The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook: The Best of Traditional and Contempoary Irish Cooking

by Parragon Books

Pubs in Ireland are the cornerstone of their communities, relaxed places where locals and visitors can experience the best of traditional Irish hospitality. Many pubs have also become the place to go for a great meal, with a choice of both traditional and contemporary dishes. In recent years Irish cooking has been transformed, with skillful cooks making the most of wonderful fresh local produce to create delicious new dishes and giving a twist to many classics. This tasty cookbook includes the best of both worlds - with best-loved favorites s Irish Stew, Corned Beef and Split Pea and Ham Soup and newer recipes, like Scallop Chowder or Oatmeal and Raspberry Cream to set your taste buds tingling.  So just open this book to enjoy the best of traditional and contemporary Irish pub cooking. CLASSIC TRADITIONAL AND CONTEMPORARY RECIPES : The best of Irish cooking for all occasions. St. Patrick's Day, hearty family suppers or special celebrations, there is a perfect, well-loved recipe for every get-together. FOUR COURSE MEAL RECIPES : The four chapters in this book follow the course of a typical meal in an Irish Pub:
Appetizers & Snacks : Potted Crab, light salad with Ireland's famous seafood and hearty winter soups.
Entree : Traditional dishes like Irish Stew or Fisherman's Pie as well as more contemporary meals whole baked sea trout.
Vegetables & Sides : No Irish meal is complete without delicious sides like soda bread or red cabbage.
Desserts & Drinks : The best of Irish baking including Bread Pudding and Rhubarb Crisp as well as delicious traditional drinks like Irish Coffee or a Black Velvet. RECIPES & PHOTOS : Recipes for every mood and occasion and beautiful photos for each recipe will keep enthusiasts excited to continue to try new Irish recipes every week. EASY AND SIMPLE : This Irish cookbook for beginners, experts, and everyone in-between includes Irish pub favorites like Irish stew, fisherman's pie, soda bread, bread pudding, and so much more MAKES A GREAT GIFT : St. Patrick's Day, birthdays, holidays, Mother's/Father's Day and more, The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook makes a great gift for any occasion and a family cookbook to pass on for generations

Genres: Cookbooks, Cooking, Food, Reference, Nonfiction, Ireland, Foodie

173 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2012

About the author

The Parragon name means quality, entertainment, and value and has been at the forefront of publishing for nearly 40 years. Going forward as an imprint of Cottage Door Press, the Parragon brand includes books that are interesting, entertaining, and affordable. The Parragon tradition continues...

Reviews

[Abigail Advincula · Rating 5 out of 5]

A toothsome read. Life in grad school can be hard sometimes, but this compendium of savory foods works as a culinary safety blanket of sorts - cheering me up when everything seems down and I am out of sorts.

I did actually cook some of the recipes from the book, by the way:

-Leek & Potato Soup - creamy and delicious; a little conservative flavor profile-wise, but otherwise a top-notch Spring or Fall soup

-Split Pea & Ham Soup - a much heartier dish, excellent for winters after a long-day of tramping out in the cold; truly a meal to revive a man drained of his energy, or... a heavy-enough meal to put a small Asian girl to sleep

-Roasted Leek with Parsley - good, but nothing much to rave about here, just roasted vegetables; don't crowd the leeks, I guess, to make sure the caramelization process dominates and not the boiling process

-Roasted Beet Packages with Horseradish Butter - surprisingly tasty! never had much of an appreciation for beets until I tried them roasted with thyme and plenty of butter, be careful with handling these tasty morsels else you risk everything you own being stained a rather flattering shade of pink

-Buttered Kale with Chives & Lemon - good, but really basic; I mean, the recipe is just boiled kale with lemon and butter, so....what was I expecting?

-Barm Brack (yeast bread with added raisins) - an astoundingly good loaf of bread, chock full of dried fruit; the only acceptable way to eat this bread is fresh out the oven, slathered in butter, and then rammed down one's gullet as fast as possible

-Currant Shortbread - crispy, buttery, and fragrant and perfectly paired with a steaming cup of tea (preferably earl grey or lady grey)

-Irish Coffee - it was alright I suppose, but I'm not the biggest drinker of Irish Whiskey, so maybe I need to drink way more whiskey and then give this another go

I'll be updating this review for years to come with my thoughts on the food. I most definitely won't be downing Guinnesses and flailing about in a drunken attempt to emulate the cast of Riverdance as I cook. Smiles broadly

[Meredith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a compelling story. I was captivated by the authors lyrical cooking instructions. There were tears, laughter, excitement, and pain. This book will provide you with every human emotion, both high and low, great and small. Never has a book changed my life like the complete Irish pub cookbook. Overall, immaculate vibes.

[Denise みか Hutchins · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful book to have on your kitchen shelves, and the recipes are generally easy to make and easy to adapt into vegetarian and vegan versions. The recipe I frequently pull this book out for is the Leek & Potato Soup (p 12) which is a great way to use the dark green tops of the leek which other recipes simply discard. The soup comes out rich and satisfying every time~ Other recipes I have bookmarked include Fish Cakes (p 80), Sticky Carrots with Whiskey & Ginger Glaze (p 105), and Irish Cream Cheesecake (p 150). As with other excellent cookbooks, this one has a picture for every recipe, plus lovely photos of Ireland every so often, for an extra atmospheric kick. I definitely recommend this book for easy, adaptable, at-home Irish pub cooking!

[Brianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me start off by saying I'm not a huge fan of cooking. I mean can cook, but it's just not something I seek out.
That being said, this book made me want to cook (and bake). The recipes all looked good and sounded easy enough and oh my gosh the pictures. The paper is glossy and it feels good and the pictures are gorgeous (they have a picture of every recipe that will make your stomach growl and they've included pics of Ireland throughout the book)!

I would recommend this!!

[Jodie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the recipes in this book. They are warm and inviting and just delicious. I can't wait to try some of them throughout the year. Yummy, goodness.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great authentic Irish recipes. This is comfort food at its best. Every recipe has a photo, as well as beautiful photos of Ireland.

[Julie H. Ernstein · Rating 4 out of 5]

I snagged this cookbook at a used book store this afternoon after doing the usual "test" of turning to four or five items and asking "Would I make this?" and "Would I like it?" On deck in coming days will be: blue cheese and walnut tartlets; smoked mackeral and horseradish pate; potato, leek, and chicken pie (uses phyllo dough); fisherman's pie; slow-roasted shoulder of lamb with herb dumplings; roast beet packages with horseradish butter; sticky carrots with whiskey and ginger glaze; sweet and sour red cabbage; oat crackers; and Irish cream cheesecake. Okay, reverse that order as we're definitely having the Irish cream cheesecake for dessert at Easter!

The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook has everything you need in a cookbook--clear instructions, good illustrations of finished products, and does not require a great deal of specialized equipment. (N.B.: Rating subject to adjustment once recipes are tested and results are in.)

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read cookbooks, they are a window into the culture of a country or a lesson on a type of people and how they cook. This book does not disappoint-with beautiful pictures of Ireland, you can read thru the items you may choose if having a typical meal at an Irish pub. Many of the recipes are seafood, but there are vegetable dishes that sound wonderful, mouthwatering dishes of pork, another Irish staple, soups, and of course, desserts and specialty drinks. Each dish has a beautiful photo to further your interest, and of course the ingredients and directions are easy to follow.

[Siobahn Hurley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Only gifted to me by a good friend for Christmas, each recipe I have made from this book has been very good. Recipes are easy to follow, however some recipes will be more time consuming, but very worth it.
Family favorite is the Beef stout with herb dumplings. We make this one a lot. Dublin Lawyer is another favorite.

[Kirk Dobihal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wished there was a little more literature on cooking methodology on the four main divisions: Appetizers & Snacks, Entrees, Vegetables & Sides, and Desserts & Drinks. The recipes included look to be classic Irish.

[Deanna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love to read cookbooks and have hundreds of them around my house. I originally bought this for a friend, hoping for scone recipes (spoiler: there aren't any). But, I found plenty of others that are definitely "cookable" so I bought myself a copy.
Many recipes seem similar to Scottish foods we love so I am anxious to give them a try.

[Jeffrey Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was given to me as a gift many years ago. I have used some of the recipes herein to cook a few delicacies. I usually add my own little touch to them though. Still a good starting point if you want to learn to cook like the Irish. The lamb stew is good.

[Bridget LaDuca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this cookbook from my local library, but I need to purchase my own copy. The recipes look delicious ! I already made the Colcannon and it turned out wonderful. So easy! The pictures of Ireland and of the dishes themselves are gorgeous.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

An enjoyable read (and planning) to accompany tea time. Looking forward to some Irish meals for our March menu. I especially enjoyed the photos of locations I visited last year. I wish there were more recipes for Irish side dishes.

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dublin coddle and Guinness beef stew are my absolute favorite comfort meals. This book breaks down classic recipes without the yadda yadda stories that I usually abhor in cookbooks.
Definitely adding this to my purchase list.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Everything looks and sounds delicious, but the recipes may be beyond my skill level.

[Meghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

3&3/4 stars— so many great recipes & little snippets of background history on each; I’ll be making one of the side dishes tomorrow. YUM!

[Brian’s Book Temple · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book comes out every march for me. Nice traditional Irish recipes not just the Americanized recipes. Highly recommend

[Anie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a nice looking book; nice photographs and what look to be good recipes. I'm not sure how much I'll be cooking out of this, but I definitely want to give the soda breads a try. Updates to come later.

2020 edit: Recipes are great. Good soda breads, really great ham and split pea soup (i.e. the soup that converted me to split pea soup), good potato-and-leek soup. Super, super solid book.

[Lisa Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good variety of recipes, all the standards you would expect plus many new ones. Who knew seafood would be prevelant? Very good photographs. Easy, step by step directions, and conversions for more unusual ingredients. Look forward to trying several of these.

[Nicole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Authentic Irish Pub recipes.

[Mary Howd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good recipes that appear to be authentic. Presented in a user-friendly way.

[Darbin O’Gill · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book for basic Irish cooking and elevated enough that you look like a foodie when plating these dishes. All of the instructions have proven true without alterations in temp or time.

[Stephanie Early · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first time my dad opened a cookbook it was a recipe from this book. I’ll never forget his joy and how impressed we were.