Soda Bread Farls #BreadBakers

Perfect for a quick breakfast or snack with a cup of tea, soda bread farls are quick bread “baked” on a stovetop griddle, rather than an oven. They are a traditional part of the Northern Ireland breakfast known as the Ulster Fry.

The word farl is pronounced farrel and derives from the old Scots word fardel, which essentially means “a quarter.” The source of the name becomes apparent when you see to make farls you flatten dough into a circle and cut it into four pieces before cooking.

Soda Bread Farls are very similar in texture to American buttermilk biscuits or British scones. The dough comes together quickly with just flour, baking soda, salt and buttermilk.

For this post, I decided to make what I call an adulterated Ulster Fry to accompany the soda bread farls. Properly, that breakfast would include the farls, of course, plus sausage, bacon, black and white pudding, fried eggs and tomatoes. Mine included sausage, black pudding, fried eggs and mushrooms. Totally delicious and perfect for a long weekend morning. We weren’t hungry again till almost suppertime!

Ingredients – for 4 farls
2 cups or 250g all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup or 240ml buttermilk
Lard or oil for frying (I used bacon drippings.)

Method
Measure the dry ingredient together into a large mixing bowl and whisk to combine. This aerates the flour and takes the place of sifting.

Pour in the buttermilk and use a firm rubber spatula to mix it in to make a soft dough.

Flour a clean work surface and scrape the dough out on to it.

Flour the top of the dough and your hands and lightly knead the dough. You may have to sprinkle on more flour to keep it from sticking to your surface. Lightly press the dough into a circle about 8 in or 20cm across and about 1/2 in or 1cm thick. Sprinkle on a little more flour and flip the circle over.

Preheat heavy based flat griddle or skillet on medium to low heat.

Flour a sharp knife and cut the dough circle into quarters.

Add a couple of teaspoons of lard (or oil) to the preheated griddle and transfer the farls to the pan when the lard is melted and hot.

Cook the farls for about 3-4 minutes on that first side, watching carefully that they don’t burn.

Add a little more lard or oil and turn the farls over. Cook them for about 10-12 minutes in total, turning regularly so that they cook evenly.

Serve with just butter and jam or as part of a big breakfast.

We loved these! The only thing I’d do differently the next time is to cut the dough circle into eighths instead of quarters, which would change the name I suppose. Don’t think about it too much. Just make them! They "bake" up nicely.

Our Bread Bakers host this month is Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm. She challenged us to bake an Irish bread since, of course, St. Patrick’s Day is this week. Who knew there were so many? Check them out!

• Apple, Beer, and Cheddar Soda Bread by A Baker's House
• Blaa by Sara's Tasty Buds
• Caraway Rye Soda Bread by A Salad For All Seasons
• Carrot and Dillisk Bread by A Shaggy Dough Story
• Cheddar and Herbs Soda Bread by Ambrosia
• Currant Drop Scones by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Egg Free Irish Raisin Tea Scones by Gayathri's Cook Spot
• Four leaf Clover Rolls by Cook's Hideout
• Guinness Bread Rolls by The Bread She Bakes
• Guinness Buckwheat Bread by Baking Sense
• Irish Amber Ale Pretzels by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
• Irish Barmbrack by The Schizo Chef
• Irish Freckle Bread by Mayuri's Jikoni
• Irish Freckle Bread by Passion Kneaded
• Irish Multigrain Bread by What Smells So Good?
• Irish Soda Bread by Herbivore Cucina
• Irish Soda Bread by Sneha's Recipe
• Irish Soda Bread Scones by Spill the Spices
• Irish Soda Buttermilk Bread by Sizzling Tastebuds
• Oat and Potato Bread by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Potato Clover Leaf Rolls by Spiceroots
• Soda Bread Farls by Food Lust People Love
• Soft Wheat Irish Soda Scones with Raisins (Spotted Dog) by The Wimpy Vegetarian
• Super Easy Potato Roll Recipe by Hostess At Heart

#BreadBakers is a group of bread loving bakers who get together once a month to bake bread with a common ingredient or theme. You can see all our of lovely bread by following our Pinterest board right here. Links are also updated after each event on the #BreadBakers home page. We take turns hosting each month and choosing the theme/ingredient.

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Soy Glazed Sugar Snap Peas

A favorite at our house, these soy glazed sugar snap peas are quick and tasty, the perfect side dish when time is short.

We eat these every week or two as a side dish with pan-fried salmon and these fresh bright crunchy green peas go perfectly with that tender, rich fish. But I’ve got to tell you that these are so tasty you can even set them out as an appetizer, kind of like the fried Padrón peppers so popular at tapas bars.

Sometimes I add cherry tomatoes or those little fresh baby corn on the cobs often used in Asian cooking, or even some chopped carrot, depending on what’s in the vegetable drawer. Of course, the soy glazed sugar snap peas are perfect on their own as well.

Ingredients
1 lb or 450g sugar snap peas
2 cloves garlic
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
2 tablespoons soy sauce
8 oz or 226g baby roma or grape tomatoes

Method
Remove the strings from the sugar snap peas by bending the stem end and pulling gently so the strings on both sides peel off. Discard the strings.

Mince your garlic finely.

In a large frying pan, drizzle in the sesame oil and add the sugar snap peas. Cook over a high heat for about 3-4 minutes, tossing or stirring the peas to coat them with the oil. They should start browning in spots.

Add the minced garlic and soy sauce to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium high and continue cooking until the soy sauce has almost all evaporated, tossing the peas or stirring them frequently.

Add in the baby roma tomatoes and cook for a further 5 minutes or until the tomatoes are just toasted and the sugar snap peas are cooked but still crunchy. Stir or toss frequently to prevent them from scorching on only one side. A little all over scorching adds flavor.

Enjoy!

This week my Sunday Supper group is sharing healthy green recipes for St. Patrick’s Day, but really, from the looks of the list, I could eat these all year round!

Best Breakfasts

• Get Your Greens Smoothie by Hardly A Goddess
• Green Breakfast Omelet Bites by Momma’s Meals
• Green Eggs and Ham by Feeding Big
• Green Scrambled Eggs with Ham by Cricket’s Confections
• Kuku Sabzi – Persian Herb Frittata by Caroline’s Cooking
• Matcha Overnight Oats by Brunch-n-Bites
• Southwest Breakfast Spinach Wrap by The Freshman Cook
• Super Green Smoothie by Simple and Savory

Must Make Main Dishes

• Chicken Paillard Arugula Truffle Salad by Family Foodie
• Gambian Spinach with Peanut Sauce by Tara’s Multicultural Table
• Pan Roasted Cod on Spinach Basil Risotto with Lemon Butter Sauce by Positively Stacey
• Poached Cod with Pesto Wine Sauce by Life Tastes Good
• Potato Leek Skillet Pizza by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
• Sautéed Garlic and Parmesan Chicken With Spinach by My Sweet Savings
• Skinny Reuben Wraps with Homemade 1000 Island Dressing by For the Love of Food
• Tequila Chicken Salad by Cosmopolitan Cornbread

Scrumptious Salads

• Brussels Sprout and Kale Salad by Pies and Plots
• Green Goddess Bibb Salad by Palatable Pastime
• Pixie Dust Salad with Avocados, Pixie Tangerines and Radishes by Shockingly Delicious
• Quinoa Tabbouleh by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Sesame Wedge Salad with Key Lime Vinaigrette & Pickled Green Tomatoes by Gourmet Everyday
• Shades of Green Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Zucchini Carpaccio Salad by The Bitter Side of Sweet

Stunning Sides

• Colcannon by Wholistic Woman
• Green Goddess Dip by From the Bookshelf
• Grilled Cabbage with Spicy Lime Dressing by Sew You Think You Can Cook
• Irish Cabbage by Turnips 2 Tangerines
• Miso Roasted Broccoli by Life Currents
• Pistachio Parmesan Oven Fries by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts by Books n’ Cooks
• Soy Glazed Sugar Snap Peas by Food Lust People Love
• Spinach Tots by A Mind “Full” Mom
• Warm Brussels Sprout Slaw by Jersey Girl Cooks

Dreamy Desserts

• Matcha Mint Coconut Candy by My Life Cookbook
• Super Lime Bars by What Smells So Good?

 Pin Soy Glazed Sugar Snap Peas!

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Easy Mixed Paella #FoodieExtravaganza

This easy mixed paella takes the guesswork out of cooking rice on the stovetop by moving it to the oven in a covered pan. Add in chicken, chorizo and shrimp for flavor, plus saffron and peas for color and flavor. 

Spanish purists may recoil in horror at 1. cooking paella in the oven instead over a wood fire, 2. covering the pan and 3. the lack of the traditional semi-burned crusty rice at the bottom of the paella, but I’m not even a little bit apologetic. My easy mixed paella tastes delicious. And that’s more than good enough for most of us.

I’ve heard paella called Spanish jambalaya and jambalaya called Cajun paella. Whichever side you hail from, it’s all about the rice on center stage with the other ingredients varying from household to household, recipe to recipe, cook to cook. Even in Spain, there are as many differences of opinion about what must be - or cannot be - in paella as there are for jambalaya in southern Louisiana.

What that tells me is that these are dishes you can feel free to make your own. Whenever I think of paella, I imagine three ingredients. Chicken, shrimp and, of course, chorizo. For that gorgeous saffron-hue, only the best saffron will do. In my case, I was lucky enough to be invited to a cooking class by the Spanish saffron, Taj Mahal, which is sold here in Dubai. It puts the saffron I’ve bought before to shame with its vibrant, brilliant yellow. I used to think that Iranian saffron was the best but I am now a convert to the Spanish stuff.

This was right after I poured in the hot water. Check out the image below where I add this to the pan. So much darker! 

Note: I just checked and you can buy it on Amazon! Here's the affiliate link for anyone who is interested. This is not a sponsored post, by the way. I just mention the brand because I love it.

Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon Spanish saffron
1/4 cup or 60ml hot water
6 small chicken thighs (about 1.1 lbs or 500g)
Salt
Black pepper
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
250g pack chorizo sausage
1 1/2 cups or 300g paella rice (Good sub: Arborio rice)
1 onion, sliced
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
3 3/4 cups or 890ml hot chicken stock
1 cup or 130g freshly podded or frozen peas
12 medium shrimp, peeled and cleaned (about 5 1/3 oz or 150g)

Method
Pour the hot water over the saffron and leave to steep. Preheat your oven to 325°F or 165°C.

Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a skillet that has a tight-fitting lid and can go from stovetop to oven.

Brown the chicken on both sides in the hot oil – this takes just a few minutes. You’ll know it’s ready to turn when it releases easily. Remove the chicken from the pan to a deep plate that will catch any juices that run off.

While the chicken is browning, use the tip of a sharp knife to cut open the casing on the chorizo and peel it off. Slice the chorizo into circles.

Once the chicken has been removed from the pan, add the chorizo and fry until it releases its oils. Scoop the chorizo out and add it to the chicken plate.

Stir in the rice to coat it with the oils, then add the onions. Cook a few more minutes, until the onions soften.

Pour in the saffron water and stir.

See what I mean about the color?!

Add the chopped tomato. Tip the peas in along with the chorizo and any juices that have accumulated on the chicken/chorizo plate. Give the whole thing a good stir.

Now put the chicken in the pan, gently pushing it down into the mixture a little bit. Pour in the stock and raise the heat a little bit under the pan.

Bring to a boil, cover tightly and put in preheated oven for 25 minutes.

Remove from the oven, add the shrimp and put the lid back on the pan. Do not stir.

Turn the oven off and return the covered pan to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave covered until ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Many thanks to our Foodie Extravaganza host, Sue of Palatable Pastime. Check out the other creative paella dishes we have for you today:

• Arroz Negro (Spanish Black Rice Paella) from Caroline's Cooking
• Chicken, Sausage and Shrimp Paella from Cookaholic Wife
• Easy Mixed Paella from Food Lust People Love
• Paella Bogavante from Palatable Pastime
• Veg Paella from Sneha's Recipe

Foodie Extravaganza celebrates obscure food holidays or shares recipes with the same ingredient or theme every month.

Posting day is always the first Wednesday of each month. If you are a blogger and would like to join our group and blog along with us, come join our Facebook group Foodie Extravaganza. We would love to have you!

If you're a reader looking for delicious recipes, check out our Foodie Extravaganza Pinterest Board! Looking for our previous parties? Check them out here.

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