RELEASE DAY NEWS: The Lost Traveller (New Paperback Edition) by Sheila Connolly

Congratulations to our own... 

SHEILA CONNOLLY

On the release of the

*New Paperback Edition*

of her County Cork Mystery

THE LOST TRAVELLER

Danger comes to Cork in the seventh County Cork mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly, and it's up to Maura Donovan to find a way to protect all she's worked for.

Pub owner Maura Donovan is settling into a charmed life in Ireland--until a mutilated body on her property ends her lucky streak. 

Boston expat Maura Donovan came to Ireland to honor her grandmother's last wish, but she never expected to stay in provincial County Cork--much less to inherit a house and a pub, Sullivan's, in the small village of Leap. After a year-long struggle to stay in the black, Sullivan's is finally thriving, and Maura has even brought back traditional Irish music to the pub. With a crop of new friends and a budding relationship with handsome Mick Nolan, Maura's life seems rosier than ever--but even in Ireland, you can't always trust your luck. 

It begins with Maura's discovery of a body in the ravine behind the pub. And then, the Irish gardaí reveal that the victim's face has been battered beyond recognition. Who is the faceless victim? Who wanted him dead? And why was his body dumped in the backyard of Sullivan's Pub? Even after the dead man is finally given a name, nobody admits to knowing him. In the tight-knit world of Leap, no one is talking--and now it's up to Maura to uncover the dark secrets that lurk beneath the seemingly quiet town. 

Laced with warm Irish charm, a delightful small-town setting, and a colorful cast of characters, New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly's seventh County Cork mystery, The Lost Traveller, conspires to delight.

THE LOST TRAVELLER

To learn more or buy,

CLICK HERE

📖

Click to see more of our
upcoming releases.

👓

Love a Duck

I love duck. I don’t eat it as often as I’d like because the frozen kind at the supermarket is ridiculously expensive, no matter which end of the duck you choose, and they don’t always have it anyway. Very rarely do you see a whole (frozen) duck hiding in the freezer.

But I was in the mood for duck, so I bought a pair of frozen hindquarters. Then I went trolling thought the Mystery Lovers Kitchen archives for a recipe. I was disappointed to find I’d submitted only three, the earliest in 2012. Krista contributed a couple as well.

I turned to my ever-growing Irish cookbook collection and was disappointed again: there are very few duck recipes in any of them. (Hey, I know there are ducks in Ireland—my neighbor has a dozen or so, not that she eats them. I keep hoping she'll share some eggs, but mostly she's been letting them hatch. Lots of ducks!) What’s more, a surprising number of published duck recipes involve apples. My first MLK duck recipe included apples, but my mind was in the Orchard Mysteries, and the County Cork Mysteries hadn’t appeared yet.

I didn’t want another recipe with apples, although there are a lot of them. Much as I love apples, I think they’re kind of sweet for cooking a duck. So I kept hunting.

It’s amazing how many different ingredients people want to add to a cooked duck. Most of them I ignore, because I like the flavor of duck, and any additions should complement it, not drown it. So I decided to get creative.

One note: if you’ve cooked duck you know it has a lot of fat, and you’d rather get rid of it early. My original recipe, and others that followed, suggest cooking the duck (whole or in pieces) for a while before making a sauce for it, which makes perfect sense. You may be surprised by how much fat runs off. Save it! Potatoes cooked with duck fat are a treat.

That first fat removal phase is easy.

De-fatting your duck:

With a sharp knife, score the skin of whatever duck pieces you’re using (don’t cut into the flesh, just the skin). Season with salt and pepper

In a skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat, place the duck pieces (skin side down) into the oil and let them sear for 4-5 minutes (don’t bother moving them around—you only need to sear the skin side).

Put a rack in a roasting pan (you can line the pan with foil first if you don’t like to wash greasy dishes). Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F. and roast your duck pieces for about 45 minutes (the duck juices should run clear by then).

While your duck is defatting, make your sauce. And this is the fun part! Among the recipes I found included: apples, rosemary, green peppercorns, cider, honey, vinegar, garlic, cinnamon, brown sugar, whole fresh ginger, cardamom, chili flakes, mustard powder, a few items I’d never heard of, and (drumroll) Irish whiskey. Please do not attempt to include all of these in the same sauce!

Sauce for the Duck

(Remember, your duck pieces are cooking quietly and happily in the oven, so they will be fully cooked by the time your sauce is ready)

Here’s what I decided to use:

Yes, there is an Irish whiskey named
Writers Tears
(no, the cat is not part of the recipe,
but he likes to help)

1 small onion or two small shallots, thinly sliced

1 clove garlic, minced or crushed

I cup sweet cider (no artificial sweeteners, please!)

1 Tblsp cider vinegar

1 inch fresh ginger root, sliced thinly

1 tsp honey (if you really want something sweet)

1/2 cup Irish whiskey

Put all the ingredients except the whiskey into a pot and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer. It’s not finicky about how long you cook it, as long as it’s not too hot. 15-20 minutes of simmering should do.

Remove it from the heat and strain it. Return it to its pot over low heat and add the whiskey. Cook for a few more minutes, then remove it from the heat, cover it, and set it aside.

The duck should be cooked by now, so pour off the fat (save it for your potatoes!), brush the duck pieces with the sauce/glaze, and return to the oven for another five minutes. Repeat this two more times.

Remove your duck pieces from the oven, cover loosely with foil and let rest. Serve with any remaining glaze. You can add a green vegetable for color.

Feel free to add any other spices you like while the glaze is cooking--it's hard to go wrong. Just remember to strain out the bits and pieces. Plus the duck is already salted, so don’t add more salt without tasting the glaze first.

The recipe is easy to make (as long as you can find duck!), and the flavor of the glaze isn't overwhelming. You can make it as sweet or spicy as you want.

The Lost Traveller, County Cork Mystery #7

 released in January. 

Comfort Food

Sometimes you just need something warm and soothing and satisfying to your inner child. Not “healthy” food—I’m sure we all eat our share of that. Not even a dessert, although desserts can be comforting in their own way. I’m talking about something that makes you feel good, period. Comfort food!

It also helps if it’s easy to make, assuming you don’t have a willing slave to cater to your every whim. And so we come to . . . macaroni and cheese. I know, not terribly original—we’ve got some lovely recipes here on Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. (Any one of you cooks here, raise your hand if you don’t have a mac & cheese recipe tucked in your recipe collection!)

I wanted simple. I wanted basic. I wanted a mega-dose of cholesterol—I can diet tomorrow. And I found a great recipe in a pasta cookbook I’ve had for years. It dates from 1996, and it was sponsored by Mothers Against Drunk Driving (I have no idea why I have this, but it's a testament to the fact that I never throw anything away, least of all books).. And the recipes are sinfully good.

In case the original recipe wasn’t rich enough, I substituted heavy cream for half of the (whole) milk. I used full milk cheddar cheese—none of the “lite” stuff. And since this was a main dish for dinner, I added a half pound of diced ham.

Heart-Stopping Macaroni and Cheese

Ingredients:

8 oz. (2 cups dry) elbow macaroni or similar pasta

1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 Tblsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste

2 cups milk (or cream), heated

2 cups (8 oz.) shredded medium or sharp cheddar cheese

1 cup soft bread crumbs


Instructions:

Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain well.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Melt 1/4 cup of butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion (I happened to have half a red onion left over, so I used that) and saute until soft. Stir in the flour, mustard, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until bubbly.

Slowly whisk in the milk/cream (make sure there are no lumps) and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until the mixture thickens.

Add the grated cheese and stir until melted.

Add the macaroni (and the ham, if you're using it) and mix gently.

Spoon the mixture into a greased 1-1/2 quart baking dish. (Don’t you love the vintage Corning Ware casserole? It was my mother’s.)

Melt the remaining 1/4 cup butter in a skillet. Add the bread crumbs and cook over medium, stirring, until golden (don’t let them burn!). In theory you could skip this step, but the sautéed crumbs give a nice crunch to the dish. Sprinkle the crumbs over the macaroni.

Bake uncovered in a 400-degree oven for 20 minutes. Serve immediately—and wallow in the experience. You’ll definitely feel better!

Here's a mini-contest for you! The 7th County Cork mystery came out this month (The Lost Traveller), and I've just finished the draft of the next one--which doesn't have a name yet. But one important thing that happens in that book: Maura and friends are improving the kitchen at Sullivan's, so they can serve food! Believe it or not, the "real" pub (Connolly's) is doing the same thing. When I was there this past summer, I always stop in (sometimes on music nights). This time I walked around the corner to the back entrance and discovered that what had been the kitchen now looked like it had been hit by a bomb. But the old one wasn't big enough to make meals for a crowd, so they're expanding it just a bit.

The contest? Rose Sweeney will be doing most of the cooking at Sullivan's. What dishes would you like to see her make for the pub? I'll draw one name for the person who will win a copy of The Lost Traveller.

RELEASE DAY NEWS: The Lost Traveller by Sheila Connolly

Congratulations to our own... 

SHEILA CONNOLLY

on today's release of her brand new
"County Cork Mystery"

THE LOST TRAVELLER 

Danger comes to Cork in the seventh County Cork mystery from New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly, and it's up to Maura Donovan to find a way to protect all she's worked for.

Pub owner Maura Donovan is settling into a charmed life in Ireland—until a mutilated body on her property ends her lucky streak.

Boston expat Maura Donovan came to Ireland to honor her grandmother's last wish, but she never expected to stay in provincial County Cork—much less to inherit a house and a pub, Sullivan's, in the small village of Leap. After a year-long struggle to stay in the black, Sullivan's is finally thriving, and Maura has even brought back traditional Irish music to the pub. With a crop of new friends and a budding relationship with handsome Mick Nolan, Maura's life seems rosier than ever—but even in Ireland, you can't always trust your luck.

It begins with Maura's discovery of a body in the ravine behind the pub. And then, the Irish gardai reveal that the victim's face has been battered beyond recognition. Who is the faceless victim? Who wanted him dead? And why was his body dumped in the backyard of Sullivan's Pub? Even after the dead man is finally given a name, nobody admits to knowing him. In the tight-knit world of Leap, no one is talking—and now it's up to Maura to uncover the dark secrets that lurk beneath the seemingly quiet town.

Laced with warm Irish charm, a delightful small-town setting, and a colorful cast of characters, New York Times bestselling author Sheila Connolly's seventh County Cork mystery, The Lost Traveller, conspires to delight.

To learn more or buy,

CLICK HERE

📖

Click to see more of our
upcoming releases.

👓

ROAST FILLET OF LAMB WITH CABBAGE AND MUSHROOMS

I love Irish stew, but sometimes I want another recipe for lamb. I’ve probably complained here before that the only lamb I can find in my supermarket comes all the way from Australia, so I’m paying airfare for it, which seems ridiculous, but it survives the trip well.

This past weekend there were lovely cuts of (yes, Australian) lamb on sale at the market. I’d made Irish stew recently, so I went hunting for a new and different recipe. What I found was an Irish lamb recipe involving lamb, bacon, cabbage, mushrooms and wine, It turned out to be a perfect flavorful winter dish.

Roast Lamb Fillet with Cabbage and Mushrooms

Ingredients:

1 lb. lamb, trimmed of fat (one large single piece)

Vegetable oil for frying

1 small green cabbage, finely shredded (I had half a purple cabbage lurking in the fridge, so I used that, and shredded it in my food processor)

4 Tblsp butter

4 oz. unsmoked bacon, diced

6 oz wild mushrooms (whatever variety is available), sliced if large

2 oz. red wine (I had a nice bottle of Cabernet)

2 Tblsp port (optional)

Salt and pepper

Instructions:

Cut the meat into pieces weighing about one quarter pound each. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat the oil in a small metal roasting pan and sear the lamb until it is sealed on all sides (do not overcook).

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Place the lamb in its pan in the oven and roast for 10-12 minutes (if you like your lamb medium-rare) or longer. Remove the pan from the oven and keep warm.

While the lamb is cooking, boil the shredded cabbage until tender (about five minutes). Add 2 Tblsp of butter, salt and pepper, toss and keep warm. 

Fry the diced bacon in the remaining 2 Tblsp of butter until lightly browned. Add the mushrooms and saute lightly. Keep warm.

Pour the wine and port into the baking pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Then pour the liquid over the mushrooms and bacon, and add salt and pepper if necessary.

To serve, make a pile of the cabbage in the center of each serving plate. Slice the individual pieces of lamb and lay the slices on the cabbage. Scatter the mushrooms, bacon and some of the sauce around the edge.

Serve immediately!

It was delicious. The only drawback was that it produced a whole lot of dishes to wash (and my electric dishwasher hasn’t worked for a long time). But it was worth it.

It's a bit of a tribute to the next County Cork Mystery, The Lost Traveller, which will be released next week. One new character is a chef in a Skibbereen restaurant (based on a real one that I had to sample, and then I got to tour the kitchen, which was a treat. In the next book in the series that will appear in 2020 (still nameless) Maura and her crew will rebuild the kitchen at Sullivan's Pub and begin serving food (because that's what's happening at Connolly's of Leap, the inspiration for the series).

Here's what Library Journal had to say about it:

“This seventh in Anthony and Agatha Award nominee Connolly’s ‘County Cork Mystery’ series (after Many a Twist) is a thoughtfully executed and charmingly talkative cozy. The Irish setting is authentic, Maura is a delight, and the characters are gaining depth as this series matures.” —Library Journal starred review

Irish Whiskey Cake

The Irish love sweets, which explains why the supermarket’s bakery department is near the front of the store and loaded with yummy cakes and tarts and breads. 

So once again I went hunting for a holiday recipe, and discovered Whiskey Cake. This one comes from an Irish cookbook that I’ve had for years (and quite a few of the recipes include whiskey!).

I’ve been collecting bakeware for a long time—it gives me a reason to prowl antiques fairs and auctions, and the vintage or even antique items are usually very affordable. Baking this new cake gives me an excuse to try out yet another baking tin, which turned out to be a perfect size.

Irish Whiskey Cake

Ingredients (for one 8” cake):

1-1/2 cup raisins
Grated rind and juice of one lemon
2/3 cup Irish whiskey
3/4 cup butter
3/4 cup brown sugar (make sure it’s soft)
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp ground cloves
pinch of salt
3 eggs, separated

For icing:
1-1/3 cups confectioner’s sugar
the lemon juice from above
a bit of warm water

Instructions:

Soak the raisins and lemon rind in the whiskey for several hours, or overnight.

Cream together the butter ad brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix together the flour, baking powder, cloves and salt.

Gradually beat the egg yolks (one at a time) into the butter and sugar mixture, alternating with the dry ingredients. Stir in the raisins and whiskey.

Whisk the egg whites until stiff, then fold into the mixture.

reheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8” cake tin. Spoon the batter into it. 

Bake for about 1-1/2 hours until the cake is well risen and springy to the touch (don't overbake or the cake will dry out). Place the tin on a wire rack and let cool. (If you’ve greased the pan well, the cake will come out easily when cool.)

Icing: Sift the confectioner’s sugar into a bowl. Make a well in the middle. Add half the lemon juice and combine. Add more lemon juice and a bit of water (if needed) until the mixture is thick and smooth.

Place the cake on a plate, then spoon the icing over it, letting it dribble down the sides.

I have to say the cake smells wonderful! The sweet/tart glaze makes a nice contrast to the cake itself, or you could skip that step if you want.

Since I seem to be in an Irish mood, I've just released Tied Up with a Bow, a holiday novella set in Leap.

And next month The Lost Traveller will be out!



www.sheilaconnolly.com

Irish Brown Bread--The Final Solution

Yes, I’ve written about this before, more than once. I love to eat the whole-grain kind, with some good Irish butter and a dollop of black currant jelly. 

The thing is, I can’t make the stuff. I’ve been collecting recipes for nearly twenty years, from a wide variety of sources (including my former Irish language teacher, who didn’t even use a recipe because she didn’t need one after making it for seventy-plus years). I have a spreadsheet with fourteen brown bread recipes, all of which I have tested myself. Funny thing—they’re all slightly different. 

This is just half the recipes!

But quite recently I discovered something. The Boston Globe printed yet another brown bread recipe this summer, which I dutifully saved. But when I read it, I realized I had missed an important element: how to bake it. The recipe author Sheryl Julian pointed out that historically Irish homes had only open fires to cook over, and meals were made in a hanging iron pot over the fire. 

I can attest to this because I’ve visited what’s left of the Connolly family home in West Cork, which was built in 1907, according to my second cousin, who was born in that house. It had a large open fireplace, and an iron crane to hold the cooking pot over the fire.

The house was abandoned in 1956, when the
family moved to a larger farm. My great-grandmother
Bridget spent her last years here.

The final clue was: cover the pot for the first part of cooking the bread (the old iron pots had lids) and open it only for the last part of the baking, to brown the top crust. 

My breads have too often turned out dry and sort of tasteless. By covering the bread, it keeps it moist. Eureka!

I haven’t tried all my collected brown bread recipes using this method (nor do I have a giant fireplace with a hanging crane and a cast-iron Dutch oven), but I’m pretty sure the method is forgiving, as long as your fire, er, oven is hot enough to cook it through. I should also note that you should try to get hold of some coarse-grain whole-wheat (or wholemeal) flour if you want an authentic texture and flavor.

Irish Brown Bread (thanks to Sheryl Julian)

Ingredients (for one large round loaf):

3 cups whole-wheat flour (I used Odlum’s Extra Coarse Wholemeal)
1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 tsp salt
1-1/2 tsp baking soda (I have some Irish “bread soda”)
4 Tblsp butter, cut into small pieces, at room temperature
2 cups buttermilk

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. (If you have an open fire, I have no clue what you should do!)

If you have a round Dutch oven with a lid, you’re lucky. But you can also use a cast-iron skillet and cover it loosely with foil, as long as it measures 8-1/2 to 9 inches across (it doesn’t matter how deep it is). Butter your pan and dust it with flour.

In a large bowl, mix the two flours, salt and baking soda with a pastry blender or two knives.

Add the butter and work it into the flour until the mixture forms coarse crumbs.

Stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula, until the mixture holds together.

Turn out your dough on a flour countertop or board and cut through it with the spatula to make sure it’s evenly mixed. Knead the dough gently until it is smooth (do not over-knead—this is not yeast dough). It will be sticky! 

Shape it into a large ball (tuck any edges underneath). With a sharp knife, slash a cross about 3/4” deep on the top. Place the loaf into your prepared pan.

Cover the pan (as noted, if it’s a skillet, loosely cover it with foil) and place in the middle of your preheated oven. Bake for 10 minutes.

Reduce the oven temperature to 400 degrees and keep baking for another 30 minutes (take a peek at the loaf—it should be lightly browned).

Remove the lid or foil and bake for another 10 minutes, until the top is well browned. To test for doneness, tap your knuckles on the bottom of the loaf—it should sound hollow.

Place the loaf right side up on a wire rack to cool. To serve it, cut into thick slices (thin slices are likely to crumble apart) with a serrated knife.

I’m happy to say that this baking method made a real difference. So does the very coarse wholemeal flour. Maybe I’ve finally got it right?

Still working on the novella that's coming shortly, so you'll have to content yourself with the lovely cover for the next book, The Lost Traveller, due out in January.

And a thoroughly silly picture of me with a
pair of cabbages (grown by my neighbor)