Latest Reviews
WEST CORK FUSION
By Richy Virahsawmy
€27.95
It has been accepted for many years that West Cork discovered pluralism long before the word entered the modern Irish lexicon. The area has enjoyed immigration from many corners of the world for many years, and today is a delightful eclectic mix of talent and influence. Creativity is at the heart of the many small enterprises that have sprung up so successfully in the corner of Ireland. Food has certainly been very central to that energy.
It is particularly interesting then that this cookbook, West Cork Fusion, should be written by a young man who comes from an island that itself is so multi-influenced due to its turbulent history, and that he brings that mix to a melting pot that is West Cork. Mauritius is, in Richy’s own words, ‘one of the world’s foremost centres of fusion food. The abundance and variety of fresh produce is hard to equal anywhere else in the world.” Richy learned about traditional cooking from his mother who taught him the chilli, ginger and garlic dishes that are the foundation of Mauritian cooking. In the middle of a very successful career, Richy returned to Clonakilty to open the very successful Richys Bar and Bistro, a restaurant that is a Mecca for lovers of quality and exciting food. With the quality local ingredients blended with exotic flavours in the hand of an exceptionally talented chef, this is food well worth taking a detour for.
I only discovered the place relatively recently, and when I learnt about the cookbook, I just had to spread the word! Learn how to make dishes like Langoustine with coconut, coriander and water chestnuts; Monkfish kebabs with chilli and rosemary; Crab, avocado and mango cocktail; Roast pumpkin, thyme and caraway soup; delicious desserts and the most tantalising salsas and dips. You won’t find this book in any of the usual outlets, you will have to contact Richy himself and order a copy. Think about it as a great Christmas present for the cook who thinks they know everything! This is fusion food that is relevant, original, exciting and very very tasty!
richysbarandbistro@eircom.net
Neven’s Real Food for families.
Neven Maguire
Gill & Macmillan
€18.99
Neven Maguire is certainly one of Ireland’s most successful and popular chefs. His relaxed and friendly attitude, his unfussy food and most of all his accessible recipes have proved a great hit with people throughout Ireland. His many television appearances, demonstrations at food festivals throughout the country, his celebrated MacNean House & Restaurant in Cavan and now his easy and nutritious recipe book have positioned him at the forefront of contemporary Irish cooking.
What is good about this new book is that there is a focus on cooking for children and producing nutritious family meals with little fuss. This book is certainly a gift for the time-poor modern Irish parents who want to ensure that the family are eating well. The recipes all reflect Neven’s passion for healthy, tasty and fresh food, and are divided into easy sections including breakfast; soups and lunches; everyday suppers; baking in the afternoon; and special occasion menus. Many of the recipes are easy for kids to prepare, and so will help encourage healthy eating with the younger members of the family.
I particularly like his soup recipes, as I am a real fan of good homemade soups and think it is such a shame that so many people shy away of making their own. Hi Roasted Red Pepper Soup is so good, that once you have made it yourself, you will never buy a readymade version again! He also has very good pizza recipes that once again will ensure you need never call for a takeaway! This is food that is good, tasty and does not take all evening to prepare. Most of all it is food that all the family will love. He even gives “Movie Night” recipes for Chilli Popcorn and Cheesy Nachos and Mini Hot Dogs! For more formal occasions, he instructs on how to make the perfect Christmas lunch and inspiring Valentine’s Dinner.
Neven Maguire has a very modern take on old favourites. This is a book for every kitchen.
UNISLIM – RECIPES FOR SUCCESS
Fiona Gratzer
Gill & Macmillan
€18.99 / STG£14.99
I must admit I was a bit unsure when this book arrived on my desk to review for Slowfood Ireland. I wondered if a slimming book belonged here at all. I was afraid that it would be full of sugar substitutes and chemical laden foods that were so reduced in fat and sugar that they bore no resemblance to their natural state. So the book lay for a few weeks before I gave it proper attention.
But when I did, what a surprise! I have been using the delicious recipes for inspiration for lovely lunches, great meals and snacks for single, families and friends. Contrary to what I initially thought, this is a book full of lovely healthy meals using fresh, wholesome ingredients. The use of low-fat cooking techniques are very much part of healthy eating, as are seasonal and natural foods.
This is a cookbook inspired by the low-GI principles of healthy eating combined with naturally low-fat foods and cooking techniques. There is a nutritional breakdown for every recipe. For those interested in loosing weight, there is also a Unislim Unit count. There are some good tips for including more healthy fresh foods in the daily diet. In fact, the book is a well-presented, beautifully photographed collection of delicious meals.
Some of my favourites include the simple and tasty Mexican Baked Eggs with Chorizo and Spinach; Stuffed Baked Sardines; Spanish Seafood Paella; super smoothies and soups. And that is without starting on the desserts! But if I must, Chocolate and Cranberry Brownies are irresistible!
This has become of my most used cookbooks, the recipes are easy and delicious. And if I loose weight while enjoying these dishes, that has to be a bonus!
Review by mairead Robinson
A very interesting and unusual book to hit our shelves this spring is called
Cottage Industry
Published by New Island
Portraits of Irish Artisans
By Betsy Klein with photographs by Jersey Walz
€29.95
This is really what we sometimes call a Coffee Table book. Certainly it is one to pick up and leaf through and read some fascinating stories. One thing I loved about Klein’s collection was that she had some really unusual people in there, and not just the usual suspects!
It showcases a rich heritage that highlights the positive contribution these people make to Irish communities, be they weavers, shoe makers, oatmeal millers – even boiled sweet makers! There is also a blacksmith, a rustic furniture maker, a knife maker and a perfumer alongside cheese makers, fish smokers and brewers. An interesting collection indeed!
Of course what they have in common is that they are all at the very heart of their communities and some are carrying on traditions that have been in their families for generations. They champion the social and political value of small production, sometimes reaching out across the globe.
The black & white photographs are both sensitive and pragmatic and above all they connect the producer with their product and then place them in their ambient environment.
While somewhat nostalgic, the book is a celebration of Irish cottage industry and indeed it is heartening to see this industry thrive amid our frenetic Celtic Tiger times.
Some exciting new publications have been appearing on the book shelves these past few months, and Irish food producers and restaurants just seem to be getting better and better.
A couple of our favourites this season include:
EDEN Cookbook by Eleanor Walsh & Michael Durkin
Published by Gill & Macmillan
€18.99
Anybody with even a passing interest in contemporary Irish food will have visited the Farmer’s Market at Temple Bar on a Saturday, and will have eaten at the excellent Eden restaurant on the corner of the square.
Eden is one of the first restaurants where I felt I was savouring really good contemporary Irish food, and for a while it was the benchmark against which I measured other dining experiences in the country. And now after all these years they are sharing their secrets with us, and what valuable secrets they are too!
The larder ingredients are splendid, and with these sauces, dips and marinades you could turn anything into a feast. They also share the secret of the famous Eden Smokies, which while many have tried to copy, none have succeeded in equalling.
This is a beautifully produced book, with great recipes that you will really use and treasure. It is almost a cookery class between the covers!
Eleanor Walsh incidentally, spent three years at Cooke’s Restaurant including a spell of cooking for U2 and REM. After co-founding Eden, she started the Café Bar Deli chain and the award-winning seafood restaurant Mackerel and is currently involved in the new Eden Restaurant in Bellinter House.
Michael Durkin is currently the head chef at Eden. He trained at the Shelbourne and later became head chef at the Grey Door.
To use a well-worn phrase, ‘if you buy just one recipe book this summer, buy this one’. It is the best recipe book to be published in this country so far this year.
The Right Bite
How to Cook what You Want to Eat
Bee Walsh & Jill Walsh
This is a cook book with some excellent recipes – unfussy, interesting and most of all do-able!
Using fresh local ingredients, the dishes are tempting and inviting and suitable for a meal for one or a dinner party for eight – or more. I am really impressed with this book as I know that the recipes will be used again and again. Try the brochette of lamb, red onion and aubergine, on a bed of colcannon. Like all the other dishes it sounds great, is very easy to prepare and turns out very very well. Smoky bacon and goat’s cheese tartlets, home-made mayonnaise, chorizo and white bean soup are all equally great. Vegetarians are well catered for too – black-eyed beans with chestnut mushroom and Thai green sauce; aubergine and mushroom kebabs with peanut butter sauce, are just two examples that we have tried and tested and loved.
Great photographs illustrate this book, and good information including listing of Farmer’s Markets around Ireland, and some very practical kitchen tips make this a very useful addition to the kitchen.
So, what’s my problem? It is geared towards “Young People” – does that mean that any of us over 30 cannot enjoy and be inspired by this clever cookbook? Great that it will encourage the younger generation towards a love of good food. Bee Walsh of the Busy Bee Cookery School has years of experience in teaching young people how to cook real food and her daughter Jill has now joined her mum in the promotion of great food. Good for them I say! And for the rest of us there is no reason not to buy the book for ourselves. Of course it would also make a great present for a young relative in flat-land, a board teenager or anybody wanting to impress a love-interest.
For whatever reason, go out and buy it. Probably one of the most sensible and interesting cookery books to be published in Ireland this year.
Published by Gill & Macmillan
€18.99 / STG£14.99
FULL ON IRISH
Creative Contemporary Cooking
Kevin Dundon
Dunbrody Country House
www.dunbrodyhouse.com
€25
While we have many great country houses using fabulous fresh local ingredients in Ireland today, Dunbrody has to be one of the best. Since Kevin and Catherine Dundon opened their doors to guests, they have wowed many people with wonderful dining experiences. I stayed there myself recently, and had a great dinner and an exceptional breakfast in a truly fabulous house. Not surprising that they have opened a cookery school in the renovated stables opposite the house, which is acclaimed as the best in the country. Incidentally, they have now opened a wonderful spa just beside the cookery school. Obviously this talented couple are taking care of body and soul in a heavenly holistic way!
But back to the food, and Kevin’s contemporary approach to food is now there to be shared with the world. Not only is he sharing his signature recipes, but he is also very generously sharing the secrets of the pantry. His ‘Larder’ section is my favourite part; the onion marmalade and apricot chutney are so easy and tasty, as are most of these cupboard secrets. He also offers some seasonal dinner party menus that are particularly beneficial when we are feeling tired and uninspired, yet still want to have friends around for a meal.
Recipes are unfussy, yet full of local and national specialities, along with goodies from their own garden. Photographs by Alan Murphy are excellent. It is a book that you will really use again and again. This is not one for the dusty shelves; it will be well thumbed-through in kitchens all over the world. It is exactly as it says on the cover, creative contemporary Irish cooking.
SERVING A CITY
The Story of Cork’s English Market
By Diarmuid O Drisceoil and Donal O Drisceoil
Published by The Collins Press
€27.95
Since Farmer’s Markets have been springing up all over the country in recent years, one might almost been inclined to think that they were a new idea. While they have a trendy and fashionable image among our country’s “foodies”, there is absolutely nothing as authentically cool as Corks English Market. It is without question the country’s original food emporium and has been around since 1788. It has survived revolution and war, fire and famine, depression and boom, changing tastes and a rapidly developing retail scene. Like the story of Woodford Bourne, above – another great Cork story – it has seen the rise in popularity of supermarkets and the importation of ever new and exotic foods and drinks. The English market has absorbed all these changes and continues to deal with the culture of the contemporary market and capture the tastes of smells of life in Cork today. In the market a cornucopia of delectable delicacies adorn the stalls – pigs trotters, tripe and drisheen, fish, cheese, olives, humus, salami – foods old and new that make up the best of what is available to the consumer today. The images of the market from years ago, coupled with those of present products and vendors are particularly appealing, and the O’Drisceoil brothers have done a magnificent job in tracing the history and development of the market from its origins to the present day, both in the context of the development of Cork City and
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