Irish Stew (Stews & Sauces)

Member Name: clairestevens

Product:	Stews & Sauces
Date:	23/01/08 (51 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Delicious

Disadvantages: Takes a while to cook

This recipe comes from my husband's aunt in County Wexford. I got her to write it out for me at a family party and then had to phone her and get her to go through it with me when I went to cook it as her handwriting was quite spidery after the amount of Guinness she'd had!

Ingredients
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1kg scrag end or neck of lamb
2 carrots
1 large onion
2 celery sticks
1 leek
2-3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 large bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh thyme
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

150g/5oz small carrots
150g/5oz baby or pickling onions
1 large floury potato, about 300g/10oz weight, peeled and diced finely
2 spring onions, thinly sliced
a little fresh chopped parsley

With a sharp thin knife, remove as much meat from the bones as possible. Chop finely and set aside.
Put the bones into a large pot. Roughly chop the carrots, large onion, celery and leek then place in the pot with the garlic and herbs. Cover with at least 4 litres cold water. Bring to the boil, season lightly, then simmer gently, uncovered for up to 2 hours. Skim with a large tablespoon if necessary. Let the liquid simmer down until reduced by nearly two thirds. You need about 1.2 litres of stock.
Strain and discard the bones etc. Ideally, cool and chill the stock then you can scrape off any fat that has settled on top.
Now make the soup. Put the meat into a large saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring slowly to the boil, skim off any scum, then immediately drain into a colander and rinse in cold running water. This scalding removes fat.
Return the meat to the pan and cover with the stock and bring to the boil. Turn down the heat and simmer partially covered, for an hour.

Whilst it is cooking, peel the carrots and cut into small chunks. Peel the baby onions and add the small carrots and baby onions to the pan and cook for another 5 minutes.

Then add the diced potato and cook for another 10-15 minutes until it starts to dissolve into the soup and thicken it. Finally check the seasoning, adding lots of black pepper and a little salt.

Summary: Worth a try