Irish Soda Scones and Relishing Cabbage

I am back with more cabbage recipes! Woo Hoo! Honestly, this is one you are going to want to earmark and revisit often and remember fondly. This is one to make in bulk and jar for posterity. Really! I can't believe I didn't think of doing this sooner and it's a ridiculously simple recipe too. Oh, on the inventory update, the number of heads awaiting their tasty fates has reduced to ONE! So, that's three consumed over the last three weeks. Yeah! I have been on a roll!

The thing is once you make the relish, you will start impatiently thinking of ways to use it. Hot dogs and burgers come easily to mind. On the same line, wraps, which, I also made. Then on a persistent foot tapping Sunday, I decided I wanted to eat the relish in the morning. Oh wait! That's brunch time. Hmmm... It was also time to bake some bread. Hmmm... Wham! Scones! Two and Two added nicely to Five. Don't you love when these things happen, in hindsight, very fluidly!

The reality is that the relish had been staring at me from the counter for a couple of days. After a few days of putting it on top of everything, it seemed to be feeling rather forlorn in being ignored for two days. I don't like being stared at with doe eyes. My heart melts in spite of me. I had to spoon into the jar again. Sometime in the last few days, Rosa tweeted about this cool

recipe for a scone pastry shell

. It was all there brewing in some compartment of my brain.

Somehow they seemed to have gone around networking inside my mind, shook each other's hands and decided it was time my conscious was enlightened. So, that's how it came to be. Except, oh wait! I had no butter! I was embarrassed, shocked, completely floored! What?! No butter! How ever did such blasphemy come to pass in my kitchen. Combined with an sudden inertia to not go to the store, I resorted to more (ahem!) creativity.

I could bake a soda bread, like

this one,

but I could make it, not so much bread but scones? I wouldn't need butter. I love the flavors. It will be different. Plus, there is also this thing Ireland has with cabbage. I don't know if you can call it love, but, it is prolific. The scone and cabbage seemed to gel, what with them having made the deal already, it seeems! So... Yeah! Let's do it.

So, well, that's the story peeps! ;)

Once I had a plan, it all came together nicely with things that I had (really, only the butter was missing!) on hand. Farm fresh yellow squashes, an Amish made smoked cheddar, Thursday laid eggs and oodles of that relish finished off with a lovely tang of grainy mustard. Oh yes! That was a good Sunday! :)

Irish Soda Scones

{Makes about 9 scones depending on size. You can use the same recipe to make a whole loaf instead of these scones}

3 cups whole wheat flour

3 T sugar

1/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries or other dried fruit

1 heaping tsp cream of tartar

1 mildly heaping spoon baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1-1/2 T olive oil

1 egg

about 3/4 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 400F.

Combine all the dry ingredients together. Pour in the oil and egg. Add half cup of buttermilk and attempt to bring together the dough. If it is too dry, add more buttermilk a little at a time till the dough come together and very slightly sticky.

Wash hands and prepare a baking tray by sifting some flour on to it to prevent the bread from sticking. Flour your hands lightly and divide the dough into equal portions. Place on tray and give it a light pat. Score a cross atop each scone piece.

Bake for 20 or so minutes until the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom.

Smoked Cabbage Relish

{I made this one with smoky paprika. Another great flavor is mustard. Cabbage will shrink to about a third of original volume.}

2 heads cabbage, shredded

1 T olive oil

2 tsp smoked paprika (or more on how smoky you want it)

any herbs you like

salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350F.

In a roasting pan or other baking dish, combine all the ingredients together making sure that the seasoning spreads evenly. Cover with foil and bake for about 40 minutes until the cabbage is soft and flavorful. At about the 20 and 30 marks, gently lift the foil to give the stuff a stir so it evenly cooks.

Let it cool. Place in jars and refrigerate.