Love Food Editors - Complete Irish Pub Cookbook : the best of traditional and contemporary Irish cooking

Nothing goes to waste in the Irish kitchen, including buttermilk - the thin liquid left over after churning butter. It has a pleasing, tangy flavor and is a main ingredient in Irish baking. Similar to drop biscuits in thickness, buttermilk pancakes have a slightly crisp, golden crust and a fluffy center.

Makes 12

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tablespoon sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 1/2 cups buttermilk

3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus extra for brushing

To serve

2/3 cup heavy cream, whipped

1 cup blueberries

1. Sift the flour, sugar, salt, and baking soda into a mixing bowl.

2. Mix the egg with the buttermilk and vegetable oil in a large pitcher. Add to the dry ingredients, beating to a smooth, creamy batter. Let stand for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours.

3. Heat a nonstick skillet or flat griddle pan over medium heat and brush with vegetable oil. Pour in enough batter to make 4-inch circles (about 1/4 cup per pancake). Cook for 1 1/22 minutes per side, or until small bubbles appear on the surface. Remove to a dish and keep warm while you cook the rest.

4. Serve with softly whipped cream and blueberries.

Leeks and potatoes are staples in Irish cuisine. For cooking, small, tender leeks are better than huge ones. This soup can be coarsely blended to produce a hearty, country texture, or processed until smooth and served with cream and snipped chives for a more luxurious soup.

Serves 46

4 tablespoons lightly salted butter

1 onion, chopped

3 leeks, sliced

2 potatoes, cut into 3/4-inch cubes

3 1/2 cups vegetable stock salt and pepper

2/3 cup light cream (optional), to serve

2 tbsp snipped fresh chives, to garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, add the prepared vegetables, and saut gently for 23 minutes, until soft but not brown. Pour in the stock and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 15 minutes.

2. Remove from the heat and blend the soup in the saucepan using a handheld immersion blender if you have one. Alternatively, pour into a blender or food processor, process until smooth, and return to the rinsed-out saucepan.

3. Reheat the soup and season to taste with salt and pepper. Ladle into warm bowls and serve, swirled with the cream, if using, and garnished with the chives.

In Irish cuisine, instead of a clear soup or stock, broth refers to a hearty meal-in-a-bowl soup. Traditionally, the meat is cut up and divided among individual soup bowls before the broth is poured over. A floury potato for mopping up juices tops each bowl.

Serves 6

1 1/2 pounds chuck steak

1/3 cup pearl barley, rinsed

1/3 cup green split peas, rinsed

1 large onion, thickly sliced

1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns

3 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced

3/4 cup diced rutabaga or turnip

1 small leek, some green tops included, thinly sliced

1 celery stalk, sliced

6 small floury potatoes, such as russets, white rounders, or Yukon golds, peeled

1 1/2 cups sliced green cabbage

2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley salt

1. Put the beef, pearl barley, and split peas in a large saucepan with the onion and peppercorns. Pour in enough cold water to just cover. Slowly bring to a boil, skimming off any foam, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours.

2. Add the carrots, rutabaga, leek, and celery to the pan. Season with salt, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes. Add a little more water if the soup starts to look too thick.

3. Meanwhile, put the potatoes in another saucepan with water to cover. Add salt to taste and bring to a boil. Cook for 710 minutes, until tender but not disintegrating. Drain, return to the pan, and cover with a clean dish towel.

4. Remove the meat saucepan from the stove. Carefully lift out the meat using two forks or a slotted spoon. Cut into small cubes and return to the pan. Add the cabbage and simmer for an additional 5 minutes, or until the cabbage is just tender. Check the seasoning.

5. Ladle the soup into warm wide soup bowls. Place a potato in the middle of each bowl and sprinkle with the parsley.

With its hundreds of miles of coastline, it is no wonder that Ireland is famous for its fabulous fish and seafood. This recipe uses smoked cod, which gives the chowder a wonderfully rich flavor.

Serves 4

2 tablespoons salted butter

1 onion, finely chopped

1 small celery stalk, finely diced

2 potatoes, diced

1 small carrot, diced

1 1/4 cups boiling water

12 ounces smoked cod fillets, skinned and cut into bite-size pieces

1 1/4 cups whole milk

salt and pepper

fresh flat-leaf parsley sprigs, to garnish

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat, add the onion and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes, or until soft but not brown.

2. Add the potatoes, carrots, water, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Add the fish to the chowder and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

3. Pour in the milk and heat gently. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper if necessary. Ladle into warm bowls and serve garnished with parsley sprigs.

Scallops are fished around the Irish coast, especially in winter and spring. With their dense flesh and delicately flavored corals, they are particularly good in creamy chowders, either on their own or mixed with other seafood. Be careful to avoid overcooking them, otherwise the flesh will become rubbery.