Recipes: Spring ahead with a bit o’ green

We’re thinking spring with all its colors and delights.

Surely there’s no better way to welcome the season than with the festive spirit of St. Patrick’s Day. The holiday offers more than just a reason to wear green — it’s an invitation to indulge in delicious Irish dishes and enjoy lively local parades. From the savory comfort of corned beef and cabbage to the aroma of freshly baked soda bread, bring some Irish charm into your home and indulge in the flavors of the season.

Surely you’ll want to partake in those most quintessential Irish foods. Let’s start with Irish Soda Bread, the tasty quick bread that everyone enjoys and is quite easy to make. It gets its name from the baking soda used as a leavener, instead of yeast.

From traditional to modern twists — including a muffin version — there’s a recipe for every taste to make part of your repertoire.

Classic Irish Soda Bread

• 3 cups pastry flour blend or unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• Heaping 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup currants or raisins
• 1 tablespoon caraway seeds, optional
• 1 large egg
• 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
• 4 tablespoons butter, melted

Topping:

• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1 tablespoon coarse white sparkling sugar

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x5 loaf pan.

In a large bowl, whisk together the pastry blend or flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants, and caraway seeds.

In a separate bowl, or in a measuring cup, whisk together the egg and buttermilk (or milk and yogurt).

Quickly and gently stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients.

Stir in the melted butter.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan. Draw your finger around the edge of the pan to create a “moat.”

Drizzle the bread with the 1 tablespoon of milk; the moat will help prevent the milk from running down the sides of the loaf. Sprinkle with the coarse sugar.

Bake the bread for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean; the interior of the bread will measure 200°F to 210° on an instant-read thermometer.

Remove the bread from the oven, loosen its edges, and after 5 minutes turn it out onto a rack to cool.

Cool completely before slicing. Wrap airtight and store at room temperature.

Serve with hot tea and organic jam, Irish stew, traditional Irish cabbage dishes, or enjoy on its own!

Irish Soda Bread Muffins
• 1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 cups currants (first choice) or raisins
• 1/2 to 2 teaspoons caraway seeds, to taste
• 1 large egg
• 1 cup buttermilk, yogurt, or sour cream
• 6 tablespoons butter, melted; or 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• sparkling white sugar, for topping

Preheat the oven to 400° F. Lightly grease a standard muffin pan; or line with papers, and grease the papers.

In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, sugar, currants or raisins, and caraway seeds.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk (or equivalent) and melted butter (or equivalent).

Quickly and gently combine the dry and wet ingredients; honestly, this won’t take more than a few stirs with a bowl scraper or large spoon. As soon as everything is evenly moistened, quit; further stirring will cause the muffins to be tough.

Spoon the batter into the prepared pan, filling the cups about 3/4 full; the stiff batter will look mounded in the cups. Top with sparkling white sugar, if desired.

Bake the muffins for 20 minutes, until a cake tester inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Remove them from the oven. Tip the muffins in the pan, so their bottoms don’t get soggy. Wait five minutes, then transfer the muffins to a rack to cool. Serve them plain, or with butter and/or jam.

Corned Beef and Cabbage Soup

All the familiar flavors of corned beef and cabbage are loaded into this hearty soup, which is rich with barley for extra warmth and comfort.

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 carrots, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth (or beef broth or ham broth)
• 1 pound raw corned beef in pickling juices, diced
• 2 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 cups cabbage, shredded
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 cup barley, optional

Heat the oil in a large sauce pan over medium-high heat, add the onions, carrots and celery and cook until tender, about 3-5 minutes, before adding the garlic and cooking until fragrant, about a minute.

Add the broth, corned beef, potatoes and cabbage, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the beef is tender, about 1-2 hours.

If using a slow cooker, optionally implement Step 1 before throwing everything into the slow cooker and cooking on low for 8-10 hours or on high for 2-4 hours.

Options: Replace the potatoes with celeriac or cauliflower or add 1/2 cup barley.