Johnson Margaret M - The Irish pub cookbook

BY Margaret M. Johnson

PHOTOGRAPHS BY Margaret M. Johnson

FOOD PHOTOGRAPHS BY Leigh Beisch

Text copyright 2006 by Margaret M. Johnson.

Scenic photographs copyright 2006 by Margaret M. Johnson.

Food photographs copyright 2006 by Leigh Beisch.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher.

The recipes for is adapted with the permission of Magners Irish Cider.

Photo credits: , courtesy of Shannon Development.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data available.

ISBN 978-1-4521-2679-1

Designed by Ayako Akazawa

Prop styling by Sara Slavin

Food styling by Sandra Cook

Food stylist assistant Penny Zweidinger and Elisabet der Nederlanden

Photo assistant Angelica Cao

Typesetting by Janis Reed

The photographer wishes to thank the stupendous photo team of Sara, Sandra, Angelica, Shashona, Penny, and Elisabet. It is always a pleasure working with such a creative, fun group. I would also like to thank Chronicle Books for another fun assignment, and mostly Ayako Akazawa for working with us and supporting our efforts in this interesting project.

Chronicle Books LLC
680 Second Street
San Francisco, California 94107

www.chroniclebooks.com

For my husband, Carl, and my son, Mark,
who have never met a pub they didnt like.

Id like to express my thanks to the Irish publicans and chefs who contributed recipes and advice for this book, especially members of Irish Pubs of Distinction; Cian Molloy, author of The Story of the Irish Pub; Bord Bia (Irish Food Board), in Dublin and Chicago; Orla Carey of Tourism Ireland; Gerry Lennon of Belfast Visitor and Convention Bureau; the McNally Design Group and the Irish Pub Company, in Dublin; the Galway Oyster Festival committee; the James Joyce Centre, Dublin; Roger Wort of Ulster Magazines, Ltd., in Belfast; Caroline Workman of Foodstuff Ireland, in Belfast; the Edward Dillon Company, in Dublin; and Roisin Hennerty and Molly OLoughlin of the Irish Dairy Board, in Chicago. Thanks also to Erin Crawford, Rene Erhardt, and Kate Schumacher for assistance with recipe testing; and to Madeleine Morel, my agent, who continues to provide guidance and encouragement. Thanks go to Bill Le Blond, senior editor, Chronicle Books, for his faith in me again, and to Amy Treadwell, for her editorial assistance. Finally, heartfelt thanks to my husband, Carl, for his continued indulgence in all things Irish!

DEBARRA FOLK CLUB, CLONAKILTY, COUNTY CORK

A good puzzle, mused Leopold Bloom,
would be to cross Dublin without passing a pub.

James Joyces Ulysses

The pub, short for public house, is one of Irelands most beloved institutions. There are an estimated 11,000 pubs in the Republic of Ireland, 1,650 in Northern Ireland, and more than 1,000 in Dublin alone. These licensed premisespart clubhouse, part town hall, part churchhave served for years as venues for social events, sporting news, local gossip, music sessions, literary soires, real estate deals, political debates, revolutionary plots, and, lest we forget, for knocking back a pint of Guinness or a ball of malt, also known as a glass of whiskey.

Public houses date back to medieval taverns, coaching inns, and shebeensillegal drinking dens that flourished under colonial rule. In Victorian times, brewing and distilling were major industries in Ireland, and many city pubs, especially those in Dublin, Cork, and Galway, still retain their mahogany and marble counters, carved woodwork, gaslights, and period mirrors. The Crown Liquor Saloon, in Belfast, architecturally distinguished with its stained and painted glass, plasterwork ceiling, marbling, and mosaics, is so revered that its even a member of Britains National Trust!

A rural Irish pub might be an extension of the village shop, or it might serve as the local post office or, in the case of a pub in Wexford, an extension of a funeral parlor; many traditional ones still feature intimate, partitioned booths or cubicles called snugs, and others have boldly painted or black-and-white beamed exteriors with thatched roofs.

Regardless of design, Irish pubs are perhaps the best expressions of Irish life and culture and are true keepers of the spirit of the land. No visit to Ireland is complete without at least a visit to one to see firsthand how a barman draws a proper pint of Guinness; to experience the craic (pronounced crack), the Irish expression for fun; and, of course, to sample the food the country is renowned forpub grub.

Long before Michelin began anointing Irish chefs with stars and red Ms, pub grubsimple sandwiches, thick soups, hearty stews, jacket potatoes, salad plates, and big joints of meat sliced at the carverywas considered to be the quintessential Irish food. Writing about it twenty years ago, tourism expert Arthur Frommer commented: The Irish never were great eaters. Big eaters, yes, gourmets, no. Potatoes and buttermilk were the great staples before the Famine, and even in current, more prosperous times, the Irish have prided themselves on being meat-and-potato peoplenothing fancywith a great taste for thick slabs of brown bread and apple tart.

What Frommer was talking about was pub grub, hearty food that despite its apparent simplicity has developed into a cuisine in its own right. The term gastropub was recently coined in the United Kingdom to describe those pubs that turn out good meals as easily as they pour good drinks. Much like a French bistro or an Italian trattoria, where natives gather for unpretentious and hearty food, the Irish pub (of which there are thousands worldwide) is, undoubtedly, the countrys leading exponent of good-value meals, hospitality, and tradition.

From Davy Byrnes in Dublin to Kehoes Pub and Parlour in Kilmore Quay, and from Durty Nellys in Bunratty to Grace Neills in Donaghadee, youll find traditional country-style cooking along with a few surprises. Youve come to expect bacon and cabbage, shepherds pie, seafood chowder, and apple tarts, and now youll be delighted by salads spiced with Asian dressings, tortes filled with cheeses and sun-dried tomatoes, risottos topped with basil or black pudding, and cheesecakes marbled with Irish cream and stout. The best part: you can easily make these at home. The Irish Pub Cookbook transports these dishes into your kitchen in seven chapters, each with photos, history, folklore, and blackboard specials from some of the countrys most famous licensed premises.

In The Story of the Irish Pub, author Cian Molloy says, The Irish pub is part of a living tradition; it is part of our unique culture and it deserves to be cherished and celebrated. Spice it up with some serious cooking, and its no wonder the pub is such a beloved institution.

Slinte agus go marfaidh sibh an cad. Good health and may you outlive one hundred years!