Chef Wise

Soda bread is a very easy thing to make compared to most bread, as you do not have to worry about yeast to much. All you have to do is not get your dough to wet or to dry. That can be easier said than done as it all depends on your flour but my advice is follow this recipe and  then add a little more liquid if you think you need to . The ingredients you will need are 170g/6oz self-raising wholemeal flour 170g/6oz plain flour ½ tsp salt ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda 290ml/½ pint buttermilk A dash of milk if needed Sift the fours and the bicarbonate of soda altogether in to one bowl. Make sure that you get a nice even mix then make a well in the middle of the flour. Pour the buttermilk in to the well and using a fork or your mixer, work the liquid quickly in the flour forming a nice firm dough. The dough needs to be soft but not wet and sticky, if it is to stiff then add some more milk and work that in. Once you have formed your dough turn it out on to...

Of all the brands that you can think of when thinking of beer you must have this in the top ten if not the top five. It must be known at least in every country of the world , and if not a lover of the beer you must have sat and wounded at the adverts thinking what is this all about. Now for normal young men of my generation you went from cider to larger then bitter, I went cider Guinness bitter. In its straight sided glass with a black beer and white cream head, and gold lettering it just looked so good. And so it should it was one hell of a product.  Arthur Guinness started brewing ales from 1759 at the St. James's Gate Brewery in Dublin , Ireland . On 31 December he signed a 9,000 year lease at £45 per annum for the unused brewery. After there was no looking back, Ten years later he exported his first six and a half barrels to England and it expanded exporting more and more  to England .In 1868 the business was worth over £1m., and the brewery site had gro...

I have been looking for a recipe that is so typically seems to be eluding me.  I was looking for an Irish desert but what I found was this.  Apple duff seem to have some connection with James Joyce “Ulysses” sadly a book I have never read. I do have a idea about what the book is about and I know that it covers the day in a life of a man, Leopold Bloom through  Dublin  during16 June 1904.  But the fact that it is 265,000 words long and 18 episodes I just have never got round to it.  Nevertheless, having read a number of the recipes I think I have come up with a version that will fit the ticket. You will need 4 dessert apples 50g soft brown sugar 50g sultanas Dash of lemon juice. A good pinch of cinnamon A good pinch of nutmeg 350g approx puff pastry One egg Pinch of Demerara sugar  300ml double cream Now I have read a number of recipes and some say you just sit the apple on the pastry and let it cook the others ...

You think of the Irish and you think Guinness.  Of all the drinks, that you can say has a global association it is probably the grates dark beer of them all Guinness. But what if you do not like Guinness what else could you have to partake to have a drink on St Patricks day , well here are a coupe that you could try . The four leaf clover. A powerful and refreshing blend that will give you a spring in your step. You will need 2 dashes angostura bitters The juice half a lime 25ml/1fl oz Irish whiskey 25ml/1fl oz green apple liquor Ginger beer, to top up Take a tall  highball glass and fill it with ice .  Then add angostura bitters, lime juice, whisky and apple liqueur. Top up with the ginger beer and stir to blend every thing together . Cold Irish coffee 25ml/1fl oz Irish whiskey 1 tbsp Irish whiskey liqueur 1 tsp sugar syrup 1 double espresso 1 tbsp Irish cream liqueur crushed ice Take your Irish whiskey, whiskey li...

Champ is just mashed potatoes that have some spring onions threw them.  But it can be more than that. This recipe is a little different as you bake the potato and do not boil.  This gives the potato a really intense flavour and you do not have any extra water in the mash only the flavour of the dairy products.  It is a very effective way of getting a really good flavoured mashed potato of any recipe. You will need 1.35kg/3lb old potatoes. 145ml/¼ pint milk 145ml/¼ pint cream 85g/3oz butter Salt to taste Pinch of black pepper Pinch of white pepper 1 large bunch spring onions, finely chopped First, wash you potatoes to make sure that they are free from any dirt then lay them on a try and put them in a hot oven to bake.  Now the best potatoes to use are any of the soft floury varieties such as Estima, King Edward, Maris Piper, Desiree. Once they have cooked completely then remove them from the oven...

Irish stew is like any kind of stew a little hard to pin down as a complete recipe. I have seen them with red wine and Guinness, olive oil and well all sorts of things. No I would say that to make a good Irish stew you need good Irish ingredients and for this I have chose the Irish red ale.  I have gone for beef in this recipe but you could use lamb if you like.  Now if you can get Irish beef all the better. You will need 1½kg/3lb 5oz stewing beef, cut into cubes 50g/2oz butter 50g/1¾oz flour 175g/6oz streaky bacon 12 baby onions 18 button mushrooms 12 baby carrots 1 tbsp chopped thyme 2 tbsp chopped parsley 2 cloves of garlic 425ml/15fl oz Irish red ale 425ml/15fl oz chicken or beef stock Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Take the beef and put it in a bag with the flour, shake this around so that the beef is completely covered in flour. Now you need a frying pa...