Monday, March 10, 2008
Stew up St. Patrick's Day
Because stew is filling, it was the perfect peasant food in historic Ireland. Fortunately, Irish people brought their traditional stew recipes with them to the United States. Over the decades these recipes have evolved and now include ingredients readily available in our local stores.
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Beef and Irish Stout Stew
2 pounds lean beef stew meat
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Ground black pepper to taste
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 large onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1-1/2 cups Irish stout beer, such as Guinness
2 cups chopped carrot
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat. Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef; brown on all sides. Add the onions and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium; cover and cook for 5 minutes.
Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan. As it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer; add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Garnish with chopped parsley if desired. Makes 6 servings.
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Irish-Style Lamb Stew
1 pound cubed lamb meat
1 large onion, halved and sliced
1 pound baking potatoes, peeled and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 large stalk celery, sliced
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley or 2 teaspoons dried parsley
Ground black pepper to taste
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish, optional
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Layer the lamb meat, onion, potatoes, carrot, and celery in an ovenproof pot or casserole dish; season each layer with parsley and pepper. Pour in the beef stock and cover tightly. Bake until vegetables and meat are very tender, about 1-1/2 to 2 hours. Divide into bowls and garnish with additional parsley if desired. Makes 4 servings.
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Pantry Pointers
When making stews, don’t overcook the vegetables. Stews taste better if the potatoes and carrots aren’t mushy.
The Practical Pantry ©2008 Tammy P. Olson
http://www.practicalpantry.com