Chicken Coop Chatter©
We grew up on Irish stew, or what our Dad always called Irish Stew. It may not have been a traditional Irish stew, but it utilized what we grew in the garden and the livestock we raised. Loaded with Irish potatoes, carrots, cabbage and meat, it was a hearty stew, that would feed our large family. We did raise some sheep but our stew was most often made with beef, or whatever meat we may have harvested at the time. The stew was always served with fresh homemade biscuits slathered with homemade butter, to sop up the flavorful juices left from the stew, seasoned only with salt and pepper, to allow all the flavors to meld.
Though a traditional Irish Stew, "ballymaloe" or "stobhach gaelach" as it is called in Gaelic, may be made with mutton or lamb, neither seem to be as popular in this country as they are in Ireland, but even so, many Irish cooks utilize beef for making their stew in this country. And no doubt families such as our own, would have used whatever they may have had available at the time, whether it was lamb, beef, potatoes or other vegetables, we made do with what we had. Keeping with that tradition, my Irish stew may vary from time to time reliant on what is in the pantry or in the freezer.
Though I had made many stews over the years, the highest compliment came when a hungry visitor arrived. I had made the stew, and we had already eaten, but as a good farmer's daughter would do, I offered stew to our visitor. He happily agreed that he would love to have a dish of real homemade stew. When he was finished, he said he had never had a better tasting stew in his entire life. What we had always considered simple, staple food; to our visitor was equivalent to gourmet fare. The moral of the story, is to never underestimate the foods you prepare, that you may feel are simple foods, to someone else it may be a meal to remember.
Fresh harvested meats and vegetables have flavors that do not compare to boxed or restaurant foods, so even a simple homemade meal may taste as though it was prepared by the finest chef. And takes no more time than heading to the nearest restaurant and waiting for the food to be served.
This stew can be prepared ahead of time, then cooked and served the following day, or prepared, placed in the slow cooker and ready to serve at the end of a busy day. To save time, you can purchase stew meat that is already cut up, but know it's far more expensive than cutting up your own from cuts of meat that may not be tender when cooked in other ways. Though stew meat used to be inexpensive, it no longer is and it's much harder to find. So purchasing an inexpensive cut of meat, then cutting into bite size pieces will save your grocery dollars for more important purchases. Slow cooking will make that cut of meat every bit as tender as any expensive cut of meat with much more flavor.
Ingredients
2 lbs. Stew Meat (or roast cut in bite size pieces)
4 Irish Potatoes ( Washed and cut in quarters--white potatoes)
6 Carrots (peeled and sliced)
1/2 Head Cabbage
1 Onion (sliced) Optional
2 T. Flour
1 C. Broth (or Stout Beer)
Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
Prepare the vegetables and Meat. In a cast Iron skillet, brown the meat on all sides. Place in a slow cooker. Make a roux with the flour and seasoning.
To Make Roux: Mix the flour with salt and pepper (to taste). In a cast iron skillet on medium heat, brown the flour mixture, making sure not to burn. Add the broth and stir until the roux is thickened to preferred consistency. Pour the roux over the meat and vegetables. Set the slow cooker on high for 6-8 hours, or until tender. There should be a nice gravy formed from the roux, meat and vegetables. If you prefer a thinner gravy, add a bit more broth as needed.
Serve hot with fresh biscuits or Irish Soda Bread* and a salad if desired.
Follow the link for Sourdough Irish Soda Bread recipe: http://justfowlingaround.weebly.com/from-the-pantry/category/sourdough-irish-soda-bread
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