Another Irish staple! So in this recipe instead of the normal 1-2-3, im going to do whats called an "As you do it" recipe! Let me know if your unable to follow along!
Stew's especially irish one's are not soupy..they are thick and hearty and stick to the ribs as they say. It's easy to get down the basic's and substitute your own methods..so here's the basic's!
Here we go!:
- 2 tbls olive oil
- 1 1/2 lbs cubed beef, lamb, mutton or meat balls. Bones optional for flavor.
- salt & pepper to taste
Cook the meat and onions for two minutes in the bottom of a stock pot. When everything is slightly browned, add the following liquid:
- 4 cups water
- 2 cups stout or dark beer (Guinness of course is recommended :D)
Add them herbs:
- 1 tspn of thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 tbls chopped fresh parsley
- 6 garlic cloves
If the meat is not a tender cut (like lamb or mince meat), simmer for a half hour or so. Otherwise, add the vegetables when the liquid when it starts boiling:
- 2 cups carrots, cut chunky
- 4-6 potatoes, peeled and cubed
(Baby potatoes are a nice substitute since you can leave the skins on. And they tend to have a strong potato taste)
Cook for half and hour. Check to see how things are going. I usually mash one of the potatoes into the broth at this point.
- Add 1 cup chopped cabbage (No strips longer than an inch)
Cook for another half hour or until potatoes and carrots are just soft in the center. It helps to cut the carrots chunky so they don’t get done before the potatoes.
Serve in a bowl with a dark, crusty bread.
It should look something like this: