Irish soda bread, cookies can make you feel green

St. Patrick’s Day is once again approaching. While to many St. Patrick’s Day is an occasion to eat corned beef and cabbage, and drink the day away, my family continues to celebrate by making Irish soda bread and cookies.

Irish soda bread originated in Ireland in the 1830s. It quickly became popular due to its simplicity and cost-effectiveness. It did not use yeast, and only four ingredients were required: flour, salt, baking soda, and sour milk or buttermilk. It did not even require an oven as it could be baked in a pot over a fire.

There are many varieties of Irish soda bread. In the United States, additives such as sugar and raisins became popular for a bit of sweetness.

I usually try out a new recipe every year, but regardless of which one I try, I always add raisins. This particular recipe called for raisins, but did not say to soak them. I still decided to soak them as I like how the raisins get so much juicier. This step is not necessary and can be skipped if you’re short on time. Golden raisins or regular raisins have been used.

The method of making Irish soda bread is similar to making biscuits. Make sure to work in the butter as evenly as possible. Also, after the buttermilk and egg are added, try not to overmix the dough. Obviously, the flour needs to be incorporated, but avoid overhandling. As I said in my previous column, if you think the dough needs just a little more mixing, it’s probably just fine.

Irish soda bread can be enjoyed warm or cold, plain, or with butter, jam or both. My favorite way to enjoy it is with butter and strawberry jam.

St. Patrick’s Day pistachio cookies are also a new recipe I tried this year. My sister has the cookbook “Cooking with the Saints.” She saw this recipe and suggested I try it.

If I had to describe these cookies in one word, that word would be “interesting.”

Pistachio cookies are definitely not your average cookie. They have some unique ingredients and are thus unique as well.

They have several green ingredients such as avocado, pistachio pudding and ground pistachios, and turn out a nice green color.

They are pretty simple to make and can be made in a food processor, although I just used a fork. They also have an interesting texture, kind of spongy and moist, and despite having sugar and pistachio pudding mix, they are not overly sweet.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day.

Francesca Ullmer, the second child of a large homeschooled family, is from the Krakow area. She enjoys baking, reading, knitting, raising goats, and entering numerous items in the Oconto County Fair.

IRISH SODA BREAD

1 3/4 cups buttermilk

1 egg

4 1/4-4 1/2 cups flour

3 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

6 tbsp. cold butter

1 cup raisins

Place raisins in a small bowl, cover with water, and let sit for at least 15 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a 10-12 inch cast iron skillet with parchment paper or lightly grease the bottom. (If you don’t have a cast iron skillet, you may use a baking sheet or cake pan similarly lined with parchment paper or greased.) Whisk the buttermilk and egg together. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Cut the cold butter into small cubes and work into the flour mixture with a fork, pastry cutter or your hands, until the butter is pea-sized crumbs. Mix in the drained raisins. Add the buttermilk and egg mixture and fold together gently. Dust a flat work surface with flour and place the dough on top. Gently and quickly work in a little flour until dough is not too sticky and the dough forms a loose ball. Quickly transfer the ball to prepared pan. Using a sharp, serrated knife, score 1/2-1 inch deep X on the surface of the dough ball. Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until golden brown, and center of the loaf appears done — top of loaf will be dry. Check loaf after 30 minutes and tent with aluminum foil if it is browning too quickly. Remove from oven and let cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY PISTACHIO COOKIES

1/2 ripe fresh avocado

1/4 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup applesauce

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup whole milk

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

2 3.4 oz. packages instant pistachio pudding mix

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. salt

2/3 cup pistachios, shelled and ground

1 cup flour

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Line baking sheet with parchment paper. Mash the avocado and butter together until smooth. Add the applesauce, cinnamon, sugar and milk. Mix until combined. Mix in the egg and vanilla. Stir in the pudding mixes, baking powder and salt. Add the ground pistachios and flour; mix until smooth. Drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared pans. Bake for about 20 minutes, or until bottoms of cookies start to brown. Let cookies rest on pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.