Irish Stew

This Irish Stew is what I am making to celebrate St. Patrick's Day tomorrow. I found the recipe last year and it is absolutely incredible! If you are looking for a great recipe to celebrate with or...just a wonderful stew for any time at all....this is it!

Of Course I had to change it....but only slightly. In my world, Irish Stew must have a greeen Veggie so I also added peas near the end of the cooking process. I think I'd also thicken the broth like a traditional stew in the future. (after the Veggies are added and cooked, bring the broth to a boil mixing in flour and water that has been well shaken/stirred)

Last year, I made Irish Soda Bread to serve with the stew...it is basically like a giant biscuit....very tasty as well.

This year, I found scone mixes in the

Byward Market in Ottawa, made by "Maureen's Little Irish Cottage"...and could not resist.

The flavor I chose to go with our stew is "Me Mum's Herb and Garlic".

I'll let you know how they turn out and add pictures tomorrow.

I do wish you could read the instructions, they were written as if spoken by a true Irish lass...complete with blessing the scone as you cut it to let out the fairies...just incase

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Irish Beef Stew Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch pieces (NOT extra-lean)
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups beef stock or canned beef broth
• I cup of Guinness beer
• 1 cup of fine red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
• 3 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 7 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
• Salt and Pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

METHOD

1 Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Lightly salt the beef pieces. Working in batches if necessary, add the beef (do not crowd the pan, or the meat will steam and not brown) and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over. Continue to cook in this manner until all sides are browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

2 While the meat and stock is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onion and carrots. Sauté vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step one has simmered for one hour.

3 Add vegetables to beef stew. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Tilt pan and spoon off fat. Transfer stew to serving bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley and serve. (Can be prepared up to 2 days ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Serves 4 to 6.