Adapting Irish Traditions
Our founder playing a snare drum while marching up Fifth Avenue with the Manhattan University Bagpipe band in the St. Patrick’s Day Parade in New York City.
While Italian food is one of our passions, as we have gushed about recently with Italian cuisine reaching UNESCO status, this time of the year, with St. Patrick’s Day looming, is when we think of and honor Irish traditions as well.
Irish food and recipes is what our founder, Sheila Donohue, grew up with, having parents proud of their 100% Irish heritage which they imparted on their 4 children. As our founder’s life, somewhat unexpectedly, veered off to Italy where she is still living after 25 years, the “new” Italian side of her has become predominant.
Although, having played in a bagpipe band for years, marching up 5th Avenue in New York City every Saint Patricks Day for years, when March 17th rolls around every year, there is a magic in the air for her, bringing back fond memories of her Irish heritage and the celebrations that ensue.
Leading up to St. Patrick’s Day, what was one thing all the Irish moms, grandmothers and aunties were doing?
Making their Irish Soda Breads.
While growing up in an Irish American family, almost the entire month of March you’d be eating Irish Soda bread. Every Irish American family has their own recipe: some are sweeter, made more as a dessert bread, while others are more salty, made with less sugar and practically the only sweetness coming from raisins.
Then, there is the super traditional, “real” Irish soda bread which is “Brown Bread.” This is what Sheila’s grandmother, who was born in Ireland, made. And when you go to Ireland, and sit at a pub, Irish Brown Bread is the one that they serve with your meal. Either way, both are soda breads, just different variations of the same recipe. Let’s explore more of this Irish tradition.
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
The Donohue family Irish soda bread recipe, handed down.
Sheila Donohue’s brother rang her up last year to get the family recipe for Irish soda bread. Sheila got out the “archives” to find this hand written recipe she took down from her mother, a recipe that is practically memorized by her and her sisters.
Sheila’s mom, who was a working mother with 4 kids, looked for shortcuts in her recipes and preferred breads that didn’t require yeast, hence the beauty of soda breads. They are easy to make and really fill you up. In fact, her first trip to Ireland as a kid with her family, Sheila remembers eating entire meals of Irish soda bread with butter and tea with milk; in fact, Ireland is also known for their rich, fresh dairy products.
When Sheila’s sister came to visit her in Ventura California last year to celebrate her birthday last year, which is right after St. Patrick’s Day, Sheila decided on a menu which encompasses her Irish heritage and “adopted” Italian heritage: an Roman vegetarian soup with a side of Irish Brown Bread and Italian olive oil.
So, Sheila and her sister went about transforming the family recipe to an Irish brown bread recipe. The basic ingredients were the same, but instead of white flour, they used whole wheat flour, and substituted molasses instead of sugar, and didn’t add raisins and caraway seeds.
The experiment was a success! Nothing like having fresh, homemade bread, but even better when it is a special family recipe that is then made as part of a whole meal. The adaptation to mix in Italian and Irish food traditions worked. Irish brown bread with EVOO is delicious, and more healthy, alternative compared to butter. And it complimented the Italian soup recipe really well.
Other alternative toppings for Irish brown bread which mix Italian and Irish traditions is to spread on a hazelnut cream or try it with a savory hazelnut pesto spread.
Line Up The Accompaniments!
Put aside the butter and jam and get some really good Italian olive oil to dip into with your Irish brown bread. Or try some hazelnut spreads, from hazelnut creams to a pesto.
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Irish Brown Bread Recipe
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hour
Preparation
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl.
3. Cut up butter into small pieces and mix together with dry ingredients. Make a well.
4. Beat eggs. Add buttermilk and molasses and mix all wet ingredients together.
5. Pour liquid mixture into dry ingredients and knead with your hands until forms a dough with all flour absorbed.
6. Place bread dough onto a baking sheet lined with butter. Form sign of a cross with a knife. Brush top of dough with flour
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. It’s done once toothpick comes out clean.
Ingredients
4 cups of whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
6 tbls butter, softened
2 eggs
1 cup buttermilk
2 tbls molasses
Makes 1 loaf
Try pairing with a really good EVOO made for drizzling.
Olive Oil For Bread
From the hills of Abruzzo near the Adriatic Coast of Italy, comes this Organic EVOO, or Extra Virgin Olive Oil, farmed and made by the Febo family. Farmed sustainably and organic, this natural extra virgin olive oil is also vegan and, like all evoos, a first run - cold press olive oil, the best kind of olive oil for you.
The 2024 harvest is still made from a blend of olives like leccino and 500 year old trees, but now it is mostly the dritta cultivar.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic
Fun Facts: The dritta cultivar is a rare one being saved by Davide Febo who is trying to save and rehabilitate it.
This is an olive oil, super food for super foodies. This is small production organic & vegan extra virgin olive oil made primarily from a rare local cultivar from the area of Macerata Italy called Piantone de Mogliano. The buttery flavors and taste of this organic EVOO so inspired the family behind Quercia Scarlatta farm and winery in Le Marche Italy to name it ‘our gold’, or Il Nostro Oro.
Hand harvested and milled at the family’s farm, a first run, cold press evoo, this olive oil’s aromas remind you of stepping into a garden full of fresh green beans with a whiff of black pepper. Likewise, tasting it is like having fresh green beans with black pepper and butter, thanks to its buttery texture. Black pepper continues on the finish.
This organic extra virgin olive oil comes in a 3 liter container, made for following the Mediterranean diet to a tee!
This is a woman made, limited production first cold press organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil from the Maremma hills of Tuscany made from a blend of four Tuscan cultivars. Buttery deliciousness with a bitter kick at the end, thanks to its polyphenols. It has won gold medals in a competition which judges the best extra virgin organic olive oils from around the world.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
A prestigious first cold press monocultivar organic extra virgin olive oil from the Maremma hils of Tuscany which has won best organic extra virgin olive oil from Tuscany! Its polyphenols which are used to determine how good an olive oil is, are exceptionally high!
Top awards include extra gold, as best Tuscan organic EVOO by Biol Novello which evaluates the best olive oils in the world. In the past this olive oil has also won Best in Italy, as well as Gambero Rosso 3 leaves (their highest rating).
Its aromas of grass, green pepper and mint lead to an intense hot pepper taste and a long finish with black pepper lingering in your mouth. Even just a little drizzled over a simple lettuce salad will bring it to life with flavor.
Farming & Winemaking Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No additives | Unfiltered | Organic | Metodo Corino
Fun Facts: The natural farming method that produced this extra virgin olive oil, the metodo corino, is actually patented by La Maliosa woman winemaker Antonella Manuli after she helped to develop it with natural wine legend Lorenzo Corino of Case Corini.
Hazelnut Creams
Simple three ingredients: hazelnuts, salt, and pepper, yet packed so full of flavor! This is a great all-purpose sauce to keep in your kitchen, as an alternative to your usual pesto as a pasta sauce, but more, like add it to your favorite salad. This truly tastes like you are eating salted hazelnuts, just in a creamy, pesto form. Made in the shop of woman artisan farmer Silvia Martini.
How We Enjoy This Food: As a pasta sauce, especially with Hazelnut Flour Pasta
Farming Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No Additives | Organic | Gluten Free
Fun Facts: Try this as your next sandwich spread instead of mayonnaise.
Silvia calls this “Crema di Nocciola Black” as this is likened to a dark chocolate hazelnut cream. It’s a great creamy spread for those who prefer dark chocolate. Thanks to extra cacao powder, it has a more chocolatey taste with more of a bitter-dark chocolate type flavor when compared to other hazelnut creams. Made in the shop of woman artisan farmer Silvia Martini.
How We Enjoy This Food: Much the same as the Gianduja cream, use as a Nutella alternative.
Farming Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No Additives | Organic | Gluten Free
Fun Facts: Same ingredients of Silvia’s Gianduja, but just different ratios of sugar and cacao for a slightly different taste.
Thick, creamy, spreadable, we love to use this instead of peanut butter! A product quite on its own, it has slight differeneces from all of the other hazelnut creams made by artisan farmer Silvia Martini. Sweet like the Praline cream but without the caramel undertones, thick like the Black and Gianduja but with no cacao powder, this is a great product to enjoy by the spoonful, or on your next PB&J. Made in the shop of woman artisan farmer Silvia Martini.
How We Enjoy This Food: Use as a sweet peanut butter alternative
Farming Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | No Additives | Organic | Gluten Free
Fun Facts: Same ingredients of Silvia’s Gianduja, but just different ratios of sugar and cacao for a slightly different taste.
This is a unique, sweetened hazelnut cream which woman farmer and creator calls “Pralinato di Nocciole” which translates to Hazelnut Praline Cream. It has a full-on flavor of the best hazelnuts on the earth, which are “Nocciola Piemonte I.G.P.” delle Langhe, the strictest appellation in the world to determine hazelnut quality. Well balanced, with the nutty aromas, rich taste and just the right amount of sweetness, with a touch of caramel flavor. It is really to die for! This is thanks to the careful, organic farming and production method of woman artisan farmer Silvia Martini. In fact, she actually blends Silvia Martini’s Candied Hazelnuts to make this incredible nutty and sweet spread.
How We Enjoy This Food: Spread it on toast in the morning for a wonderful treat to start your day. Or, bakers out there, us it as a filling in pastries and baked books, use as a sweet peanut butter replacement
Farming Highlights: Regenerative Agriculture | Sustainable Farming | Biodynamic | Vegan | No Additives | Organic | Gluten Free
Fun Facts: One of Barolo winemaker Aldo Clerico’s favorite hazelnut spreads.