Issuu

SPRING/SUMMER 07

NINE BEAN ROWS

NINE BEAN ROWS Nine Bean Rows is a boutique Irish publishing house for tastemakers and storytellers. Specialising in food and drink, our aim is to provide a more inclusive snapshot of Ireland’s modern, diverse and exceptional food culture, and in so doing to create a new culinary canon. @9beanrowsbooks

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

BL ASTA BOOKS blasta (blast ) adj From the Irish language, meaning delicious, tasty, appetising. Rhymes with pasta. e

Blasta Books are to cookbooks what street food is to restaurants: a fun, accessible and affordable way to eat exciting food. At Blasta Books, we believe that the two things that connect everyone, everywhere, are food and stories. If you draw a Venn diagram with food in one circle and stories in the other, connection is what’s in the middle where the circles overlap. Food and stories are what we all have in common, no matter who we are or where we’re from. That’s why we’re working to make more room at the table, one bite and one book at a time. Pull up a chair and dig in. @blastabooks

NINE BEAN ROWS

NEW

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 9781738479504

9781068405082 EUR €25.00 • GBP £22.00 • AUD $45.00 HARDBACK • 155MM X 220MM • 360 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 04 MARCH 2027

AN IRISH FOOD CALENDAR CUSTOMS, FOLKLORE & OBSERVATIONS FROM A KITCHEN JP MCMAHON

An Irish Food Calendar explores the traditions, stories and seasonal rhythms that have shaped Ireland’s culinary identity. Moving through the year, it uncovers forgotten customs alongside enduring practices, from New Year’s bread rituals and Samhain traditions to gathering wild plants and bringing in the harvest. Drawing on folklore, historical sources and 15 years of the author’s own research into Ireland’s contemporary wild foods, Jp McMahon reveals how landscape, climate, belief and community have always influenced what we eat while reflecting on the future of Irish food in a multicultural society. Ultimately, An Irish Food Calendar is a celebration of Irish food as a living, ever-evolving culture that invites you to experience the seasons one tradition and one meal at a time, inspiring you to see the year, and your own place within it, differently.

Jp McMahon is a Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and best-selling author. Jp is an ambassador for Irish food, travelling widely to promote Ireland, its produce and food culture. He is also the founder of and host to one of the biggest and most talked-about international food events in Europe, Food on the Edge, that features the best chefs from across the globe. Jp is also a member of Euro-Toques Ireland and is committed to the educational and ethical aspects of food, to buying and supporting the best of local and free-range produce, and to engaging directly with farmers and producers. Jp is a regular contributor to Radio One and Newstalk radio, has a monthly slot on RTÉ TV and wrote a weekly column for the Irish Times for eight years. @mistereatgalway

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

NEW

9781918898040 EUR €15.00 • GBP £13.00 • AUD $27.99 PAPERBACK • 120MM X 181MM • 168 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 13 MAY 2027

MASAALCHI A PUNK SPICE MANIFESTO ARUN KAPIL

This is not a conventional cookbook, and it’s not a food memoir either. It’s a punk masaalchi’s kitchen manifesto: a book about flavour, instinct, rhythm and confidence.

Most of all, Masaalchi shows you that cooking is not a test to be passed, but a life to be lived – sometimes quickly and sometimes scrappily, but always with appetite.

Arun Kapil looks at food, culture and the everyday kitchen in a fresh way for modern lives. He also shares practical templates designed to help you think in flavour patterns, deploy spice with intent and turn whatever you’ve got – eggs, tins, leftovers, freezer bits, half a loaf, a spoonful of yoghurt, the dregs of a jar of chutney – into dinner.

Arun Kapil is a masaalchi – a spice man. A cook, writer and flavour obsessive whose work sits at the crossroads of food, culture, migration and memory. Born in Lincolnshire to an Indian dad and a Yorkshire mum and now based in County Cork, Ireland, Arun has spent much of his life navigating the rich and sometimes messy territory between cultures. That journey informs everything he writes, cooks and believes about food: that the best meals tell stories, bridge divides and bring people together around a table. In 2007, Arun and his wife Olive founded Green Saffron, the award-winning Irish spice company built on direct relationships with family farms across India. Arun is also the author of Fresh Spice (Pavilion Books, 2014). @alifeinthedayofspice

And the best part is that you won’t just cook tonight. You will cook better, faster and with more joy. You will begin to trust your own hand more. You will understand a little more about balance, flavour and memory and how culture lives in the pan as much as on the plate.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

B LAS TA B O O K S

NEW

9781918898002 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 21 JANUARY 2027

BL ASTA BOOKS #21

DUMPLINGS CHINA’S FAVOURITE FOOD FROM DUBLIN’S DUMPLING QUEEN JANET LIU

Dublin’s undisputed dumpling queen, Janet Liu, has spent the past six years making thousands of dumplings by hand for her pop-ups, running her popular dumpling-making workshops and teaching Chinese dishes at Dublin Cookery School. Now with her own restaurant, YiBU, Janet has put everything she knows about one of China’s favourite foods into this book. From family recipes to her signature cheeseburger dumplings, Janet shows you everything you need to know to make dumplings at home. She also shows you how to use the fillings for bao, noodles and rice bowls and how to use dumplings in salads, soups and more. Whether you’re folding your very first dumpling or perfecting your technique, you’ll see why making and sharing dumplings brings people together around the table like few other foods can do.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NEW

9781918898019 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 22 APRIL 2027

BL ASTA BOOKS #22

SMOKIN’ SOUL THE ESSENTIALS OF LIVE-FIRE COOKING PAT CONWAY & JIM O’BRIEN

Fire is the oldest cooking tool we have. Long before kitchens, thermometers, recipes or even salt, there was fire and the understanding of how to live with it. Pat Conway and Jim O’Brien build fires with purpose. They cook with restraint. They respect the ingredient and let heat do the work it is meant to do. This book follows that philosophy. In Smokin’ Soul, Pat and Jim share everything they know about live-fire cooking. You’ll learn how every cut of meat, every technique, every flavour depends on how well you understand heat and how confidently you control it, which is why they give you the tools to master fire first before sharing their most popular recipes.

Pork chops are one of the real joys of this world if you manage to get them from the right source – they easily rival any steak when the quality is good. We always ask our butcher for chops that are 2–2.5cm (¾–1in) thick to ensure the chops are lovely and moist to finish. We use the Santa Maria to cook these chops with a bed of charcoal embers and a huge amount of flaming hardwood on top. But if you’re cooking on a standard charcoal barbecue, you can still achieve a very similar result.

pork chops

with peaches and mint SERVES 4

flaky sea salt 4 pork chops FOR THE PEACHES: juice of ½ lemon 1 tbsp honey 1 tbsp red wine vinegar 4 ripe but firm peaches , halved and sliced a small handful of fresh mint leaves freshly cracked black pepper extra-virgin olive oil

Set up the barbecue for direct cooking over a good bed of hot charcoal. Once the charcoal is fully lit and beginning to ash over, add a small chunk of fruit wood or other suitable smoking hardwood directly onto the coals. Leave the lid open initially so that the timber catches and begins to burn cleanly rather than smoulder. Salt the pork chops and cook them directly over the charcoal, moving and turning them regularly to control the heat and develop an even char. If the flames become too aggressive, simply move the chops to a cooler part of the barbecue before returning them to the direct heat. Bring the chops to a core temperature of 60°C (140°F), but only do so if you know the origin and the freshness of the meat. At this core temp, it won’t be pink or bloody, and you will get the best from the meat. Remove from the grill and allow to rest. In a bowl, combine the lemon juice, honey and vinegar. Add the sliced peaches and gently toss through the dressing. Tear the mint leaves over the peaches and season with a little flaky sea salt and a generous crack of black pepper. Finish with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil and serve alongside the pork chops.

22 Blasta Smokin_V5_JM.indd 40-41

30/10/2026 10:41

B LAS TA B O O K S

NEW

9781918898026 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 22 JULY 2027

BL ASTA BOOKS #23

BLASTA PASTA TWO ITALIANS, TWO REGIONS, ONE TABLE ENRICO FANTASIA & FRANCESCO TURRISI

What happens when two food-loving Italian musicians meet in an Irish kitchen? The result is Blasta Pasta, a collection of recipes and stories that celebrate the rich diversity of Italian regional cooking while also embracing the ingredients and flavours of a new home. Having each spent more than half a lifetime in Ireland, Enrico Fantasia and Francesco Turrisi bring together the food heritage of their respective regions: Venice, the historic gateway to the East, and Sicily, where centuries of cultural exchange have left an unmistakable mark on the cuisine. From handmade pasta and cherished family recipes to contemporary dishes inspired by Ireland’s exceptional produce, at its heart, Blasta Pasta is about the joy of gathering around the table, no matter where you’re from.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NEW

9781918898033 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 21 OCTOBER 2027

BL ASTA BOOKS #24

THE CURE LIFE HURTS. FOOD HELPS. CL ARE WILKINSON

Whether you’re lovesick, low on sleep or just hangry, we’ve all been there. The Cure is your edible survival guide for life’s messiest moods. No judgment. No macro checker. No endless ingredient lists. Just easy, soul-soothing, serotonin-boosting food for when you’re feeling all the feels – and those feelings need feeding! Clare Wilkinson firmly believes that most problems should be fed before they’re fixed and that nobody should have to navigate heartbreak, hangovers, homesickness or hormonal meltdowns on an empty stomach. Because some days call for courage, and some days call for carbohydrates.

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781068405051 EUR €35.00 • GBP £30.00 • AUD $45.00 HARDBACK • 250MM X 190MM • 208 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 23 JULY 2026

FROM SCRATCH 80 FOOLPROOF RECIPES BY @FROMSCRATCHBAKER, FROM EASY TRAYBAKES TO SHOWSTOPPING CAKES ALICE KELLY

Alice Kelly set up @FromScratchBaker in early 2022 after buying a disused horse-box for €600. Turning a renovation project into a successful business, Alice began posting her baking experiences – both the successes and the failures – on TikTok and soon amassed a dedicated fan base, with millions of followers around the world. In From Scratch: 80 Foolproof Recipes by @fromscratchbaker, from Easy Traybakes to Showstopping Cakes, her hotly anticipated debut cookbook, Alice provides a sweet mix of easy recipes, demystifies patisserie, breaks down advanced concepts to make them accessible, reveals the secrets behind her viral bakes and, above all, makes baking fun for anyone!

Alice Kelly, known to many as @fromscratchbaker, is a 22-year-old classically trained baker and digital creator who brings accessible, easy-to-follow baking recipes to a wide online community. She trained in Baking and Pastry Arts Management at Technological University Dublin and has built a substantial online presence, with tens of millions of monthly viewers. After her frog doughnuts went viral in 2023, Alice’s audience has since grown to a combined following of nearly 4 million across her platforms. Sharing her reliable baking recipes and behindthe-scenes peeks of what daily life as a baker looks like, as well as the realities of being a kitchen creative, Alice’s content receives more than 600 million views a year. @fromscratchbaker

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781068405099 EUR €20.00 • GBP £17.50 • AUD $36.99 HARDBACK • 220MM X 155MM • 272 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 10 SEPTEMBER 2026

BLOOD, GUTS AND BLACK PUDDING IRELAND’S DYING ART OF BLOOD AS FOOD KATE RYAN

Blood. The Irish have been dining on it for centuries and they love it. It has sustained warriors in epic battles, staved off hunger, offered protection from bad luck and provided sustenance during winter. It’s been drawn from living animals and caught from dead ones, stuffed into guts and boiled until cooked or stirred into bloody porridges over turf fires. It’s even in the mortar of castle walls. Mostly we know it as the moody melange of blood and guts that completes the breakfast fry. But this food is older than potatoes, soda bread, whiskey, stout and coddle. Blood is an ancient food from a time when the Irish diet was one of milky, oaty, salty things. No surprise, then, that the best puddings are made when all four unite to form a singularly perfect food. Yet Ireland’s ancient tradition of consuming the fresh blood of animals as food is in danger of disappearing forever, and with it an intricate, nuanced foodway that ties together the history of Ireland, its people and their communities, rituals and recipes, craft and custom. 12

Blood, Guts and Black Pudding charts the complete history of Ireland’s great pudding tradition, from pre-Christian times to the modern era, celebrating the many ways blood has been cooked, eaten and enjoyed, and questions what else is lost when the blood is gone. Kate Ryan is an award-winning food writer and founder of Flavour.ie, a platform dedicated to promoting Irish food. Kate is a food features writer for the Echo, the Irish Examiner and Business Post newspapers. Her writing has also featured with the BBC, Vittles, Food & Wine Magazine (Ireland) and Scoop magazine, among many others in print and online. She also writes on her Substack newsletter, Peckish Times. She is a member of the Irish Food Writers’ Guild and holds First Class (Honours) in University College Cork’s MA in Food Studies and Irish Foodways and a Postgraduate Diploma in Irish Food Culture. @flavour.ie

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 9781739210526

9781068405068 EUR €20.00 • GBP £17.50 • AUD $36.99 HARDBACK • 200MM X 165MM • 112 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 08 OCTOBER 2026

THE IRISH WHISKEY COOKBOOK 50 RECIPES TO COOK, SIP AND SAVOUR OISÍN DAVIS

Ireland’s whiskeys have long been a staple in Irish cuisine. Whether it’s just for seasoning or as the primary ingredient, the world-renowned spice and sweetness of Irish whiskey can lend a soft touch or bold character to an array of dishes. The Irish Whiskey Cookbook: 50 Recipes to Cook, Sip and Savour presents 50 recipes divided evenly between savoury and sweet. Each recipe also includes the perfect whiskey pairing to enjoy alongside it, providing a complete blueprint for Irish whiskey dining and drinking experiences. Think barbecued ribs cooked with a tangy whiskey sauce and paired with a long thirstquenching Irish whiskey cocktail or Irish coffee brownies served with the perfect Irish coffee. In The Irish Whiskey Cookbook, Ireland’s national spirit comes alive with every bite.

Oisín Davis worked in entertainment and hospitality for many years before he founded Great Irish Beverages, Ireland’s first dedicated drinks marketing and publicity company. It has taken him all over the world educating bartenders and media about Irish whiskey and spirits. He has also run nationwide drinks festivals such as The Irish Gin & Tonic Fest and manages publicity for some of Ireland’s most prestigious spirit brands. Writing has always been a consistent element of Oisín’s life. He was won multiple awards for his spirits column with Food & Wine in the Business Post, and in 2023, he published his debut book, Irish Kitchen Cocktails. When not writing about booze and food, he can be found talking about it, specifically on the Beár Bia travelling podcast that he co-hosts and as a regular speaker, contributor and judge at a range of national and international culinary festivals and competitions. @oisindavis

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

Whiskey & apple chutney

Irish coffee brownies

Looking to do some flexing for your next cheese board? A cheeky dollop of this chutney on a mature Cheddar or something soft like Ardrahan is quite the flavour bomb. Irish cheeses and Irish whiskeys are remarkably good bedfellows. But sometimes they need a little binder, like some chutney or a cracker, to help them get better acquainted.

In my first book, Irish Kitchen Cocktails, I made a passionate plea for Irish bars and restaurants to better embrace the Irish coffee and make it a prominent fixture on all their menus, where it fully deserves to be. Well, here’s the super simple dessert accompaniment for it: a brownie with boozy benefits.

Makes about 500ml (2 cups) 45g (3 tbsp) salted butter 1 white onion, finely chopped ½ tsp fresh thyme leaves 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped ½ tsp salt ½ tsp ground white pepper 750g (1lb 10½oz) cooking apples (such as Bramleys), peeled, cored and cubed

Makes 12 120g (½ cup + 1 tbsp) caster sugar 80ml (1/3 cup) apple cider vinegar 1 tsp Dijon mustard ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce 80ml (1/3 cup) Glendalough Single Grain Calvados XO Cask Finish Irish Whiskey a drizzle of honey or Highbank Orchard Apple Syrup

225g (½lb) salted butter, plus extra for greasing 200g (7oz) milk chocolate 150g (5¼oz) 70% dark chocolate 250g (heaped 1 cup) Demerara sugar 60ml (¼ cup) Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish Irish Whiskey 60ml (¼ cup) freshly brewed espresso 1 tbsp finely ground coffee 3 eggs 275g (21/3 cups) plain flour

Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium heat. When the butter starts to foam, add the onion and thyme and cook for 5 minutes, until it softens and starts to take on some colour. Add the garlic, salt and pepper and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant. Next up in line is the apples. Stir them in for a few seconds before adding the sugar, vinegar, mustard, Worcestershire and three-quarters of the whiskey. Reduce the heat to low and keep stirring for about 30 minutes. At that point, it should be good and thick.

For the whipped cream topping: 250ml (1 cup) cream 2 tbsp Glendalough Single Grain Double Barrel Finish Irish Whiskey 2 tsp icing sugar freshly grated nutmeg

Preheat your oven to 180°C (350°F). Grease a 12-hole muffin tin well with butter. Put the 225g (½lb) butter in a heatproof bowl and break all the chocolate into it. Lash it into the microwave for 1 minute, then take it out and stir it up. Repeat until the butter and chocolate have melted and emulsified together. Alternatively, you can melt them together in a heatproof bowl set on top of a saucepan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl.

Drop in the thyme and stir for 1 more minute before taking the pan off the heat. Add the remaining whiskey and give it a final stir. You can serve the chutney straight away or store it in the fridge in sterilised jars (see page 00). Once refrigerated, it will keep for at least one month.

Whisk in the sugar, whiskey, espresso shots and coffee grounds until it’s all combined, then whisk in one egg at a time before adding the flour. Mix together until you get a smooth batter.

TO DRINK: If you’re using this chutney with a cheese board, break out the Glendalough Single Grain Calvados Cask Finish and serve it neat or on the rocks

Fill each hole in the muffin tin three-quarters full of batter, then put the tin in the preheated oven and bake for 25 minutes if you like your brownies to have a bit of chew and decadent ooze to them or 30 minutes if you prefer your brownies to be less gooey. Set aside on a wire rack to cool. Using an electric mixer, whisk the cream with the whiskey and icing sugar until it’s firm. Slather the whipped cream on top of each brownie, then grate over a little nutmeg.

TO DRINK: Double Barrel Irish coffee (page 000) or a neat serve of Glendalough Pot Still Irish Oak Finish

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479535 EUR €15.00 • GBP £13.00 • AUD $27.99 PAPERBACK • 198MM X 129MM • 248 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 22 JANUARY 2026

IN GOOD TASTE WHAT SHAPES WHAT WE EAT AND DRINK – AND WHY IT MATTERS MALLIKA BASU

It’s never been a better time to be a food lover. We binge Bake Off, follow foodie influencers, queue for trending hotspots and scroll endlessly for ideas on what to cook next. But for all this appetite, how much do we really know about what goes on behind the scenes with our food? And what can we really do to change things?

Mallika Basu is a writer, presenter and commentator on food, drink and hospitality, with a firm belief in the power of food as a force for good. A features writer and presenter for Good Food, she explores planet-friendlier eating and the links between food, people and the planet in her award-nominated newsletter, In Good Taste.

That’s where this book comes in.

Alongside her food writing, Mallika has over 20 years of strategic communications and advisory expertise, having worked with organisations including Jamie Oliver Group and Waitrose. She also helped shape Borough Market’s 2030 strategy. She has completed the Sustainable Food: Production and Processing programme at the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) and holds a master’s degree in journalism.

In Good Taste is an accessible, digestible dive into where our food comes from and the issues shaping our edible world today. Mallika Basu sets out the big picture – what the food system is, how it evolved and why it urgently needs transforming – before exploring the key players, the people too often left behind and the pressures on the planet. With insights and contributions from leading voices, the book concludes with tangible ways food lovers can be tastemakers and changemakers – powerful ingredients in shaping a fairer food world.

Born in Kolkata, India, Mallika lives in South London with her two teenage children. @mallikabasu_

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479559 EUR €35.00 • GBP £30.00 • AUD $80.00 HARDBACK • 189MM X 246MM • 224 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 25 SEPTEMBER 2025

THE KAI COOKBOOK A LOVE LETTER TO THE WEST OF IRELAND JESS MURPHY

The Kai Cookbook is the long-awaited collection of 100 of the restaurant’s best-loved dishes, from the legendary Kai fish fingers that they can’t take off the menu to showstopper cakes from the irresistible daily line-up on the bar.

New Zealand-born chef Jess Murphy has lived in Ireland since 2003 and has been based in Galway since 2005, where she opened her award-winning restaurant, Kai, with her Irish husband, Dave Murphy, in 2011.

Kai is the Māori word for food, and Jess and Dave Murphy opened the door to their award-winning Galway restaurant in 2011 with a simple formula: high-quality produce, sourced locally and cooked intelligently. What’s in season will be on your plate.

Kai is a place built on good energy, where happy staff and a busy kitchen combine to send everyone who visits out the door a little bit more content with the world. When Jess is not feeding or minding people, she is quietly fighting for an underdog somewhere here or abroad. She has been a formal High-Profile Supporter of the UNHCR since 2017.

Part cookbook, part love letter to Jess’s adopted home in the West of Ireland, these recipes and recollections, all told in Jess’s distinctive voice, will capture your heart, just like this little restaurant has done to all who have eaten there.

Everything that Jess does has a vitality, immediacy and generosity based on friendship, relationships and respect. @kai_galway

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479542 EUR €30.00 • GBP £25.00 • AUD $49.99 HARDBACK • 195MM X 220MM • 192 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 28 AUGUST 2025

NOW YOU’RE COOKING! 70 RECIPES THAT KIDS CAN MAKE JOLENE AND LILY MAE COX

Lily Mae (Lils) is 11 and has been cooking with her mum, Jolene, ever since Lils could sit up in a feeding chair. Working side by side, this mother-daughter duo is on a mission to teach kids how to cook real food they’ll love to eat, from an Epic Ham and Cheese Toastie (complete with cheese pull!) to their Kinda Famous Chicken Curry that they can make for the whole family. In these 70 tried-and-tested recipes, including the clever tips and tricks they’ve learned over the years, Jolene and Lils write directly for kids, giving them the skills and confidence to learn that cooking is something anyone can do at any age.

Jolene Cox is an award-winning Irish food writer with a background in early childhood education. She’s the founder of the Family Cooking Club, where she’s been leading hands-on cooking classes for kids since 2019. Lily Mae Cox, affectionately known as Lils, is Jolene’s daughter, sidekick and the much-loved co-host of the cooking classes. Full of curiosity and a love for food, Lils brings her infectious energy to every session, proving that kids can take the lead in the kitchen. Together, this dynamic duo hosts weekly live cooking classes online for children aged 5 to 12, helping young chefs build confidence, learn essential kitchen skills and, most importantly, have loads of fun. @oneyummymummy1

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479528 EUR €20.00 • GBP £17.50 HARDBACK • 155MM X 220MM • 232 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 30 JANUARY 2025

FILTHY QUEENS THE HISTORY OF BEER IN IRELAND DR CHRISTINA WADE

In Filthy Queens, Dr Christina Wade looks at the history of beer alongside some of the biggest events in the story of Ireland. You’ll find an 18th-century courtesan who had a wicked streak of beer snobbery and early medieval monks who wrote beer reviews so terrible, any Untappd fan would feel right at home. There will be beer tastings, parties, music and wakes. You’ll meet thieves and murderers, saints and goddesses. You’ll hear stories of kings and paupers, witches and bishops, Irish, English and Vikings from the Late Iron Age all the way up to the early 20th century. Oh, and don’t forget the zombies. We’ve been drinking beer for millennia, so it’s a perfect way to embrace the past and those who lived in it. In the end, you’ll see that the history of beer is intimately intertwined with the history of us.

Dr Christina Wade is a beer historian specialising in the hidden histories of the brewing trade, especially the role of women. Wade has spent much of her time writing about women and beer history on her website Braciatrix and has recently launched a Substack newsletter of the same name. A BJCP Certified Beer Judge, Wade is also the resident historian, audio editor and co-host of the Beer Ladies Podcast. Additionally, she founded the Ladies Craft Beer Society of Ireland in 2013, which has grown to over 1,400 members. Wade currently sits on the League of Historians at the Beer Culture Center and has presented her work at events around the world. @braciatrix

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781739210571 EUR €20.00 • GBP £17.50 • AUD $34.99 HARDBACK • 177MM X 248MM • 128 PAGES AGE: 9–12 YEARS RIGHTS: WORLD (EXCEPT BULGARIA) 29 AUGUST 2024

SEED TO SUPPER THE JOURNEY OF YOUR FOOD FROM THE GROUND UP WRIT TEN BY MICHELLE DARMODY ILLUSTRATED BY RUTH GRAHAM

How does your food get on your plate? Where does it come from? How does it grow? How does it travel around the globe to get to you? And once you have it, how do you cook and eat it? Seed to Supper takes you through every stage of food’s journey from its start as a seed in the soil to the table via the kitchen and everything – and everywhere! – in between. You’ll not only learn how to grow, buy and cook food, you’ll also learn how what we eat affects the planet and see how people eat and share food at dinner tables around the world. With cooking tips and easy recipes, DIY activities, interesting anecdotes and fascinating facts, follow your food from the ground up and see how food connects us all.

Dr Michelle Darmody’s work brings together sustainability, food entrepreneurship and creativity. Her PhD focused on environmental food education for children. Her research projects have won RETHINK Ireland Social Innovation funding and she was named an Ashoka Changemaker. Michelle writes an award-winning weekly column for the Irish Examiner. Her extensive knowledge of sustainability and the food landscape also stems from the creation of large-scale events tackling climate change, such as Eat the Streets for Dublin City Council and Summer Rising for IMMA. She is also a regular commentator for Irish media.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 9781999379940

9781739210595 EUR €35.00 • GBP £30.00 • AUD $50.00 HARDBACK • 175MM X 223MM • 224 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 12 SEPTEMBER 2024

COOK TRADITIONAL IRISH COOKING WITH MODERN TWISTS GRAHAM HERTERICH

Graham Herterich is back with a follow-up to his debut cookbook, with a savoury spin this time. Graham flips the script on favourites like bacon and cabbage to turn it into cabbage and bacon, while Irish stew gets reimagined as a lamb tagine. Beloved Irish classics such as the ‘mammy salad’, a chicken fillet roll and our classic combo of lasagne, coleslaw and chips all feature alongside modern versions updated with the flavours and ingredients available to us now. The book is structured around the unique way we eat in Ireland, broken up into the five mealtimes of breakfast, lunch, dinner, tea and supper. There is also a chapter dedicated to pork and bacon, inspired by his childhood growing up over the family butcher shop.

Whether it’s a bowl of coddle or a spice bag, Cook shows that traditional and modern Irish cooking isn’t defined by what it is, but rather by what it does: it nurtures us, warms us and makes us who we are. Graham Herterich is well known for creating dishes with both conventional and unusual flavour combinations, using traditional Irish recipes as inspiration. Having learned to bake with his granny at a young age, he went on to become a classically trained chef who re-established his passion for baking as his career progressed. This ultimately led him to set up The Cupcake Bloke in 2012 and open his first retail store, The Bakery, in Dublin in 2018. Graham is passionate about flavour and quality while bringing an element of fun to food. @grahamherterich

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479511 EUR €35.00 • GBP £30.00 • AUD $65.00 HARDBACK • 189MM X 240MM • 232 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 26 SEPTEMBER 2024

THE OLD SPOT COOKBOOK A DECADE AT DUBLIN’S FAVOURITE GASTROPUB AOIFE CARRIGY

On a quiet corner in Dublin tucked under a train bridge, there’s a spotted pig taking a wash in a claw-foot bath. ‘Welcome to The Old Spot’, the hand-painted sign reads.

extension of their own home as much as their favourite local restaurant. Now you can bring some of that warmth into your own kitchen too.

Celebrating ten years on Bath Avenue, The Old Spot Cookbook gathers together the all-time favourite recipes at this awardwinning gastropub, from mussels pil pil and short-rib lasagne to the daily pies and famous Sunday roasts with all the trimmings that have fans across the city.

Aoife Carrigy is a writer and editor specialising in food, drinks and travel. Having started her working life front-of-house in restaurants, she has co-authored three restaurant cookbooks and was general editor of four books for the Irish Countrywomen’s Association. Aoife has been the wine and drinks columnist for the Irish Independent since 2010 and was previously drinks editor of Image Interiors and deputy editor of Food&Wine Magazine. She has won three Irish Food Writing Awards for her journalism and has contributed to Food&Wine Ireland, the Irish Times, the Guardian, Business Post, Image Interiors and Totally Dublin among others. @aoifecarrigy_

They’ve also shared some of their professional expertise that keep regulars coming back again and again, from chef’s tips and drink pairings to the mixology secrets that make The Old Spot cocktails some of the best in town. With their big-hearted hospitality and flavour-packed food, it’s no wonder The Old Spot has a clientele that ranges from famous faces to loyal locals who all treat The Old Spot like an

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781738479504 EUR €25.00 • GBP £22.00 • AUD $45.00 HARDBACK • 155MM X 220MM • 232 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 10 OCTOBER 2024

AN IRISH FOOD STORY 100 FOODS THAT MADE US JP MCMAHON

This book is about the story of Irish food and food in Ireland. They may seem like the same thing, but they’re not. An Irish Food Story looks at history, culture and identity in Ireland through 100 foods. From farmhouse cheese to Findus Crispy Pancakes and everything in between, Jp McMahon shows us that we truly are what we eat. It’s a story about what we had and what we wanted, about what we got and what we ate, from the first settlers who arrived on the island 10,000 years ago to the people who call Ireland home today. The Irish food story is also about what we didn’t eat. It’s about how we sometimes ignored the very foods that are right in front of us. It’s about how we still struggle to assert our native food culture and food identity due to a history of colonialism, famine and self-doubt.

The high and the low, the good and the bad, feast and famine all have a place in the Irish food story. Jp McMahon invites us to explore it and celebrate it together. Jp McMahon is a Michelin-starred chef, restaurateur and best-selling author. Jp is an ambassador for Irish food, travelling widely to promote Ireland, its produce and food culture. He is also the founder of and host to one of the biggest and most talked-about international food events in Europe, Food on the Edge, that features the best chefs from across the globe. Jp is also a member of Euro-Toques Ireland and is committed to the educational and ethical aspects of food, to buying and supporting the best of local and free-range produce, and to engaging directly with farmers and producers. Jp is a regular contributor to Radio One and Newstalk radio, has a monthly slot on RTÉ TV and wrote a weekly column for the Irish Times for eight years. @mistereatgalway

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781739210588 EUR €15.00 • GBP £13.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 139MM X 190MM • 232 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 07 MAY 2024

A COMPENDIUM OF IRISH PINTS THE CULTURE, CUSTOMS AND CRAIC ALI DUNWORTH

In Ireland, a pint – having one, going for one, buying one – is a cultural institution. It’s about so much more than 568ml of beer in a glass. But how did a simple pint become such a phenomenon? In A Compendium of Irish Pints, Ali Dunworth delves into the culture, customs and craic surrounding pints in Ireland, from airport pints to unplanned pints, pints for celebrations and pints for commiserations, festival pints, quiet pints, crisps and pints and everything in between. With illustrations by Stephen Heffernan, aka Hephee, that perfectly capture the culture of pints in his iconic style, you’ll find yourself working up a thirst and sending that text we all love to get: ‘Pint?’

Ali Dunworth is a writer, journalist, consultant and events curator who loves writing and talking about food and drink so much that she’s made a career out of it. She started out working in hospitality before a career behind the scenes in food TV. In between TV productions, she always returned to bar and restaurant work, either waiting tables, making drinks or back in the kitchen. She also curates and hosts numerous Irish food events and festival stages. At the heart of everything Ali does is great local food and drink and a hunger for the stories that go with them. Cooking, writing, storytelling, washing up, pouring pints, writing about pints – she’s done them all, and as a freelancer, she’s always prepared to do any of them again. @alidunworth

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

THE OLD MAN’S PUB

On a visit to Westport, Co. Mayo, I wanted to go for a tasty Saturday afternoon pint. You know the kind, with a few packets of crisps to stave off the hunger before dinner. I posed the question to a few local hospitality folks: ‘Where should I go for a nice pint?’ Someone replied with a pub I’d heard of. ‘You’d like it, it’s cosy.’ Another suggestion was followed with, ‘It’s lovely and buzzy.’ I knew neither of them would hit the spot. Cosy, maybe, but buzzy? No, thanks. I needed to be more specific. ‘Any old man’s pubs? You know, with a good pint?’ The young barman from Sligo knew just the spot. ‘Moran’s,’ he said. ‘Johnny Moran’s is the one. They do a great pint of Guinness in there.’ That sealed the deal. It was the least assuming of the busy Westport pub facades but inside it was picture-perfect. Black-and-white chequered floors. A sort of grocery on one wall, full of non-perishables, dog food, toilet rolls and TK lemonade. Haphazard shelves behind the bar tacked with currency notes from around the world. Bottles of whiskey in no particular order. The few people sitting at the bar turned, looked us up and down, then ignored us. Johnny Moran himself was behind the bar and poured us a pleasant set of pints. We stayed for three.

There’s a knack to finding these pubs – the proper pubs, the ‘old man’s pubs’. Most towns in Ireland still have one. The key to seeking them out is to ask specifically for an old man’s pub or an auld lad’s pub, depending on where you are. No bells and whistles, no noisy music or fancy food. A nononsense pub. A well-poured pint. Maybe a few packets of crisps. What more could you want? (See also ‘The Irish pub’.)

130

131

OUTDOOR PINTS

You know what it’s like when you get a glimpse of summer in Ireland. Sure, where else would you want to be? It’s not just great for drying but great for pints too. When the sun is splitting the stones, especially midweek, it simply feels rude not to go for a pint. If you’ve been in any city centre when the good weather hits, you’ll be familiar with the sight of people pouring out onto pavements, sitting on kerbs, standing in groups blocking footpaths and altogether delighted with themselves. When the sun shines, we will sit, stand or perch anywhere there’s no shade. And when a proper heatwave hits, it’s beer garden frenzy. We can’t get to the pub quickly enough, nabbing picnic tables soon to be littered with empty glasses and the sunscreen we forget to put on. An rud is annamh is iontach, as they say (what’s rare is wonderful). Because let’s face it, the dry, sunny weather that suits outdoor pints is not always guaranteed in Ireland, which is why we go so crazy for it when it happens. For the most part, outdoor seating is still a relatively new addition to Irish pubs. The traditional pub was all about dark interiors, cosy corners, snugs and carpets. It wasn’t the done thing to head to the pub and seek a seat outside. But a few things changed this in the last couple of decades. The smoking ban (see also pages 127–9) meant publicans rethought outdoor spaces they’d never considered. More recently, the covid lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 forced pubs to think outside the box – quite literally – when they couldn’t do business indoors. It’s one of the few silver linings from that dark time for pubs. Car parks were repurposed into cool new 132

seating areas, terraces were transformed and benches appeared on any bit of grass that might be around. We’ve now got outdoor spaces galore for sipping pints. Best of all are the pubs that are known for their outdoor seating, rain or shine. Pints in these coveted seats are special – soaking up a city or people watching. It’s a vibe. Cheers to the outdoor pints. 133

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781739210519 EUR €40.00 • GBP £35.00 • AUD $75.00 HARDBACK • 156MM X 216MM • 728 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 14 SEPTEMBER 2023

BUTTER BOY COLLECTED STORIES AND RECIPES PAUL FLYNN

‘I’m a butter, pot, cook, eat kind of guy.’ Butter Boy is the complete collection of all 152 articles and over 450 recipes from Paul Flynn’s tenure as food writer for the Irish Times from November 2019 to October 2022. Paul’s columns also chronicled what turned out to be the three most unusual and challenging years of our lives, when cooking and mealtimes took on new meaning. Paul’s food is simple, seasonal and family-oriented. It’s designed to give comfort at any time of year because after a hard day, cooking dinner can be soothing and eating it can be comforting. Afterwards, the world feels just that little bit better. Warm, witty and laugh-out-loud funny, reading and cooking from Butter Boy is like spending time in the kitchen with an old friend.

Paul Flynn is a chef, restauranteur, cookery school owner and teacher, TV presenter and personality. He co-owns the Tannery Restaurant and Townhouse in Dungarvan, County Waterford with his wife, Máire, which opened in 1997. In 2008, they opened the Tannery Cookery School. Paul has been a regular on Irish and international television with numerous successful shows, including Lords and Ladles and Paul Flynn’s Food Truck Favourites. Paul has also been the cookery writer for the Irish Times on two occasions: from 2000 to 2004 and from 2019 to 2022. When Paul isn’t in the kitchen or at a music festival, he’s probably hopping on a plane for a new adventure. @paulflynnchef

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

B U T T E R B OY

PAU L F LY N N

T h re e g re a t cu l i n a r y tra d i ti o n s : I t a l y, G re e ce a n d G ro g a n s

POT ROAST ITALIAN SAUSAGES WITH SPRING CABBAGE AND POLENTA SE R V E S 4

2 4 A PR I L 2 0 2 1

50ml olive oil

FOR THE POLENTA:

4 large Italian sausages (350g)

200ml milk

1 York cabbage, cut into quarters with stem left intact

100ml water

I’m a bit of an over-planner, to say the least. Many years ago, when there used to be

1 onion, quartered

holidays, I’d spend weeks researching a trip. Every day was meticulously planned

100g instant polenta

½ garlic bulb (cut it across the equator)

with happening areas, restaurants, bars and some culture. I’d hide under the duvet

80g Parmesan cheese, grated

100ml chicken stock

60g butter

at night on my phone until the wife inevitably found me. It was all a bit much, really.

1 sprig of fresh thyme

100ml white wine

I promise the new me is going to be sizzlingly spontaneous. But first, I’m going to

built-in travel bug. We spend a lot of time talking about past and future travels. The fact that I wanted to bring a bag was a bone of contention, as in his view it pushed the price up unnecessarily. A man only needs fresh jocks and a toothbrush

I can’t go schlepping round looking like a goatherd.’ Me and my metrosexual ways.

a few dots of butter

I’m a sucker for a sausage. They don’t even have to be posh for me to love them. Italian

me to say he could get return flights to Bergamo for a tenner each. He, like me, has a

mind but I stood my ground. ‘I need options,’ I said. ‘We are going to Milan, after all.

1 sprig of fresh sage

home, but even then there has to be a list.

Me and a friend of (gulp) 50 years went to Italy recently for a few nights. Crocker rang

There was an interminable pause on the phone as he waited for me to change my

1 cinnamon stick

the kitchen. Restaurant cooking can be complicated so I tend to keep it simple at

1 9 M A RC H 2 0 2 2

beer money,’ he said as he tried to appeal to my base instincts.

1 tbsp golden brown sugar

I’m the same with cooking. This comes from years of making mise en place lists in

A tr i p to M i l a n wa s wo r t h i t fo r t h e l u n ch a l o n e

to go on a short European escapade. ‘No need to be encumbered with luggage, that’s

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

kiss the ground of whatever country I’m blessed to land in.

B U T T E R B OY

I’m a bit of a restaurant list obsessive when it comes to a trip. I spend hours googling

sausages are chunky and firm, not at all like the ones we grew up with. They usually

to find gastronomic nirvana. It doesn’t always work. This time, though, we struck

have a hint of fennel seed and perhaps a little chilli. They have a natural affinity with

gold. After an anxious 20-minute walk from the Duomo, we entered my perfect

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

polenta and the charred, silky cabbage here. A little cinnamon in the braising liquid

Heat the oil in a wide ovenproof pan over a medium-high heat. Add the sausages and

adds musk and mystery to the pot. Use good, large, chunky sausages if you can’t get

the cabbage, cut side down. Add the onion and garlic and colour everything lightly

Italian ones. I’m using one per person but use more if you feel you need to. I love a Greek salad. Here I’m sitting a dainty concoction on top of an open omelette. It’s a lovely thing that will be ready in no time at all. Be sure to have all

Vino de la casa was called for. I beamed as a jug was put in front of me. The staff were patient with our lumbering Italian. We ordered vitello tonnato, cacio a pepe,

A non-stick pan is essential for this.

and bring up to a simmer. Whisk in the polenta in a continuous stream. Cook over a

I’m obsessed with cheese toasties and food trucks. When I came across Griolladh,

Parmesan, butter and some salt and ground white pepper and keep warm.

gentle heat for 3–4 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove the thyme, then add the

a tiny operation in Malahide, I was smitten. Loose Canon on Drury Street in Dublin

businessmen. I can’t tell you how relieved I was.

cinnamon, sage and butter. Season, then cover and cook in the oven for 30 minutes. When the sausages are nearly ready, put the milk, water and thyme in a saucepan

the components prepped before you make the omelette just to help you get it right.

Italian trattoria. We were the only tourists. The place buzzed with local families and

for 5 minutes or so. Add the chicken stock, white wine, balsamic vinegar, sugar,

makes a blinding toastie too, but the place that has my heart is my beloved Grogans,

To serve, dollop the polenta onto warm plates with the sausage, cabbage and a

unabashedly plain and simple – just a pot of English mustard, a pint of Guinness

drizzle of the balsamic juice on top.

polpette and osso buco. I didn’t want to leave so I ordered the most perfect tiramisu in an opulent little glass. The whole trip was worth it for that lunch alone. It was a great weekend but in retrospect I think I packed in too much. This week I’m making an Italian feast. It’s all based around this soft, spongy bread

Cooking is about t h e o n l y g i f t I ’ ve b e e n g ive n . I t co m e s n a t u ra l l y to m e . I ’ m n o t su re wh e re i t c a m e fro m bu t I ’ m g l a d I h ave i t . I wo u l d b e a te r r i bl e el e c tr i ci a n .

from Emilia-Romagna. Think Italian muffins that are opened, then stuffed with all the goodies. You don’t have to make everything, of course, but this is a feast! The tigelle alone would suffice, but beware, it will make you crave your very own jug of wine.

and lashings of sentiment. I’m nearly welling up here. This is my somewhat fancier homage to a great Irish tradition.

0 1 J A N UA RY 2 0 2 2

342

343

546

B U T T E R B OY

‘ This book is a celebration. I want to eat everything within its sunny pages.’ – Marina O’Loughlin

I ’ m n eve r g o i n g to h ave a b s l i ke Jo e Wi cks 1 6 J A N UA RY 2 0 2 1

PAU L F LY N N

THE SPORTMAN’S POT ROAST RED CABBAGE (WITH A LITTLE TWIST) SE R V E S 6

1 medium red cabbage, tough outer leaves removed 150g butter

I can’t resist a good cookbook. I tend to go for the cheffy, nerdy ones as opposed to

1 large sprig of fresh thyme

the glitzy lifestyle ones. I’m never going to have abs like Joe Wicks anyhow. I’d only

apple jelly

end up flicking through it while double-jobbing crisps and chocolate in my jim-jams. These recipes are paying homage to great cookbooks and great cooks. The red

FOR THE DRESSING:

cabbage recipe is my take on Stephen Harris’s of the Sportsman pub in Kent. Its

150g soft rindless goat cheese

genius is in its simplicity and is typical of the man. We would call this making a silk

100g natural yogurt

purse out of a sow’s ear.

a drizzle of rapeseed oil

To say that what he calls a ‘grotty little rundown pub by the sea’ punches above its weight is a magnificent understatement. It’s won a Michelin star and continually teeters at the top of the top 50 gastropubs in the UK. Chef devotees, me included,

Preheat the oven to 140°C.

make the pilgrimage from far and wide to eat Harris’s simple, carefully considered food

Cut the cabbage in half and put it in a heavy-based casserole with a lid. Add the

that sings of the local terroir. I went there a few years back to beg him to come cook

butter, thyme, salt and lots of black pepper. Cover and cook in the oven for 1½ hours,

in the Tannery for the West Waterford Festival of Food. He came. It was stupendous.

basting the cabbage once or twice during cooking. When the core of the cabbage is

Chez Bruce in Wandsworth is another legendary restaurant. On the site of Marco

soft, remove the casserole from the oven and set it aside with the lid on.

Pierre White’s seminal Harvey’s, it is voted London’s favourite year after year. It

To make the dressing, blend the goat cheese with the yogurt and rapeseed oil (use

wears its Michelin star easily and has been pampering Londoners with old-school

a hand blender).

deliciousness for a long time. I am forever ogling the food of the head chef, Matt Christmas, on Twitter and Instagram. Have a look for yourself and drool your way into happy oblivion. As a chef, it’s a constant, beautiful barrage of ideas and inspiration.

To serve, cut the cabbage into six wedges and put on warm plates. Drizzle the goat cheese dressing around the cabbage along with intermittent blobs of apple jelly.

The plums are something I cook in winter. They are perfect with the wondrous Crozier Blue. The juice from the plums will giddily enhance your favourite sparkling wine, gin or vodka. Do yourself a favour and eat them with these decadent Parmesan biscuits from Chez Bruce. They are a little bit of comforting brilliance.

278

279

B U T T E R B OY

BAKED SAUSAGES WITH CINNAMON ONIONS AND CRISPY CROISSANTS SE R V E S 4

50g butter 4 large onions, sliced 1 large sprig of fresh thyme 1/ 3 tsp ground cinnamon

a splash of water 1 tsp golden brown sugar 1 tbsp maple syrup a splash of red wine vinegar 8 large sausages 4 croissants

Preheat the oven to 200°C. Put the butter, onions, thyme, cinnamon and a splash of water in a saucepan set over a low to medium heat. Cover and cook gently for 15 minutes, until the onions soften. Remove the lid and turn up the heat so the liquid starts to evaporate and the onions start to caramelise. Scrape the bottom of the pan periodically, making sure you dislodge any sticky brown bits as they appear. Add the sugar. This will speed up the caramelisation process, so keep a good eye on it so the onions don’t start to burn. After a few minutes, when the onions are lightly golden, add the maple syrup, vinegar and some salt and pepper, then transfer the

I p re fe r t h e h a u te l e f t o u t o f my cu i si n e . C u i si n e p ays a n n e – t h e fo o d o f t h e p e o pl e , r u s ti c , d el i ci o u s a n d wo rl d f a m o u s – h a s my h e a r t .

onions to a baking tray. Smooth the onions out a little, then put the sausages on top and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Tear the croissants into rough chunks, then nestle them in among the sausages. Bake for another 5 minutes, then eat with mustard.

1 0 J U LY 2 0 2 1

442

NINE BEAN ROWS

9781739210502 EUR €39.00 • GBP £35.00 • AUD $75.00 HARDBACK • 170MM X 240MM • 224 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 28 SEPTEMBER 2023

PARADISO RECIPES AND REFLECTIONS DENIS COT TER

When Denis Cotter opened Paradiso in Cork City in 1993, he wanted to create an exciting, modern, vegetablebased cuisine. The restaurant soon gained local and international recognition for its ground-breaking, flavour-driven food, and its dedication to local and seasonal produce was ahead of its time. Paradiso continued to evolve over the decades, becoming a much-loved part of Cork’s food culture and remaining at the forefront of creative vegetable cooking. Along the way, a unique cuisine came into being, a style of cooking that grew into something that remains identifiably Paradiso. This new book captures the essence of Paradiso now, with just a nod to the past and an eye on the future. It is a collection of new and evolved recipes, presented in a way that reflects how the dishes are prepared and served in the restaurant. And there

is a comprehensive section that will teach you how to make the core elements that are the building blocks of the kitchen, the things that deliver concentrated flavours and textures. With these building blocks, you will be able to bring a touch of Paradiso to everything you cook. Denis Cotter is the owner and executive chef of Paradiso in Cork, where his inventive and flavour-driven food has been at the forefront of vegetable cuisine since the restaurant opened in 1993. He is the author of four previous books: The Café Paradiso Cookbook (1999), Paradiso Seasons (2003), Wild Garlic, Gooseberries … and Me (2007) and For the Love of Food (2011). Denis is always working and yet always trying to retire to pursue his other career as a barman and to find the time to learn to play trombone. @paradisocork

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

aubergine, black sesame yogurt, zhoug, fried capers

grilled peach, cucumber, pickled radish, sheep’s milk labneh, mint, watercress, macadamia

serves 4

2 small aubergines sheep’s milk labneh: 250g sheep’s milk yogurt

black sesame yogurt: 100g black sesame seeds 100g yogurt juice of ½ lemon

cucumber purée: 1 medium cucumber, peeled and deseeded ½ ripe avocado 1 spring onion, chopped 1 small garlic clove, chopped 50ml olive oil juice of ½ lime

to finish: zhoug (page 195) fried capers (page 173) garnish: fresh coriander leaves

grilled peach salad: 1 cucumber 2 peaches 50g watercress a handful of fresh mint and/or basil leaves 12 macadamia nuts, lightly toasted and halved

Preheat the oven to 200°C fan. Toast the sesame seeds until fragrant. Blend them to a smooth paste in a food processor – this may take 10–15 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons of this black tahini to the yogurt and stir in the lemon juice. Season with salt, taste and add a little more tahini if desired. Slice the aubergines in half lengthways. Brush both sides with olive oil, season well with salt and place on a parchment-lined oven tray. Roast for 12–15 minutes, until browned and fully cooked. To serve, spread 1 tablespoon of black sesame yogurt on each plate. Place one aubergine half on top, cut side up. Spread some zhoug on the aubergines and sprinkle over some fried capers and coriander leaves.

to finish: 12 pickled radish slices (page 180) To make the labneh, strain the yogurt by placing it in muslin or cheesecloth put in a strainer set over a bowl and leaving it in the fridge overnight. Discard the liquid and lightly whisk the remaining labneh. To make the cucumber purée, blend everything together in a food processor until very smooth. Add a little water if required. Pass the purée through a sieve. Season with salt and chill the purée for at least 1 hour. Before serving, check the seasoning again and add more salt and lime if necessary. To make the grilled peach salad, use a peeler to get long, wide strips of cucumber. Toss these in a little salt and leave for 10 minutes, then rinse and drain. Cut the peaches in half, remove the stones and cut each half into three wedges. Brush the cut sides lightly with olive oil and grill on a heavy-based frying pan or griddle until blackened. To finish, spoon some cucumber purée into a shallow bowl. Arrange all the salad ingredients in the centre, garnish with the pickled radish slices and add little spoonfuls of labneh.

paradiso

Leftover black sesame paste keeps well and can be used like tahini.

paradiso

‘ A landmark title in Irish food publishing.’ – John and Sally McKenna

NINE BEAN ROWS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 9781068405068

9781739210526 EUR €18.00 • GBP £15.50 • AUD $32.99 HARDBACK • 139MM X 190MM • 160 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 05 OCTOBER 2023

IRISH KITCHEN COCKTAILS 60 DRINKS YOU CAN MAKE WITH EVERYDAY KITCHEN EQUIPMENT OISÍN DAVIS

In Irish Kitchen Cocktails, industry pro Oisín Davis shows you how easy it is to make cocktails with Irish spirits using everyday kitchen equipment. Do you have a spoon and a large bowl? You can stir up the perfect punch for any kind of party, like Mrs Doyle’s Iced Tea. Remember that NutriBullet you bought because you wanted to go on a smoothie diet? Dust it off and you can rock out a whole heap of frozen cocktails, including a Frozen Jameson, Ginger Ale & Lime. Got a decent-sized jug and a hand blender? You can lash together amazing cocktails in minutes, such as a Wicklow Wanderer. Found yourself in a cocktail emergency? Be prepared with drinks such as the Ginger Divil. After travelling the world spreading the word about Irish drinks, Oisín knows that Ireland is home to some of the best distilleries on the planet, and it’s not just whiskey. We’re also

creating incredible Irish gin, poitín, vodka, rum, liqueur, mead, vermouth and fruit distillates. In these 60 recipes, from a classic Irish coffee to a frozen poitín piña colada, Oisín is on a one-man mission to show you how to mix up whopper homegrown drinks. Oisín Davis is a self-confessed wizened old warhorse of the Irish drinks industry. His love for Irish spirits and cocktails led him to establish Ireland’s first dedicated drinks consultancy, Great Irish Beverages. Through this company, he has run nationwide drinks festivals and has worked all over the world educating and marketing for Jameson’s global team. He also manages publicity for some of Ireland’s most prestigious spirits and iconic whiskeys. Oisín has an award-winning monthly column in Food&Wine Magazine with the Business Post and is a regular radio and TV contributor. @oisindavis

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

F R Oz E N B L E N D E R C O C K TA I L S

W H O P P E R PA RT Y P U N C H B O W L S

F R OZ E N C LU B ORANGE GIN FIZZ

SY N G E R M I N G E R SURPRISE

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳

MAKES ONE

— 50ml Irish gin (try Drumshanbo Gunpowder, Dingle or Method and Madness) — ½ tablespoon caster sugar — 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice — 1 tablespoon hot water — 2 tablespoons cream — 1 tablespoon egg white — 3–4 ice cubes — 100ml Club Orange soda — orange wedge, to garnish

Many moons ago I was tasked with creating cocktails for Club Orange, Club Lemon and Cidona. Once I got over the overwhelming sense of nostalgia, mixing up these iconic Irish soft drinks into boozy delights quickly became a labour of love.

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳

Pour the gin, sugar, lemon juice and hot water into a NutriBullet or blender . Blitz to combine, then add the cream, egg white and ice cubes . Blitz for 20 seconds . Pour into a long Collins or slim jim glass and slowly top it up with the Club Orange . Garnish with an orange wedge on the rim of the glass and serve with a straw .

✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳✳

Every year, a group of concerned craic citizens who lived on Dublin’s Synge Street would throw the mother of all summer block parties. There would be great food and DJs belting out tunes from an ice cream van and I would always lay down a surprise punch bowl. The merry revellers hosting it became affectionately known as the Synger Mingers. Put the sugar in a saucepan . Remove the peels from three of the grapefruit and drop them into the sugar along with the basil . Stir and leave it for an hour . Squeeze the juice from the three peeled grapefruit and add it to the pan with the tea and hot water . Stir, put a lid on it and forget about it for a couple of hours (or overnight in the fridge) . Dust off your punch bowl and put a fine mesh sieve on top of it . Pour the contents of the pan through the sieve to strain out the solids . Stir in the watermelon juice, Lillet and whiskey . Cut the remaining two grapefruit into halfmoon slices . For each serve, pour 200ml of punch into an iced glass and garnish with a grapefruit slice .

Irish_Kitchen_Cocktails.indb 14-15

MAKES 25 X 200ML SERVES

— 200g caster sugar — 3 pink grapefruit, plus 2 grapefruit to garnish — 12 fresh basil leaves — 100g loose camomile tea (I use the Irish brand Intelligent Tea) — 500ml hot (not boiling) water — 3 litres concentrated watermelon juice (you can get this in an Asian food store) — 1 x 75cl bottle of Lillet Rosé — 1 x 700ml bottle of Jameson Caskmates IPA Edition Whiskey — ice cubes

11/08/2023 12:48

Irish_Kitchen_Cocktails.indb 54-55

11/08/2023 12:49

NINE BEAN ROWS

BY THE SAME AUTHOR 9781739210595

9781999379940 EUR €35.00 • GBP £30.00 • AUD $50.00 HARDBACK • 175MM X 223MM • 224 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 08 SEPTEMBER 2022

BAKE TRADITIONAL IRISH BAKING WITH MODERN TWISTS GRAHAM HERTERICH

Graham Herterich, aka The Cupcake Bloke, has always been fascinated by taking classic Irish recipes and giving them a modern twist.

more than just an action – it’s an invitation to the people you are going to share it with, a symbol of generosity and a gesture of love.

In Bake: Traditional Irish Baking with Modern Twists, every recipe for a traditional bake is followed by a fresh new spin using the ingredients available in Ireland now, from advieh to zhug. It could be an exact update of the recipe or it could be a modern interpretation of the flavour combination or the concept, like a classic coffee and walnut cake reimagined as a coffee and walnut pavlova with coffee poached pears.

Graham Herterich is well known for creating dishes with both conventional and unusual flavour combinations, using traditional Irish recipes as inspiration. Having learned to bake with his granny at a young age, he went on to become a classically trained chef who re-established his passion for baking as his career progressed. This ultimately led him to set up The Cupcake Bloke in 2012 and open his first retail store, The Bakery, in Dublin in 2018. Graham is passionate about flavour and quality while bringing an element of fun to food. @grahamherterich

Food is a powerful link to our past, so writing the book also became a trip down the memory lane of Graham’s childhood, teens and early twenties all the way through to the last few years, when he became more confident in his food, flavours, inspirations and textures. Graham also realised that baking is

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

Chocolate cake I still remember the chocolate cake I got from Crotty’s Bakery in Carlow town for my seventh birthday. The reason it sticks out in my memory is because of the thick disc of chocolate on top that had my name written on it. The whole cake was a complete chocolate overload and I loved it! Inspired by that cake, I’ve finished this cake with shards of chocolate for that extra chocolatey kick.

Chocolate stout cake

with honeycomb whiskey frosting The first time I tasted the Salted Caramel Pastry Stout from the White Hag Brewing Company in Sligo, I just knew I had to make a cake with it. In a serendipitous moment, the following day, Lisa from the Dublin Liberties Distillery introduced me to their Irish Whiskey and Honeycomb Liqueur. That was it – these two just had to be married in cake!

Serves 8 Serves 8 butter, for greasing 250g self-raising flour 45g cocoa powder 1 tsp bread soda

Preheat the oven to 170°C fan. Grease and line the bases of two 20cm round sandwich tins with a little butter.

200g butter 100g cocoa powder

Sift the flour, cocoa powder and bread soda into a large bowl, then mix in the caster sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add all the wet ingredients. Mix really well using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until

150ml White Hag Brewing Co. Salted Caramel Pastry Stout (or a regular stout)

200g caster sugar

you have a smooth batter.

250g plain flour

200ml oil (vegetable, sunflower or rapeseed)

Divide the batter evenly between the two tins (approximately 500g in each tin). Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes, until firm to

2 tsp baking powder

200ml milk

the touch. Allow to cool in the tins for 15 minutes before turning out onto wire racks to cool completely.

3 medium eggs, beaten

To make the icing, put the butter, icing sugar, cocoa and milk in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer again, beat the

3 tbsp golden syrup

For the icing:

4 tbsp milk

2 medium eggs, beaten

Sift the flour and baking powder into a large bowl, then stir in the sugar. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the stout mixture, sour cream, eggs and vanilla. Mix well using a hand mixer or a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment until you have a smooth batter.

1 tsp vanilla

Pour the batter into the prepared tin. Bake in the preheated oven for 50–60 minutes, until firm to the

For the honeycomb whiskey frosting:

touch. Allow to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before releasing the sides of the tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Sandwich the cakes together with approximately one-third of the

150g butter, softened

To make the frosting, put the butter, icing sugar and

300g icing sugar

liqueur in a large bowl. Using a hand mixer or a stand mixer again, combine the ingredients slowly at first until everything is combined, then mix at a high speed

icing, using the remainder to cover the sides and top.

50g cocoa powder

200ml sour cream

Melt the butter in a saucepan over a low heat. Remove the pan from the heat, then add the cocoa powder and stout, mixing well.

ingredients slowly at first until everything is combined, then mix at a high speed for about 5 minutes, until everything is whipped to a light, fluffy, spreadable consistency.

250g butter, softened 500g icing sugar

350g caster sugar

Preheat the oven to 160°C fan. Grease and line the base of a 20cm round springform tin.

To make the chocolate decorations, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of gently simmering water, making sure the water doesn’t touch the bottom of the bowl (see page 14 for more info on melting chocolate). Place a piece of non-stick baking paper on a cutting board and use a pencil to draw a circle slightly smaller than the cake on it, then flip the paper over so that the outline is still visible – this way, the pencil markings won’t be transferred to the bottom of your chocolate.

4 tbsp Dubliner Irish Whiskey and Honeycomb Liqueur (or Irish Mist or regular whiskey)

for about 5 minutes, until everything is whipped to a light, fluffy, spreadable consistency.

To decorate:

Pile the frosting on top of the cooled cake and spread

2 honeycomb chocolate bars, broken into pieces

to the edges using a palette knife or spoon. Decorate with the broken honeycomb chocolate bars.

SPRING/SUMMER 2025

‘I’m a huge fan of Blasta Books. This is a series that is worth collecting in its entirety. The recipes are unfailingly greedinducing, and the design, use of colour, and the charming illustrations … make these little books beautifully collectible.’ – Nigella Lawson ‘Absolutely loving this beautiful collection of cookbooks celebrating the diversity of food in and around Ireland and giving new and emerging voices in food a seat at the table.’ – Jamie Oliver ‘The first series of Blasta Books isn’t just a breath of fresh air for the cookbook publishing world; it’s a veritable hurricane … smart, beautifully written and gorgeously designed, they are that ideal thing: both functional cookbooks and delightful, sassy objects.’ – Jay Rayner ‘Rather like Blue Note Records in the 1950s, Blasta Books seems to release only classics.’ – John and Sally McKenna ‘These small, gorgeous, single -subject cookbooks … are fantastic. And, clearly, deeply aesthetically pleasing. They’re so beautifully designed and illustrated. I really love the whole enterprise.’ – India Knight ‘This cookbook series from Blasta Books is just brilliant. Pithy, opinionated, learned, well-written and beautifully designed. Loved every single one.’ – Tom Parker-Bowles

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781999379902 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 03 FEBRUARY 2022

BL ASTA BOOKS #1

TACOS EVERYONE’S FAVOURITE MEXICAN FOOD LILY RAMIREZ-FORAN

Lily Ramirez-Foran has spent years sharing how fun, vibrant and convivial Mexican food is and how easy it is to make at home, and what better way to do that than with tacos? These are the authentic flavours of Mexico, from real corn tortillas to smoky chillies. There is something for everyone here, whether you’re a carnivore, vegetarian or vegan. Your taco night is about to get taken up a level.

BLASTA BOOKS #1

TACOS

PORK PIBIL TACOS SERVES 4–6

I always think of pork pibil as the dish that conquered Irish hearts: first the hearts of my Irish family, and later on the hearts of every person who came to Picado’s tortilla class and fell in love with its simplicity and wonderful flavours. I normally make mine in a pressure cooker, which, together with a blender, is an essential item in every Mexican kitchen. However, I wanted to create a slow-roasted version of the dish, one cooked in the oven on a bed of banana leaves. I dare you not to fall in love with this recipe too.

2 fresh banana leaves (or parchment paper – see the note on page 27)

Preheat the oven to 150°C.

1kg pork shoulder, skin left on, cut into three chunks

the recipe on page 26 where you place the pork in the

350g ripe tomatoes, cut into quarters

cured to make them flexible and to get rid of their natural

1 small onion, peeled and cut into quarters

use uncured banana leaves, the dish will take on the bitter

If you’re not using the banana leaves, skip to the part of casserole. If you are using the banana leaves, they must be sap. This takes only a few minutes but it’s essential, as if you taste of the sap.

5 large garlic cloves, peeled and left whole

Heat a large, dry frying pan over a high heat. Cut each

1 x 7cm Mexican cinnamon stick

so you’ll end up with four 50cm-long pieces. Using scissors,

½ tsp black peppercorns

banana leaf in half – they are usually around 1 metre long, remove the hard stalk along the length of the leaves, making sure not to break them as they’re delicate when

50g Mexican achiote paste

uncured.

75ml apple cider vinegar

When the pan is very hot, place one of the leaf halves,

juice of 1 large orange

bumpy side down, on the hot pan. Start at one end and

1½ tsp flaky sea salt

move it along the pan the way you’d move pasta sheets

80ml water

along when making them fresh in a machine. Using

FOR THE TACOS: 16 corn tortillas, warmed (see pages 12–13)

a spatula, press the leaf against the hot pan for a few seconds until you see it changing colour. The green colour will deepen and you will hear a sizzling sound (that’s the sap burning and it smells awful!).

de árbol salsa roja (page 50) red onion pickle (page 60) 24

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781999379919 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 05 MAY 2022

BL ASTA BOOKS #2

HOT FAT A DEEP DIVE INTO DEEP-FRYING RUSSELL ALFORD & PATRICK HANLON

Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon are fried food aficionados – they are absolutely obsessed with anything that can be put in a deep-fryer or a pot full of dripping. They’ve taken familiar favourites, chipper classics and the flavours we can’t get enough of these days and have created the ultimate version of every recipe, from the perfect chips to spice burgers, corn dogs and Korean fried chicken. Their style is all about fun, casual and approachable food, which is exactly what this book delivers.

BLASTA BOOKS #2

HOT FAT

LASAGNE BITES MAKES 6–8 You may think we’ve gone down a weird path with this one, but hear us out! Cookbooks can have this compulsion to instruct you to make everything from scratch, but sometimes convenience needs to be encouraged to get the job done. So be kind to yourself and take the easy route here. Pop into the supermarket and get your paws on the best ready-made

lasagne you can find, then you’re going to create culinary magic by portioning it up and deep-frying it. Think mac ‘n’ cheese bites, but better. Think oozy, creamy, rich lasagne but hand-held and crunchy. The ideal little bar snack, indulgent treat or crowd-pleasing canapé, we bet you never thought lasagne could be this lavish!

1 ready-made beef lasagne (about 400g)

Get your pre-made lasagne from the supermarket.

sunflower or vegetable oil, for deep-frying

lasagne still in its foil tray, use a sharp knife to cut it into

2 tbsp plain flour

lasagne will yield around six nuggets, while a larger one

1 large egg

may get you eight to 10. Cover the tray with a sheet of

1 tbsp milk 50g panko breadcrumbs (or fine dried breadcrumbs) 10g freshly grated Parmesan, Grana Padano or Pecorino cheese flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Remove the cling film or other wrapping, but with the roughly 4cm squares, as if it’s a sort of traybake. A 400g

cling film and place in the freezer for about 90 minutes to 2 hours to solidify a bit. Heat the oil in your deep-fryer to 160°C. Prepare your pané station: put your flour in one bowl. In another, whisk the egg and milk together. In a third, combine the breadcrumbs with the cheese and some freshly cracked black pepper. (You would sprinkle, grate or twist these over a finished pasta dish, right? So why not include them in the coating?)

Working in batches, gently lower into the

Remove from the fryer and place on a

Take the now semi-frozen lasagne out of the freezer

fryer, shaking the basket slightly to ensure

wire rack set over a baking tray lined with

and carefully remove the pre-cut cubes. One by one,

it doesn’t stick. Fry for 8–10 minutes,

kitchen paper to absorb any excess oil.

place each lasagne bite into the flour, then into the

depending on the thickness of your

Leave to stand for about 2 minutes, as they

egg, covering all six sides. Smother in the breadcrumbs

lasagne. If a little protrudes out of the top,

will still be molten inside! Season with a

and cheese, then return it into the egg, and again into

don’t worry. You’ll have to turn them around

little flaky sea salt and black pepper on top

the breadcrumbs. The double coating ensures there

about every 2 minutes to ensure even

before serving.

shouldn’t be any leaks.

coverage.

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781999379926 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 04 AUGUST 2022

BL ASTA BOOKS #3

THE UNITED NATIONS OF COOKIES SWEET TREATS FROM AROUND THE WORLD JESS MURPHY & EOIN CLUSKEY

Cultures and cuisines have many differences, but one thing they all have in common is cookies. No matter the country, cookies evoke fond childhood memories and feature in many holidays and celebrations. But there’s more to this book than just a sweet treat. Author Jess Murphy is an official High-Profile Supporter of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), with whom she works to raise awareness and to advocate for refugees. For this book, Jess worked with refugees around Ireland to collect and share their recipes as well as immigrants who have made Ireland their home. Meanwhile, author Eoin Cluskey tested all the recipes at his Bread 41 bakery in Dublin. This is a little book with a big heart, showing that food knows no borders.

THE UNITED NATIONS OF COOKIES

INTRODUCTION JESS

I didn’t know it at the time, but for me, the idea for this book started when I was standing on a hill just outside of Amman in Jordan, overlooking the Azraq refugee camp. I had just flown out on my first mission for the UNHCR, the United Nations Refugee Agency, in 2019. I was heading to Beirut and Jordan to document Syrian food history through displacement and to meet the Al Jamous family (who contributed the wonderful Syrian cookie recipe on page 48), who were living in a tiny apartment in Beirut and had just received the good news that they were about to be relocated to Ireland. It was the most heart-warming experience I’ve ever had. We had Fattie and John Burkes’ book, Irelandopedia, open, looking for their new country, their new home. My husband, David, managed to get his phone working and we watched the hurling highlights with 11-year-old Mohamed, who didn’t know where Ireland was. We did our best to reassure the family that they were going to be safe and that Sami’s dream of his kids being able to ride a bicycle in the fresh air on the street outside would indeed come true. We promised to come see them, but little did we know that they were going to live just up the road in County Offaly. It was a humbling experience that showed me how small the world is and how important empathy and understanding are in these situations. Catching the train to Offlay to be reunited and pop in for a cuppa was just magic. I still remember something that a mother in the Bekaa Valley in Lebanon said to me about her eight-year-old son – she told me that her only hope for getting out of their situation was his education, as it would determine the future of the family. He wanted to be an architect and to build a beautiful house for his mother. I hope with all my heart they get there. It was a stark contrast from my upbringing in New Zealand in the 1980s, where my biggest problem was that fish and chips Friday couldn’t come soon enough. Her words have stayed with me ever since.

COOKIES & CONNECTIONS

Back in 2019, we had a crazy idea for a milk-and-cookies show that we could take on the road to schools all around the country. Eoin has an old milk float that would have been perfect for it and I’m a one-woman aficionado on proper Irish milk, the liquid 1

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781999379933 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 03 NOVEMBER 2022

BL ASTA BOOKS #4

WOK FUSION ASIAN FOOD KWANGHI CHAN

Born in Hong Kong but raised in Buncrana, County Donegal, Kwanghi Chan’s book, Wok, is the first Irish-Chinese cookbook to be published. The book is broken down into nine sections – dumplings, street food, rice, beef, pork, chicken, seafood, vegetarian and sweet – with three recipes in each section. Kwanghi wants to bring Asian food to a wider audience and this book is the approachable introduction you need.

BLASTA BOOKS #4

WOK

SICHUAN-STYLE PORK & CHIVE DUMPLINGS MAKES 80

These bring back memories of Chinese New Year celebrations, sitting around the table making dumplings for the family late at night with my grandparents, waiting for my uncles to finish work in their Chinese takeaway, the kitchen filled with the aroma of fried garlic, fried pickled vegetable fillings and steamed rice. I have added some influences from my travels in Hong Kong here, with a little more Sichuan peppercorn from the rayu or chilli oil and aged Chinese black vinegar to give it that bit of balance, tackling your taste buds from all sides with sweet, sour, spice, salt, umami and the numbing peppercorns from the first bite.

1 x 200g pack of wonton wrappers FOR THE FILLING:

Combine all the filling ingredients in a large bowl. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a separate bowl. To assemble the dumplings, set a small bowl of water next to you. Place 1 teaspoon of the filling in the centre

500g pork mince

of a wrapper. Dab your index finger into the water, then

2 spring onions, finely chopped

trace the outer edges of the wrapper. This will help to

3 tbsp ChanChan Black Garlic Hong Kong Street Sauce (or see page 34) 1 tsp sesame oil ¼ tsp caster sugar ¼ tsp fine sea salt ¼ tsp ground white pepper

seal the dumplings. Fold the wrapper to form a triangle, then pinch the wrapper to seal it tightly, making sure there is no leakage. Using the thumb and index finger of both hands, pinch and fold both corners of the dumpling downwards, then lift the right corner over the left corner, pinching to seal it tight. You might dab a little water on both corners to help seal the dumpling. Transfer to a floured surface or a plate lined with

FOR THE SAUCE: 60–80ml light soy sauce 2–3 tbsp ChanChan Black Garlic and Peanut Chilli Rayu or Chinese chilli oil

parchment paper to make sure the dumplings don’t stick. Form the rest of the dumplings the same way. Bring a large saucepan of water to the boil. Drop all the

TO GARNISH:

Add the desired amount of the sauce to the dumplings

dumplings into the water and gently stir with a ladle

black and/or white sesame seeds

and gently toss to coat. Transfer to a serving platter, then

½ red onion, thinly sliced (optional)

and torn coriander and serve immediately.

to prevent them sticking to each other. Boil for 1–2

2 tbsp Chinese black vinegar or balsamic vinegar

minutes, until the dumplings float to the top. Using a

1 tsp sesame oil

transfer the dumplings to a large bowl, shaking the

1 tsp caster sugar

excess water back into the pot.

small spider strainer or a slotted spoon, immediately

garnish with some sesame seeds, raw red onion (if using)

a handful of fresh coriander leaves, torn

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781999379957 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 26 JANUARY 2023

BL ASTA BOOKS #5

SOUP RECIPES TO COMFORT, SOOTHE AND SAVOUR BL ANCA VALENCIA, DEE L AFFAN & MEI CHIN

Everyone is passionately opinionated about their soups. We can argue through the night about blended soups, cold soups, greens in our soups, clear soups and, ultimately, why our favourite soup is the very best. The soups we make say we miss our moms, we want to travel, that the seasons are changing or that we are truly, deeply hungover. Soups define the stock from which we come and connect us all. Soup takes you on a journey around the globe from the comfort of the communities within Ireland. The soups the authors have collected reflect individual cultures, memories and tastes, but they are also a reflection of Irish food today and the people behind it.

BLASTA BOOKS #5

SOUP

MOQUECA BAIANA BAHIA FISH STEW Euzana Forkan, Brazil SERVES 4 This stew from Bahia in Brazil captures the essence of the state with its abundant coconuts, fish and azeite de dendê, an unrefined red palm oil that both colours and flavours food. Dendê oil, a

native African ingredient, is crucial in the religious offerings that are cooked for the local deities of Candomblé, an Afro-Brazilian religion. This recipe is a staple at MA Gastronomy graduate Euzana Forkan’s home in Dublin. Originally from Bahia, Euzana grew up in São Paulo missing her Bahian grandmother’s farm and her food. According to Euzana, ‘The origin of the moqueca is the result of indigenous, African and Portuguese influences, mixing techniques and ingredients in an authentic national dish.’ Euzana recommends playing the quintessential song about missing Bahia, ‘Saudade de Bahia’, by Antonio Carlos Jobim and Dorival Caymmi when preparing this dish. – BV

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium

2 white onions, halved and sliced

heavy-based pot with a lid over a medium-low heat.

2 red peppers, sliced 2 yellow peppers, sliced 2 large tomatoes, halved and sliced fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 fresh red chilli, deseeded and chopped 1 x 400ml tin of organic coconut milk 2 tbsp azeite de dendê (see the glossary) 500g cod fillets, cut into large pieces

Add the onions, peppers and tomatoes in alternating layers, seasoning each layer with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the top with the chopped red chilli, then pour in the coconut milk and the red palm oil. Cover the pot with a lid and cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are cooked. Meanwhile, put the fish chunks in a large bowl, drizzle over the lime juice, season with 1 teaspoon salt and toss to coat. Set the fish aside to marinate for 5 minutes, then carefully place the cod fillets on top of the vegetables. Cover the pot with the lid again, bring back to a simmer and cook for about

juice of 1 lime

5 minutes, until the fish is cooked through.

2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander leaves

Remove the pot from the heat and drizzle in the

TIP Using good-quality organic coconut milk really makes a difference to this dish. A flat-tasting or lite coconut milk just won’t do.

remaining tablespoon of olive oil and sprinkle with the chopped coriander. Taste and adjust the

TO SERVE:

seasoning if necessary.

steamed or boiled white rice

Serve immediately with steamed or boiled white

1 lime, cut into wedges

rice and lime wedges for squeezing over.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781999379964 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 20 APRIL 2023

BL ASTA BOOKS #6

TAPAS A TASTE OF SPAIN ANNA CABRERA & VANESSA MURPHY

lle

TAPAS

En sal

po a

BLASTA BOOKS #6

ad il l a

ru sa

oru n

Pul

Chicharrones

Pimientos de Padrón

Tapas are the perfect party food and even better icebreakers (great for first dates!). They can be enjoyed at a table, bar or simply as finger food. It’s all about sharing. And the best part is that you don’t have to commit to one dish – you can sample them all. The dishes that Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy have shared in Tapas are the way they love to prepare these recipes in their beloved Dublin restaurant, Las Tapas de Lola. There are thousands of different ways to create so many of these dishes, but that’s the joy of Spain. Each region, city, village, bar and family has their own version that’s been handed down over the years. Now you can make these your own too.

s ta ta Pa

br av as

Blasta tapa_Internal_V12.indd 30-31

an c

03/03/2023 11:56

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781999379971 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 27 JULY 2023

BL ASTA BOOKS #7

WASTED RECIPES FOR ROOT TO TIP CONOR SPACEY

Wasted is a capsule collection of recipes that have come from identifying some of the most wasted food items in our homes. This book will help you to stop wasting food and turn perfectly good ingredients into delicious dishes. And the key word here is delicious. The book’s ulterior motive may be to get you to think differently about ingredients and waste, but the driver for all these plant-based recipes is flavour. Wasted will change your mindset and reconnect you to real food, from the root to the tip.

BLASTA BOOKS #7

WASTED

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781999379988 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 26 OCTOBER 2023

BL ASTA BOOKS #8

MASARAP AN INTRODUCTION TO FILIPINO FOOD RICHIE CASTILLO & ALEX O’NEILL

Richie Castillo is the chef behind Bahay, a Filipino pop-up restaurant that he started and runs with his partner, Alex O’Neill. Richie and Alex named Bahay after the Tagalog word for home while the title of this, their first book – Masarap – means tasty in Tagalog, the Filipino language. It’s a nod to Bahay’s Irish-Filipino background, seeing as how blasta means tasty in Irish. For Richie, this book was a catalyst for exploring and connecting with his Filipino heritage. You’ll find classic dishes such as adobo, a range of exciting Filipino dishes and playful recipes with Filipino flavours that highlight his experience growing up eating Filipino food with Irish ingredients. Masarap is an exploration of Filipino food through an Irish cultural lens and a way to introduce more people to the food of the Philippines.

BLASTA BOOKS #8

MASARAP

LUMPIA PORK SPRING ROLLS MAKES 30 Me and spring rolls go way back – my dad has been making these for as long as I can remember. He would make them for special occasions, when neighbours came over for dinner or whenever he felt like it, really. There would usually be a stash of them in the freezer, but they wouldn’t last long with me around. To this day, my friends are addicted to them because one New Year’s Eve we all came back to my house after a few and there was this mountain of spring rolls that my dad had made. They’re super easy to make and can be frozen for up to three weeks.

Put the cabbage, carrots and onion in a bowl and

200g carrots, grated

sprinkle over the salt. Give everything a good mix

1 tbsp fine sea salt vegetable oil, for deep-frying

have one corner facing you. Using a large serving spoon, portion out 50g of the filling per roll. You can weigh this out if you like, as 50g per roll will get you 30 rolls. Starting at the bottom, spoon the mixture onto the wrapper.

300g white cabbage, thinly shredded 1 large onion, thinly sliced

Working with one wrapper at a time, take your spring roll pastry and turn it so that you

to incorporate the salt. Let the veg sit for about

Take the bottom corner and roll it away from you, making sure it’s tight.

10 minutes to let the salt draw out the moisture,

Keep rolling it up tightly until a cone

otherwise you’ll wind up with soggy spring rolls,

shape has formed, then fold in the sides

which is no bueno. After the 10 minutes are up,

and tuck it in tightly by continuing to roll

1kg pork mince

squeeze out as much water as you can, then transfer

the wrapper forwards.

4 garlic cloves, grated

the veg to a large mixing bowl.

1 tbsp Maggi All-Purpose Seasoning

Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large

above the conical shape you have formed,

1 tbsp sugar cane vinegar

heavy-based pot on a medium heat. Add the pork,

almost like an envelope. Brush this lip with

increase the heat to high and lightly brown, cooking

the egg wash and roll the wrapper over the

off any excess liquid – this should take 8–10 minutes.

washed area, making sure to keep it tight.

1 tbsp soy sauce freshly ground black pepper 2 eggs, whisked

Drop the temperature to medium-low, then add the garlic, Maggi, vinegar, soy sauce, a pinch of salt

1 tbsp water

and 10 twists of the pepper mill. Cook for another

30 spring roll pastry wrappers (these can be bought in most Asian grocery stores)

5 minutes, stirring. Put a large colander over a

FOR THE DIPPING SAUCE:

bowl and pour the cooked pork into the colander, allowing any fat to drain off.

At this point, there should be a little lip

Repeat this process until all the wrappers and filling are gone. It can be quite time consuming, especially if it’s your first time making these. Recruit some friends or family members to give you a hand. I rolled thousands of these during the early days of Bahay.

Combine the drained pork with the vegetable mixture. Give it a really good mix to combine

1 bird’s eye chilli, halved

everything together.

1 garlic clove, smashed

In a small bowl, whisk the eggs together with the

2 tbsp sugar cane vinegar

water to make an egg wash.

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781739210533 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 25 JANUARY 2024

BL ASTA BOOKS #9

FUNKY QUICK AND EASY PICKLES AND PRESERVES CAITLIN RUTH

If you take the five basic flavour profiles – sweet, sour, salty, bitter, umami – then add the basic contrasts of a successful dish – smooth, crunchy, zingy, fatty, crispy – you soon realise that using pickles in your cooking can lay down some excellent funky beats. For Caitlin Ruth, when it comes to pickles she’s looking for taste, a contrast of flavours and a good way to make a funky dish. There are few dishes that can’t be improved by the addition of a pickle – and few fruits and vegetables that can’t be thrown into a jar in a 10-minute pickle project. With suggestions for how to eat and serve each pickle and tips on how to use them in surprising ways (think pickle-brined fries or a pickle zhoug), Caitlin puts the fun into Funky to pack your plate with flavour.

BLASTA BOOKS #9

PICKLED PUMPKIN CHUNKS

MAKES 1 X 1-LITRE JAR

I’m not a massive fan of bell peppers, but in this form, I can see why Peter Piper picked (and then pickled) a peck of them.

I love pumpkins so much that I call my daughter pumpkin chunk as a term of endearment. I’m not sure she likes it, but she definitely likes this pickle. In this recipe I use one small pumpkin or squash (or part thereof), weighing just under a kilo. Orange-fleshed ones are best, like Crown Prince, Uchiki Kuri or butternut. Don’t be tempted to use a Halloween pumpkin here, they’re too wet and bland.

1kg raw pumpkin or squash (see the intro), peeled, deseeded and cut into chunks or batons to yield 400g 2 garlic cloves, sliced 400ml distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar 200ml filtered water 4 strips of lemon peel 400g mixed peppers, cut into slices about 2cm thick from top to bottom 1 small white onion, finely diced 3 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole 270ml distilled white vinegar or white wine vinegar

Layer the pumpkin and garlic in your dry, sterilised jar (page 4). Put the vinegar, water, lemon peel, chillies, sugar, salt and paprika in a small non-reactive saucepan and bring to the boil. While it’s still very hot, pour it in the jar on top of the pumpkin, leaving 1.5cm of space clear from the rim of the jar to the top of the veg. Cover the jar with a lid and leave to cool before

If you want a good mix of colours – red, orange, yellow and

2 dried hot chillies

refrigerating. Use

green – you’ll probably only use half of each pepper, so

1 tbsp caster sugar

within six months.

save the rest for another purpose. Put the sliced peppers in your dry, sterilised jar (page 4) with the onion and garlic. Put the rest of the ingredients in a small non-reactive

1 tbsp sea salt 1 tsp smoked paprika

saucepan and bring to the boil. Immediately pour it over the contents of the jar while still hot, leaving 1.5cm of space clear from the rim of the jar to the top of the veg.

270ml white wine

Cover the jar with a lid and let it cool before refrigerating.

2 tbsp caster sugar

Use within six months.

1 tbsp sea salt 2 tsp yellow mustard seeds a few black peppercorns

HOW TO EAT These julienned peppers are a lively and colourful

HOW TO EAT

garnish on any meat dish or served just as they are on a

The chunks make a cute gilda – put a little strip of pickled red chilli (pages 15–16),

cheese and charcuterie board. Chopped finely and mixed

a pickled pumpkin chunk, an anchovy and a green olive on a little skewer for a quick pumpkin

with diced onions and olive oil, they make a quick relish for

pintxo. And don’t throw away the pumpkin peels! Use them to make the pumpkin skin lardons

grilled meats.

in Blasta Books #7: Wasted.

FUNKY

PETER PIPER’S PEPPERS

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781739210540 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 25 APRIL 2024

BL ASTA BOOKS #10

WHOLE CATCH COOKING SEAFOOD FROM GILL TO FIN AISHLING MOORE

The whole-catch approach underpins everything Aishling Moore does at her Goldie seafood restaurant in Cork City, where she serves the fish that had previously been thrown back and converts the wary to fully fledged seafood lovers. Determined to take whatever is landed and to use as much of that as possible, not to mention building up a larder for days when bad weather means there are no boats out, Aishling has to get creative. That philosophy is reflected in Whole Catch, which shows you how to cook seafood from gill to fin. With musings on sustainable seafood and regenerative aquaculture, illustrated step-by-step instructions on how to prepare whole fish and pro tips for how to cook fish at home, Aishling challenges the idea of the ‘catch of the day’ and will change how you think about seafood.

BLASTA BOOKS #10

WHOLE CATCH

MUSSELS WITH CREAMED WATERCRESS & CIDER SERVES 4 I love big bowls of juicy, plump steamed mussels, but the real star of this dish is the delightful broth created by the umami-rich sea essence released by the mussels married with the peppery creamed watercress and dry, fruity cider. This recipe also works well with clams and cockles or a mix of all three.

1kg mussels

Fill a large bowl with water, then add the mussels (discard any

200ml cider

that have cracked shells or don’t close when gently tapped on

FOR THE CREAMED WATERCRESS:

the counter). Using a small paring knife, remove the beard and any barnacles from the shells. Rinse the cleaned mussels in a colander and refrigerate until just before cooking.

2 tbsp vegetable oil

To make the creamed watercress, heat the oil in a large saucepan

1 onion, sliced

over a medium-low heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook for

4 garlic cloves, sliced

5 minutes to develop their sweeter notes.

100ml white wine

Increase the heat to medium-high. Add the white wine and

300ml cream 80g watercress

cook off the alcohol until it has reduced by two-thirds. This is a crucial step – the taste of uncooked alcohol will ruin this dish. Add the cream and bring to the boil to reduce by half – this will

15g fresh parsley

take about 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add

sea salt and a pinch of ground white pepper

the watercress and parsley. Using a hand blender, blitz on a high speed until everything has amalgamated together and is a vivid green. Taste and

TO SERVE:

crusty bread

season with a little salt and white pepper. It’s important to remember that mussels are naturally high in salt, so go easy on the salt here. You can make the creamed watercress a

Remove the lid – all the mussels should

day ahead and add it straight from the fridge to the cooked

be cooked and open at this stage. Discard

mussels. It also freezes well for up to six weeks.

any that haven’t opened. Add the creamed

To cook the mussels, heat a heavy-based pot on a mediumhigh heat for 3 minutes. Drain the mussels and add them to

watercress and bring the sauce back to the boil. Taste the broth and adjust the seasoning.

the pot. Immediately pour in the cider and cover the pot with

Divide the mussels and the sauce among four

a tight-fitting lid. Give the pot a little shake and cook, covered,

wide, shallow bowls. Crusty bread for dipping

for 3 minutes.

is non-negotiable.

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781739210557 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 25 JULY 2024

BL ASTA BOOKS #11

AGAK-AGAK MULTICULTURAL MALAYSIAN FOOD SHAM HANIFA

Agak-agak (pronounced aga-aga, with a silent k) is a Malaysian saying that means ‘guess-guess’ or ‘use your instincts’. In this book, Sham Hanifa has translated those instincts into easy-tofollow recipes that incorporate all the flavour of his diverse heritage, which includes Chinese, Thai, Indian and Malay influences. This multicultural background is reflected in Sham’s food, from Thai basil beef and the Malaysian comfort food classic of chicken rice to his grandmother’s famous crab laksa and Sham’s own renowned lamb rendang. With instructions on how to make many dishes out of one batch of spice paste, satay sauce or chicken broth plus clever cooking tips for how to plan ahead to get two different meals out of the same ingredients, Agak-Agak packs a big flavour punch into a little book.

BLASTA BOOKS #11

SATAY AYAM OR SATAY DAGING CHICKEN OR BEEF SATAY SKEWERS MAKES 8–10 SKEWERS Kajang is a town that’s renowned for its satay. Years ago, people would travel to Kajang just to get the best satay in the area. It became so famous and in demand that people started to copy their name and suddenly satay kajang started popping up in every town and city in Malaysia. But nothing compares to the original satay kajang when you go to the actual town. If you visit family or friends in Malaysia, it’s common to get a dozen of each skewer to bring to the house you’re visiting. Nothing beats having a satay and chat outside the house for a bit of gossip.

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs or 500g beef fillet or sirloin

If you’re using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least

1 batch of spice paste #2 (page 8)

Cut the chicken or beef into very thin slices, then cut again

1 batch of satay sauce (page 10)

because it cooks so quickly. Put the meat in a bowl and toss with

30 minutes so they don’t burn when you grill them.

into 2cm square pieces. The meat needs to be cut very small 2–3 tablespoons of the spice paste, then thread the pieces onto 8–10 skewers. If you’re using beef, keep the pieces as flat as possible on the skewer. Chicken will naturally be more bunched up. Marinate chicken skewers in the fridge for no longer than 4–6

AGAK-AGAK

TOP TIPS Making good satay skewers comes down to a few key details: If you’re using wooden skewers, soaking them is essential so they won’t burn when you grill them. I always use chicken thighs because the fat from the thighs gives the skewers a better flavour. If you want to use a cheaper bit of beef fillet, ask your butcher for the fillet head or fillet tail. These are the trimmings of the more expensive tenderloin but still have all the tenderness and flavour of fillet. The meat needs to be cut very small because it cooks so quickly. Cutting the meat this small is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. In Malaysia, the thinner the chicken, the more expensive the skewer is because of the extra time and work involved in making it. If you see skewers with big chunks of chicken, you know the cook got impatient! Marinate the meat in the spice paste to let it absorb all the flavours. Traditionally, these are grilled over an open charcoal fire as street food. The combination of coconut milk, sugar and oil will create a spark of fire that will give the meat a good char – and the char is what really makes this dish.

hours and beef skewers for 2 hours max, otherwise the flavour of the spice paste will overpower the meat. Meanwhile, make the satay as per the recipe on page 10 but use the remaining spice paste left over here from marinating the meat rather than the full batch called for in the master recipe. Keep warm. When you’re ready to cook, get a ridged grill pan smoking hot. Working in batches, add the skewers to the hot pan. Leave them alone for 2–3 minutes without touching or moving them to let them develop a nice char. Flip over and cook for another 2–3 minutes for beef skewers or 4–5 minutes for chicken, until the meat is completely cooked through. To serve, lightly brush each skewer with satay sauce, then serve extra satay in a ramekin on the side for dipping. 18

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781739210564 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 24 OCTOBER 2024

BL ASTA BOOKS #12

SOCAFRO AFRO-CARIBBEAN COOKING FROM JOLLOF TO JERK JD JEJE

The word ‘Socafro’ is a mash-up of Alistair ‘JD’ Jeje’s two favourite types of music: the rhythmic beats of Soca from Trinidad & Tobago and the soulful lines of Afrobeat from Nigeria. This combination reflects JD’s own dual heritage and it’s also the name of his business, Socafro Kitchen. Each recipe in this book, from his macaroni pie to his take on jollof rice, tells a story reminiscent of JD’s childhood memories, bridging the culinary gap between West Africa and the Caribbean.

BLASTA BOOKS #12

HOW TO MAKE

ONE SAUCE, MANY DISHES This tomato-pepper blend is the foundation of so many dishes – it’s like the mother sauce of Nigerian cuisine. Use it to make the Nigerian red stew (page 12), efo riro (page 32), egusi (page 33), spicy black-eyed beans (page 43) and ewa agoyin (page 44).

SOCAFRO

OBE ATA NIGERIAN RED SAUCE MAKES 600ML When I was growing up in Nigeria, the blenders weren’t that powerful so there would always be someone in every neighbourhood who had a big grinder. You’d take your ingredients – your peppers, your tomatoes, your onions, your garlic – there so that they could blend them for you. We’re not talking a little batch – it would be 25 litres of sauce at one time that they’d

put in a bucket for you to take home, then you’d put it in the fridge or freezer. Nowadays everyone has a good blender, but back then, having that grinder was actually a business and you’d pay them to grind your ingredients for you. It was a big contraption that they’d also use to blend the beans to make moi moi (page 49) or to blend cassava skins to make what we call swallow – things like pounded yam, fufu or mashed potatoes.

1 red onion, roughly chopped

Put everything in a blender or food processor (except the water if you’re making efo riro, as you want that dish to be

1 red pepper, roughly chopped

a bit thicker and coarser).

1 spring onion, roughly chopped

If you’re making efo riro, pulse briefly, just until everything is roughly blended – you still want some texture.

3 garlic cloves, roughly chopped

If you’re making this sauce to go with anything else, blend

½ Scotch bonnet pepper 1 x 400g tin of plum tomatoes

until smooth. That’s it! You’re ready to use this as the base for all sorts of things now.

50ml water (leave this out if making efo riro) 1 tbsp tomato purée ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground white pepper

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781738479566 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 30 JANUARY 2025

BL ASTA BOOKS #13

LARDER ESSENTIAL STAPLES TO MAKE GOOD FOOD FAST ORL A MCANDREW

For Orla McAndrew, a busy working mum of three who loves to cook but still needs to feed her family while spinning lots of other plates, a well-stocked larder is her secret weapon. With 100 quick and easy recipes packed into this small but mighty book, Larder will help you stock your pantry, fridge and freezer with the useful staples you need to make good food fast.

BLASTA BOOKS #13

LARDER

COCONUT MILK

A tin of coconut milk is another meal-maker that I’m never without. I use it in dressings, soups and curries. I always use full-fat coconut milk for its creamy, rich flavour and because tins of low-fat coconut milk are mostly water! It’s one of those things where it’s worth reading the ingredients list to check the coconut content, as it can vary wildly between brands.

COCONUT LIME DRESSING FOR CHICKEN OR NOODLES If you make only one recipe from this book, make this one! You can serve this dressing with noodles, chicken, beef, salmon, rice or just about anything. Blitz 1 small grated shallot, the juice of 2 limes (or the zest and juice of 1 lime if that’s all you have), 6 tablespoons coconut milk, 4 tablespoons oil, 5 teaspoons fish sauce and 1 tablespoon light brown sugar together in a blender or food processor. That’s it! This will keep in an airtight jar in the fridge for up to one week.

CARROT, GINGER & COCONUT SOUP Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 small chopped onion and 2 finely chopped garlic cloves and cook for 5 minutes, until the onion is starting to soften. Add 900g (2lb) peeled and sliced carrots and cook for a further 5 minutes. Stir in 600ml (2½ cups) vegetable or chicken stock, 1 x 400ml (14fl oz) tin of coconut milk, 1½ teaspoons ground turmeric, 1 teaspoon ground ginger, ½ teaspoon salt and a pinch of chilli flakes. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, until the carrots are tender. Blitz until smooth with a hand blender. To serve, ladle into bowls and garnish with a drizzle of fresh cream and chopped fresh coriander or parsley if you have them.

ANYTHING-YOU-HAVE COCONUT CURRY As the name suggests, this recipe will work with just about any vegetables you have, but my favourite combination is chickpeas, sweet potato and coconut. Heat 1½ tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-based saucepan over a medium heat. Add 1 chopped red onion; 4–5 chopped garlic cloves; a thumb-sized piece of fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped; and 1 small jalapeño pepper, deseeded and finely chopped. Cook for about 3 minutes, until starting to soften. Add 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of chopped tomatoes, cover the pan with a lid and cook for 5 minutes before adding 1 teaspoon dried coriander, ½ teaspoon dried cumin, ½ teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon ground turmeric and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook for 2–3 minutes. Break 2 heads of cauliflower into florets, peel and dice 1 sweet potato and drain and rinse 1 x 400g (14oz) tin of chickpeas. Add them to the pan and stir to coat in the spices. Pour in 1 x 400ml (14fl oz) tin of coconut milk and 240ml (1 cup) water, cover the pan and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 sliced roasted red pepper from a jar and cook for 5 minutes more. Remove the lid and stir in the juice of ½ lime, 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander and ¼ teaspoon garam masala. Remove the pan from the heat and allow it to sit for 10 minutes before serving with boiled basmati rice (page 16).

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781738479573 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 08 MAY 2025

BL ASTA BOOKS #14

TANGO THE FLAVOURS AND TRADITIONS OF ARGENTINA FACUNDO RODULFO & PAMEL A NEUMANN

Facundo Rodulfo and Pam Neumann are the dynamic duo behind Tango Street Food in Killarney, County Kerry. Originally from Buenos Aires, they want to share not only the flavours of their homeland, but also their love of fostering cultural awareness and togetherness through food. In Tango, Facundo and Pam showcase a fusion of Argentine and Italian street food-style recipes. Each recipe is a testament to the power of food to transcend borders, connect people and create community. From their famous beef empanadas and stuffed pizzas to family favourites such as Argentine shepherd’s pie and chocotorta, Tango brings a fresh new way of sharing Argentine food culture to everyone’s table.

BLASTA BOOKS #14

TANGO

TARTA PASCUALINA SPINACH & RICOTTA PIE SERVES 8–10 The name for this pie comes from Pascua (Easter), but pascualina has become a year-round classic. Pascualina graces the tables of Argentinian households and the menus of traditional eateries in Buenos Aires, from bodegones (our local diners) to rotiserías (take-aways) and deli counters, where it shares space with a delightful array of empanadas, milanesas and other sweet and savoury treats. For many Argentinian families, pascualina is a weekly staple and a delicious way to eat your greens. Whether enjoyed for lunch, dinner or as a grab-and-go option, it’s both healthy and convenient. So put on your apron, gather your ingredients and embark on a culinary journey to Argentina as we prepare this iconic dish together.

1 batch of savoury dough (page 9) or 2 sheets of shop-bought readyrolled shortcrust or puff pastry

Make the dough as per the recipe on page 9 up to the point where you put it in the fridge to chill. Preheat the oven to 180°C fan (350°F fan).

FOR THE FILLING:

To make the filling, put the spinach in a hot, dry

500g (1lb 2oz) baby spinach, fresh or frozen (see the tip)

frying pan set on a high heat. Let it cook down until

1 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing

frozen. Drain in a colander and allow to cool.

1 onion, chopped 1 garlic clove, chopped

it’s just lightly wilted if fresh or cooked through if

along the sides to prevent any air bubbles from forming.

any water, then add the oil and put the pan over a

Add three-quarters of the filling and spread it out in

medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10–15 minutes, until it’s nicely golden, then add the garlic

150g (1½ cups) Parmesan shavings

and cook for just a moment, as it can easily burn.

1 large egg

Tip the onion and garlic into a large bowl along with

1 tsp salt

the drained spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, raw egg,

1 tsp freshly ground black pepper

salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg (if using) and

a pinch of ground nutmeg (optional)

to hang over the sides. Press it down into the base and

Meanwhile, wipe out the frying pan to remove

500g (1lb 2oz) ricotta cheese

mix to combine. Remove the dough from the fridge and divide it

an even layer, then add the whole peeled hard-boiled

TOP TIPS

If you use chard or big-leaf spinach, chop the stems and cook them with the onion. To prevent the eggs from developing a green ring around the yolks (because they get cooked twice), don’t be tempted to hard-boil the eggs for too long – 8 minutes will suffice.

eggs on top of the filling, spacing them out evenly. Add the rest of the filling, then cover the top with the smaller disc of dough. Crimp the two discs together, making sure the edge doesn’t exceed the height of the tin. Brush the top of the pie with beaten egg if desired (some people also sprinkle over a pinch of sugar) and prick the centre with the tines of a fork to allow the

5 large hard-boiled eggs, peeled and left whole (see the instructions on page 10 and the tip on the next page)

into two parts: three-quarters for the base and one-

1 beaten egg, for egg wash (optional)

Lightly oil a 30cm (12in) springform tin. Drape the

oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes before releasing

larger pastry disc into the tin, allowing the excess

the sides of the tin and cutting into wedges to serve.

quarter for the top. Use a rolling pin to roll out each disc into a circle approximately 3mm (¹/8 in) thick.

steam to escape while it bakes. Bake in the preheated oven for about 1 hour, until the filling is set and the pastry is golden. Remove from the

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781738479580 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 31 JULY 2025

BL ASTA BOOKS #15

JIBRIN A CULINARY JOURNEY THROUGH OUR PALESTINIAN HOMELAND IZZ ALKARA JEH & EMAN ABURABI

Nestled among the southern streets and river walls of Cork City is the award-winning Izz Café, run by beloved couple Izzeddeen Alkarajeh and Eman Aburabi. Serving top-quality Palestinian food, including the always-popular manaeesh, steaming fresh pittas, traditional homemade desserts and their own houseroasted coffee, Izz Café has become a much-loved destination in the heart of Cork’s food community. In Jibrin (pronounced Jib-REEN), named after Eman’s family hometown in Palestine (Beit Jibrin), Izz and Eman share recipes that will take you on a culinary journey of their homeland, with recipes including sumac-dusted roast chicken on flatbread (musakhan), bite-size dumplings (shish barak), stuffed pickled aubergines (makdous) and knafeh, the syrupy, cheese-stuffed pastry cake.

BLASTA BOOKS #15

‫شوُّتَف‬ SERVES 4–6

Popular across Palestine, Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and beyond, fattoush is a mezze staple. Sumac gives it a signature zing, while toasted or fried pitta highlight the region’s resourcefulness. This dish reflects communal dining traditions and a love for seasonal produce. If we have friends over for dinner, we always serve Fattoush, as it goes well with everything.

2 cucumbers, diced

Combine all the vegetables, romaine, rocket

4 tomatoes, diced

and fresh mint in a large salad bowl. We only

1 green pepper, diced 1 red onion, finely diced (optional) 6 radishes, thinly sliced 1 head of romaine, chopped

use the smallest mint leaves so that they can be left whole, as cutting them changes their colour. To make the dressing, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, sumac, pomegranate molasses, salt and the black pepper or chilli

a handful of rocket leaves

flakes (if using).

1 bunch of fresh mint, small leaves only

Toast the pitta in the oven or on a hot pan until

2 pittas

golden and crisp, then cut it into bite-sized pieces. Or for an extra treat, cut the pitta into

FOR THE DRESSING:

small pieces and deep-fry it.

60ml (¼ cup) olive oil

Pour the dressing over the vegetables and toss

juice of 2 lemons

gently to coat everything evenly.

1 garlic clove, minced

Add the toasted pitta pieces on top just before

2 tbsp sumac, plus extra to garnish

serving to maintain their crunch, then garnish

2 tbsp of pomegranate molasses 1 tsp salt

with pomegranate seeds, an extra pinch of sumac and the lemon wedges or slices. Enjoy immediately as a refreshing side dish.

½ tsp ground black pepper or a pinch of chilli flakes (optional) TO GARNISH:

pomegranate seeds 1 lemon, cut into wedges or thinly sliced 22

JIBRIN

FATTOUSH

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781738479597 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 23 OCTOBER 2025

BL ASTA BOOKS #16

MESSY SIMPLE RECIPES FOR CHAOTIC COOKS AOIFE MCELWAIN

Aoife McElwain is a messy cook, but she’s managed to go from chaos to craic in the kitchen, and that’s what her book, Messy, will help you do too. With simple recipes interspersed with gentle coaching tools, this book is for anyone who wants to harness the joy of cooking and use food as a tool for a life well lived. From those times when you can’t cope or need a bit of comfort to ideas for how to cook for a crowd or in the great outdoors, Messy is a companion cookbook for recovering perfectionists and recuperating people-pleasers whose inner critics tend to follow them into the kitchen. Most of all, Messy is a celebration of creativity and of learning from our mistakes. Messiness can marinate into joy, and Aoife will show you how.

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781068405013 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 29 JANUARY 2026

BL ASTA BOOKS #17

BEANS RECIPES FOR A PULSE-POWERED FUTURE ALI HONOUR

Ali Honour’s journey with beans started as a chef looking for ways to feed people well without wrecking the planet. The more she worked with beans, the more they revealed themselves as reliable, sustainable and full of possibility. They became more than an ingredient – they became the backbone of a better way to eat. Beans isn’t just a collection of recipes – it’s also a rallying cry, a love letter, a legume-laden manifesto. It’s Ali’s way of saying look what food can be: humble and hearty, sustainable and sexy. Whether you’re a seasoned legume lover or just bean curious, this book will show you that beans aren’t just good for you, they’re good full stop.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781068405020 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 30 APRIL 2026

BL ASTA BOOKS #18

SAMBA A CELEBRATION OF BRAZILIAN CUISINE GISELLE MAKINDE

Giselle Makinde is a Brazilian-born chef and food entrepreneur who moved to Ireland in search of new opportunities and a fresh start. Like many who leave home, she felt disconnected from her roots, yet her childhood memories remain at the heart of everything she cooks. Samba is a joyful celebration of Brazilian cuisine, family and cultural memory. It brings to life the flavours and traditions passed down from Giselle’s mother and grandmother, and honours the deep connection between food, identity and home.

B LAS TA B O O K S

9781068405037 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 23 JULY 2026

BL ASTA BOOKS #19

TOASTIES THE ALCHEMY OF CHEESE, BREAD, BUTTER AND HEAT SINÉAD NI SHITHIGH & ANN NÍ CHÍOBHÁIN

Sinéad and Ann are on a mission to spread the gospel of the Irish cheese toastie. Their book, Toasties, is devoted to the finest Irish cheese, the indulgent pleasure of real butter and the alchemy that happens when they meet bread and heat. Toasties is packed with simple recipes that comfort and delight, but with a few twists, some hot takes and a dash of nostalgia. Raised in the wilds of south-west Ireland on unpasteurised milk and unapologetically obsessed with great dairy, Sinéad and Ann know what makes killer toastie combos and invite you into their world, because a great toastie isn’t just food, it’s a way of life.

SPRING/SUMMER 2027

9781068405044 EUR €17.00 • GBP £15.00 • AUD $24.99 HARDBACK • 154MM X 217MM • 72 PAGES RIGHTS: WORLD 29 OCTOBER 2026

BL ASTA BOOKS #2O

DINNER MEALS TO MATCH THE DAY YOU’RE HAVING ERICA DRUM

In our hectic lives, we can get stuck in a recipe rut and dinner decisions can sometimes feel like a chore. But Erica Drum is here to turn dinnertime into a daily treat in this fun, practical guide that fits into every kitchen – and any type of day. Dinner will become your go-to repertoire of recipes to come back to, take inspiration from or adapt to suit your needs and the ingredients you have on hand on any particular day, from rainy days and lazy days to date nights and cooking for a crowd. Whether you need something quick and delicious, are craving a little culinary inspiration to match your vibe or just standing in front of the fridge wondering what to cook, this book is for you.

NINE BEAN ROWS

Nine Bean Rows Books Ltd 23 Mountjoy Square Dublin D01 E0F8 Ireland info@ninebeanrowsbooks.com ninebeanrowsbooks.com @9beanrowsbooks

SALES For sales in Ireland, contact sales@ninebeanrowsbooks.com For sales in the United Kingdom, Europe, Middle East and Africa, contact: Abrams & Chronicle Books 1st Floor, 22-24 Ely Place, London, EC1N 6TE, UK +44 (0)20 7713 2060 info@abramsandchronicle.co.uk abramsandchronicle.co.uk UK sales inquiries: info@abramsandchronicle.co.uk Export sales inquiries: internationalsales@abramsandchronicle.co.uk New business: newbusiness@abramsandchronicle.co.uk For sales in Australia and New Zealand, contact Hardie Grant Publishing: sales@hardiegrant.com https://publishing.hardiegrant.com/en-au FOREIGN RIGHTS For all foreign rights queries, contact foreign@unitedagents.co.uk