Mississippi Mud Cookies

You know, Ireland's got plenty of mud too... and, incidentally, oats. But somehow these close cousins of the English "flapjack" still have a nostalgic taste of our original home. DH gets a hankering for these every once in a while-- usually late at night when we have nothing sweet in the house and neither of us wants to undertake a lengthy baking project. They were more a part of his childhood than mine, but I am not one to argue when any recipe begins with chocolate. After some hunting around online I found a recipe that does not rely on peanut butter, because my dear daughter is allergic. That said, once the cookies were cooled and ready to eat I mashed a walnut half into the top of mine and it was delightful.

I reduced the white sugar from 2 cups in the original recipe to 1 1/2 cups but it still tasted like slightly too much. Next time I will cut it to 1 cup and perhaps use dark brown sugar instead of white. Also one COULD replace the butter with coconut oil. That is something to try next time around as well, though there is absolutely nothing wrong with the butter version!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

3 cups rolled oats

6 Tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup flaked coconut

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Bring sugar, milk and butter to boil. Boil for 2 minutes and remove from heat.
2. Stir in cocoa and vanilla. Stir in remaining ingredients to coat well.
3. Drop onto waxed paper by the tablespoonfuls. Cool and enjoy!

Creamy Coconut and Yellow Split Pea Soup

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 carrots, chopped

2 leeks, chopped

2 Bay leaves

1 cup yellow split peas, rinsed and picked over

8 cups (1.9 L) vegetable stock

1 medium zucchini, chopped

1 small head cauliflower, chopped

2 cups coconut milk

cayenne pepper, to taste

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat the oil in a large pot on medium heat. Add the carrots, leek and Bay leaves. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

Add the peas to the pot. Stir and cook for another 5 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock. Stir well. Bring the soup to a boil and reduce it to a simmer. Simmer the soup, partially covered, for 45 minutes or until the peas are tender.

When the peas are tender, using a whisk, whisk the soup to try to break up the cooked peas. Add the zucchini and cauliflower to the soup. Using a spoon, stir well, bring the soup to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, cover and simmer the soup for 15 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender.

Add coconut milk, cayenne pepper, salt and fresh ground black pepper to the soup. Serve.

Apple Crumble

It's apple season, and for the first time ever I live somewhere where it seems every friend and neighbor is burdened with an overabundance of apples from the trees that grow on their land. We have been generously gifted with baskets and baskets of apples. When I ask what variety they are, even from our familiar farmer at the farmer's market, I get a puzzled look and the response, "I don't know, regular old Irish cooking apples." But one Irish cooking apple will taste more tart than the next, and they aren't all bad for eating either. Most are green and speckled with the kind of imperfections unknown to the American supermarket. But I have come to love these homely, nameless apples. And while I've made a few American apple pies out of them already and have gotten that craving under control for now, it seemed a good time to combine these local flavors with the other staple of Irish cookery, the oat.

Ingredients:

1 c. brown sugar (I used maple sugar, a Trader Joe's import)
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. flour (I used spelt flour for a heartier taste)
1/2 c. butter, melted
3 c. apples, peeled, cored and chopped
1/2 c. white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon


Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease an 8-inch square pan.
2. In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, oats, flour and butter. Mix until crumbly. Place half of crumb mixture in pan. Spread the apples evenly over crumb mixture. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon and top with remaining crumb mixture.
3. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.

Vegan Chocolate Cake

Earlier this year I was in a low-residency teacher training course where a group of us would drive form all corners of this isle and converge on a farm/intentional community for the weekend and have a bunch of intensive talks/workshops. I loved this group of people and miss them dearly now that the course has concluded. Part of my warm memories from these course weekends are the foods that people brought to share. My friend Liz soon become known for this vegan chocolate cake she brought each time. "Vegan" might imply that it is healthy, but it really it is still full of sugar and chocolate, just minus the eggs. It is kind of decadent in a way that sneaks up on you. After the second or third slice, one realizes the light, airy vegan cake is actually quite an indulgence but by then the sugar is doing its magical work. Also it is incredibly quick and easy to make, so a late night sugar jones can be quelled within a half an hour.

Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups plain flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 cup warm water
1 teaspoon salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp vanilla essence 

Mix all together electric mixer great to get rid of all the lumps. Bake at 200 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes (approximately).  Check with a knife. If mixture is still wet leave in the oven a few more minutes.

Irish Brown Bread

After two years of living here I am starting to develop an appreciation for soda bread. Vivienne has loved it from the start, gobbling up the obligatory slices that accompany any order of soup in any restaurant in the land. Often it is the type of bread served as toast as well, and it is always an option when ordering a sandwich. What can I say, I am a yeast-lover through and through. Give me a crusty, gooey baguette any day of the week, but in the interest of health, and seeing the gift of the family-secret recipe bestowed upon me by my doctor, I decided to try making my own. The four year old loved helping with this because it is a mushy dough to mix with the hands. And it makes the house smell good. And it is nice, hot out of the oven, smothered in Irish butter. With some local smoked salmon and my homemade potato-leek soup, you might forget we are mere "blow-ins."

2 kg wholegrain wheat flour
2 oz. wheat bran (also optional to add, wheat germ, oat flakes, nuts)
2 Tablespoons baking soda

2 oz. sunflower oil
2 eggs
1 carton (1 liter) buttermilk

Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celcius. Mix first 3 ingredients together in a large bowl. Make a little well in the center of the dry ingredients and incorporate the next 3 (wet) ingredients. This can be mixed with hands. Dough should be rather wet and sticky. Yogurt may be added if more moisture is needed. Once all the dry ingredients are incorporated, transfer dough into 2 floured loafpans. Bake for approximately 1 hour.

Makes 2 loaves.

Thai Laksa (Noodle Soup)

package of Thai rice noodles, 400 g
(280 g) 1 package firm tofu, cubed
800 ml coconut milk
2-3 tsp Thai red curry paste
4 tsp nam plaa (fish sauce)
500 mls chicken or veg stock
2 Tablespoons oil, sesame or sunflower
50 g fresh bean sprouts
1 cup fresh coriander
6 stalks spring onion, finely chopped
2 head of napa cabbage
juice of 1-2 fresh limes, plus additional lime wedges for serving
2 red bell peppers, thinly sliced
1 package of fresh mushrooms (shitake, oyster)
2 cloves garlic, pressed


Place noodles in pot of coiling water for 8-10 minutes. Rinse with cold water when cooked and set aside.

Bring coconut milk to a gentle boil on medium heat. Add red curry paste and nam plaa. Stir. Add chicken or vegetable stock and reduce to simmer.


Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat. Stir fry cabbage, garlic, onion, mushrooms and bell peppers for about 5 minutes or until soft but still bright in color. Add bean sprouts and tofu and stir fry for another minute or two.


Assemble soup by adding stir fry mixture and noodles to the pot of simmering broth. Add fresh lime juice and stir through. Remove from heat. Top with fresh cilantro and serve.


Makes 4 servings.

Savory Crepes

Last night the only fresh vegetables in the house were tomatoes and arugula (rocket). I never think to make savory crepes, but the wee one was over the moon for them (may have been the taco-like delivery system). Sauteed up the arugula and tomatoes with some thyme picked from the garden, and once the crepes were freshly made, put some grated cheddar cheese into each to melt up with the veg mixture. Simple and good. This recipe makes 8 large crepes.

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk, divided use
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus whole butter for cooking crepes

Directions

Whisk together the flour, eggs, 1/2 cup milk, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Continue whisking until you have a smooth batter. Add the remaining cup of milk and stir well to combine. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill the batter for at least 30 minutes or several hours.

Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Just before you are ready to make the crepes, whisk in the melted butter. The batter should be the consistency of heavy cream; if it is too thick, add milk slowly while whisking constantly until it is the right texture.

Heat a 9-inch non-stick skillet or crepe pan over medium heat. Melt a teaspoon of butter in the pan or spray with vegetable spray and heat the pan until a drop of water "dances" across the surface.

Using a ladle or a measuring cup with a lip, pour about 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan. Hold the pan with 1 hand and pour the batter in with the other. Swirl the pan while pouring so that the batter covers the pan thinly and evenly for each crepe. Pour off any excess batter. Try not to leave any holes. After the first few crepes you will know exactly how much batter your pan will hold.

Cook the crepe over medium-high heat until the edges turn brown, about 15 seconds. Flip the crepe using a small spatula and your fingers. Cook on the second side for another 10 to 15 seconds. The second side will not be as evenly browned as the first side. Remove the pan from the heat and invert it over a warm plate to stack the crepes. Keep warm until ready to use. Continue making crepes with remaining batter, adjusting the heat as needed.

If not using immediately, place a square of waxed paper between each 1, place in a resealable plastic bag and store in the refrigerator. Crepes can be refrigerated for up to 2 days or frozen for several months. Reheat uncovered in a low oven (250 degrees) for 15 minutes or until warm. Fill with your favorite filling.

Minestrone Soup

Needs a bit of tweaking. Didn't have the tomato paste so broth was a bit watery. But threw in a rind of parmesan to cook some extra cheesey richness into it and that I will do again.

Ingredients: 

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 6 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 cup thinly sliced Savoy cabbage
• 1/4 cup tomato paste
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped basil
• 2 large stalks of celery, sliced
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 1 can chopped tomatoes, with their liquid
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained
• 1 cup dried fusilli pasta
• 1 can cannellini or white beans, drained
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Method: 

In a large stockpot, heat oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and onions and cook until translucent. Add broth, cabbage, tomato paste, parsley, basil, celery, carrots, bay leaf, and tomatoes with their juice and cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Add chickpeas, pasta, and beans and simmer for another 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. 

Ladle soup into bowls and serve with Parmesan cheese sprinkled over the top.