Irish stew recipe

plus some very tasty variations from beef stew to lamb stew

There seem to be hundreds of versions of recipes for Irish stew all over internet.

How traditional or authentic some of these recipes actually are could be debateable.
I do know however that the Recipe for Irish Stew that is provided on
this page is both a traditional and authentic recipe.
How do I know this?
Well this Irish stew recipe comes from a very tattered and frayed
cookbook that my mother-in-law received as a wedding gift in 1959.
She then passed it on to her daughter, my wife. Something
we are both very thankful for.
Our very own little piece of
traditional Ireland. So if you're looking for a traditional,
authentic Irish recipe for St.Patrick's day then this Irish stew
recipe will fit the bill perfectly.

Feel free to share this
recipe for it is well worth sharing. I'm not a dinosaur but some
parts of our tradition are well worth keeping and I happen to
think that this is one of them.Unfortunately the original cover
and credits are well gone but I am sure the lady that wrote this
recipe would be only delighted for the Irish stew recipe to be kept alive.

So please don't be afraid to share the recipe and keep this traditional dish of Ireland alive.

If you use this recipe on the internet please acknowledge this site.
Thank You.

So I am not just going to share this beautiful stew recipe I am
also going to provide a lot of the background know how provided
by this book on stewing in general.

A real Irish stew recipe

Ingredients for Irish Stew

2 lbs.breast of mutton or 1 and a half lbs.gigot chops
5 medium sized onions
2 lbs. potatoes
pepper and salt
3 quarters pint of cold milk
1 teaspoonful chopped parsley
1. Cut the meat into neat pieces,removing the skin and superfluous fat. All fat is not removed because the potatoes will absorb a certain amount.
2.Peel the onions and chop one. Wash and peel the potatoes thinly. If small,leave whole,if large,cut in two. Slice one thinly.
3.Put the meat in the bottom of the stewpan, then put in the sliced potato and chopped onion well seasoned with pepper and salt. Add the water,bring to the boil. Skim. simmer for 1 hour.
4. Arrange the potatoes and onions on top, cover and simmer for a further hour.
5.When the stew is cooked, serve on a hot dish with the potatoes and onions around and the meat in the centre.
Pour a little sauce over and serve the remainder in a hot sauce boat.Garnish with parsley.

Tips for preparing great Irish Stew

Stewing is long slow cooking in a closed vessel using only a small amount of liquid. A stew is generally a mixture of meat and vegetables. it depends for it's success on -
1. The rate at which it is cooked
2.Careful seasoning
3.Blending of flavours
Regarding 1 it must be remembered that " a stew boiled is a stew spoiled". The maintenance of low steady temperature 180 degrees is essential to the success of a stew.If stew boils for any length of time, the protein and gelatine of the meat harden, thus rendering the meat "tough" instead of tender.

Methods of Stewing

There are two ways of cooking stew
1. Over a gentle heat
2. In the oven.
In both cases the lid must fit the vessel closely to prevent waste through evaporation.

Preparation of Meat for Stewing

Meat is wiped with a damp cloth.
Surplus fat is removed and the meat is divided into neat pieces about 2 ins. x 2 ins..
It should not be more than half ins. thick.
Sometimes the meat can be lightly fried before it is stewed - this prevents escape of some of the juices.
(This process is used especially when meat of superior quality is being used in stew.)
Preparatory frying also helps to brown the gravy.
The liquid to which meat is added may be either thin, or of the consistency of a stewing sauce.
It is advisable to use a thin liquid for meat that is tough, as it penetrates and softens the fibres better.
That is word for word the Irish Stew Recipe from this wonderful book.
So if you do happen to be thinking of preparing a traditional Irish dish perhaps you could consider this Irish Stew Recipe

Below are links to other Irish Stew Recipes on this site

Beef and Oxtail Stew with Parsnip Mash

Stout Braised Beef Stew

Irish Beef Stew

Return to Irish Recipes Homepage from Irish Stew Recipe

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