KerriansKitchen

KNR, p. 139 “Irish Brown Bread”

 

Ireland is a fabulous place to visit from Spring right through early Fall. The country has plenty of top-notch scenery, challenging golf courses, stud farms, and castles galore. And, it has all that really great food. Sheila and I had loads of fun going from tea room to pub to restaurant, sampling traditional Irish dishes.

The one constant at lunch wherever we went was the dense brown bread. It varied slightly in taste with different bakers, but it was usually served with soup or at afternoon tea, with jam, butter or honey.

Of course, when we came back to the States, Sheila and I created our own version of the bread so that we could serve it on St. Patrick’s Day. Yes, it is on the table with the soda bread, giving our guests a chance to try both. To be clear, Sheila does the baking and I do the tasting and cleanup. We make a great team in the kitchen.  🙂 

5.0 from 1 reviews
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Irish Brown Bread

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Course Bread
Cuisine Irish
Servings 6

Equipment

  • 1 4”x 8” loaf pan
  • 1 Standing mixer with dough hook
  • non-stick cooking spray

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 3 Tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 Tablespoons cold butter
  • 2 3/4 cups stone ground wholewheat flour, plus additional Tablespoons if needed
  • 1/4 cup regular or quick-cooking rolled oats
  • 1 1/2 cups buttermilk

Instructions
 

  • In a mixing bowl, blend all-purpose flour, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and sea salt. 
  • Cut in butter until mixture forms pea sized crumbs. 
  • Stir in whole wheat flour and oats. Add buttermilk, using bread hook if available.  If mixture is sticky, add in more whole wheat flour, 1 Tablespoon at a time, just until the dough has a smooth, dry surface.
  • Place dough ball on a lightly floured board and knead 6-7 times, shaping into a loaf. Spray 4”x 8” loaf pan with non-stick spray and place dough in the pan.
  • Bake at 400 until golden brown, about 45-50 minutes. Test for doneness with metal skewer.
  • Remove from pan immediately and cool on rack. Let rest for 10-15 minutes before slicing.

 

Serve with butter, jam, or honey and enjoy!

 

*Photo by Patti Phillips

 

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KNR, p. 286 “Puttanesca Sauce” (Staten Island Gravy)

Our good friend and enthusiastic cook, Chin Bawambi, sent us a recipe for Puttanesca Sauce. Sheila and I followed the recipe and it’s a WOW! We took the photos before and after taste-testing and tried it with pasta as well as beef and chicken dishes. We can honestly say it’s a truly versatile sauce. Guarantee: no bodies were found anywhere on the premises while cooking. Sheila tells me that I did fall asleep on the couch with a satisfied smile after dinner, though. I believe her.

Puttanesca Sauce (Staten Island Gravy)

Chin Bawambi
5 from 1 vote
Print Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Total Time 2 hours 30 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian

Equipment

  • Crock-pot

Ingredients
  

  • 1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes with basil
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 teaspoon powdered or minced garlic
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes with basil, garlic, oregano
  • 1 heaping Tablespoon capers
  • 1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
  • 1 2 oz can anchovy fillets in olive oil
  • 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon Montreal steak seasoning (or to taste)

Instructions
 

  • Turn crock-pot on high.
  • Place crushed tomatoes, sea salt, oregano, and garlic in crock-pot.
  • Drain diced tomatoes and add to crock-pot.
  • Drain and mince capers, add to crock-pot, and blend.
  • Finely chop olive slices, add to crock-pot, and blend.
  • Pour olive oil from the anchovy can, plus the two Tablespoons of olive oil, into the crock-pot, keeping the anchovies in reserve.
  • Finely chop anchovies and add to crock-pot, blending in.
  • Add Montreal steak seasoning.
  • Stir all ingredients thoroughly.
  • Cook on high for 30 minutes, stir and drop temperature to low.
  • Cook an additional 45 minutes, stir again and check for flavor. If needed, add more steak seasoning to taste.
  • Cook for an additional hour.
  • Serve while hot or let cool for a bit and refrigerate up to a week in glass jars.
  • Serve with pasta, poultry, veggies, or meats.

Notes

Yields 48 ounces. We pour the sauce into Ball/Mason jars and refrigerate up to a week if not serving it right away.
Keyword Sauce

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KNR, p. 282 “Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Bars”

If there are no paragraph separations in this recipe, please double-click on the title to create a more readable version.

By now, you know that we love pumpkin in soup, smoothies, cookies, or other desserts. The flavor works well with several different spices and even complements chocolate.

This year, Sheila has been experimenting with ways to make a foolproof pumpkin bar. She tried a few recipes developed by some pretty famous people and found them to be too sweet or too complicated. She finally threw up her hands and created her own.

As always, I was the taste-tester. I might have gained a pound or two while I chomped away on the samples.

 

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake Bars

Sheila Kerrian
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 5 Tablespoons cold butter
  • 1 cup pecans, chopped fine
  • 8 ounces softened cream cheese
  • 3/4 cup sugar
  • 1/2 cup canned pumpkin
  • 2 extra large eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1.5 teaspoons ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 350.
  • Combine flour and brown sugar.
  • Cut in butter until crumbly.
  • Stir in finely chopped pecans, then set aside 1 cup for topping.
  • Lightly butter sides and bottom of 8-inch square baking pan.
  • Press remaining crumb mixture into the bottom of the pan.
  • Bake at 350 for 15 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven and let cool.
  • While the crust is baking, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth.
  • Beat in the pumpkin, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, and nutmeg, and pour the mixture evenly over the crust.
  • Sprinkle with set-aside crumb mixture.
  • Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown and puffs up in the center.
  • Cool on wire rack and cut into 9 bars.

Notes

May all your holiday snacks be delightfully delicious!

 

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