Butter Boy: Collected Stories and Recipes

Paul Flynn’s three-year tenure as a food columnist for The Irish Times resulted in 152 articles and 450 recipes, all of which are collected here in a book which emphasizes the everyday kitchen.

It’s a little hard to explain why such an interesting and talented writer has not received more attention in the US. His sense of humor is wry and honest; his articles just long enough to set the stage without oversharing.

And if, on seeing The Irish Times mentioned above you imagined this would be a collection full of amazing cheeses, hearty full-grain breads, and freshest field produce, you’ve only captured a fragment of Flynn’s imagination.

To be sure, there are attractive dishes in that mode, such as a butter-poached salmon with sticky fennel jam or field mushrooms and barley with smoked bacon milk. But Flynn is equally adept with recipe such as a sweet potato roti with chickpeas, tomatoes, and cumin or bolognese hand pies with jalapeño cream.

Refreshing ideas and good company for reading.

Hardcover. No photographs