Chef Tim O’Malley making Irish Soda Bread, and the bread I made today!
Happy St. Pat’s, everyone!
Back in late October I was running around town photographing chefs revealing their secret family recipes for December Cle Mag’s “Classic Eats.” Besides shooting/eating Matzo Balls and Stuffed Cabbage, I also went to the West Side Irish Club where Tim O’Malley demonstrated his Grandma O’Malley’s Irish Soda Bread.
For a change I picked up my Hasselblad on this assignment. It was a re-revelation, if you will: smelling the film as I loaded it, triggering that shutter, feeling that mirror flop up, cranking the film through. I almost forgot about the viewfinder blacking out after an exposure! And seeing! A large, bright and crisp image that I could see to focus, to be sure. It’s a tactile experience that all photographers should have: a medium format camera, loaded with film, firmly planted on a tripod.
Anyone who eats should have the tactile experience of kneading dough and smelling the bread in the oven. The simplicity of this recipe attracted me, and this afternoon, between image processing, conference calls and dog walks, I managed to knead the ingredients together into a glorious rendition of Grandma O’Malley’s bread.
