Pam's Making Colcannon And Irish Soda Bread

For St. Patrick's Day friend Pam is serving corned beef, colcannon, and Irish soda bread....here are her recipes.  Anyone up for a road trip to Grand Rapids?

Irish Soda Bread:
4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbl caraway seeds
1/4 cup butter
2 cups currants (optional)
1 1/3 cups buttermilk
1 egg yolk ( beaten and set aside)

Sift flour, sugar salt and baking powder into a mixing bowl; stir in caraway seeds.  Cut in butter until mix looks like coarse meal; stir in currants if using. Combine buttermilk, 1 egg and baking soda; stir into flour mixture just enough to moisten the dry ingredients.  Turn onto a floured board and knead lightly until dough is smooth.  Shape into a ball and place in a greased 2 quart oven safe bowl.  With a sharp knife cut a 4 inch cross 1/2 inch deep in the center of the dough( this lets evil spirits out, if there are any hiding in the dough!) Brush with the beaten egg yolk.
Bake at 375F for about an hour or until it passes the toothpick test.  Cool the bread in the bowl for 10 minutes before turning out on a wire rack to cool completely. To serve cut in quarters and the slice the quarters thinly.  Serve with lots of butter and jam.
Note: Pam's family is hardcore - no butter- no jam
Another note: If you like, substitute raisins, dried cranberries or dried cherries for the currants.


Colcannon:
1 bunch of kale
6 potatoes
2 or 3 leeks
milk
salt and pepper to taste
butter

Clean and chop kale and leeks ( white and light green parts only). Peel and cube the potatoes. Boil the potatoes and leek until almost tender, add the kale and cook until all vegetables are tender. ( Drain the mixture - my addition). Season with the s & p and mash with enough milk and butter to your taste...just like mashed potatoes.
If there is any colcannon and corned beef left over mix them together and heat for a one dish meal.
A small head of cabbage can be substituted for the Kale.