Lamb, Vegetable and Barley Soup

Wholesome and oh so Irish!

Ingredients
2 teaspoons olive oil
500g lamb shoulder steaks, trimmed, cut into 2cm pieces
1 brown onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1/2 cup pearl barley
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 litre chicken stock
1 parsnip, peeled, diced
1 small orange sweet potato, peeled, diced
1 small zucchini, diced
2 yellow button squash, diced

Method
1. Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a saucepan over high heat. Add lamb. Cook, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.

2. Reduce heat to medium-high. Add remaining oil to pan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes or until softened. Add lamb, barley, rosemary, stock and 1 1/2 cups cold water. Cover and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to mediumlow. Simmer, covered, for 1 hour or until lamb is tender.

3. Add parsnip, potato, zucchini and squash. Simmer, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Season with pepper. Serve.

Enjoy!

Cawl (Wels Lamb Soup)

Ok, ok, so this one is Welsh rather than Irish, but they are close neighbours! And this is very similar to an Irish Lamb and Barley soup. I'll post the Irish one for you tomorrow and you can compare.

Ingredients
6 (about 1.8 kg) lamb shanks
3L (12 cups) water
1 brown onion, halved
2 bay leaves
1 tsp black peppercorns
20g butter
200g bacon, rind removed, coarsely chopped
1 large leek, pale section only, washed, halved, thickly sliced
2 potatoes, peeled, cut into 1.5cm pieces
1 large parsnip, peeled, cut into 1.5cm pieces
2 carrots, peeled, cut into 1.5cm pieces
1 turnip, peeled, cut into 1.5cm pieces
750ml (3 cups) chicken stock
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1/3 cup chopped fresh continental parsley

Method
1. Place the lamb, water, onion, bay leaves and peppercorns in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to the boil, skimming the surface with a metal spoon to remove scum. Reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer, skimming occasionally, for 2 hours or until lamb is tender and falls off the bone.

2. Strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Reserve stock. Discard onion, bay leaves and peppercorns. Remove the bones and discard. Coarsely chop the lamb. Place in an airtight container. Cover stock with plastic wrap. Place lamb and reserved lamb stock in the fridge overnight to chill.

3. Use a metal spoon to remove fat from the surface of the lamb stock. Discard fat.

4. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the bacon and leek, and cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes or until the bacon is crisp. Add the potato, parsnip, carrot and turnip. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.

5. Add the lamb stock, chicken stock and thyme to the bacon mixture. Reduce heat to low. Cook for 1 hour or until vegetables are very soft. Stir in the lamb. Cook for a further 10 minutes or until lamb is heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

6. Stir in the parsley. Ladle the soup among serving bowls.

Enjoy!

Beef and Guiness Stew

I absolutely love cooking with Guinness. It lends such a full bodied flavour to any meal. Yum!

Ingredients
2 tablespoons plain flour
800g chuck steak, trimmed, cut into 3cm pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
2 sticks celery, chopped
1 brown onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled, chopped
200g Swiss brown mushrooms, chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup Guinness beer
2 cups beef stock
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
mashed potato, to serve

Method
1. Place flour and salt and pepper in a snap-lock bag. Add steak and shake to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook steak, in batches, for 3 minutes or until browned. Transfer to a plate.

2. Heat remaining oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add celery, onion, carrot and mushrooms. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes or until tender. Add tomato paste. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

3. Gradually stir in Guinness. Add stock and bay leaves. Bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Return steak and any juices to pan. Cover and simmer for 1 hour.

4. Remove lid. Simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until steak is tender. Remove bay leaves. Stir in parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mashed potato into shallow bowls. Spoon over stew and serve.

Enjoy!

Corned Beef

What better way to celebrate Saint Patrick's Day than with a traditional corned beef!

I don't have exact measurements for this recipe as I usually play it by ear, but here goes....

Ingredients
1kg corned beef (You can use a salt reduced version if you prefer)
2-3L Ginger ale
6 cloves garlic, whole, peeled
1 large brown onion, sliced

Method
1. Place corned beef into a slow cooker. Pour in enough ginger ale to cover completely. Add garlic cloves and onion.

2. Cook for 7-8 hours on low or 4 hours on high.

3. Discard onion, garlic and ginger ale. Serve with mashed potato and steamed cabbage.

Enjoy!

Irish Stew

Another variation of my favourite, Irish Stew

Ingredients
1/4 cup plain flour
1.2kg lamb neck chops, trimmed
1/4 cup olive oil
1 brown onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves2 carrots, peeled, sliced
1kg desiree potatoes, peeled, cut into 2cm pieces
6 cups beef stock
thyme sprigs and crusty bread, to serve

Method
1. Place flour and chops in a snap-lock bag. Seal. Shake until chops are coated. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a heavy-based saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and thyme. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 minutes or until tender. Transfer to a bowl.

2. Increase heat to high. Add 1 tablespoon oil. Add half the chops. Cook for 2 minutes each side or until browned. Transfer to a plate. Repeat with remaining oil and chops. Layer 4 chops and half the carrots, potatoes and onion mixture in pan. Repeat layers with remaining chops, carrots, potatoes and onion mixture. Pour over stock. Bring to the boil, skimming off fat when necessary. Reduce heat to low. Cover. Simmer for 1 hour 30 minutes, skimming off fat when necessary. Remove lid. Simmer for 30 minutes or until chops are very tender and sauce has thickened slightly.

3. Season with pepper. Top with thyme sprigs. Serve with crusty bread.

For some extra flavour try adding a 400g tin of crushed tomatoes with the stock.

Enjoy!

Beef, Stout and Potato Pies

Another great pie recipe that can be made with Guinness or any stout.

Ingredients
1kg chuck steak, cut into 3cm cubes
1/4 cup (40g) plain flour, seasoned
20g unsalted butter
2 tbs olive oil
2 onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
1 tbs tomato paste
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce400ml Guinness or stout
1 bay leaf
300g chat potatoes, peeled, cut into 1cm cubes, plus steamed potatoes to serve
375ml beef stock
6 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten

Method
1. Lightly coat beef in flour, shaking off and reserving excess flour.

2. Heat butter and oil in a large flameproof casserole or saucepan over medium-high heat. In batches, brown beef all over for 3-4 minutes, then remove and set aside.

3. Add onion, garlic and carrot to the pan (with a little extra oil if needed) and stir for 2-3 minutes. Return beef to pan, stir in paste and reserved flour, then add sauce, stout, bay leaf, potato and stock. Bring to the boil, then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 1 1/2 hours or until beef is tender and sauce is thick. Cool completely.

4. Preheat oven to 190°C. Cut two 1cm strips from sides of each pastry sheet. Set aside. Cut pie lids from remaining pastry, 1cm wider than the top of six 2-cup (500ml) pie dishes or ovenproof bowls. Divide beef mixture among dishes. Press pastry strips around each rim to make a 'collar' and brush with water. Carefully top with pie lids and press firmly around edges to seal well. Trim edges with a sharp knife. Make 2 cuts in pie tops, then brush with egg. Bake for 25-30 minutes until golden. Serve with extra potatoes and salad.

Enjoy!

Pea and Mint Mash

When I was growing up, my mum would always make us mint peas. And if she didn't, we would beg her to make them. This is a slight variation on a family favourite.

Ingredients
1.5kg fresh peas, shelled
60g butter, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup firmly packed fresh mint leaves
1 tbs thin cream
Pinch ground nutmeg
Salt & freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Cook peas in a saucepan of boiling water for 7 minutes or until tender. Drain.

2. Place peas, butter and mint in the bowl of a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and add the cream and nutmeg. Stir until well combined. Season with salt and pepper.

Enjoy!