Cooking with Love

with Gianna Conte    (Jan)

Yummy yummy

Yummy yummy

Happy St. Patty's Day

Everyone is Irish today! To celebrate, we must bake an Irish Soda Bread. Back in 1980, I worked for a Mr. McCurdy at Chase Bank on 55th and Park Ave. 

I asked for an authentic recipe from his mother. I have been making her recipe since then.

Here is the recipe:

Sift together in bowl:

4 cups white flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

In separate bowl:

1 egg

1/4 cup white sugar

1 cup raisins

1 stick unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups buttermilk*

Directions:

Combine all dry ingredients in bowl. Blend well.

In separate bowl, add wet ingredients and the sugar. Add to dry ingredients, making sure it is completely blended.

Dough may be sticky, but that is OK. Get dough on greased cake pan. With knife, make a cross for good luck!

Bake in 325 degree oven in center of oven.

Bake for an hour and 20 minutes.

Check the soda bread after an hour when knife comes out dry, it's done. Depends on your oven.

*If you don't have any buttermilk, use milk, adding 1 tsp of white vinegar. Let stand. You just  created buttermilk.

Serve with butter and jam. Or serve it as your bread with corned beef and cabbage.

Thank you Mrs. McCurdy....

Here is her hand written recipe. I think of her every year.

Here is her hand written recipe. I think of her every year.

Here it is ready to go into 325 degree oven.

Here it is ready to go into 325 degree oven.

Hot out of the oven....smells delicious!

Hot out of the oven....smells delicious!



Let's get baking!


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees


 1 whole thin skinned orange, remove the stem and cut in quarters. Keep the skin on the oranges.

In a clean large food processor, add the orange quarters, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, three large eggs, 1 tsp of vanilla, 1 tsp of orange extract, 1 tbsp of Triple Sec liqueur, optional, 2/3 cup vegetable oil. 


Pulse all ingredients in the processor and then puree until mixture becomes a batter with specs of orange peel.


Add to the processor:


2 1/4 cups all purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt


Process all dry ingredients until they are entirely incorporated into the batter.


Bake in a greased and floured spring pan, using a parchment paper circle on top of the greased bottom.*


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place in the center rack of the oven.  Bake for 30-40 minutes, depending on your oven.


Remove from your oven and let it cool down completely. Dust with powdered sugar or make a drizzle of 1/4 cup powdered sugar and fresh squeezed orange until thick and smooth.  Pour onto the cooled fresh orange cake.


*if you don't have a large processor, you can use a blender.


Enjoy with some espresso and close your eyes and it will feel like you're in Sicily.