If you’re of Irish ancestry, you may really enjoy cooking up a hearty and traditional Irish breakfast with all the trimmings.
This sort of classic Gaelic feast can be wonderful for lazy holiday weekends, or as a special brunch menu for family and friends.
A typical Irish breakfast will never appear on the menus at vegetarian restaurants, since it always features juicy bangers (sausages) and chewy, flavorful rashers (Irish bacon).
There are also lots of other special touches that make this morning meal unique and enjoyable.
To help you create the ultimate Irish breakfast, we’ve put together some simple recipes you can try in your home kitchen.
To make your meal really charming and special, consider the addition of a fine Irish breakfast tea blend (served the Irish way, with milk and sugar), and some freshly-squeezed fruit juice. Spicy Irish tea will always be the perfect drink to go with Irish cooking.
Here are some excellent recipes that will help you cook up this delicious and traditional meal:
Bake Your Own Irish Brown Bread (soda bread)
No truly Irish meal is complete without a round or two of traditional Irish soda bread.
Also known as brown bread, this distinctive loaf can be dipped in sauce or eaten plain.
Here’s a wonderful, easy-to-bake recipe for breakfast time. Consider baking up a loaf the night before so it’s ready when you need it:
Irish Soda Bread Recipe
To get started, measure out 4 cups of whole-grain wheat flour; you’ll also need 1/3 of a cup of oats.
The rest of your ingredients should be as follows: 1 tsp. of baking soda, 1 tsp. of salt, and 2-and-a-half cups of buttermilk.
To prepare, preheat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a couple of baking pans. Then, mix all of your dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Once the dry ingredients are combined, begin adding buttermilk, stirring to form a pliable bread dough. Knead the dough gently, then tear it into four equal sections.
Make a cross or “x” in the center of each piece of dough, place in your baking pans, and bake for about 40 minutes.
Fry Up Some Irish Bangers
No true Irish breakfast is complete without a plateful of juicy bangers; these pork sausages only need a quick fry-up for about three minutes per side in a hot pan.
If you can’t find real Irish sausages in your area, you can always make them yourself; here’s an easy recipe!
Irish Bangers Recipe
To get started, you’ll need about 10 lbs. of pork butt; try to find meat with a good marbling of fat.
To spice your Irish bangers, you’ll need a couple of teaspoons of ground white pepper, 1 tsp. of ground ginger, 1 tsp. of sage, 1 tsp. of mace, 3 ounces of salt, and 6 oz. of dried breadcrumbs.
To mix everything together, you’ll need a couple of cups of ice water, as well as several small sausage casings to give your bangers a compact, tubular shape.
To prepare the sausages, grind half the meat on a medium setting and process the rest using a finer setting. Then, mix the meat with your spices and water, and stir to combine.
Squeeze the mixture into your casings, and keep your finished bangers in the fridge overnight before you use them for your traditional Irish breakfast.
Real Irish breakfast sausages and add-ons are all cooked in rich butter, not oil…
Rashers Are Also A Popular Choice For Irish Breakfasts
Irish bacon doesn’t have too much in common with the American variety – it’s actually softer and chewier, like Canadian bacon.
Ask your butcher or grocer if they stock Irish rashers – if you can’t find them, substitute Canadian bacon and fry it up until heated through.
Add rashers or other bacon alongside your sausages for a meaty, filling Irish breakfast.
Other Menu Components
To create a full plate bursting with Irish goodness, add your bangers and rashers, and then throw on some fried eggs, black and white puddings (these are also sausages, and they are generally served in inch-thick slices after heating), and beans.
Irish beans have a tomato sauce base; they lack the sugary-sweet taste of American baked beans. However, they are sold in cans, just like their American counterparts. To garnish, add some fried, sliced tomatoes and potatoes. Buttered brown soda bread can be placed along the edge of the plate.
Hot cups of tea will round out an unforgettable, and authentically Gaelic, Irish breakfast.
Enjoy Irish Tradition With An Affordable Claddagh Ring
There are lots of different ways to have fun with Irish culture and tradition – one other exciting option is to choose a special piece of Irish jewelry that is affordable and easy to wear.
Our silver Claddagh “Love Loyalty Friendship” ring is a traditional token of affection that symbolizes love and loyalty.
Single people wear their Claddagh rings with the crown facing outward, or away from them; those who are attached point the crown inwards, or towards them.
The classic crowned-heart-and-hands motif of the Claddagh is a romantic, touching way to celebrate Irish heritage.
Men, women and children all sport this Irish ring, and it’s even been spotted on the hands of celebrities like U2’s Bono, and the late JFK, Jr.
Some couples exchange yellow or white gold Claddagh rings in lieu of plain gold wedding bands…
For a look at more charming Irish jewelry designs, please visit our convenient, online jewelry store…