Blasta Books Series 2: 2023

Blasta Books #5: Soup

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 define the stock from which we come and connect us all.

In Blasta Books #5: Soup, authors and Spice Bags podcast co-hosts Blanca Valencia, Dee Laffan and Mei Chin take you on a journey around the globe from the comfort of the communities within Ireland. The soups they have collected reflect individual cultures, memories and tastes, but they are also a reflection of Irish food today and the people behind it.

"Soup is a snapshot of who we are today, and what we eat today. It is a mezcla, where Ahmet Dede’s Turkish red lentil soup sits alongside Sasha Shyskina’s recipe for Ukrainian borsch. The book is both a manifesto, and a curriculum, because the authors show a continuum between Myrtle Allen’s watercress soup, and sopa de tortilla from the Dublin food truck El Milagro. We can describe their thesis as exploring both the Continuity of Change, and the Origin of Influence. They describe an Irish food world that is everything, everywhere, all at once, and they tell this story with subtlety and respect. Soup is a jewel, in a bowl." – John and Sally McKenna, McKennas' Guides

Blasta Books #6: Tapas

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 all things Spanish is in their blood. While there was already a Spanish offering in Ireland, they were missing so many dishes from home and their travels around Spain that the idea for their Dublin restaurant, Las Tapas de Lola, was born.

Tapas are the perfect party food and even better icebreakers (great for first dates!). They can be enjoyed at a table, bar or simply as finger food. It’s all about sharing. And the best part is that you don’t have to commit to one dish – you can sample them all.

The recipes that Anna and Vanessa have shared in this book are the way they love to prepare them. There are thousands of different ways to create so many of these dishes, but that’s the joy of Spain. Each region, city, village, bar and family has their own version that’s been handed down over the years. Hopefully you can now make these your own too.

COMING 20 APRIL 2023

Blasta Books #7: Wasted

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 differently about ingredients and waste, but the driver for all these plant-based recipes is flavour.

Wasted will change your mindset and reconnect you to real food, from the root to the tip.

COMING 27 JULY 2023

Blasta Books #8: Masarap

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 blasta means tasty in Irish.

For Richie, this book was a catalyst for exploring and connecting with his Filipino heritage. You’ll find classic dishes such as adobo, a range of exciting Filipino dishes and playful recipes with Filipino flavours that highlight his experience growing up eating Filipino food with Irish ingredients. Masarap is the exploration of Filipino food through an Irish cultural lens and a way to introduce more people to the food of the Philippines, which is hugely underrepresented.

Alex, a self-proclaimed food lover who will try anything twice, is the storyteller in Bahay. She loves taking Richie’s ideas and fleshing them out into points of view to create Bahay’s story.

COMING 26 OCTOBER 2023