`Soho has always been a state of mind rather than a boundary, adapting to those who come here from abroad." That is Daniel Farson, the great photographic chronicler of Soho life, quoted by the chef Alastair Little in his new book, Soho Cooking. Reading a little volume of local history about the town of Bantry in west Cork, Reminiscences and Recipes of Bantry -A century in the life of a town, its people and their food, compiled by a local doctor, Denis Cotter, it struck me that Farson's epithet could easily apply to west Cork also.
Little's Soho book features his own culinary creations and those of many others, which he has adapted for the book. He has been working in Soho for 25 years now, and running his own restaurant there, in Frith Street, for the past 15 years.
He lovingly describes the people and the places which have been the mainstays and the stars of this little warren of streets - The French House; L'Escargot; Kettner's; Chinatown; the smashing Camisa's deli; Patisserie Valerie; Maison Bertaux; the knockabout Pollo.
Soho continues to attract splendidly off-the-wall characters and cooks. Peter Gordon has brought The Sugar Club there, to a smart, minimalist new home, and Richard Corrigan cooks with unspeakable brilliance in Lindsay House, a narrow, 18th-century townhouse on Romilly Street. Marco Pierre White has Quo Vadis, and Fergus Henderson cooks his inimitable modern English food in The French House. But Little is its grand old man, and the logic and common sense of the food in his book shows why he has lasted.
Reminiscences and Recipes of Bantry is also a book about change, for it harks right back to the days when Big Timmy McCarthy had 29 butchers employed just to supply the British navy, which was based in Bantry Bay.
There are excellent recipes from many of the local restaurants, shops and pubs as well as the local domestic-science teachers and various locals from around the area, some of whom are connected to the GAA, for all the proceeds of this book will go to improvements at Wolfe Tone Park in the town.
Alastair Little's Grilled Mackerel Japanese Style 2 large mackerel (ask your fishmonger to fillet them for you)
3 tablespoons Kikkoman soy sauce
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet Japanese cooking wine, sold in Chinese supermarkets)
2 tablespoons sake
Mix the soy, mirin and sake together. Place the fish fillets in a shallow dish and pour this mixture over them. Marinate for half an hour, turning once.
Heat your grill. Remove the fillets from the marinade and arrange in the grill-pan, skin side down. Brush the flesh sides with a little of the marinade and place under the heat, ensuring the fish is as far away from the grill as possible. Cook for four minutes, then turn the fillets over and brush the skins with the marinade again. They will now require about eight minutes further cooking, with at least three more applications of the marinade. Look for crispy skin with pockmarks and blisters. Serves four as a starter or two as a main course.
Merton O'Shea is the Guinness service agent in the Bantry area. His family originally ran the Ouvane Hotel in Ballylickey. His chilli con carne recipe is legendary in the town.
Merton's Chilli Con Carne
650g (1lb 7oz) mince
3 tins tomatoes
3 medium onions
1 tin kidney beans
3 tablespoons tomato puree
3 tablespoons coriander puree paste 3-6 cloves garlic, crushed
Half measure spice mix (recipe follows)
Spice Mix:
4 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons oregano
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon chocolate/cocoa powder
2 tablespoons black pepper
2 tablespoons chilli powder
Dice onions and soften in two tablespoons of oil for about 15 min on low-to-medium heat. Add mince and brown. Add a half measure of the spice mix and stir for five minutes on low heat. Roughly chop tomatoes and add to pan. Bring to the boil. Add the garlic and kidney beans, drained. Simmer for at least one hour. Add tomato puree 15 mins. from end and add coriander paste five mins. from end. Serve with rice. Serves four.
Alastair Little is very fond of sole, and so is Kathleen O'Sullivan, of the delightful Sea View House Hotel, a few miles up the coast from Bantry in Ballylickey. Here is Kathleen's classic recipe.
Baked Whole Sole with Lemon
4 whole sole (black or lemon) weighing no less than 16oz each 85g (3 oz) clarified butter
2 lemons
salt and pepper
Preheat the oven to 225C/450F/Gas 8. Cut off heads and trim each fish but do not skin. Season and drench with the juice of one lemon. Brush a baking tray with half the butter, lay fish on top and pour remaining butter in equal quantities over the four sole. Bake for approximately 15 mins. Peel the top skin off each fish, baste with butter and reheat for a minute. Serve with lemon wedges. Serves four.
Soho Cooking, by Alastair Little is published by Ebury Press, price £25 in the UK. Reminiscences and Recipes of Bantry, compiled by Denis Cotter, is published by BB Press, price £6.99. It is available by post from Newtown Surgery, Bantry, West Cork - add £1.50 p&p.