Irish Staples

There's a joke about Irish cuisine that a seven-course meal in Ireland would involve a six-pack of Guinness and a potato. Funny, sure, but it's far from true (well, actually, how far depends on who's cooking). While culinary sophistication might get in the way of the real charms of Irish fare, one can achieve beautiful results given the proper and fresh ingredients and some tender care. As a dual citizen with Ireland, I am proud to stand up for Guinness, potatoes, lamb stews, and all those less-stereotypical Irish dishes.

One cannot avoid the staples however. I share with you my mother's brown bread recipe, one of surely thousands of variations across Ireland. She herself has a variety of brown breads, but this is the go-to for Christmas and Easter. It's great with Irish butter (available at Whole Foods) or topped with smoked salmon (first spread crème fraîche or quark, then top with capers and diced red onion).

Irish Brown Bread

Preheat oven to 425ºF. Grease a loaf pan with butter.

Sift with a sieve into a bowl:

1 cup wheat flour

1 cup unbleached flour

Add, then mix:

3 tsp baking powder

2 pinches bread soda

1 cup bran

1 pinch salt

1 pinch sugar

Whisk together in a separate bowl:

1 egg

1-1/4 cups milk

Slowly, in batches, add egg-milk mix to dry ingredients, stirring to incorporate.

Bake at 425ºF for 10 minutes. Then bake at 350ºF for 45 minutes.