Serves 6
Ingredients
100% wholemeal flour – 3 cups
Plain white flour – ˝ 1 cup
Bread soda – 1 level teaspoon
Baking powder – 1 level teaspoon
Pinch of salt
1 Egg
Pint of buttermilk
Greased baking tin
Method
To make traditional Irish brown soda bread, first place all the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with your fingers allowing the air to pass through the mixture. Mix for a couple of minutes and then make a well in the middle of the mixture. Break egg into bowl, add buttermilk and whisk. Then pour this mixture into the well in the dry ingredients, holding back a small amount. Mix until all combines (the mixture should be quite wet). Pour mixture, or dough, into a greased baking tin and, if you like, sprinkle with some sesame seeds or poppy seeds, which brings a lovely appearance to the loaf when cooked. Place in a preheated oven, 150/160 for 55-60 minutes. Check if the loaf is cooked by inserting a skewer into the loaf, if the skewer is completely dry when removed the bread is cooked. Remove the loaf from tin (it should sound hollow when tapped) and allow to cool.
Top Tips
A little drop of Guinness can be added to the buttermilk/egg mixture, which darkens the bread and introduces a yeasty flavour. A small bit of brown sugar can also be added.
Nutritional value: Calories 82, cholesterol 5mg, Sodium 113mg, Total Carbohydrates 15.8g, Protein 1.9g
