Series: Blasta Books

Ali Honour is a chef and food systems agitator who believes that how we eat can help fix our broken food system. Her journey with beans started as a chef looking for ways to feed people well without wrecking the planet. The more she worked with beans, the more they revealed themselves as reliable, sustainable and full of possibility. They...

Giselle Makinde Pereira Gonçalves is a chef and storyteller who believes food can bring people and cultures together. She was born and raised in Brazil, and like the dishes she cooks, she’s a mix of many influences: Portuguese, African and Indigenous. She is proud of that blend, and it influences everything she does. Samba is Giselle Makinde’s love letter to...

Russell Alford and Patrick Hanlon have taken familiar fried favourites, chipper classics and the flavours we can't get enough to create the ultimate version of every recipe, from the perfect chips to spice burgers, corn dogs and Korean fried chicken. Their style is all about fun, casual and approachable food, which is what this book delivers.

Richie Castillo is the chef behind Bahay, a Filipino pop-up restaurant that he started and runs with his partner, Alex O'Neill. Richie and Alex named Bahay after the Tagalog word for home while the title of this, their first book – Masarap – means tasty in Tagalog, the Filipino language. It's a nod to Bahay’s Irish-Filipino background, seeing as how...

Everyone is passionately opinionated about their soups. We can argue through the night about blended soups, cold soups, greens in our soups, clear soups and, ultimately, why our favourite soup is the very best. The soups we make say we miss our moms, we want to travel, that the seasons are changing or that we are truly, deeply hungover. Soups...

Lily Ramirez-Foran has spent years sharing how fun, vibrant and convivial Mexican food is and how easy it is to make at home, and what better way to do that than with tacos? These are the authentic flavours of Mexico, from real corn tortillas to smoky chillies, matched with the best of Irish produce. There is something for everyone here,...

Authors Anna Cabrera and Vanessa Murphy met in 2008 and quickly realised that their love for all things food, wine, sangría, vermouth and all the rest made them a perfect match. Anna, a native of Barcelona, moved to Ireland in 2001, while Vanessa had lived in Spain on and off over the years. It’s safe to say their love of...

Cultures and cuisines have many differences, but one thing they all have in common is cookies. No matter the country, cookies evoke fond childhood memories and feature in many holidays and celebrations. But there’s more to this book than just a sweet treat. Author Jess Murphy is an official High-Profile Supporter of the UNHCR (the UN Refugee Agency), with whom...

Blasta Books #7: Wasted is a capsule collection of recipes that have come from identifying some of the most wasted food items in our homes. This book will help you to stop wasting food and turn perfectly good ingredients into delicious dishes. And the key word here is delicious. The book's ulterior motive may be to get us to think...

Born in Hong Kong but raised in Buncrana, County Donegal, Kwanghi Chan says that his food isn’t fully authentically Chinese, but neither is he. His book, Wok, is the first Irish-Chinese cookbook to be published. The recipes include some of Kwanghi’s favourite meals that he grew up with that kept him in touch with his Asian heritage and the food...