Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

This month I had the pleasure to create a recipe for my debut novel, Cold Rising, that was released last month.

Cold Rising is a science fiction novella set predominantly in the underground metropolis on Mars. The agricultural zone there grows mushrooms and fungi, so I have created a miner’s version of mushroom duxelles. This is great as a snack on some toast, but is also very versatile—you can add it to almost anything. My son loves it mixed through some pasta, for example.

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

There is a lot of food talked about in the world of Earthsea but this drew my attention as it was something that I hadn’t made or eaten previously. While it might not sound appealing at first this meal is delicious, vegan, and can be prepared in about 90 seconds. What’s not to love?

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

Steamed mantu was one of the scents Amir remembered during the Kite Tournament. The Kite Runner is a beautiful book with a stark reminder of how things can change drastically at any moment.

Steamed mantu is a wonderful Afghan dish, which I have made a bit easier with a few cheats. This is a vegetarian version but you can make a more traditional version by using minced lamb or beef instead of the sweet potato and peas.

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

Dany and Vin Vin share several meals in Sushi and Sea Lions, from accidentally undercooked chicken parmigiana to diner chicken wings to the titular sushi. While under pressure to do a chicken parmigiana, I left that surprise for the book. This is the perfect snack to keep in the fridge and pull out and enjoy with this great read. Enjoy.

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill!

After moving from Canton to London, Robin discovers the culinary delight of Mrs Pipers’ Scones (or Bannocks as she prefers to call them).

Obviously, one of the major plot points in the book is whether or not you like sultanas in your scones. While Robin’s benefactor, Professor Lovell, is a big fan of the sultana scone, Robin prefers them plain. Seeing that my wife agrees with Robin, plain scones is what I have made. But feel free to add a handful of sultanas if you are that way inclined.

Fiction To Sink Your Teeth Into, a feature from author and professional chef Rohan O’Duill! This month, hijacked by Rachel A. Rosen.

Nanaimo bars are a classic Canadian dessert, full of chocolate, coconut, and mint. In Zilla Novikov’s Query, they’re the perfect thing to bring along when you spring your love interest from jail after she’s been arrested at a protest. Typically, they’re made with eggs and dairy, but we’re all about saving the earth so I managed to find a great vegan recipe, which I adapted from Oh She Glows.