Customer Reviews

Recipes from Ireland

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
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1 star:		(1)

 

 

For this collection, Joanne Asala gathered recipes from dishes served at hotels, bed and breakfasts and restaurants in Ireland. Other recipes are for dishes she sampled in homes of Irish Americans.

The dishes are simple and tasty, Asala says, and reflect "the quality of their ingredients-fresh meat and seafood, rich milk and cream, fruit, vegetables and wonderful wholesome bread." Irish whiskey is a favorite ingredient. It is used in drinks such as the traditional Irish coffee and milk punch, and in other recipes, including one for Christmas cookies. Oatmeal is another favorite, appearing in recipes for beverages, leek and oatmeal soup and almond pudding.

Naturally, a collection of Irish recipes must include recipes for potatoes, the diet of about 8 million peasants during the Great Famine of 1845-1849. You'll find recipes for potato pancakes, potato casseroles and even a chocolate-potato layer cake.

Also included are recipes for such Irish fare as brown soda bread, molasses bread, marmalade loaf, shrimp and cheese chowder, kidney soup, pigs' feet, rabbit pie and, of course, corned beef and cabbage and Irish stew.

Editor William Cotter Murray has added comments about his homeland. Murray, who came to the Iowa Writers' Workshop in the 1950s and taught at the University of Iowa until his retirement, has explored his Irish roots in fiction, poetry and plays.

As I am an amatuer cook, I was delighted to be able to use "Recipes from Ireland". My wife thinks I have been taking cooking lessons on the side.

A terrific, pocket-sized Irish cookbook that you can take with you anywhere. Dozens of tasty recipes you can use for St. Patrick's Day! If you're looking for that special dish you mother used to make, you'll find it here. Asala has done a number of books on Celtic themes, including a large format cookbook "Celtic Folklore Cooking" and another, "Irish Saints and Sinners," which is unfortunately out of print. Her books never fail to please!

Recipes from Ireland by Joanne Asala, author of 'Celtic Folklore Cooking' and 'Whistling Jigs to the Moon: Tales of Irish and Scottish Pipers and Legends of Irish Saints and Sinners.' All of her books are entertaining to read. Asala was born in Chicago has a love of Celtic lore that has taken her to United Kingdom and Ireland, where many of these recipes were gathered from people who still cook the same as their ancestors did. All of the recipes in this spiral bound book are very simple to make. If you're just beginning, this would be a good start in Irish cooking. The book is great fun to learn as it has some interesting history thrown in the pages.

The most interesting history is how poteen (poitín), what we come to know as 'Mountain Dew' or 'Moonshine' had it's origins in Ireland and brought to the Appalachian Mountains! The recipes are categorized by Beverages, Breads and Porridges, Milk, Eggs and Cheese, Soups and Stews, Potatoes and Other Vegetables, Fish and Shellfish, Meat and Wild Game and Desserts. The original Irish coffee came from Co. Clare by Joe Sheridan as a pick-me-up for transatlantic travelers. He used hot black coffee, 1 1/2 oz. Irish Mist Liqueur and 2 Tbsp. whipped cream. The best breads are the Brown, Barm Brack and the Treacle (Molasses) Bread. Boxty is the original potato cakes or pancakes. They're great with butter and sugar. Lots of popular favorites are included like Traditional Irish Stew and Colcannon. The authentic stew does NOT have carrots in it. Only Lamb neck chops, potatoes, onions, seasoned with parsley and thyme, salt and pepper. The potato was the only staple in the Irish diet before the Great Famine of 1845-1849. The consequences of the crop blight was catastrophic. 1 million Irish perished from starvation while 1 1/2 million emigrated to the U.S. My favorite section was the Fish and Shellfish. The Baked Cod and Bacon were wonderful. Other favorites, Grilled Mackerel, Mushroom and Scallop Pie, Baked Salmon, Baked Trout and Pickled Herring. For those who love lobster there's Dublin Lawyer. My recent trip to Ireland is that the fish market has grown with a large variety of seafood like, monkfish, John Dowry, blue hake, oysters and mussels. While on your visit go to the Old English Market, Cork City, Co. Cork for a great adventure in traditional Irish food!

The front cover photograph view of Clifden, Connemara is by Patrick Costello. It brought back memories of seeing the town from the Sky Road. A breath-taking view! This spiral bound book is small, easy to carry around anywhere. In addition to things Irish, it contains the legend of the shamrock, the Irish flag and Irish Sites in America. This would be something to give to a family member who loves to cook and like ethnic cooking. They make good stuffers into a stocking for a nice Christmas gift.

Penfield Press's spiral cookbook "Recipes from Ireland" was the single biggest disappointment from this series. I feel really bad to say that, but that was my continued experience with this volume.

The history was interesting, but the recipes just didn't stand up. I tried a few recipes from this book and looked at everything else, and this is a waste of time and money if there ever was one. I made the scones and they came out with no flavor and I also made the bread and it was hard as a rock (and, yes, I followed the recipe to the letter). Other recipes (especially the ones for drinks) were simple enough for anyone to do them on their own without having to look at this book.

My biggest gripe was the vague instructions and measurements for many recipes. Some recipes didn't measure out all the ingredients and the cook times were equally as vague and confusing. Experienced cooks (amateur and professional) can play with recipes, but not someone just learning.

I really hate to give anything one star (unless it truly deserves it) because of the time and effort it takes to put any book together, but let this be the other side of the story so people can make an informed decision as to the good and the bad of this book. - Donna Di Giacomo