Category Archives: Around the World

Mar17

Around The World: Ireland – Barmbrack

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Around The World: Ireland – Barmbrack
Around The World: Ireland – Barmbrack

Lá fhéile Pádraig sona dhaoibh!

Happy Paddy’s day to all of you!!

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH BARMBRACK by gingerlemonandspice

 

This is actually the last recipe of Irelands feature in the Around the World, Week by Week series!

I hope you enjoyed the week, learned something new and continue to challenge your tastebuds by trying out something unknown and from a different food culture!!

 

I do have some pictures here from some of my previous trips to Ireland, so sit back and enjoy the little slideshow. Maybe I made you wanna go and visit this beautiful country now yourselves? 🙂

By the way, all the pictures are non-photoshopped, just like it was when I took them! You’ll never know in Ireland, the weather changes a lot over there 😉

 

 

As always, leave me your comments below, I need some interaction with you guys!!! 😀

 

Tell me what you think about the series, the recipes; have you made your own experiences with food, culture or people?

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH BARMBRACK by gingerlemonandspice

 

 The Irish Barmbrack bread is usually baked and eaten around Halloween time. It is full of Irish tea soaked dried fruit and spices and just tastes heavenly!!

I really couldn’t wait to have my first slice until I finished shooting, the smell was incredible and that I didn’t had breakfast yet really didn’t help either 😉

Traditionally they are several symbolic things baked into a loaf of Barmbrack:

– a coin, which meant you would enjoy good fortune or be rich
– a pea which meant the person would not marry that year
– a small piece of cloth to forecast poverty
– a stick, the person would have an unhappy marriage or continually be in disputes
– a ring, to foretell marriage within a year

Also it was important that only the baker was allowed to slice the bread and divide it amongst the people!!

As the Barmbrack has no butter in the bread itself it is served slatherd with some good Irish butter.

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH BARMBRACK by gingerlemonandspice

 

Irish Barmbrack
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Sweet Bread, Cake
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: many
Ingredients
prepare fruit (best the night before)
  • 400g dried fruit (I used raisins, dried pineapple, cranberries and mixed peel)
  • 300ml hot Irish black tea
  • 50ml Jameson Whiskey
dough
  • 250g flour
  • 125g brown sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • ¼ tsp clove
  • ¼ tsp nutmeg
  • 1 egg
  • 1 heaped tsp dried orange zest
Instructions
  1. Chop the dried fruit if necessary so that everything is the size of the raisins. Put in bowl, cover with tea and whiskey and let soak overnight. If it's too late for that, let it at least soak for an hour!
  2. Put the fruit into a sieve but save the tea/whiskey liquid.
  3. Prepare a loaf tin: coat with butter and line with a stripe of baking paper for easy lifting. Preheat oven to 170°C (325° F).
  4. For the dough put all the dry ingredients into a bowl and mix a bit with a wooden spoon. Add the egg and the retained liquid from soaking the fruit. Mix until combined. The dough should be quite wet!
  5. Now add the fruit and fold in. Be careful to not break it up too much.
  6. Put the dough into the loaf tin and bake in the oven for 1 hour.
  7. The Barmbrack is ready when an inserted wooden skewer comes out clean (no unbaked dough)!
  8. Let cool completely then slice up generously (a bread slicing machine worked perfect) put some butter on top and ENJOY!!
Notes
The Barmbrack even tastes better the next day!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH BARMBRACK by gingerlemonandspice

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

 

Bain Sult As!  Slán!

~ Kathrin

Mar15

Around The World: Ireland – Fruit Crumble

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Around The World: Ireland – Fruit Crumble
Around The World: Ireland – Fruit Crumble

 Hello everyone!

Today I have a dessert for you, a delicious fruit crumble with oats in the crumble mixture which makes it extra delicious and crispy!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - FRUIT CRUMBLE by gingerlemonandspice

Fruit crumble is something my Irish guest mother made for us on a sunday dinner, served with big slices of ice cream shaped like a cake. It was sooo delicious!! I remember that day, it was sunny and the whole family was sitting around a big table. Great memories!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - FRUIT CRUMBLE by gingerlemonandspice

I have already shared a lot of great pictures from my last trip to Ireland so I strongly recommend you pop over there and look at those pictures! I hope I can show you some more pictures of previous trips tomorrow, I’ll keep my fingers crossed.

But for now it’s FRUIT CRUMBLE TIME! 😀

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - FRUIT CRUMBLE by gingerlemonandspice

 

Don’t forget: If you have any questions about Ireland, or if you have made your own experiences with Irish food, the people, the culture or the country please leave a comment!! I would love to hear about it!

 

Fruit Crumble
 
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A simple dessert that everyone likes! Very easy to prepare, but takes some time to cook. Just put in the oven when you serve your main dish and you will have a hot, fresh end delicious fruit crumble as dessert!
Author:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 3
Ingredients
  • 750g fresh fruit (I used pears, plums and strawberries)
  • 1 tbsp sugar
  • 50g flour
  • 50g oats
  • 30g sugar
  • 50g butter, softened
  • optional: ice cream and/or whipped cream to serve
Instructions
  1. Preheat your oven to 180° C.
  2. Wash and chop the fruit into big chunks. Strawberries and plums can stay bigger, pear needs to be a little smaller, because it takes longer to cook.
  3. Put the fruit into a casserole dish and mix with 1 tablespoon of sugar (or more, if your fruit is not sweet enough)
  4. Pepare the crumble mixture: Put flour, oats, butter and sugar into a bowl and mix with a fork or with your fingers until combined. Sprinkle on top of the fruit. I like the crumbles to be in bigger chunks, so I press them together with my fingers and then put them on top.
  5. Bake the fruit crumble for about 45 minutes. If the crumbles get too dark, cover with aluminium foil.
  6. Serve with generous dollops of ice cream and whipped cream and dig in!
Notes
Some freshly cut mint tastes great on this too! Or try to put a little cinnamon or vanilla into the crumble mix for a different taste.

 Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - FRUIT CRUMBLE by gingerlemonandspice

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

~ Kathrin

 

 

 

 

Mar14

Around The World: Ireland – Irish Stew with Guinness

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Around The World: Ireland – Irish Stew with Guinness
Around The World: Ireland – Irish Stew with Guinness

Hello everyone! 

Today was quite a busy day for me, so I won’t talk much but give you this scrumptious recipe for Irish Stew!!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH STEW by gingerlemonandspice

Irish Stew is a very traditional dish and is usually made with Lamb Meat. Unfortunately I couldn’t get any this time which was very strange but what should I do – I just used Beef instead which works perfectly, too! You might have to cook it a bit longer, and the taste is a bit different, but well 😉

Also during my research I stumbled upon many many recipes for Irish Stew, all a bit different – some with leeks or cabbage – but I stuck to the primary ingredients in my version here. At least regarding the vegetables because I gave it my own twist during the seasoning part!

Please give this dish a try and tell me, if you liked it!! 🙂

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH STEW by gingerlemonandspice

 

Don’t forget: If you have any questions about Ireland, or if you have made your own experiences with Irish food, the people, the culture or the country please leave a comment!! I would love to hear about it!

 

 

Irish Stew with Guinness
 
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A very hearty, flavorful and comforting dish that takes some time to cook, but it is so worth it!
Author:
Recipe type: Meat Dish
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 2-3
Ingredients
  • 500g lamb shoulder (beef works too)
  • 1 Tbsp flour
  • 2 Tsp freshly ground pepper
  • 2 Tbsp vegetable oil (rapeseed)
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 3 bay leaves
  • small handful of fresh thyme, cut finely
  • 1 can of Guinness
  • 400ml lamb stock
  • salt, pepper, garlic powder (about 1 tsp)
  • 750g potatoes
  • 4 carrots
  • brown sugar (about 2 Tbsp)
  • optional: lemon juice
  • small handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
  1. First prepare the meat. Cut of all the white stuff you don't want to eat (sinews, fat or what ever) then cut the meat into chunks about the size of 2cm per side. Toss the meat into a freezer bag and add the flour and pepper. Blow a bit of air into the bag carefully and close it tight and shake it till all the meat is covered in flour.
  2. Take a large pot and put it on the stove on high heat. Once it's hot add the oil and the meat. When the meat starts to brown on one side turn the meat around and add the onions on top. Fry until you have a nice brown color, even on the bottom of the pot.
  3. Now add the thyme and bay leaves and fry for a minute then add the beer and the stock and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen the colored parts from the bottom. Cover with a lid.
  4. Once the liquid is hot and boiling turn down the heat to low and let it simmer for 1,5 hours. Meanwhile peel and chop potatoes and carrots roughly. At this stage I was testing the meat, if it was softening up nicely.
  5. Then add salt to season. I needed at least 3 teaspoons of salt and added more pepper and some garlic. Add the potatoes and carrots to the pot and cook for another 20-30 minutes until the vegetables are softened up.
  6. Now it is the time for the last tasting: I added the juice of a small lemon and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. Season to your own taste!
  7. The last step is to stir in the parsley and you're done!
  8. Serve generous spoonfuls in bowls and simply lean back and ENJOY! You did it!!
Notes
I made this dish in a pot on the stove, because I don't own a casserolle pan. It was no problem at all, it was fantastic! So you can do it in a casserolle if you want, or like me on the stove.

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - IRISH STEW by gingerlemonandspice

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

~ Kathrin

Mar13

Around the World: Ireland – Seafood Chowder

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Around the World: Ireland – Seafood Chowder
Around the World: Ireland – Seafood Chowder

Dia dhuit everyone! 

This is Irish for hello 🙂

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Seafood Chowder by gingerlemonandspice

In Ireland they have their own language, Gaelic or Irish. It is a very funny sounding language and difficult to pronounce if you just see the written form! Every child in Ireland has to learn Irish at school and it is still very important there! By law every sign and plaque has to be translated and names of companies such as the ‘Bus Éireann’ (national autobus company) or An Garda Siochana (which is the police) are in Irish, too. It even is very important in the law business and if there is doubt the Irish version of the law is always the legal one. The government does a lot to preserve the language and even sponsors TV programs that send only in Irish.

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Seafood Chowder by gingerlemonandspice

 

As you all know already Ireland is an island, which means fishing and eating seafood is quite popular in this country. I remember once buying and transporting a whole half side of a salmon back home to Germany, because my dad wanted to have it! Unfortunatly I had to buy it in the last city I was in (which was Killarney, I did a little backpacking tour on this trip) and the supermarket I wanted to go to because I thought it was big enough was like 2 or 3 miles outside of the city. So what did I do? Of course I walked there because I made a promise, and back walking I went with the half side of a salmon so big, that it didn’t fit into my bag. I still think the passing drivers were laughing at me 😉

In Germany eating salmon is something special. If you are at a buffett and they serve smoked salmon it’s always the first thing that’s gone! People love it, but it definitly is not an everyday food here. But when I told anybody Irish about my plan to buy some salmon to take home (I had to ask for directions!) they were all quite amused 😉 Sure they eat salmon as well, but it does not have the same status as in Germany! Quite a funny thing to notice 🙂

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Seafood Chowder by gingerlemonandspice

For today I have a Seafood dish for you, that I range in the category of soup – a very chunky one, but still 😉 Since I couldn’t really find traditional Irish salads I thought soup was a good alternitive!

This Seafood chowder has fresh salmon and haddock and smoked mackerel (which I would maybe substitute for a less fatty smoked fish when I do this again) and I even had big prawns in there. But you can use any fresh (white) fish  or add mussels if you like them (I would have, but they were only sold in 2kg packs – waaay too much for me).

It is a very delicious dish! I wasn’t sure if the flavors would work together, especially what the smoked fish does in this chowder, but it really was perfect! Traditionally it is served with a big slice of brown soda bread, but I had it with a selfmade rough sourdough bread. Scrumptious!!!

Irish Seafood Chowder
 
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A tasty chowder packed with different kinds of fish and seafood! It doesn't take too long to prepare but it is very rewarding in flavor!
Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 2
Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion
  • 50g Speck (german bacon, or pancetta)
  • 1 tbsp fresh thyme, cut finely
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 400g potatoes
  • 500ml fish stock
  • salt, ground black pepper
  • 150g white fish (haddock)
  • 200g salmon
  • 100g smoked fish (I had mackerel, but a less fatty fish would be better)
  • 2-4 fresh big prawns without head but in shell
  • 175ml cream
  • 1 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped
  • if you want: smoked salmon to garnish
Instructions
  1. Cut the onion and speck into small cubes and set aside. Peal and chopp the potatoes.
  2. Take a large pot and melt the butter in it over medium-high heat. Add the onions and the speck and fry until softened. Put in thyme, bay leaves and potatoes and fry a little longer. Add the fish stock and season generously with salt and black pepper.
  3. Let it simmer for about 15 minutes until the potatoes are nearly done while you prepare the fish. Skin and debone your fish and cut the flesh into 2cm pieces. Don't make them too small, especially the white fish because they will break up a bit in the chowder anyways.
  4. Add the white fish, salmon, smoked fish and prawns into the pot and cook gently for another 5 minutes.
  5. Take the pot from the stove and stir in cream and parsley. Be very gentle to not break up the fish too much!
  6. Serve the Seafood Chowder in bowls and garnish with smoked salmon cut into stripes or rolled up as roses!
Notes
Mussels in their shells would be perfect in this too!

Recipe adapted from Donal Skehan.

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Seafood Chowder by gingerlemonandspice

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

~ Kathrin

 

Mar12

Around The World: Ireland – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

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Around The World: Ireland – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale
Around The World: Ireland – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Hello everybody out there!

Today I’m telling you something about drinks in Ireland.

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Jameson Whiskey Drink with Ginger Ale by gingerlemonandspice

 

Well, there are a few things that come to mind immediately: Black Tea, Baileys and, of course, Guinness. 

 

It is true, the Irish drink black tea such as their favorite brand ‘Barry’s ‘ on every occation! May it be in the morning for breakfast or after any meal and in between too! They even drink it, when they come home from a late night out, before they go to bed! And if you’re going to visit a friend, you’ll probably get a cup of tea too. If you have a problem and you want to discuss it with someone, even then, you first get a cup of tea! Black tea is used as the best problem solver, reason for a social meeting and equalizer of all things, that might be out of balance in your life. And it works, even if you’re not Irish! When I’m over there for a visit I actually kind of crave it! I have taken boxes over boxes of black tea home with me but it nearly never has the same effect on me in Germany 😀 Some people drink it with milk and/or sugar, some just plain. there is no rule for that!

Baileys of course is an Irish cream alcoholic drink and especially during this time of year the food blog world is swarmed with recipes for making it yourself or using it in baking or cooking. I bet I won’t have to explain that to any of you!

And then there is Guinness. A very black, thick and strong tasting beer that is brewed since 1759 in Dublin. Of course they changed the location in Dublin with time, and there are several more brewerys all over the world now, but the first one was in Dublin. And there you can still have a look how its done because the old brewery is now the ‘Guinness Storehouse’ – a museum where you can follow every step of the brewing process. I have actually been there and hold a certificate of mastering the perfect technique to pour a glass of Guinness! 😉 This beer is actually not a drink you would order with your food, as it is quite strong in flavor and feels like being a meal on its own!

Next to the Guinness there are a lot of other different beers and drinks you can order, that might not be as popular internationally, but locally. For example: Kilkenny or Murphys or Ciders like Bulmers. Especially Whiskey is very popular in Ireland!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Jameson Whiskey Drink with Ginger Ale by gingerlemonandspice

What I have for you today is a long drink mixed with an Irish Whiskey of the Jameson Destillery. It is a very delicious and mild whiskey with a vanilla bean flavor. Actually I went on a trip to visit the Destillery’s museum in Dublin with my godchild last year and that is where I tried this long drink for the first time and fell in love!

They told us there that this was a very modern drink and it has ‘fans’ all over the world and it would be spreading even more. I guess it doesn’t have reached Germany yet then 😉 because I haven’t found it in any bars yet. But you can still get it, if you tell them what you want mixed! Or even better: Make your own!

Just scroll down for the recipe for Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale!

 

Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale
 
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A tasty and ice cold drink perfect for enjoying in the backyard on a warm evening! It is not overly sweet and the mildness and vanilla taste of the Jameson make it a perfect whiskey drink for the ladies 🙂
Author:
Recipe type: Drink
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 1
Ingredients
  • 2-4 cl Irish Jameson Whiskey
  • about 200 ml Ginger Ale
  • Ice cubes to fill about half of your glass
  • lime wedges
Instructions
  1. Just pour and put everything into a nice glass and stir a little with a straw.
  2. Lean back and Enjoy!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Jameson Whiskey Drink with Ginger Ale by gingerlemonandspice

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

~ Kathrin

Mar11

Around The World: Ireland – Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps

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Around The World: Ireland – Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps
Around The World: Ireland – Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps

Welcome to the second day of the Around the World series featuring Ireland!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Eggsalad Sandwiches with Crisps by gingerlemonandspice

In Ireland most of the agriculture is based on livestock farming, especially dairy farming. Irish dairy products such as Kerrygold Butter or cheese are greatly advertised and known internationally! As the most parts of the rural areas are grasslands, especially keeping milkcows is a good business and the milk and products of those fresh herb and grass fed animals are known for their great taste.

Another product the Irish diet is based upon are potatoes, which came to the island in the second half of the 16th century. A story says, that the people in Ireland were poor and did not have much to eat during that time but they didn’t trust the new plant and wouldn’t eat from it or eat the leaves, which are poisonous. So what the governers did was plant fields of potatoes but protect them with many guards from thiefs. Now the residents thought the plant was incredible precious and stole the plants anyway and planted their own fields. This helped the potato to become a very important ingredient of the Irish diet in a short time! But unfortunately it lead also to the big famine of the years past 1845 because of crop failures of the potato and many people died.

 

I guess because in history the people of Ireland where poor people which always had to be creative to get enough to eat on the table, the most popular dishes often are rich breads, hearty stews and soups and seafood meals. This means that there is no particular culture of serving appetizers, salads and extravagant desserts! But the food scenery in Ireland got very internationally inspired during the last years. Especially the italian cuisine is very popular!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Eggsalad Sandwiches with Crisps by gingerlemonandspice

But one thing you can find in almost any cuisine and this is some kind of snack or fast food, because sometimes there is just the need for a quick and easy meal.

The most popular Irish snack or fast food are sandwiches. You can get them everywhere – in supermarkets, at airports, bus and train stations or in pubs. It is one of the most traditional things served in pubs! And in pubs is where I recommend you to try them when you are visiting the island! There is nothing compared to a fresh sandwich, prepared in front of your eyes with whatever filling you wish and served with a generous handful of crisps at the side!

I used to only know the sandwiches that are kept in plastic package and can be bought at supermarkets for example and they are usually really dry and boring. So it took me some time until an Irish friend took me to a pub and invited me to a sandwich, and now I don’t want to miss it on any of my trips! Also if you look for it you will find several Deli stands, even in supermarkets, that also prepare the sandwiches right there when you order them. It’s such a huge difference!!

 

The recipe I have for you today is the one for a sandwich with my favorite filling: Egg Salad. Even better, if it’s accompanied by some salad leaves, cheese and fresh slices of tomato! Yummmm!!

Just give it a try, you won’t regret it! 

 

Eggsalad Sandwich & Crisps
 
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This is a delicious sandwich that's perfect for an everyday snack or light lunch! It's quick to prepare and the crisps on the side add a nice crunch to this dish!
Author:
Recipe type: Snack, Sandwich
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 2
Ingredients
for the eggsalad:
  • 4 hard boiled eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. of Yoghurt
  • 1 Tbsp. of Mayonnaise
  • 1 Tbsp. fresh finely chopped parsley
  • juice of ½ a lime
  • salt, pepper
other ingredients:
  • 4 big slices of sandwich bread
  • a handful of young salad leaves
  • 3 Tbsp. grated cheddar (preferably Irish)
  • 1 tomato in thin slices
  • 2 big handfuls of crisps (preferably Irish salt or salt & vinegar crisps)
Instructions
  1. First prepare the egg salad by peeling and chopping the eggs in chunks that are not too small. Add yoghurt, mayonnaise, parsley, limejuice, pepper and salt to the mix and stir. Taste if the mix needs more of anything! Eggs can use quite a bit of salt, so keep that in mind.
  2. Lay two slices of the bread in front of you and spread the eggsalad on them. Add the cheese, salad and tomato slices on top and cover with another slice of bread. Cut diagonally into 4 pieces and arrange them on nice plates.
  3. Put the crisps next or around the sandwiches and dig in!!

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Eggsalad Sandwiches with Crisps by gingerlemonandspice

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Breakfast – Irish Scones with Raisins

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

~ Kathrin

 

Mar10

Around The World, Week By Week: IRELAND & Irish Scones

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Around The World, Week By Week: IRELAND & Irish Scones
Around The World, Week By Week: IRELAND & Irish Scones

Hello everybody!

It has been some time, since I last posted and a lot of things have happend, but I hope you’re still out there somewhere and ready for a new week of AROUND THE WORLD, WEEK BY WEEK!!

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Irish Breakfast Scones by gingerlemonandspice

As I told you already in this post and another one including a recipe for delicious Brown Soda Bread, IRELAND feels kind of like my second home. When the plane sinks through the clouds and I get a first look of the green fields surrounded by the dark stone walls covered with blackberry bushes I feel very calm and excited all at once.

Ireland from gingerlemonandspice.com

I have been to the green isle already so many times, I just lost count –  I guess it might be around 15 times or so, but thats definitly not the final number.

It is no surprise then, that I chose this country to be the second one featured in the Around the World series!

Ireland by gingerlemonandspice.com

The Republic of Ireland is an island located in the north west of Europe and surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean. Wikipedia tells me, that the population of the isle is about 6.4 million whilst 4.6 million people live in the Republic of Ireland and 1.8 million people in Northern Ireland, which belongs to the United Kingdom of Great Britain. Especially in the south the effects of the gulf stream can be seen in a very mild climate which allows even palm trees to grow in some places! The island is known for its very green appearance due to the big amount of rain that comes down, compared with other countries.

 

I think thats enough talk for right now, I have the whole week to talk about the country and don’t want to tell you all at once 😉

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Irish Breakfast Scones by gingerlemonandspice

Since in Ireland there isn’t a special tradition of serving appetizers or other food before the main course (which should usually be the category of the first recipe in the series) I thought I might share with you some info about what the Irish eat for breakfast!

So here it comes 🙂

Actually there is a dish that is called a ‘Full Irish Breakfast’, but I am not able to shoot any pictures of my own of it because it is nearly impossible for me to get those ingredients in Germany! It contains baked irish small sausages, bacon, tomatoes, irish black pudding (a kind of blood sausage), mushrooms, fried eggs and baked beans! Of course buttered toast can’t be missed with this! If you want to have a look how its done look at Donal Skehan’s page and see how a real irish fella makes his ‘Full Irish’!

Of course this dish is more of a special breakfast on weekends as it takes some time to prepare and is a bit heavy on the calories for an everyday breakfast too.

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Irish Breakfast Scones by gingerlemonandspice

On a usual school day people prefere to eat porridge (a warm pudding of oats and milk or water with sugar and maybe fruit) or some kind of scones with butter, cream and jam. And this is what I have for you!

Scroll down for my recipe for Irish Breakfast Scones with Raisins!

 

Irish Breakfast Scones with Raisins
 
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A perfect and quick to make scone recipe which pleases everyone! Yummy scones for breakfast, teatime or any time of the day with an incredible easy recipe!
Author:
Recipe type: Breakfast, Teatime
Cuisine: Irish
Serves: 12
Ingredients
  • 450 g flour
  • 1 sachet baking powder (1 Tbsp)
  • 50 g sugar
  • 50 g softened margarine
  • a pinch of salt
  • 300 ml milk
  • 100 g of raisins
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 220° C.
  2. Mix all the ingredients together, except the raisins, they should be added last. I just use a fork to work the dough. It should still be wet but dry enough to handle!
  3. Just use two tablespoons to form big balls and put them on a baking sheet covered with baking paper.
  4. Bake the scones for 12-15 minutes. They are ready if the top and bottom is golden - don't bake them too long! Enjoy 🙂
Notes
You can leave the raisins out if you don't like them or substitute with nuts or other dried fruits! Serve the scones with butter, whipped cream & jam! In the pictures I served them with lemon curd.

You can find my recipe for Creamy Lemon Curd here!

 

Around The World, Week by Week: Ireland - Irish Breakfast Scones by gingerlemonandspice

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

Fast Food – Egg Salad Sandwich & Crisps

Drink – Jameson Whiskey with Ginger Ale

Soup – Seafood Chowder

Main Dish – Irish Stew with Guinness

Dessert – Fruit Crumble

Pastry – Barmbrack Sweet Bread

 

 ~ Kathrin

 

Sep30

MY SUMMER

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MY SUMMER

Hey guys!!

Sorry I’ve been a.w.o.l. for such a long time!! It’s been summer, I’ve been away from school most of the time and I didn’t really find the mood to get into writing again. I’ve missed the food blogging community! There were days when I sat down and tried to catch up a bit but I just couldn’t get into writing again myself.

I sincerely hope that you guys are still out there and want to keep on reading what I write, cooking what I cook and just be a part of my life!! 🙂

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

What have I been up to this summer??

Well, I finally went to Ireland again – it felt like eternity that I haven’t been there! I went with my 16 year old godchild and it simply was fantastic. I think I never wanted to stay there that badly after a trip yet!!

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

The first 5 days we went solo and stayed in hostels in Dublin and Galway. We have met really nice people, did not so much sightseeing but a lot of shopping, a little bit of pub-ing and just enjoyed being in Ireland! We have both been there before (read about my love for Ireland here) and loved the country and the people before, but it was very special for me to show her those two cities and all the other great places which were new to her!! We have even made some new friends, especially one from O.C. comes to mind (wink wink 😉 ) who even came with us to Galway for a day even if he had planned to go somewhere totally different!

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Also we went to a new place, where I haven’t been before: A little town right out of Dublin called Howth. It really was sooo beautiful there! I just wanted to stay and live there forever! It was a peninsula just 20 minutes with the train outside of Dublin, surrounded by water with a beautiful harbour area and spectacular cliff walks around the town! I can really recommend spending time there if you get the chance!!

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After our two days in Galway which included a day tour to the Burren (a very rocky area in Ireland) and the Cliffs of Moher we finally went down south to the twincity of our hometown: Clonakilty. Arriving there were another 70 people of our hometown wanting to celebrate 400 years of the town of Clonakilty with a German Week! Rosie and me even brought our clarinets so that we could play with the small orchestra that was part of the group and bring some traditional bavarian music to our twincities festivities 🙂 We had a great time during that week making music in pubs, strees and even in a retirement home, meeting friends, making new friends, having great talks and just enjoy or time!

I don’t want to say to much but let the pictures speak for themselves 🙂

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The rest of the summer I was enjoying some time at home with my family, taking part in a big festival of the town celebrating the beginning of autumn which I haven’t been doing for years (GREAT fun!!!!) and having some alone time to start writing on my masters thesis in the city I am studying and living in. It wasn’t so much excitement all at once but I had a good time and relaxed and now I’m fresh for everything that might be coming next ! 🙂

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Sorry there will be no recipe for today, I think all the pictures make this post long enough, but there will be something for you waiting in the pipeline! 🙂

I am dying to know: What have you been up to this summer??

 http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Lot’s of love,

~ Kathrin

 

http://gingerlemonandspice.com

Jul29

A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

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A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad
A Guest Post: Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Hey there everybody!

So the first week of my new series Around the World, Week by Week is now over! I hope you enjoyed the last seven days, the little excursus in turkish cuisine and culture and the seven recipes!!

As I promised at the beginning  I will have something special at the end – and it is a guest post!! Zerrin is the lovely lady behind Give Recipe. She is a new mom, lives in Turkey and has the most delicious recipes on her blog!! I love browsing through them – it reminds me so much of my time in Izmir 🙂

I am so happy that she took some of her small amount of free time to write this post for my page!! Also she brings one of my absolute favorite turkish foods to you: Acılı Ezme!! I ate it literally all the time I could get it – even for breakfast with some cream cheese, cucumbers and tomatoes! I couldn’t find it in the stores in Germany but now I can make my own! 🙂 It really is fantastic!

So go on, scroll down and read all about turkish food and habits from a native! And don’t forget to click over to Zerrin’s blog! 🙂

~ Kathrin

 

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Hi everyone!

I am Zerrin of Give Recipe from Turkey. I’m so pleased to be here, writing at Kathrin’s lovely blog! I met her a very short time ago and love that we are both so passionate about food! I always love to meet such foodies! When I learnt that she lived in Izmir, Turkey for some time, I knew that we would have lots of things to talk about. It’s great to hear Turkish names of our dishes from her; not everyone knows cacik or pirinç pilavı unless they are as enthusiastic about food and culture as Kathrin!

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

I’m going to share a very addictive salad from Turkish cuisine here today. Hope you all love it!

Ezme is known as a salad or appetizer in Turkey. It is mostly served with kebabs at kebab restaurants. Have you tried Turkish kebab yet? You’ve missed a lot if you haven’t! It is one of the foods you must taste at least once in your life! Once you try it, you will get addicted! Mezzes or side dishes served before kebab and you enjoy them before your kebab is brought. Be careful not to eat too much of these; otherwise you won’t have any room for kebab! Acılı Ezme is just one of those irresistible appetizers.

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Ezme means “mashed”, so this is a kind of mashed salad. Genuine kebab restaurants make it with a big cleaver or with a special double handled knife. It’s absolutely easier to chop vegetables with a blender, but there is a remarkable difference between the flavors of ezme made by cleaver or double handled knife and the one made by blender or any other electrical device. It MUST be chopped by hand, otherwise it gets too juicy.

Pomegranate molasses is almost a must in acili ezme since it gives a very nice sweet-sourish flavor and a darker color to the salad. If you can’t find it in your area, you can increase the amount of lemon juice a little. As for the spices, hot chili powder is the main one. Another spice I personally love in ezme salad is sumac, which increases its sourness. You can add dried mint too to add a little refreshment and to balance the sour and hot flavor of the salad.

The best bread to serve with ezme is Turkish lavash, which is similar to tortilla or Turkish pide. Kebabs are generally served with these two breads, so you can dip them into ezme as a bonus! And Ayran, which is a fabulous cold yogurt drink, is undoubtedly the best drink with these irresistible foods!

Acılı Ezme – Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad

Since it’s a refreshing salad, ezme is a perfect choice to accompany any dish in summer! You know what? I can even have it at breakfast! Its spiciness help me wake up and it whets my appetite to eat more.

 

Acılı Ezme - Turkish Spicy Ezme Salad
 
Print
Author:
Cuisine: Turkish
Ingredients
  • 2 tomatoes, peeled
  • 1 onion
  • 1 clove garlic
  • 2 chili peppers
  • ¼ bunch of parsley
  • 1 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tsp pepper paste
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ tsp chili powder
  • ½ tsp sumac
  • A pinch of dried mint
Instructions
  1. Chop peeled tomatoes, onion, garlic, chili peppers and parsley as finely as you can. The finer the better. Mix them in a bowl.
  2. Mix lemon juice, pomegranate molasses, olive oil and pepper paste until smooth. Add this mixture into salad.
  3. Add salt and spices, mix well.
  4. Chill it in refrigerator for half an hour and serve!

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran 

Salad – Kısır

Pastry – Kurabiye

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Jul28

Around the World: Turkey – Kurabiye, Turkish Cookies

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Around the World: Turkey – Kurabiye, Turkish Cookies
Around the World: Turkey – Kurabiye, Turkish Cookies

Selam! Hi guys! 🙂

What I have for you today are some delicious Turkish cookies called Kurabiye! They are crunchy on the outside and a little softer on the inside which comes from adding the yoghurt to the dough! Also I liked the dough VERY much because it has such a funny texture which should remind you of how an earlobe feels! That was all I was thinking about when I formed them, I had soo much to laugh 😀 Sometimes I’m a little childish!!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Kurabiye, Turkish almond and citrus Cookies by gingerlemonandspice

Three days ago I told you about some drinking habbits of the Turkish people. And this is something that goes perfectly with it! Eat those Kurabiye (Almond and Citrus Cookies) with a nice cup or glass of tea and just enjoy 🙂

Something else that goes with tea or coffee is Turkish Delight! Have you ever heard of it? It has something of the consistency of gummybears but is cut in cubes or cylinders! It is a sweet delicacy to nibble on while you taste the bitterness of the coffee or tea! You can buy it in very many different flavors and filled with nuts or herb aromas or fruit juices… My absolute favorite ones were the Lokum (Turkish word for Turkish Delight) with pomegranate flavor and filled with pistacchios!! But the honey and walnut ones were sooo delicious too! 🙂 If you try them make sure to buy some good ones, because there are big differences in the quality. They have whole stores in Turkey devoted to sell just Turkish Delight which tells you how important this specialty is in Turkey!

You can see the Lokum on the right side, it was with honey, hazelnuts and coconut!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Kurabiye, Turkish almond and citrus Cookies by gingerlemonandspice

Cookies are very popular in Turkey too, throughout the year! You can find and buy them fresh in special bakeries, supermarkets or coffee shops. I tried a big mixed box of cookies from a coffee shop nearly at the end of my stay and I had some regrets about that 😉 They had many different flavors like chocolate, vanilla, pistacchio, with Kellog’s, with nuts or choc chips – it was amazing! And they were soo delicious too!!

On my next stay in Turkey I definitly will buy them again – I have not found the same quality here in the Turkish markets in Germany!

The recipe for one type of cookie you can find below – the yummy almond and citrus cookies 🙂

Hope you like them as much as I did!!

Around The World, Week by Week: Turkey - Kurabiye, Turkish almond and citrus Cookies by gingerlemonandspice

 

Don’t forget: If you have any questions about Turkey, or if you have made your own experiences with Turkish food, the people, the culture or the country please leave a comment!! I would love to hear about it!

 

Kurabiye
 
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Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
Yummy turkish cookies with citrus and almond flavor!
Author:
Recipe type: Cookies
Cuisine: Turkish
Serves: a lot
Ingredients
  • 750g flour
  • 2 eggs (1 seperated)
  • 1 sachet baking powder (1 tablespoon)
  • 1 sachet vanilla sugar or 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 300g sugar
  • 250g margarine (room temperature)
  • 250g süzme yoğurt (Yoghurt with 10 % fett, but you could use less too)
  • 50g shaved almonds
  • 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest
Instructions
  1. Beat the whole egg and the eggwhite with sugars and yoghurt until well incorporated. Add oil, zest and margarine and mix!
  2. Put in flour, almonds and baking powder and blend until a very soft dough forms. The Turkish say it should feel like ones earlobe! 😉
  3. Take small pieces of the dough and form them into balls, put them on baking paper covered sheets and coat them with a little of the egg yolk.
  4. Bake the Kurabiye for 40 minutes and let them cool. Eat immediate or store in an airtight container.
  5. Enjoy with a glass of çay (turkish black tea)!!

Afiyet olsun! Enjoy 🙂

 

Here are the other recipes I shared during this series:

An Introduction to the new series

Appetizer – Sigara Böreği

Main Dish – Köfte, Cacık & Pirinç Pilavı

Dessert – Künefe

Drink – Ayran

Salad – Kısır

Snack/Fast Food – Lahmacun

Guest Post – Acılı Ezme

 

~ Kathrin