Rachel Allen - Recipes from My Mother

Copyright Copyright Dedication Introduction Breakfasts Lunches Dinners Desserts Baking Preserving List of Searchable Terms List of Recipes Acknowledgements Also by Rachel Allen About the Publisher

HarperCollins Publishers

1 London Bridge Street

London SE1 9GF

www.harpercollins.co.uk

First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2017

FIRST EDITION

Text © Rachel Allen 2017

Photography © Maja Smend 2017

Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2017

Food styling: Annie Rigg

Prop styling: Lydia Brun

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

Rachel Allen asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work

All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage 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 e-books.

Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green

Source ISBN 9780008208172

Ebook Edition © February 2017 ISBN: 9780008179809

Version 2017-01-24

HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Dedication Dedication Introduction Breakfasts Lunches Dinners Desserts Baking Preserving List of Searchable Terms List of Recipes Acknowledgements Also by Rachel Allen About the Publisher

This book is dedicated to the two mothers in my life. To my mum Hallfridur, who is loving and wise in every situation, and has given me the best start in life. And to my dynamic, indefatigable mother-in-law Darina, who has dedicated her life to teaching and inspiring future generations to feed themselves and others in the best possible way. Thank you both.

Contents

Cover

Title Page

Copyright Copyright Copyright Dedication Introduction Breakfasts Lunches Dinners Desserts Baking Preserving List of Searchable Terms List of Recipes Acknowledgements Also by Rachel Allen About the Publisher HarperCollins Publishers 1 London Bridge Street London SE1 9GF www.harpercollins.co.uk First published by HarperCollins Publishers 2017 FIRST EDITION Text © Rachel Allen 2017 Photography © Maja Smend 2017 Cover layout design © HarperCollins Publishers 2017 Food styling: Annie Rigg Prop styling: Lydia Brun A catalogue record of this book is available from the British Library Rachel Allen asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage 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 e-books. Find out about HarperCollins and the environment at www.harpercollins.co.uk/green Source ISBN 9780008208172 Ebook Edition © February 2017 ISBN: 9780008179809 Version 2017-01-24 HarperCollinsPublishers has made every reasonable effort to ensure that any picture content and written content in this ebook has been included or removed in accordance with the contractual and technological constraints in operation at the time of publication.

Dedication Dedication Dedication Introduction Breakfasts Lunches Dinners Desserts Baking Preserving List of Searchable Terms List of Recipes Acknowledgements Also by Rachel Allen About the Publisher This book is dedicated to the two mothers in my life. To my mum Hallfridur, who is loving and wise in every situation, and has given me the best start in life. And to my dynamic, indefatigable mother-in-law Darina, who has dedicated her life to teaching and inspiring future generations to feed themselves and others in the best possible way. Thank you both.

Introduction

Breakfasts

Lunches

Dinners

Desserts

Baking

Preserving

List of Searchable Terms

List of Recipes

Acknowledgements

Also by Rachel Allen

About the Publisher

Introduction

I’ve always been fascinated by what makes people the way they are. We are like very complex, colourful tapestries, and as with every other living being, no two of us are exactly the same. We are all, of course, a product of two different people, but who we are as actual individuals goes deeper and is much more interesting than that. The place where we grew up, the climate, the cultures, the traditions and, not least, the food we eat all play a part in weaving together the fibres that make us who we are.

I grew up in Dublin with a sister, an Irish father and a mother from Iceland. I’ve always been very proud of my half-Icelandic and half-Irish heritage. I count myself fortunate in that it was a very happy home with lots of good food. While my father made great brown bread and the best poached eggs in town, it was my mum who always cooked a delicious and nutritious meal for us all to eat at the end of the day. She had first one, then two, busy boutiques (while even whipping up the clothes for the shop herself on the sewing machine in the 1970s) and somehow there was always a great meal ready for us in the evening.

My favourites were the kinds of dishes that many people call comfort food – roast chicken, stews and casseroles – for which there is rarely a traditional Irish recipe as every family has their own. Despite only arriving in Dublin when she was 19, my mother seemed to quickly master the Irish flavours and cooking techniques. Recipes such as St Patrick’s Day Bacon with Parsley Sauce and Cabbage Puréeand Irish Stew with Pearl Barleywere a regular feature of my childhood. Looking back on it now, I am so appreciative of the fact that I got to sit down at the table to enjoy these meals with my family and catch up on what had happened during the day. It’s the one thing that my husband, Isaac, and I insist on now with our children – for me it’s one of the most important times of the day.

I’m also very appreciative of the fact that as a child, family holidays often took us abroad. By visiting different countries, I was introduced to a wealth of different foods and flavours. So it felt right to include a few dishes inspired by these memories – Mussels with Tomato, Chorizo, Sherry and Parsley, for example, and Tomato Risotto with Lemon and Basil Mascarpone.