Irish Stew

Delicious Irish Stew

"When a man's stomach is full it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor." 

                                                                ~Euripedes

Winter is in full swing at Rock Creek. Temperatures have been dropping in to the single digits during the night. For me, cold weather has always meant hearty stews, soups, chilis and chowder. One of my cookbooks has over 500 recipes for soup! As most of you know, I'm always searching for new recipes. I've never prepared Irish Stew before and when my husband chose this, I decided it was time to give it a try. I'm not sure how traditional this version is, considering that is comes from an American cookbook but I'm incredibly pleased with the results. The meat was tender, the vegetables were not overcooked, the flavor was perfect. I don't think I would change a thing. And it took less than two hours to prepare. Now don't get alarmed, an hour of that was simmer time for the lamb. And the last 20 minutes were for the vegetables to cook. 

While watching a cooking show, the host gave the advice to get all of your ingredients and supplies out and have them handy before you even begin preparing the recipe. I have always been organized in the kitchen and I thought I was efficient. When I began following that host's advice, I realized how much time it saved. Every minute counts when you have hungry husbands waiting for their meal. (He helps in the kitchen most of the time, I'm just using him as an example.) 

I definitely think that I will be making this recipe again. Don't you love it when you see something in a cookbook, decide to try it, buy all of the necessary ingredients, go through the process of preparing it and find out that it's exactly what you had hoped for? It doesn't always happen, but boy, when it does, it's time to celebrate! 

Irish Stew

1/3 cup plus 1 tbs all purpose flour, divided

1 1/2 lbs lamb stew meat, cut into 1 inch cubes

3 tbs olive oil, divided

3 medium onions, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 cups reduced sodium beef broth

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed

4 medium carrots, cut into 1 inch pieces (I cut them into smaller pieces, hubby doesn't care for them so I do my best to hide them.)

1 cup frozen peas

1 tsp salt

1 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp pepper (I always use a bit more than it calls for)

1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 tbs water

1. Place 1/3 cup flour in a large resalable plastic bag. Add lamb, a few peieces at a time, and shake to coat. 

2. In a Dutch oven, brown lamb in batches in 2 tbs oil. Remove and set aside. In the same pan, saute onions in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. 

3. Add broth, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Return lamb to the pan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 1 hour or until meat is tender. 

4. Add potatoes and carrots; cover and cook 20 minutes. Stir in peas; cook until vegetables are tender. 

5. Add seasonings and Worcestershire sauce. Combine remaining flour with water until smooth; stir into the stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. 

Yield 8 servings (2 1/2 quarts)