The Ballymaloe Cookbook, revised and updated 50-year anniversary edition: Classic recipes from Myrtle Allen's award-winning restaurant at Ballymaloe House

By Myrtle Allen

First published in 1977, The Ballymaloe Cookbook espouses a food philosophy rare for its time, but now so prevalent that this revised and updated edition shows just what an impact Myrtle Allen has made.

With classic, simple recipes, The Ballymaloe Cookbook is the ultimate kitchen cookery manual, packed with priceless tips from a true master chef, such as 'how to get a carrot to taste like a carrot' and 'how not to drown a fresh fish'!

Myrtle's charming food writing contains a world of wisdom that reveals a woman of great foresight, and not only where food is concerned. It is an elegant tribute to an authentic and sustainable way of life to which many of us are now seeking to return.

This new edition of The Ballymaloe Cookbook marks both Myrtle's ninetieth birthday and fifty years of her award-winning, internationally renowned restaurant at Ballymaloe House. Containing many new recipes, the book is a celebration of modern Irish cooking at its best.
The Ballymaloe Cookbook: Table of Contents

- Soups and Starters
- Sauces
- Fish and Shellfish
- Poultry
- Meat
- Vegetables
- Sweets and Ices
- Tarts, Breads and Cakes
- Pâtés, Cheese and Eggs
- Some Drinks

• Language: English
• Publisher: Gill Books
• Release date: May 2, 2014
• ISBN: 9780717165162

Myrtle Allen

Born in Cork in 1924, Myrtle Allen is an Irish Michelin-star-winning chef. Together with her late husband, Ivan, she bought Ballymaloe House in East Cork in 1948 and opened a hotel and later, in 1964, a restaurant. She pioneered placing local, seasonal food to the fore, a philosophy synonymous with the now internationally renowned Ballymaloe House and Restaurant and espoused by the world’s top chefs. In doing so, she created the road map for Ireland’s current status as a force to be reckoned with on the global culinary scene.

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SOUPS AND STARTERS

‘The effect of climate on food fascinates me. It isn’t just whether you have a gooseberry bush or a banana tree in the back garden; it is the moisture, the soil, herbs, wind and indigenous bacteria, that affect not only the kind but also the quality of food in different places.’

NOTE ON STOCK

Making stock need not be difficult or expensive; it can be just a method of working. Instead of throwing everything into a waste bucket or disposer, you keep a saucepan handy for suitable items. Put in vegetable parings, raw and cooked bones and carcasses, bacon rinds, parsley stalks, an onion, turnips and a few herbs. Exclude fish, green vegetables, bread, potato and an excess of anything very strong, such as bacon bones or poultry giblets.

Pack everything in and just cover with cold water – don’t use too much – and a tight lid. Put on a very low heat. It should take about 30 minutes to come to the boil. Barely simmer for 8–12 hours, then strain off the liquid.

QUANTITIES

An estimate of numbers of servings must always be approximate. For instance, old ladies eat very much less than farmhands. The soup I had worked out to serve nine people just did two when my son and his wife sat down to it.

Soup quantities are also governed by the amount of evaporation in cooking and in what you decide to add in milk or liaison afterwards. Allow 600ml (1 pint, 2½ cups) soup for 3 helpings; 1 litre (1¾ pints, 4¼ cups) for 5 helpings.

PARTY QUANTITIES

Measure by the quart (1¼l) instead of the cup. Multiply everything by five, including the number of servings.

NOTE ON ONIONS

From early summer to autumn, use freshly picked onions. Use the bulb, the neck and some or all of the green stalk.

NOTE ON ENRICHMENTS

All the purée type of soups can be made by substituting milk for some of the stock, or by adding cream at the end. A liaison of egg yolk beaten into cream can be mixed in last thing. In a potato-based soup, it will curdle if boiled again, however.

NOTES FOR VEGETARIANS

A meat stock gives a richness and flavour to soup. Without it you will need to add butter, cream, milk, egg or egg yolk and sometimes a vegetable savour, such as in the cauliflower soup. A cheese sauce with a generous amount of butter and cream in it makes a wonderful addition. Garnish with more grated cheese and crisply fried, diced croûtons.

NOTE ON SWEATING VEGETABLES

If possible, use a heavy, cast iron saucepan. Lay a butter wrapper (buttery side down, of course!) on top of the vegetables to seal in the steam. Cover with a tight-fitting lid.

COLD CUCUMBER SOUP

There are several versions of this good-tempered dish. It is easy to make, delicious to eat and keeps for days. Try setting it in a ring mould with gelatine. Fill the centre with a bouquet of green leaves. Use a mixed bunch of pale lettuce leaves, watercress sprigs, spring onions and long sticks of cucumber. Hand around French dressing separately. This is really best for a cold buffet. Individual moulds are a better starter.

Note on using gelatine: Put the gelatine in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of cold or lukewarm water to the teaspoon of gelatine. Take a saucepan slightly smaller than the diameter of the top of the bowl. Put 3–5cm (1–2in) water in it. Sit the bowl on top of the saucepan; it must not touch the bottom. Bring the water to the boil. Do not stir, but simmer until all the gelatine has dissolved. Always add a little of the liquid to be set into the gelatine bit by bit, stirring all the time. When mixed in, pour a spoonful into a saucer to cool to see if it is setting to the correct consistency. The setting quality of gelatine can vary according to the brand. The recipes in this book are for powdered gelatine.

SERVES 8–10

1 large cucumber, 250ml (8fl oz, 1 cup) light cream, 120ml (4fl oz, ½ cup) natural yoghurt, 2 tablespoons tarragon vinegar, 1 tablespoon finely chopped gherkins, ½ or 1 clove crushed garlic, salt and pepper, 2 tablespoons finely chopped mint

Grate the cucumber. Stir in all the other ingredients except the mint, which should be sprinkled on top just before serving. Serve chilled.

CUCUMBER RING

7.5g (¼oz, 2 teaspoons) gelatine, 1 tablespoon water, 600ml (1 pint, 2½ cups) cold cucumber soup

Put the gelatine and water in a bowl and set over a saucepan of boiling water until melted. Blend carefully with the cold soup. Can be kept chilled for a day or two.

TOMATO JUICE

After many experiments in trying to get a good tomato juice, I decided that nothing tasted better than the juice left from a tomato salad. I try to guess how much seasoning, herbs and French dressing I would put over some tomatoes and then I liquidise the lot. It’s like playing tennis. If you have a good eye and concentrate on your shot you get a good result. Meanwhile, this recipe will get you started. If somebody talks to me in the middle, I do something awful like putting in two lots of vinegar.

The tomatoes must be almost at the point of ripeness when the skin will peel off without first scalding them.

SERVES 5

450g (1lb, 2½ cups, roughly filled) peeled, halved, very ripe tomatoes, 1 spring onion with a little green leaf or 1 slice onion (5cm/2in dia., 5mm/¼in thick), 3 basil or mint leaves or a sprig of tarragon, 120ml (4fl oz, ½ cup) cold water, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 teaspoons white wine vinegar, 1 level teaspoon salt, 1 level teaspoon sugar, a few grinds black pepper

Liquidise all the ingredients together, then strain. Best when freshly made. Better not kept more than 12 hours. Boil up leftovers for a purée instead.

TOMATO RING

Tomato juice set with gelatine in a ring mould is even better than a ring of cold cucumber soup. Fill the centre with crab or egg mayonnaise.

Make as for a cucumber ring, substituting tomato juice for cold cucumber soup, but omit the oil in the tomato juice and double the gelatine, using 4 teaspoons for 600ml (1 pint, 2½ cups).

CHICKEN STOCK

Essential for the chilled avocado soup (here), and much the best for lettuce, spinach and cucumber soups. Shop around for the very best chicken bouillon or tinned consommé, or make your own as follows.

MAKES 2.3L (4 PINTS, 10 CUPS)

1 large boiling fowl, jointed, or 3 raw or cooked chicken carcasses, 3½l (6 pints, 15 cups) cold water, 1 sliced onion, 1 leek, split in two, 1 stick celery or lovage leaf, 1 chopped carrot, 1 clove garlic, few sprigs parsley, 6 peppercorns

Put all the ingredients into a saucepan. Bring to the boil and skim. Simmer for 3 hours. Strain and remove the fat. If you need a stronger flavour, boil down the liquid in an open pan to reduce by one-third or half the volume.

CHILLED AVOCADO SOUP

This is very handy for using up avocados that are a bit too ripe to serve as they are or to make a few go a long way. Keep chilled and use within 24 hours, if possible. Cover with plastic film, as the top becomes brown after some hours if left open to the air. Note on tomato juice: Fresh juice is best. Alternatively, you could use, should you have any, the juices left over from a tomato salad, tomato fondue or a ratatouille. You could also just purée a few tomatoes, seasoning nicely with salt, pepper and sugar.

SERVES 6

1 very ripe avocado, ½ small onion, 250ml (8fl oz, 1 cup) chicken stock, 120ml (4fl oz, ½ cup) very good French dressing (here), 120ml (4fl oz, ½ cup) tomato juice, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, Garnish: 1 ripe tomato or ½ red pepper

Peel the avocados. Grate the onion on a very fine grater and scrape up enough pulp to measure ½ teaspoon. Put with the remaining ingredients in a liquidiser. Reduce to a purée. Taste and add seasoning if necessary. Fill into small serving bowls and chill. Decorate the top with red pepper cut into fine shreds or tomato flesh, free of skin, cut into pretty shapes.

CHILLED RUBY BEETROOT SOUP

SERVES 8

800g (1¾lb) whole beetroot, 50g (2oz, 4 tablespoons) butter, 225g (8oz) chopped onions, approx 1.2l (2 pints, 5 cups) light chicken stock, salt and pepper, pinch of sugar, 300ml (½ pint, 1¼ cups) natural, unsweetened yoghurt, 150ml (5fl oz, ⅔ cup) pouring cream, 4 tablespoons chopped chives and chive or fennel flowers, if available

Cook the beetroot as described here. While the beets are cooking, melt the butter and allow to foam. Add the onions, coat in the butter, cover tightly and sweat very gently until soft. When the beets are cooked, peel, chop coarsely and add to the onions. Add just enough boiling chicken stock to cover and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for just 1 minute. Now purée to achieve a smooth and silky consistency. Allow to cool completely. Add the yoghurt and a little cream to taste. Check the seasoning, adding a little more sugar if necessary. Serve chilled with a swirl of yoghurt and lots of chopped chives and a few chive or fennel flowers, if available.

AZTEC SOUP

To roast the chillies, either put them over an open flame or under a grill broiler until quite black and bubbly. Put in a bowl and cover with cling film for 5 minutes. Peel off the black skins with your fingers and remove the seeds. Pull into little strips for garnish.

SERVES 6

1 tablespoon sunflower oil, 1 onion, finely chopped, 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped, 900ml (1½ pints, 3¾ cups) well-flavoured homemade chicken stock (here), 3–4 dashes Tabasco sauce, 1 small free-range chicken breast, salt and pepper, 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced into 5mm (¼in) pieces, 1 ripe avocado, stoned, peeled and diced into 5mm (¼in) pieces, 30g (1oz) whole coriander leaves, 2 chillies, roasted, peeled and diced, Garnish: fresh coriander leaves

Heat the oil in a stainless steel pan and sweat the onion until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and Tabasco. Simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, remove the skin from the chicken if necessary. Cut the chicken into very fine shreds. Season well with salt and pepper. (The soup can be prepared ahead up to this point.) Add the chicken to the simmering broth and barely simmer for 1 or 2 minutes, until white all the way through. Add the tomato and avocado dice, half the coriander and the diced roasted chillies. Do not overcook or the avocado will dissolve. Garnish with the remaining fresh coriander leaves.

BASIC VEGETABLE SOUP

This basic system seems to produce a simple, homely kind of soup with a great many different vegetables. Just take whatever you have to hand and try it. It is wonderful with mixtures such as a cup of carrots, vegetable marrow, parsnips and cabbage. It has failed when the vegetables were not properly chopped, such as when whole spinach leaves were squashed into the cup. This threw out the proportions. I chop in rough 1cm (½in) dice and shred green leaves roughly the same way.

SERVES 6

50g (2oz, 4 tablespoons) butter, 140g (5oz, 1 cup) peeled, diced potatoes, 110g (4oz, 1 cup) peeled, diced onions, salt and pepper, 340g (12oz, 3 cups) chopped vegetables of your choice, 1.2l (2 pints, 5 cups) stock

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. When it foams, add the potatoes and onions and turn them until well coated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover and sweat on a gentle heat for 10 minutes. Add the vegetables and stock. Boil until soft. Liquidise, sieve or put through a mouli. Do not overcook or the vegetables will lose their flavour. Adjust the seasoning.

LETTUCE AND MINT SOUP

Good for using the coarse outer leaves of the lettuce, or a head that is starting to wilt or shoot.

SERVES 6

50g (2oz, 4 tablespoons) butter, 140g (5oz, 1 cup) peeled, diced potatoes, 110g (4oz, 1 cup) peeled, diced onions, approx. 1 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper, 170g (6oz, 3 cups) chopped lettuce leaves, 1.2l (2 pints, 5 cups) stock, 1 tablespoon cream (optional), 2 teaspoons freshly chopped mint

Make as for the basic vegetable soup. Add the cream and mint at the end.

POTATO AND FRESH HERB SOUP

SERVES 7

50g (2oz, 4 tablespoons) butter, 425g (15oz, 3 cups) peeled, diced potatoes, 110g (4oz, 1 cup) peeled, diced onions, 110g (4oz, 1 cup) diced scallions, 1 teaspoon salt, freshly ground pepper, 1.2l (2 pints, 5 cups) stock, sprig of any 3 of the following: parsley, thyme, rosemary, lovage (½ leaf), bay leaf (½ leaf), 250ml (8fl oz, 1 cup) creamy