When I met Markipedia, he used to raise his glass and say, “Sláinte va!” which he knew was a toast, but not whence it came, other than from an anthropologist friend.
One of our multilingual friends once told him it was Russian, but we are pretty sure she was thinking, “Nasdarovje.” They sound enough alike, right? Not so much; maybe it was just Mark’s pronunciation?
But the toast “sláinte” is actually an Irish Gaelic toast to “good health. “Sláinte va” is the Scottish Gaelic version, and with this revelation, Mark recalled that his anthropologist's friend’s heritage was Scottish.
Now that we are settled there, let’s talk about Irish soda bread. After all, it’s March and St. Patrick’s Day looms.
I never much liked soda bread when I was growing up... it was always dry and generally flavorless, with too strong a flavor of baking soda.
Then, when dining with our friends Anne and Vance, Anne served Vance’s Cousin Margaret’s Irish Bread and my mind was changed.
This has to be the most flavorful and moist bread I have had, and I am grateful to Cousin Margaret (and Anne and Vance) for the recipe.
You will be grateful, too!
Sláinte!
~ David
Cousin Margaret’s Irish Bread
1 cup raisins
1 cup currants
4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
5 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon caraway seeds
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
l to 11/2 cups of milk
1 egg (beaten)
3/4 cup butter, melted *
* Cousin Margaret used margarine.
Preheat the oven to 350°F.
Heat the raisins and currants in warm water** for about 15 minutes to soften, then drain them. Mix the dry ingredients and add the raisins. Then add 1 cup milk, the egg and melted butter – you may have to add a little more milk to make a stiff dough.
Turn dough onto the counter and knead to form cake to fit into a greased 10-inch casserole or round baking pan. Your pan or casserole should be about 2 to 3 inches high. I used a springform pan
“Prick” the bread all over with a fork or knife before putting it in the oven.
Bake about 50 minutes or until golden on top.
Makes 1 10-inch loaf.
** I am not averse to soaking them in some Irish whiskey…
Labels: irish bread, irish soda bread, st. patrick's day
