Garlic Chive Pesto Irish Soda Bread

Cinnamon rolls? Nah. Who knew that soda bread could be rolled, filled, sliced and baked like this? Until recently, I didn't.

But soda bread makes the perfect foil for a number of fillings. On this particular day there were fresh, piquant garlic chives at the farmer's market begging to be bought. How could I resist? 

Garlic Chive Pesto 

1/2 cup walnuts 

1/2 cup parmesan cheese 

1 large bunch garlic chives 

1/4 teaspoon salt 

dash pepper 

olive oil  

Place the walnuts and cheese into the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the cheese and walnuts are combined and have reached a small crumb size. Add the chives, salt, and pepper and process until combined. With the processor running, add olive oil in a thin stream until the pesto reaches the desired consistency—like a thick paste. Serve immediately or refrigerate. 

Garlic Chive Pesto Soda Bread 

450 g flour 

1 scant teaspoon baking soda 

1 teaspoon salt 

300 ml buttermilk 

Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C/Gas Mark 7. Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a large bowl. Make a well in the center of the flour mixture and add the buttermilk. Using your hands, mix the dough until it's combined—the dough will be thick. Turn the dough out onto a floured surface and knead lightly into round. Roll the dough into a large rectangular shape, about 1/2" thick. Spread 3-4 large spoonfuls of chive pesto onto the dough to within about 1/2" of the sides. Beginning on one of the long sides, roll the dough into a cylinder shape. Cut 1/2" rounds and place into a round, greased baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown. Brush lightly with olive oil when still hot from the oven. 

These rolls make a wonderful accompaniment to a simple salad but wouldn't it be more fun to share them? Inject a little bit of Ireland at your next potluck and let me know how you like them! 

Come again! 

Irish Soda Bread with Ramps

Here on the east coast of the United States, ramps (allium tricocca, or wild leeks) are in season. Ramps originated in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains, but they grow from there northward as far as Canada. A ramp is not the same plant as a ramson (allium ursinum, or bear's garlic); ramsons do not grow wild in the United States. Now that we have that out of the way, let's make some soda bread.

This recipe was largely inspired by Donal Skehan's recipe for Wild Garlic Irish Soda Bread. Since ramsons are not available to me here in the U.S., I substituted ramps. Although ramps are indeed wild leeks, they have a distinct garlic flavor that I knew would work well in this bread. The garlic flavor is so pronounced in fact that most people say you can "smell ramps before you see them". I've foraged for ramsons in Ireland and have found that to be true of them, too. Clearly, ramps and ramsons are closely related.

To make this bread using ramps, simply follow Donal's recipe and substitute the ramsons with about five ramps.

I'll be travelling to Ireland soon and am hoping there are a few ramsons left in the wild while I'm there. I'd love do some baking with them. In the meantime, I'm happy with the American counterpart—the ramp—and how it's transformed this bread. It's lovely toasted with some good Irish cheddar melted on top, but I think my next step may be to use it as a base for a savory bread pudding. You'll have to come back for that recipe! 

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A Springtime Stroll

Over St. Patrick's weekend, I did a little baking, but it was also a good time for get out for a bit of a dander. Or, as we'd call it here in the States, a stroll. I took these photographs at Green Spring Gardens—a favorite place of mine to visit in the spring.

I'll be back in the kitchen this weekend baking up something to share...in the meantime, hope you're enjoying springtime where you are. 

Come again...