Irish Traditional Cooking: Over 300 Recipes from Ireland's Heritage
by
Darina Allen
Order:
USA
Can
Kyle Books, 2005 (2005)
Softcover
Reviewed by Hilary Williamson
D
arina Allen, '
Ireland's most famous TV cook
', brings us a
traditional
cookbook, whose chapters open on stunning photographs of Irish scenes. Categories range from
Eggs
,
Fish
and
Poultry
to
Offal
and
Food from the Wild
(e.g. mushrooms and berries). Intriguing Appendices discuss
Cheese & Cheesemaking in Ireland
,
The Potato and the Famine
, and
Cooking Pits of the Fianna
. In her Introduction, Allen speaks of her '
magical Irish country childhood
', and of '
tradition based around local ingredients, simply and succulently cooked.
' Regina Sexton's Foreword gives a history of food in Ireland, including fish and shellfish, cereals, cattle and milk products, honey, the potato, and tea.
O
n to the best part, the recipes.
Soups & Broths
include many made with oatmeal, leeks, potatoes, shellfish or nettles. I have to make the
Pea Soup
here, which sounds exactly like one my grandmother served to us every Saturday in my childhood, and my father would have loved
Giblet Soup with Dumplings
. The
Fish
section includes ways to cook eels, limpets, cockles and mussels (I remember a very happy day collecting shellfish in the shallow waters of Loch Neagh in N. Ireland). I fancy the
Ballycotton Fish Pie
, and must try a version of
Fish Cakes
on my kids.
R
eading about
Roast Haunch of Venison
made me salivate, and the
Michaelmas Goose
will be on my holiday table this year, with
Kerry Pies
and
Ballymaloe Spiced Beef
for our New Year buffet. But I'll skip the
Crubeens
(salted pigs' feet),
Drisheen
(made from lamb's innards),
Tripe
(cow's stomach) and
Black & White Puddings
(pigs' innards). There's lots here for potato lovers, from vatieties of
Champ
(one with seaweed) and
Colcannon
(potatoes and cabbage). And I'm delighted to have a recipe for
Fadge
(which we always called
potato bread
). Veggie recipes range from a
Carrot & Parsnip Mash
that I love to those using cauliflower, kale, asparagus or artichokes.
D
esserts have always been my downfall, and I found filling old favorites here, from
Apple Crumble
to
Traditional Irish Sherry Trifle
and
Ballymaloe Mince Pies
with
Irish Whiskey Cream
for the holidays. Speaking of filling, how about pancakes and breads? The
Buttermilk Pancake
recipe here is almost the same as the one I make each Sunday, and those for
White Soda Bread
and
Scones
are similar to mine too. I have to try
Kerry Treacle Bread
. Then there are the cakes (
Aunt Florence's Orange Cake
looks delicious), sponges, meringues, shortbreads, and
Butterfly Buns
that my mother once served at a birthday party.
T
hough reading this cookbook was an exercise in nostalgia for me, I also plan to make good use of it. Darina Allen's
Irish Traditional Cooking
offers an appetizing combination - fascinating Irish food history and a broad selection of tasty recipes that have stood the test of time.
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