Close
post-featured-image

Excerpt: An Irish Country Cookbook by Patrick Taylor

Placeholder of amazon -53 Placeholder of bn -36 Image Placeholder of booksamillion- 83 ibooks2 98 indiebound-1 powells-1

Poster Placeholder of - 79

Told from the perspective of beloved housekeeper Kinky Kincaid, one of the cherished starring characters in Taylor’s An Irish Country series, An Irish Country Cookbook explores Ireland’s rich culture through its delicious dishes and stories of its charming people. These authentic tried-and-true family recipes have been passed down from generation to generation, and are the original comfort food for millions. Organized into sections such as: starters, soups, breads, mains, sides, sauces, desserts, cakes, candy and treats, and Ulster Christmas recipes, this cookbook brings the magic of Irish cooking and time-honored Irish traditions to life.

The ten short stories starring Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly, Dr. Barry Laverty, and the colorful village of Ballybucklebo will delight fans of the series and new readers alike. From starters to sauces, Irish soda bread to Christmas dinner, these memorable dishes will bring a taste of the world of the Irish Country books to every kitchen.

Start cooking with An Irish Country Cookbook on February 7th. Please enjoy these sample recipes.

Irish Potato Bread

This is a great way of using up leftover mashed potatoes and takes no time at all to make. Also called potato farls, Irish Potato Bread is traditionally served with an Ulster Fry (here) and may be frozen until needed.

 Makes 4

  • 1 lb/455 g potatoes, cooked and mashed
  • 4 oz/113 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 oz/28 g butter, softened
  • ½ tsp salt

While the potatoes are still warm, mash together with the other ingredients, then knead and roll on a floured board into a flat round. Cut into four farls (from the old Scots word fardel, meaning “fourth”), and place on a hot, lightly greased frying pan of a size large enough to accommodate them. Cook on both sides until golden brown. Allow to cool on a wire rack. Reheat in a dry pan or toaster, or in the microwave.

 Oven Soda Bread

Traditionally, soda bread was shaped into a round and placed into a greased iron pot called a Bastible. This looked rather like a Dutch oven and was hung over the fire in the hearth.

Makes 1

  • 1 lb/455 g all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 oz/28 g butter
  • 20 oz/590 ml buttermilk

Preheat the oven to 425°F/220°C. Grease a 9 by 5-in (23 by 12-cm) loaf tin or a flat baking sheet.

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a bowl and rub in the butter. Add the buttermilk and work gently but quickly into a soft dough. Place in the loaf tin or make into a round shape and place on the baking sheet. If you are making a round cake you need to mark a cross in the top to let the Devil out or to make it easier to cut into four segments. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes. The bread will sound hollow when the bottom is knocked. Turn the bread out onto a wire rack to cool and cover with a damp tea towel.

Kinky’s Note:
Sometimes Ma would add currants or raisins just for a change. I loved this bread sliced and toasted (using a long-handled toasting fork shaped like a trident) in front of the fire and smothered with butter.

Copyright © 2017 by Patrick Taylor

Order Your Copy

Place holder  of amazon- 23 Image Place holder  of bn- 20 Place holder  of booksamillion- 1 ibooks2 52 indiebound powells

post-featured-image

Starred Review: An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War by Patrick Taylor

An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War by Patrick Taylor“Deeply steeped in Irish country life and meticulous in detail, the story is the perfect companion for a comfy fire and a cup of tea or a pint of bitter.”

Patrick Taylor’s An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War got a starred review in Library Journal!

Here’s the full review, from the September 15 issue:

starred-review-gif The ninth book in the series that started with An Irish Country Doctor flashes back to a time before Dr. Fingal Flahertie O’Reilly became the medical mainstay in the village of Ballybucklebo. World War II has begun and Dr. Reilly is assigned the battleship HMS Warspite. Surgeon Lieutenant O’Reilly quickly learns the hardships of medicine at sea, tending to the thousand-man crew and casualties from other nearby ships. He serves under a seasoned naval doctor from whom he picks up much more than what was in his medical textbooks. He pines for his fiancée, midwife Deirdre Macwhinney, and has hopes of marrying her when he leaves the ship to attend a trauma medicine course in Scotland. In current-day Ballybucklebo, O’Reilly’s life has turned out quite differently. He treats the odd outbreak of measles, encounters an exotic Mediterranean virus, and delivers the local babies when the village midwife is too busy. Married to Kitty, his long-ago love (before Deirdre), O’Reilly has settled into the comfortable life of a small-town doctor. As in the previous O’Reilly books, the story deftly shifts back and forth from the present to the past, weaving depth and texture into the lives of Dr. and Mrs. O’Reilly and the villagers around them. VERDICT This is a charming addition to the delightful series by Ulster doctor-turned-novelist Taylor. Deeply steeped in Irish country life and meticulous in detail, the story is the perfect companion for a comfy fire and a cup of tea or a pint of bitter. Think James Herriott without the animals. A totally wonderful read!

An Irish Doctor in Peace and at War will be published on October 21.

Irish Country Novels Sweepstakes

Sign up to receive emailed news about Patrick Taylor’s titles and events and you’ll be entered for a chance to win a collection of Irish Country Novels:

Poster Placeholder of - 81

Collection includes an advance reading copy of Fingal O’Reilly, Irish Doctor!

Sign up for your chance to win today!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. You must be 18 or older and a legal resident of the 50 United States or D.C. to enter. Promotion begins August 12 at 12 a.m. ET. and ends September 14, 2013, 11:59 p.m. ET. Void in Puerto Rico and wherever prohibited by law. For Official Rules and to enter, go here. Sponsor: Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.

The owner of this website has made a commitment to accessibility and inclusion, please report any problems that you encounter using the contact form on this website. This site uses the WP ADA Compliance Check plugin to enhance accessibility.