Recipes for a Perfect Marriage (32 page)

I closed my eyes tight, opened the door, took a few steps back and then gradually opened them. In the mirror was a vision. It still looked like me; there were the two thick chestnut curls at the end of my plaits, a face sprinkled with freckles. There was my favourite blouse with the forget-me-not pattern that my aunt had sent home from America. But then – oh then! My lace communion and confirmation dresses had made me feel special in a holy way, like a child bride of Christ, but this was something different altogether. I placed one hand on my waist and pushed my hips one way, then the other. I lifted my left leg and kicked, then my right. I had been worried that I was going to look like a boy, but I didn’t at all. I remember trying to think hard about how I felt, and deciding that the best word was ‘free’. I knew that this good feeling must mean something, and so I thought it was probably another sign from God.

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Aul

old

Boithrin

(baureen)
—lane

Craic

fun

Cupla focal

(coo-pla fuckel)
—couple of words, chat

Ludarman

(lude-ra-mawn)
—idiot

Muinteoir

(moon-chore)—teacher

Poitin

(putcheen)—poteen, strong alcoholic drink distilled from potatoes

Pioneer

member of the Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart. Group that shows its dedication to the church by abstaining from alcohol, living out the message of the Gospel through sacrifice. Their catchphrase: “Promoting Sobriety for a Better Society”

Spraoi

(spree)
—fun or sport—a name given in Achadh Mor at that time to a party thrown in somebody’s house.
Spraois
were often held by local women who derived fun out of matchmaking, and although many romances were made there, few ended in marriage.

Thanks to the women whose practical and emotional support enabled me to write
Recipes:
Theresa Gilroy, Deirdre McGreevy, Renee Kerrigan, Sabine Lacey, Dee Hanna, and Sheila Smyth. Also our community in Killala, especially Joe and Rose McGivern for all their hospitality and help. To fellow writers Helen Falconer and Pat McCabe for their support and friendship.

I have been so lucky in the generosity and integrity I have experienced in those people who work directly with me: my agents Marianne Gunn O’Connor and Vicky Satlow; editors Peternelle van Arsdale, Imogen Taylor, and Alison Walsh; and my trusted reader, Una Morris.

Thanks to those people who helped with my research: my aunt, Maureen Murrey, and wonderful cousins Kathy and Michelle for their hospitality and friendship. Thanks also to Maureen Nolan, John Kilkenny, and Joe Byrne for sharing their stories and ideas with me, and to Colm Nolan and Jean Spence for recording my grandmother and bringing her to life for me again.

To my mother, Moira, whose love is a constant source of encouragement and inspiration.

Lastly to my husband, my hero, Niall: Thank you for giving me all the time in the world.

The recipes in this book were either handed down to me through the generations or given to me by various Irish women.

A recipe is a true gift, and I would like to acknowledge the generosity of those family members and friends who coughed up their culinary secrets.

The gooseberry jam and rhubarb tart recipes were developed from my memory of recipes by my maternal grandmother, Ann Nolan. Granny had a taste for sour food and loved the tart flavor of both gooseberries and rhubarb, both of which grew in her garden.

Honey cake I developed myself with advice and encouragement from my cousin Mary Nolan, whose husband, Michael, keeps bees.

The fairy cakes are the recipe of my pal Una’s mother—Marie Morris. Marie has a plethora of grandchildren and their hangers on (including my own son) traipsing in and out of her house and they all know where the Tupperware containing her famous fairy cakes lives. As do I!

Brown bread—Anna McGreevy from Kilkelly was a mine of information about breadmaking at that time, and the individual, chaotic nature of how each woman developed her own recipe. In spired by our conversations, I make my own bread every other day and am still finding my way.

Porter cake—Margaret Galvin’s Christmas cake is legendary and I am so grateful to her for allowing me to use this fantastic recipe. So grateful in fact that part of me is pained to see it published as it really is so special. If there is one recipe in this book worth trying, this is it.

Boxty—this traditional recipe reminds me of my paternal grandmother Katy Prunty’s kitchen. A social center-point in Longford, Granny was a priest’s housekeeper before she got married, and a fine traditional cook. Her daughters, Angie and Maureen, continue the tradition in Killoe and New York, respectively. So many recipes from them I would love to have included— boiled fruit cake, corned beef—but this boxty is in memory of her.

Honey Roasted Clove Ham—my mother-in-law, Renee Kerrigan, upstages me every Christmas with her ham, and now that I know how much work goes into it, I’m happy to take second billing!

Pobs—milk and bread soup. The name “pobs” appears to be exclusive to the west of Ireland although it seems that this supper-time “filler” was common food. In the south of Ireland and elsewhere, it is called “goodie.”

Irish Stew. A truly modern recipe from a real foodie. My sister, Christine, developed this recipe especially for this book. It is as unique and delicious as the lady herself.

1.   In the Prologue, the narrator asserts: “Love doesn’t make mistakes. Not real love.” How would you define ‘real’ love? Do you believe it should be immune to mistakes?

2.   What effect does the first person narrative have on the overall reading experience?

3.   Because both Tressa and Bernadine’s narratives are in the first person, what do you think makes each telling unique? Are there any striking differences in tone, style, etc.?

4.   In the opening passage of Chapter 2, Tressa talks of a ‘poisonous’ kind of chemistry. In your opinion, when does chemistry become toxic? Do you agree that a toxic relationship is better than one devoid of passion?

5.   In Chapter 3, Bernadine writes of how “marriage was about land and security and money”. To what extent do you think this is similar/different to modern-day views of marriage?

6.   How would you describe the relationship between Niamh and Tressa?

7.   Drawing on the mother-daughter relationships in the novel, to what extent do you believe we are a product of our parents?

8.   Bernadine talks of having experienced two types of love: the fast, whirlwind-like kind, and the one of a slower, more gentle nature. Which do you think is more satisfying? Unlike Bernadine, would you choose one over the other?

9.   Is there a way to justify the actions of Bernadine’s aunt, Ann? Can we empathise with her decision to withhold Bernadine’s dowry money?

10. Do you feel the book endorses the notion of ‘true’ love as being a fleeting, idealistic concept? Or do the entwining narratives present a different take on modern-day romance?

New York food writer Tressa returns from honeymoon worried that she has married her impossibly handsome new husband Dan out of late-thirties panic instead of love. In 1930’s Ireland, her grandmother, Bernadine, is married off to the local schoolteacher after her family are unable to raise a dowry for her to marry her true love, Michael. During the first year of her marriage, Tressa distracts herself from her stay-or-go dilemma by working on her grandmother’s recipes, searching for solace and answers through their preparation. Through the stories of these two women
Recipes for a Perfect Marriage
challenges the modern ideal of romantic love as a given and ponders whether true love can really be learned.

R
ECIPES
FOR
A
P
ERFECT
M
ARRIAGE

‘A moving portrait of love and marriage through the eyes of two women… the author looks closely at love as a romantic ideal and poses the question: can a woman learn true love?’

Sunday Express S Magazine

‘An intelligent, droll and heart-warming read… Kerrigan is a lovely writer and her book breaks from the traditional mould of chick-lit’

Sunday Tribune
(Ireland)

‘This book is one to keep. Anyone who reads it will return to it, time and again, either for the story or to seek out one of the many old recipes’

Ireland on Sunday

‘Both wholesome and satisfying’

Heat

T
HE
D
RESS

‘Glamorous, gripping and moving. I just loved it.’

Marian Keyes

‘Mesmerising and moving. Just beautiful.’

Cecelia Ahern

‘I ADORED
The Dress
…. an enthralling story… unputdownable… Her writing shines in this gem of a novel.’

Cathy Kelly

T
HE
M
IRACLE
OF
G
RACE

‘...weepy about the unique relationship between a mother and daughter. Make sure you have a hankie tucked into your bikini!’

Bella Magazine

K
ATE
K
ERRIGAN
lives in County Mayo, Eire, with her husband and children. Her novels include
Recipes for a Perfect Marriage
, shortlisted for the 2006 Romantic Novel of the Year Award and
Ellis Island
, which was a TV Book Club Summer Read.

Visit Kate’s website:
www.katekerrigan.ie

Or follow her on Twitter:
@katekerrigan

The Dress

Joy is beautiful, but she has a secret terror. Although she is the toast of 1950s New York society, with everything money can buy, she is afraid that one day her beauty will fade and she will lose the love of her glamorous husband. Honor is a young Irish seamstress, who has been working her fingers to the bone with little reward, but her luck is about to change. For her 30th birthday, Joy commissions Honor to create the most dazzling dress ever seen. Lily has always loved vintage clothes. Thousands follow her fashion blog. One day she stumbles upon an article about a legendary evening dress, created in the 1950s, but now lost to history. She knows that she must find out more. What Lily uncovers is a story of glamour, friendship and love betrayed. The story of two women, one ruthless man - and a dress so sublime that nothing in couture would ever match it again.