While I wish I could say our adventure will never end, unfortunately, we do have to come to a close for now. Still, there is one more element of adventure that I would like to share: Home recipes.
Every culture in the world has their own taste of home, which is shared through careful recipes passed down for generations. I truly and sincerely believe that one of the best parts of cultural exchange is sharing these recipes, giving others a taste of your history. I also believe there’s no better way to remember the good times than to tuck into a good meal. So, as we close out this adventure, I’m going to share a few of my favourite Irish recipes, and encourage everyone to do the same.
There are plenty of amazing recipes right on our website that I encourage everyone to try! These
St. Patrick Day recipes, for example, are delicious year-round. Honestly, once you’ve tried freshly baked Irish brown soda bread, there’s no going back. And for coffee lovers, there’s nothing better than this recipe all about
Irish coffee! Even some of our most famous restaurants will sometimes share their recipes, as with this article on
famous Irish dishes, which features a simple but incredible recipe for
chargrilled lamb and mouthwatering potatoes.
But for our final article, I wanted to share a recipe or two that I love to cook.
To start us off, this is my favorite version of an Irish stew!
1.5 kg’s lamb (Shoulder works beautifully! A hearty beef is also quite nice, if less traditional)
1-2 tablespoons flour
Salt & Pepper
Vegetable oil (As needed)
3 medium onions, quartered
1 leek
6-8 carrots, chopped
1 kg baby potatoes (Or chopped russets)
1–2 cups frozen peas
4 cups chicken bone broth
2–3 sprigs of thyme
1 sprig of rosemary
1 bay leaf
The method is very simple, too.
Preheat oven to 175c (or 350 f)
Chop your lamb into stew-sized chunks, and roll in the seasoned flour to make a thin coating on the exterior.
Brown the meat in your pan over medium-high heat, just until a crust forms. (Tip: Work in batches to avoid overcrowding!)
Once the meat is browned and removed, add carrots, onions, and leeks to the pan. You may add just a splash of the broth to help get the fond off the bottom.
Cook for 8-10 minutes, until carrots are starting to become tender.
Add in meat, potatoes, herbs, and enough broth to cover well.
Move to preheated oven for 90 minutes, until lamb is tender when checked with a knife.
Skim fat from the surface (To avoid a greasy soup!)
Add peas, let cook for 5-10 more minutes.
Of course, no stew is complete without a side! While I would strongly (very strongly) suggest baking a loaf of that brown soda bread I linked above to eat with this stew, I’d also recommend serving it beside a mountain of buttery colcannon.
2lbs mealy potato (about 3 Russets, or equivalent)
4 cups chopped cabbage/destemmed kale
100 grams spring onions, chopped (About a single bunch)
1 cup milk or cream
3 garlic cloves, chopped
6 tbsp. butter
3 tbsp. salt, plus additional to taste
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
Start by selecting your potatoes. Any mealy (Starchy) potato will work. Russets are a favorite for this recipe, but Yukon Gold potatoes are also delightful. If you can use them in a mash, you can use them here.
Start by peeling and dicing into about 2-inch cubes, they don’t have to be perfect but should be uniform.
After rinsing away excess starch, start the potatoes in a pot of cold, heavily salted water (About a tablespoon of salt per potato)
Bring to a boil. Potatoes don’t need much stirring, but just make sure they aren’t sticking to the bottom and don’t boil dry. Cook on high until they are easily pierced with a knife, about 15 minutes.
Drain thoroughly, and leave uncovered to dry in the colander.
In the now-empty pot, add all of the butter and the chopped greens of your choice. Both kale and cabbage are lovely in this recipe, and need more time than the spring onions and garlic, so add them first. Cook over a medium heat until tender, which could take between 5 and 10 minutes. Remember to season with a bit of salt and pepper (Always taste first)!
Once your cabbage/kale is softened, add the spring onions and chopped garlic. Garlic burns very easily and only needs a minute or two, so watch carefully.
Reduce the heat to medium-low to avoid scorching, and pour in your milk or cream first. It will need to be warm before adding your potatoes, but will only need another minute or two as well.
For the next part, you could add everything to a blender or use an immersion blender to puree the cabbage/kale to a finer consistency. This will make a smoother colcannon, but I personally prefer to just add the potatoes. Mash and stir until there are no big lumps, but don’t overmix or the potatoes will become gloopy.
Finally, serve with a pat of butter and enjoy!
And that is my perfect Irish meal. A hearty soup, fresh bread, and delicious colcannon.
Please, feel free to share your favourite Irish recipes below!