St Patricks Day

Zorra over at
Kochtopf had the brilliant idea to celebrate St Patricks Day by blogging about Irish food or green food.

St Patrick is the Patron Saint of Ireland and he is celebrated worldwide by Irish and non-Irish people on 17th March each year. My grandfather was half Irish and my husband is half Irish, so I have some of the credentials to know about Irish food, but have to confess that I am fairly uneducated on the food of the Emerald Isle. That said, the St Patrick's Day celebrations usually consist of wearing green, eating Irish food, drinking Irish drink and attending parades. This is my contribution, an Irish stew. There are many different vertions of Irish stew, probably a different one for every town in Ireland, if not every home in Ireland. This is mine!



750 g lamb or mutton, diced
1 1/2 tbsp flavourless oil
3 medium sized onions, sliced into thin wedges
4 medium carrots in 1/2 inch dice
4 medium potatoes in 1/2 inch dice
1 pint of stock
1 tsp salt and a few grinds of pepper
Knob of butter
15 g freshly chopped chives
15 g freshly chopped parsley

To serve 4

Using a heavy flameproof casserole dish, heat the oil on a medium heat
Toss the meat in the oil, untill it is sealed and coloured, add the carrots and onions, continue to toss for a minute or so
Add the stock, salt and pepper
Bring to a slow simmer, cover with the casserole lid, and continue to simmer for 1 hour
Add the potatoes and continue to simmer for a further hour
Cool and skim the fat off the surface of the liquid
Reheat, add the butter parsley and chives

Serve