Traditional Irish Beef/Lamb Stew
Ingredients
1tbsp of olive oil
2 large red onions, chopped
6 sticks of celery, washed & chopped into chunks
1 turnip – peeled & diced
4 carrots – peeled & chopped
3 parsnips – peeled & chopped
3 large floury potatoes – peeled & diced (this will thicken your stew)
1 vegetable stock cube
1 beef stock cube (or make your own stock)
1L of boiling water
1kg Diced/Stewing Beef or Lamb
1 tbsp mixed herbs
1 tbsp thyme
2tbsp parsley
2 cloves of garlic – crushed or very finely chopped.
Utensils: A large pyrex casserole dish with lid.
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 160/170C. Do this before you prepare the vegetables.
2. Prepare all the vegetables as above.
3. Heat the casserole dish on a medium to low heat, add the oil, onion and sweat the onion until soft.
4. Add the celery and herbs (don’t add the garlic now as it has a tendency to burn, and turn bitter) and continue to cook until the celery has softened.
5. Turn up the heat; constantly stirring the onion and celery so it doesn’t stick, and add the meat.
6. Don’t be tempted to stir the beef. Wait until it is coloured on one side, while at the same time, making sure the onions don’t burn.
7. Once the beef is sealed, add the diced turnip, chopped carrots, parsnips and potatoes – mixing everything around; you don’t want layers.
8. Make up the stock cubes with the 1 litre of boiling water. Add the garlic to the stock and add to the meat and vegetables, ensuring that everything is covered by the stock.
9. Mix it around again once you have added the stock, making sure everything is evenly distributed throughout.
10. Finally cover with the lid and put it in the oven.
11. Check the stew after 1 ½ hrs in the oven. Give it a stir and adjust the seasoning with salt and white pepper to your own taste.
12. Make sure the stock is still covering everything, if not; add another bit of boiling water.
13. Return to the oven for a further 1 hour.
14. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.
Serve with mashed potatoes or some crusty bread.