| |
|
|
|
How to Cook dishes from Ireland
Ireland
is known for its lush green lands, which are of course
excellent for the growing of crops and the grazing of livestock.
Traditional Irish food is hearty, wholesome, fare made from
local produce - recipes may be simple but they are both tasty and satisfying!
Potatoes are also a prominent feature of Irish cooking. They were introduced
in the late 17th century, and have become the staple crop of Ireland.
Oats and barley are also grown, and have been for many centuries.
Popular meats include lamb and pork.
Of course, with the island of Ireland
being surrounded by sea, fish and seafood is also popular.
Ireland is
particularly known for its langoustines (known as "Dublin Bay prawns")
and oysters, the latter often eaten with Guinness at the many
oyster festivals around the country each year. Popular types of fish
include
salmon and
cod.
Some popular traditional Irish recipes and dishes include:
- Bacon and cabbage - Irish Americans often make a similar dish from corned
beef and cabbage.
- Champ - Mashed potatoes with chopped spring onions, butter and milk.
- Coddle - Boiled pork sausages with
bacon, potatoes, onions and optionally barley.
The ingredients are cooked in the stock that comes from the sausages
and bacon. Salt, pepper, and parsley are added for flavor.
- Colcannon - Mashed potatoes with garlic, cabbage or kale (a type of cabbage closer to the plant's wild origins).
- Irish stew (Irish Gaelic: Stobhach Gaelach) -
A stew made from lamb or mutton, with potatoes, onions and parsley.
Barley, carrots, parsnips or turnips may also be added in some variants of
the recipes.
Irish communities in other countries (such as the
United States),
have adapted to use locally available meats (for example, substituting beef for lamb),
or by adding extra ingredients (such as Guinness or paprika) to create
new flavors.
Ireland
is also home to its own unique types of bread. These include:
- Blaa - A very soft white bread roll, covered in layers
of flour, that is unique to Waterford City.

- Barmbrack (Irish: Báirnín Breac) -
This is an Irish sweet bread made with sultanas and raisins embedded in it, and often
eaten toasted with butter. On
Halloween,
it traditionally contains various items
baked in the bread, which are used for a
fortune-telling game (what you get in your slice, tells your fortune).
- Irish potato bread (also known as "fadge", "potato cake", "potato farls", "slims" or "tatie bread") - Unleavened bread made from a combination of potatoes and wheat flour.
- Soda bread - A bread made using baking soda instead of yeast. Whole wheat
soda bread is known as "wheaten".
On this page, you will find a selection of Irish cookbooks.
By Darina Allen
Kyle Books Paperback (288 pages)
 | List Price: $22.95 Lowest New Price: $9.95 Lowest Used Price: $7.11 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Irish Traditional Cooking combines the delicious, historic recipes of Ireland with colourful anecdotes and detailed appreciation of the dishes in Ireland’s culture. Imbued with a passion to preserve the traditions of Irish cooking, Darina Allen has journeyed all over Ireland, researching and recording different recipes and regional dishes. From County Cork where she learnt from Joan Twomey how to cook apple cake in a bastible on an open fire, to County Kerry, where she collected bairneachs (limpets) off the rocks to make the traditional Good Friday soup, to Granny Toye in County Monaghan who passed on eighty years of pancake-making experience. Ireland's rich culinary heritage is brought to life in this comprehensive and entertaining appreciation of more than 300 traditional dishes. Each recipe is complemented by tips, tales, historical insights and common Irish customs, many of which have been passed down from one generation to the next through the greatest of oral traditions. Darina's fascination with Ireland's culinary heritage gives great detail and breadth to Irish Traditional Cooking. Sections on Broths & Soups, Fish, Game, Vegetables and Food from the Wild illustrate how comprehensive this book is in its treatment of Irish Traditional Cooking. Darina uses the finest of Ireland's natural produce to give us recipes such as Sea Spinach Soup, Ballymaloe Irish Stew and traditional Irish Sherry Trifle. The result is a book which will entice you to discover the pleasures of the emerald isle's cuisine. Irish Traditional Cooking won the acclaimed Langhe Ceretto-SEI prize. |
|
By Margaret Johnson
Chronicle Books Paperback (224 pages)
 | List Price: $24.95 Lowest New Price: $9.68 Lowest Used Price: $7.49 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Talk about the luck of the Irish! One of the most beloved of Irish institutions (there are more than one thousand in Dublin alone), the traditional pub has served generations as the venue for local gossip, sporting news, a ceilidh or two, literary soirees, real estate deals, political debates, revolutionary plots, and, lest we forget, for knocking back a pint of Guinness or a "ball of malt." The food's not bad either—as The Irish Pub Cookbook so deliciously demonstrates. It's a celebration of over 70 pub classics: thick soups and stews; savory tarts and meaty pies; big bowls of salad (times change!); and desserts of the seconds-are-always-appropriate variety. There's shepherd’s pie, fish and chips, seafood chowder, and whiskey bread pudding for those with a taste for the quintessential. Contemporary specialties such as Bacon, Blue Cheese, and Courgette Soup; Salmon Cakes with Dill and Wine Sauce; Braised Lambshanks with Red Currants; and White Chocolate Terrine spotlight modern Irish cooking's richly deserved acclaim. Complete with pub photos, history, and lore, nobody leaves hungry when The Irish Pub Cookbook is in the kitchen. |
|
By Denis Cotter
Attic Press Hardcover (167 pages)
 | List Price: $41.95 Lowest New Price: $27.50 Lowest Used Price: $29.87 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description:
The best vegetarian cookbook, from the greatest vegetarian chef .
"This is not only the best vegetarian restaurant in Ireland, but one of the best restaurants of any kind." So states Frommers in their 2003 Guide to Ireland. Café Paradiso is an unassuming little restaurant in the heart of Cork City in Ireland yet it has been hailed far and wide as "the best vegetarian restaurant in Europe" and so is a contender for best vegetarian restaurant in the world. Fodors claims it "serves Mediterranean-style food, which is so tasty that even dedicated meat-eaters forget it's vegetarian". The reason for all this praise is the owner and chef, Denis Cotter, a quiet unassuming man, not unlike his restaurant, who, like all great chefs, is an obsessive. His obsession is to create the most exciting vegetarian dishes possible with the freshest possible produce, an ambition he has realized with remarkable success. In this book he serves up 140 recipes that make the very best of whatever vegetables are freshest at any given time of the year. Cotter's The Café Paradiso Cookbook has been hailed, in the Bridgestone Guide to Ireland, as "the best cookbook ever written by a working chef."
Winner of the Gourmand World Cookbooks Award for Best Vegetarian Cookbook
|
|
By Georgina Campbell
Georgina Campbell Guides Paperback (128 pages)
 | List Price: $15.00 Lowest New Price: $10.20 Lowest Used Price: $10.60 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: It is often said that bread is the stuff of life, but it is high time to forget about store-bought bread and indulge in a little home baking! The Best of Irish Breads and Baking delights in the wonders of home baking by gathering together the best recipes of both traditional and contemporary recipes. Breads and Baking covers all aspects of the baking process, from the very best of breads, bracks, scones, puddings and preserves to their storage, usage, and life span. An invaluable delight to both professional and novice alike, the author includes a fascinating history of the Irish breadmaking tradition. Recipes range from old favorites, such as Irish brown soda bread, blackberry jelly, Irish tea-cake and Irish whiskey cake to the more unusual treats such as Ballylickey Yummy Cake and Ballymaloe Walnut Meringue. A very useful aspect of The Best of Irish Breads and Baking will be the "Festive Fares" section which contains recipes which can be used on many festive occasions like Hallowe'en, Christmas, Easter and Irish style Weddings. |
|
By Jessie Tirsch
Pelican Publishing Company Hardcover (277 pages)
 | List Price: $24.95 Lowest New Price: $16.34 Lowest Used Price: $15.92 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Winner of the coveted Golden Spoon Award, listing it as one of Florida's top restaurants, and established in 1982, McGuire's Irish Pub welcomes guests from around the world to its Pensacola establishment. Traditional and not so traditional Irish pub fare can be enjoyed at home, thanks to this Celtic cookbook from the pub that invites its patrons to 'kiss the moose'. Oyster Stew, Sheep Herder's Pie, and Beery Hash Burgers on Potato Buns will delight the palate of nearly any diner at the pub. In addition to these enticing entrees, perfect desserts including Date and Irish Mist Rice Pudding with Irish Mist Whipped Cream, Tipsy Apricot Chocolate Cake, and Chocolate Eclairs with Baileys Custard will lift the spirits of just about anyone. The recipes for these and many more of the dishes and drinks served up in the world-famous McGuire's Irish Pub can be found in this easy-to-use cookbook. |
|
By Margaret Johnson
Chronicle Books Paperback (168 pages)
 | List Price: $24.95 Lowest New Price: $9.46 Lowest Used Price: $7.20 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Everybody loves a fool -- especially made fluffy with ripe strawberries or tangy apple. From the author of The New Irish Table comes this celebration of the Emerald Isle's classic desserts. From lemony puddings and marmalade-slathered scones to fruit-filled tarts and berry-laden crumbles, these contemporary renditions of the traditional desserts of Ireland make perfect use of common staples such as oatmeal, fruit, dairy products, and, of course, whiskey. Steel-Cut Oat Pudding is enhanced with orange zest, nutmeg, and plump golden raisins. A chocolate, walnut, and caramel tart becomes a treat for grownups with a splash of the hard stuff. A final chapter offers the most memorable of holiday delectables including mincemeat tarts, Christmas pudding, and a really good fruitcake. A glossary and source list define and locate unusual ingredients. With gorgeous painterly photographs depicting the food and countryside, this wonderful cookbook serves as a sweet reminder of the people and cuisine of Ireland. |
|
By Darina Allen
Kyle Books Paperback (192 pages)
 | List Price: $19.95 Lowest New Price: $2.00 Lowest Used Price: $2.00 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Darina Allen is the co-founder of the prestigious and award-winning Ballymaloe Cookery School and was named Cooking Teacher of the Year by the International Association of Culinary Professionals in 2005. A Year at Ballymaloe Cookery School is an insightful and gastronomic journey through the seasons at Ballymaloe. Enjoy Baked Trout with Spinach Butter Sauce in Spring or try Pasta with Zucchini and Sugar Snaps over the summer. In autumn relish a Wild Mushroom Soup and warm up with a comforting Steak and Oyster pie in winter. With more than 125 recipes, this is a celebration of fresh produce and good food, and an invaluable guide to making the best of seasonal produce. |
|
By Kay Shaw Nelson
Hippocrene Books Hardcover (272 pages)
 | List Price: $24.95 Lowest New Price: $18.96 Lowest Used Price: $12.55 Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item. (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: From hearty, wholesome recipes for family dinners to more sophisticated and exotic dishes for entertaining with flair, this book is the perfect source for dining the Celtic Way! In this collection of 170 recipes of the best of Scottish and Irish pub fare and home cooking, you'll find old classics like Corned Beef `N' Cabbage, Cock-A-Leekie, Avalon Apple Pie, and Fish and Chips, as well as new recipes sure to become family favorites: Tobermory Smoked Salmon Pâté, Raisin Walnut Porridge, and Skibbereen Scallop-Mushroom Pie, among others. In addition to the recipes, each chapter begins with entertaining stories, legends and lore about Celtic peoples, their traditions and customs, and the history of their foods. Chapters include: Starters; Soups; Egg and Cheese Dishes; Barley, Oats and Cornmeal; Seafood; Poultry and Game; Meats; Vegetables and Salads; Breads; Cookies and Cakes; Desserts; and Drinks. All of these easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipes are adapted for the North American kitchen. |
|
By Rick Stein
BBC Books Released: 2007-08-28 Hardcover (204 pages)
 | List Price: $41.35 Lowest New Price: $41.35 Lowest Used Price: $9.49 Temporarily out of stock. Order now and we'll deliver when available. We'll e-mail you with an estimated delivery date as soon as we have more information. Your credit card will not be charged until we ship the item. (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Rick Stein offers over 100 new recipes, based on the best of all British produce, as well as a directory of the producers that he has met and recommends. He includes his own variations on traditional British dishes, such as Welsh rarebit. |
|
By Allen Myrtle
Harry N. Abrams Hardcover (160 pages)
 | List Price: $27.50 Lowest New Price: $9.99 Lowest Used Price: $5.74 Usually ships in 24 hours (As of 10:22 Pacific 6 Jul 2009 More Info)
Click Here | Product Description: Welcome back to Ballymaloe! When it was originally published ten years ago, Myrtle Allen's Cooking at Ballymaloe House was hailed as an instant classic. Legions of Irish-Americans, tourists familiar with the guest house, and gourmets intrigued by an oft-neglected cuisine clamored for this groundbreaking cookbook devoted to traditional Irish dishes. Easy yet elegant recipes for Irish stew, batter-fried fish filets, mutton pies, colcannon, apple cake, and Ballymaloe's trademark brown bread did not disappoint. Now, in a completely redesigned edition, Stewart, Tabori & Chang is proud to bring this heirloom collection of recipes into the twenty-first century. Ballymaloe House evokes a time and place when summer meant freshly squeezed lemonade and sorbet made of plump blackberries picked right from the brambles; when breakfast was a multi-course meal to be savored, from the stone-ground oatmeal to the buttery scones to the robust sausages; when the making of plum pudding, months in advance, signaled the beginning of the Christmas season. This tranquil way of life still exists at County Cork's legendary countryside inn, where proprietress and master chef Myrtle Allen presides over a kitchen that prepares seasonal dishes from the incomparably fresh local produce. In chapters ranging from soups and starters to desserts and drinks, the 100 recipes in Myrtle Allen's Cooking at Ballymaloe House have been specially selected and adapted for the American home. Mrs. Allen introduces each one in her own charming prose, and her witty descriptions bring Ballymaloe to life. |
|
| |