Rory O'Connell - Master it - How to cook today

First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate

a division of HarperCollinsPublishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.4thestate.co.uk

Text copyright © Rory O’Connell 2013

Photography by Laura Hynd

Designed by We Made This

The right of Rory O’Connell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

Excerpt from The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson (2006) quoted by kind permission of Oxford University Press.

ISBN 978-0-00-744728-2

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher.

Ebook Edition © MAY 2013 ISBN: 9780007468799

Version 2015-02-16

Rory O’Connell is a teacher at, and co-founder of, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork. He has cooked in some of the world’s best kitchens, with some of the biggest names in food, and has taught many of the rising stars of the next generation of chefs. With over thirty years’ experience cooking and teaching, he is uniquely equipped to share his expertise and knowledge.

This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother Elizabeth O’Connell, and to my sisters Darina, Blanaid and Elizabeth, and my brothers William, David, Aidan, Tom and Richard

Contents

Copyright First published in Great Britain by Fourth Estate a division of HarperCollinsPublishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.4thestate.co.uk Text copyright © Rory O’Connell 2013 Photography by Laura Hynd Designed by We Made This The right of Rory O’Connell to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Excerpt from The Oxford Companion to Food by Alan Davidson (2006) quoted by kind permission of Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0-00-744728-2 All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this ebook on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins. The author asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work. This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, organizations, or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental and beyond the intent of either the author or the publisher. Ebook Edition © MAY 2013 ISBN: 9780007468799 Version 2015-02-16

Author biography Rory O’Connell is a teacher at, and co-founder of, the Ballymaloe Cookery School in East Cork. He has cooked in some of the world’s best kitchens, with some of the biggest names in food, and has taught many of the rising stars of the next generation of chefs. With over thirty years’ experience cooking and teaching, he is uniquely equipped to share his expertise and knowledge.

Dedication This book is dedicated to the memory of my mother Elizabeth O’Connell, and to my sisters Darina, Blanaid and Elizabeth, and my brothers William, David, Aidan, Tom and Richard

Introduction

Shop well – eat well

Getting started – get organised

Kit

Essentials

Chicken and other broths

Vegetable soups

Savoury tarts

Salads and dressings

Pan-grilling and pan-frying

Roasting

Casserole-roasting

Baked fish

Green vegetables

Roots and alliums

Potatoes

Rice

Pulses – beans, peas and lentils

Simple soda breads

Sweet essentials

Fruit fools, compotes and salads

Biscuits

Ice creams, sorbets and granitas

Meringues

Warm puddings

Cold puddings

A few cakes

Acknowledgements

List of recipes

About the publisher

Introduction

I love cooking and I love teaching people how to cook – that is why I have written this book.

To cook well, it helps if you love and value food, as this is where it all starts. I cannot separate the cooking from what I am cooking. I feel bound to do well by the ingredients, and learning how to recognise good ones is crucial to becoming a good cook.

By cooking them well I honour the soil, the waters, the air, the planet, the efforts of the farmers, fishermen, producers and purveyors – everyone who got the ingredients to my kitchen.