I love a bowl of rich Irish Stew any time of the year but, for certain, I will make it around St. Patrick’s Day! It’s a filling and tummy-warming stew that is always a welcome sight on the dinner table.
According to my research, traditional Irish Stew was made with cheap cuts of mutton or lamb and basic root vegetables like carrots, potatoes, onions, and turnips. Years ago, these would have been ingredients that were, no doubt, simply what would have been available at the time in the Irish countryside where sheep were raised for their wool and for food and when, before the potato famine, potatoes were a primary Irish crop.
Over the years, Irish Stew recipes have changed according to the locale and what ingredients are available in the cook’s local area. For example, beef is often used in North America today instead of lamb in Irish Stew and other ingredients are added to make a more flavourful, hearty stew as opposed to a broth-like dish. Purists might argue that these changes result in a brand new stew recipe altogether and is something entirely different than the original Irish Stew.
Regardless what it is called, I like my version of Irish Stew! It has a nice rich, robust flavour and a splendid reddish-brown color that comes primarily from the addition of tomato paste with the aid of some red wine and the Guinness. Using Guinness and red wine also helps to tenderize the meat and also adds to the flavour of the stew. I don’t add huge amounts of either as the intent is not to “drown” the natural flavours of the beef and veggies but rather to blend and enhance flavours.
Any kind of waxy potato (e.g., Yukon Gold or Norland Reds) can be diced and used in this recipe. However, with the ready availability of mini potatoes in recent years, I like to use the tiny potatoes left whole with peelings on. I think they add an interesting element to the stew. If you can’t find the really small, mini potatoes, use slightly larger small potatoes sliced in half, lengthwise.
The nice thing about Irish Stew (once you have all the veggies cut up) is that it is an all-encompassing meal with all the vegetables in one dish (no worries about getting different pots of vegetables all cooked at the same time for the meal and a real bonus of only having one pot to wash). This meal-in-one stew really needs nothing more for a hearty meal than a slice of Irish Soda Bread, rolls, or bread of choice and perhaps some homemade mustard pickles on the side.
I like to slow-cook this stew in the oven at 325°F for a couple of hours as opposed to cooking it on the cooktop. I find oven-cooking provides a more even, all-round heat and allows the flavours to slowly blend and the stew to gradually thicken as it cooks. The longer the stew cooks, the thicker the sauce will be but the stew should be cooked only until the vegetables are fork-tender, not mushy. If the sauce has not all cooked up with the vegetables (some varieties of potatoes, for example, will soak up more sauce than others), it makes a great dipping sauce for the bread or rolls!
[Printable recipe follows at end of post]
My Island Bistro Kitchen’s Irish Stew
Ingredients
3/4 pound stew beef chopped
1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil
1 cup carrots sliced
2/3 cup parsnips, sliced or diced
1/2 cup onion, chopped
1 cup turnip, diced
1 leek sliced (white and light green part only)
3 cups waxy potatoes (e.g., Yukon Gold or Norland Reds), diced OR 1 lb mini potatoes (left whole)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp Herbes de Provence
1 tsp garlic, minced
1 – 5.5 oz can tomato paste
1 – 10 oz can beef consommé
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 cup Guinness
1 cup water
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 bayleaf
Instructions
Assemble ingredients and preheat oven to 325°F.
Chop stew meat into bite-size pieces.
In large skillet, over medium heat, brown meat in 1 – 1½ tbsp olive oil.
Place vegetables and meat in greased 2½-quart roaster or casserole.
In large bowl, combine sugar, herbs, garlic, tomato paste, beef consommé, Worcestershire Sauce, red wine, Guinness, and water. Whisk in flour until smooth. Pour over vegetables in roaster. Stir mixture to combine. Add bayleaf.
Cover roaster and place in pre-heated oven. Cook for approximately 2 hours or until vegetables are fork-tender when tested.
Serve with Irish Soda Bread, rolls, or bread of choice.
Yield: Apx. 6 servings
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My Island Bistro Kitchen's Irish Stew
A rich hearty stew made with beef and a variety of vegetables and flavoured with Guinness and red wine
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb stew beef, chopped
- 1 -1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup carrots, sliced
- 2/3 cup parsnips, sliced or diced
- 1/2 cup onion, chopped
- 1 cup turnip, diced
- 1 leek, sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 3 cups waxy potatoes (e.g., Yukon Gold or Norland Reds), diced OR 1 lb mini potatoes (left whole, peelings on)
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1 tsp Herbes de Provence
- 1 tsp garlic, minced
- 1 5.5 oz can tomato paste
- 1 10 oz can beef consommé
- 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 1/2 cup Guinness
- 1 cup water
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 bayleaf
Instructions
- Assemble ingredients and preheat oven to 325°F.
- Chop stew meat into bite-size pieces.
- In large skillet, over medium heat, brown meat in 1 - 1½ tbsp olive oil.
- Place vegetables and meat in greased 2½-quart roaster or casserole.
- In large bowl, combine sugar, herbs, garlic, tomato paste, beef consommé, Worcestershire Sauce, red wine, Guinness, and water. Whisk in flour until smooth. Pour over vegetables in roaster. Stir mixture to combine. Add bayleaf.
- Cover roaster and place in pre-heated oven. Cook for approximately 2 hours or until vegetables are fork-tender when tested.
Recipe Notes
Serve with Irish Soda Bread, rolls or bread of choice. Copyright My Island Bistro Kitchen 2018
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