Grow Cook Nourish by Darina Allen
January 13, 2018 by Jenny
Darina Allen runs the
world-renowned cooking school at Ballymaloe in County Cork,
Ireland. She founded the school with her brother, Rory
O’Connell, in 1983 and since then has authored many cookery
books. Besides running the school with her brother, her
daughter-in-law, Rachel Allen, also teaches there and lives
nearby.
The family connection travels back to when Darina (O’Connell then)
started as a sous-chef at The Yeats Room at Ballymaloe House which
was co-founded by well-known Myrtle
Allen. Darina ended up marrying one of Myrtle’s
sons and the rest is history.
Darina’s newest cookbook Grow Cook Nourish: A Kitchen Garden Companion in 500 Recipes takes readers through the entire soil-to-table process that began over fifty years ago when Myrtle invited guests to ‘Dine in an Irish Country House’. She opened the aforementioned Yeats Room in her family home serving fresh seasonal produce from husband Ivan’s 300 acre farmland.
Darina and family continue Myrtle and Ivan’s philosophy of using natural ingredients from the farm and local area which continues to earn Ballymaloe House and related Ballymaloe businesses world recognition as the best places for food in Ireland. Growing, feeding and nurturing runs through generations of Allens.
Growing your own food is exciting but, when it comes to knowing how to make the most of your produce can be overwhelming. This is where Grow Cook Nourish comes in – drawing on the author’s 30 years of experience to make sure we reap what we sow.
This title shares an extensive list of vegetables, herbs and fruits with each entry including explanations of different varieties, practical information on cultivation, growing and maintenance, plus instructions for the best ways to cook produce as well as preserve it. With 500 recipes, including a variety for every ingredient, Darina shows how to use your harvest to its full potential. Vegetables range from annual crops such as chicory, radishes and kohlrabi to perennials like asparagus and spinach. Fruits cover apples, currants and peaches plus more the more unusual and interesting myrtle berries, loquats and medlars. Plus a comprehensive list of herbs, edible flowers and foraged foods such as samphire, wild garlic and blackberries fill out the book.
A gorgeous book for the gardener and cook in all of us. Special
thanks to Kyle Books for sharing the Pad Thai recipe today with us
and for providing two copies to our members in the US and UK (four
copies total). Scroll to the bottom of this post to enter.
Pad Thai
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Romanesco or broccoli florets are a delicious and nutritious addition to this Pad Thai, the famous Thai noodle dish. Use organic ingredients where possible.
Serves 4 to 6
8 ounces rice noodles
1 tablespoon tamarind paste
2 tablespoons fish sauce (nam pla)
1½ tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
¼ pound Romanesco or broccoli florets
¼ pound carrots, cut into julienne
⅓ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons crushed garlic (about 5 cloves)
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
16 large wild shrimp, cooked and peeled
2 organic eggs, beaten
3 or 4 spring onions or scallions, sliced at an angle
2 ½ ounces fresh bean sprouts
3 tablespoons salted peanuts, roughly chopped
To garnish:
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
lime wedges
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
red pepper flakes (optional)
For the crispy onions:
4 to 6 small onions or shallots
sunflower oil, for frying
Put the noodles in a bowl, cover with water, and leave for about an hour.
To make the crispy onions, peel and slice the onions or shallots very thinly. Separate the rings and allow to dry for several hours.
Meanwhile, whisk the tamarind paste, fish sauce, sugar, lime juice, and 3 tablespoons of water in a bowl.
Blanch and refresh the Romanesco or broccoli florets and carrots in boiling salted water-3 minutes for the broccoli, 2 minutes for the carrots-until al dente.
To make the crispy onions, heat the oil to 350°F in a wok or deep-fat fryer. Deep-fry for 2 to 3 minutes until golden. Spread them out on paper towels in a single layer and let cool.
Drain the noodles.
Heat a wok over high heat, add the oil, and continue to heat until almost smoking. Add the garlic and ginger, toss quickly, then add the peeled shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Add the noodles to the wok and stir-fry for a minute. Pour in three-quarters of the tamarind paste and fish sauce. Toss to coat the noodles, push to the side of the wok, and add the whisked eggs. Stir to scramble a little then add the shrimp, Romanesco or broccoli florets, carrots, spring onions, bean sprouts, and half of the salted peanuts. Add the remainder of the tamarind/fish sauce. Toss, taste, and correct the seasoning with more fish sauce and lime juice if necessary.
Divide among four shallow hot plates. Garnish with the remaining peanuts, cilantro sprigs, and a sprinkle of sesame seeds.
Serve each with a lime wedge and a sprinkling of crispy onions and red pepper flakes if you crave some extra oomph. Enjoy.
Excerpted from Grow, Cook, Nourish by Darina Allen, Published by Kyle Books, Photography by Clare Winfield.
The publisher is offering two copies of this book to EYB Members in the US and two copies to EYB Members in the UK. One of the entry options is to answer the following question in the comments section of this blog post.
Which recipe in the index would you try first?
Please note that you must be logged
into the Rafflecopter contest before posting or your entry won’t be
counted. For more information on this process, please see our step-by-step help post. Be sure
to check your spam filters to receive our email notifications.
Prizes can take up to 6 weeks to arrive from the publishers. If you
are not already a Member, you can
join at no cost. The contest ends at midnight on
February 20th, 2018.
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