By Julianna Leber
The Veggie Side of Irish Paradise
Near the heart of Downtown Cork City and minutes from Cork University, a small restaurant, an Irish vegetarian restaurant, is run by an innovative and yet earthly traditional chef/owner, Denis Cotter. The creator and re-inventor of Irish vegetarian cuisine at the Café Paradiso starts his day by checking out the best, local produce for the season.
Denis is a fanatic about fresh, seasonal foods. He also is a supporter of the local artisan cheese and dairy farms, along with other family businesses such as bakeries and non-native olive farms. All of these priorities present him with a praiseworthy final dish, utilizing the season’s best from the local farmers and artisans. Though he’s been many places and employs flavors from other countries, Denis Cotter is still cooking with the fruits of Ireland’s harvest.When Denis Cotter came in to the Ballymaloe Cookery School to teach the class on vegetarian cooking, I was both concerned and relieved. Concerned because I didn’t want the usual veggie food of tofu, texturized vegetable protein (a meat ‘substitute’) or any mélange of vegetables that attempt to fool the consumer into thinking they are actually eating a Philly steak and cheese sandwich (I had one of those and it was memorable…) But I was also relieved to have a proper arrangement of vegetables away from potatoes, fish, and other Irish staples. I loved learning Irish cooking and the strict veggie version was, to me, a new path off of the same traditional road.
Denis Cotter was passionate about food. That was the first thing I took in as he told the story about his food education. Denis realized he was not cut out to be in the banking world, that his passion was more in the food industry. He went to London and worked there for a bit in a vegetarian restaurant and then, with his wife, went to New Zealand for a year. It was there that he learned about appreciating the seasons of growing food, how to make the most of that season’s highlight vegetable and getting the foods to maintain their unique flavors and integrity on a plate of food. Being that Denis was a vegetarian, it was a belief, an ethic for him, so he lived in that path. Denis was not about recreating “veggie BBQ ribs,” but in really seeking out the highest quality, freshest and in-season produce to making the most of that product.
During the classroom demonstration Denis was talking about different types of squash and gourds. He was talking non-stop about the different soups and breads and main dishes one could make. As he told us this, he was grabbing the gourds from the window sill, cutting, slicing and peeling each one and tossed it into a risotto he was making. A few of the students looked at Darina, the owner, whose face clouded over as Denis cut into her fall gourd collection. Finally, as Denis started to cut into the largest one called turk’s turban and Darina declared ‘That one is decoration.’ The whole display, save the last one, was diced into a rice dish. However, Darina let Denis make his point: with some creativity, any fresh and local food could be made into a great dish.
Denis Cotter and his Café Paradiso impressed me with his amazing use of the local artisan products and seasonal produce. However, he does recognize that sometimes seasonal and popular on his menu don’t always move with the calendar. He has items on his menu like asparagus au gratin or couscous crusted aubergine (eggplant) that people look for any time of the year. He does, on occasion, rely on stored or imported products for his restaurant’s popular products. Yet for the most part, it’s the local farms and dairies in and near Cork City which supply the restaurant with its raw products. It is then up to Denis to use the Irish bounty and culinary heritage, London education, and New Zealand horticultural instincts he was gifted with to create the new Irish Vegetarian cuisine he and his restaurant are known for and sought after.
The two recipes I would like to share are inspired from both Ballymaloe and Café Paradiso. I originally made both of them at school and then revised them into my own recipes to enjoy as appetizers or as a side, or even as a light meal on a warm summer night. Brilliant!
Spring Pea and Cilantro Soup
Serves 4-6
1 quart vegetable or chicken stock
4 cups fresh or frozen spring peas
1/2 stick butter
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
Salt and pepper
Garnish
Heavy cream, lightly whipped
Whole cilantro leaves
Warm stock in medium pot. In skillet, melt butter and add onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add garlic and jalapeno. Gently cook for 4-5 minutes, careful not to color. Add peas to stock and simmer for 5 minutes. Add onion mix to stock and stir. Using a blender or hand mixer, puree soup. Soup will be thin.* Return to low heat and season with salt and pepper. Stir. Ladle into bowls and garnish with cream and leaves. • To thicken, add a little cooked potato or rice before pureeing.
Ginger Garlic Sweet Potato Egg Roll
Makes 8
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 T. olive oil
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. grated ginger
1/2 jalapeno, seeded and chopped
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 t. ground coriander
Juice of one lime
2 T. soy sauce
2 T. chopped cilantro
2 green onions, white and green, cut on a bias
8 wonton roll wraps
Small dish of water
Oil to fry
Yogurt dip
1 cup plain yogurt
1 - 2 t. Thai chili sauce
2 t. grated coconut
2 t. chopped cilantro
1/2 t. salt
Mix together and chill.
Put water on to boil. Put potato matchsticks into water and cook 2-3 minutes, just until tender and drain. In large skillet, heat oil and sauté onion until translucent. Add rest of ingredients except wraps and potato. Stir for 1 minute. Add potato and stir until combined. On a clean surface, place one wrap in a diamond shape, with point towards you. Scoop large spoonful out and onto point farthest from you. Fold over point and roll once. Turn side ends in. Dip finger into water and paint tip near you on the two edges to seal. Then fold over and press edge lightly. Repeat. Heat skillet and pour in 1/4 to 1/2 inch of oil. Fry rolls just until golden.
Serve with yogurt dip.
You can find Café Paradiso at www.cafeparadiso.ie.
*Julianna Leber is a part time personal chef and caterer, while finishing her post baccalaureate degree in nutrition at the University of Akron. In 2001, she received her certificates from the professional culinary course at Ballymaloe Cookery School, County Cork, Ireland. She can be reached at
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