Irish flag.
Irish stew is a rich stew made with lamb or beef and cooked with vegetables such as potatoes, parsnips and turnips. Ideally, the stew is simmered to develop a strong, complex flavor, and is usually served warm with foods such as bread. The ingredients for Irish stew are simple and generally cheap to obtain, so people tend to associate it with basic peasant food. In winter, Irish stew is a very spicy dish, especially in cold regions of the world.
Garlic, which is used to make Irish stew.
Many nations have some version of stew, often with tough meat and tough vegetables. These stews were often consumed by the lower classes, as these ingredients were cheap and readily available. Many peasants were able to grow their own tubers, for example, so stuffing for stews became popular. When prepared with a good balance of meat and vegetables, these stews are also very healthy from a nutritional point of view, containing a variety of useful vitamins and minerals.
Dark beers are sometimes used in Irish stew.
In Ireland, this stew may be known as stobhach gaelach, the Gaelic for “Irish stew.” Variations of Irish stew are often available in pubs and other businesses that focus on simple, hearty meals, and some families like to make large pots of stew for special occasions or cold winter days. Making Irish stew at home is super easy, and you can modify the recipe in a number of ways to incorporate new flavors or unusual ingredients like pumpkin or make it vegan with seitan.
It is recommended to sprinkle parsley in the Irish stew.
Start by selecting the cooked meat. The classic option in Ireland is lamb, meat from sheep aged over two years. You can also use lamb or a tough cut of beef. Cut the meat into cubes and sauté it with the garlic in a large pot, making sure it browns on all sides. Add herbs like thyme and bay leaves along with a pinch of sugar and enough beef stock to cover. Also add wine; about one glass of wine for every six glasses of broth, or you can use a dark beer like Guinness. Note that beer can make your stew more bitter. Bring the stew to a boil and cook, covered, until the meat begins to soften, about an hour.
Taking a long time to cook properly, the round steak is ideal for braising.
In a heavy skillet, sauté onions, diced potatoes, carrots, turnip greens, and other greens of your choice. Add these vegetables to the pan with the tender meat and cook for another 40 minutes or so, until all the ingredients are tender. Serve hot, sprinkled lightly with parsley. You may also want to keep a dense, crusty loaf of bread on hand. Irish stew can be refrigerated well for several days, or additional servings can be frozen to eat later.