Irish Soda Bread and Eggs

by Brenda Anderson

I’m a girl from Savannah, Georgia who somehow started a travel business to Ireland. I don’t know what it was exactly, but the first trip I took there had me hooked. I guess Ireland is not so very different than Savannah. The charming people, green landscapes, Cliffs of Moor(okay, that’s certainly different). I love everything about Ireland, most especially the great breads.

The Irish countryside has a wealth of pubs and restaurants that serve mouthwatering breads with stews and soups.  The best meals I had were the simple but hearty!  My favorite meal was at Morin on Weir, between Galway and Shannon on my first trip there.  We got the recommendation (and some sketchy directions) from a local. As we pulled into the parking area there were gentleman in their tweeds listening to the horse races on the radio.  Races on which I can only assume they all had placed bets. We took the crowd as a good sign and we were right.  It was the best meal of the trip.

Luckily, my husband’s family owns a grocery store here in Savannah which is good for me in many ways.  Of course if I forget something for dinner my husband can bring it home from work. More importantly, I can request “special” items that I crave be stocked in the store…like Irish Soda Bread. 

Recently, I put on my cute little Irish apron and came up with this recipe using some of my treasured bread. It’s pretty, easy, delicious and for me…tastes like Ireland.

Irish Bread & Eggs
Serves: 4

Ingredients:

4 slices Irish Soda Bread, cut 1inch thick
½ lb. bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled (drippings reserved)
½ yellow onion (Vidalia onion if available), chopped
1 tomato chopped
¼ cup Asiago cheese, grated
¼ cup Cheddar cheese, grated
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons butter, melted
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon Herbs de Provence

Directions:
Pre heat oven to 350 degrees

Prepare baking sheet by covering with foil and spraying with a non-stick cooking spray. Using a biscuit or cookie cutter, take out center of each bread slice making a circle. Place bread on prepared pan. Brush melted butter generously over slices. In a medium sauté pan, saute the chopped onion in the reserved bacon drippings. Add a pinch of salt and pepper. Once onion is translucent and a little brown around the edges, remove from the heat.  Add the crumbled bacon and tomatoes to the onions and stir until just mixed.  Set aside. Crack an egg and drop in the center of each piece of bread. Sprinkle with salt, pepper and Herbs de Provence. Place in oven and cook just until the egg whites are done. Remove from oven and top with the grated cheeses, dividing evenly among all four bread/egg slices. Put oven on broil and return slices to oven. Once cheese is bubbly remove from oven.  To Serve: Divide onion mixture evenly and spoon over each slice. Serve Hot.  ‘Slainte’ (pronounced ‘slawn-cha’, meaning Health!  The equivalent of Cheers!)

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