Irish Ham and Soda Bread

Hello, all.

Here's some more recipes I found, modified to utilize what I had in the cabinet, and served for St. Patrick's Day. There have to be a million Irish Soda bread recipes online, but judging from what research I've done this is the most "traditional." I've included it here for convenience. I also made Irish cheesy potato soup, but that is going to need some more work before it comes anywhere near this blog. Enjoy!

Irish Ham

1 medium to large ham (The one I used weighed about 6lbs and had the bone in).
1 cup sugar
2 tsp ground cloves
3 cloves garlic
3-4 bay leaves
1 large onion

1. Submerge the ham in cold water and soak for two hours prior to cooking. While it's soaking, add the rest of the ingredients to a pot of water and slowly heat until it's barely boiling.

Note: The original recipe says you're not supposed to boil the ham, but I don't feel comfortable eating the meat unless I see bubbles throughout the cooking process. Therefore, I did bring my water slightly above a simmer. I just paid attention to make sure the water never reached a rolling boil.

2. Rinse the ham under running cold water and carefully submerge in boiling water. Cook 20 minutes per pound and preheat oven to 375°F.

3. Remove ham from pot and place in baking dish with a 1/2cup - 1cup of juice. Bake for 20 minutes or until the ham is thoroughly cooked.


Soda Bread

4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups buttermilk

Combine all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and slowly add buttermilk until the dough is moldable. Lightly knead on a lightly floured surface and shape into an 8in circle.  Cut a 1/2in deep cross in the top and bake at 425°F for 45min or until top is golden brown. The crust will be hard, but the inside will be delicious.

I like to serve it sliced with a side of room-temperature butter mixed with honey.