CELTIC RECIPES
Classic Irish Stew and Baked Soda Bread
By BENEDICT KIELY
Irish stew is a great classic dish that can be prepared in many different ways. The stew is a combination of ingredients that are readily available, lamb or mutton, lots of onions and of course, lots of potatoes.
There is so much pride in this dish because it has sustained families for centuries. Traditionally, it was cooked while suspended over a peat fire in a bastable oven (an Irish version of a Dutch oven).
A bastable oven is an all purpose iron pot that was used for boiling, roasting, and even for baking bread. Further slabs of red-hot peat were piled on the lid to increase the heat.
It used to be common practice as well to seal the pot with a paste of flour and water to keep in the fragrance. Those who have tasted Irish stew ladled straight from the bastable say that no modern cookery method can compare with it.
When the stew was ready, the paste was thrown to the hens and the family settled down to supper.
There is really no set recipe for Irish stew, as different families have different styles of creating this dish.
Some family recipes include barley in their stew, which would make this dish more substantial. Irish stew done well is a great dish. However, while it seems to be a staple on every Irish pub menu, sometimes though it's not made with attention to detail and loses it's charm. Here is my family version of Irish stew for you to try:
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 lb neck of lamb, cut into cubes (ask your local butcher, or Granville Island butchers are great)
4 oz unsalted butter
4 onions sliced
1lb potatoes, peeled and cut into a rough dice
1 garlic clove
6 oz carrots, sliced
6 celery sticks cut into 1 inch dice
1 Bouquet Garni (1bay leaf, 1 sprig each of fresh rosemary and thyme tied in square of muslin (cheese cloth)
2 ½ pints of water
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
2 teaspoons of chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
Method
1. Cover the meat with the cold water in a large pan and bring to the boil. Drain off the water and refresh the meat in cold water. Drain well.
2. Melt the butter in a large braising pan and add the sliced onions, half the diced potatoes and the garlic. Add the bouquet garni to the pan and sauté for around two minutes.
3. Add the lamb and cover with water and bring to a simmer, cover with a lid and cook on a low heat for one hour. The meat at this point will be almost cooked and the potatoes will have started to purée and thicken the broth.
4. Now add the diced carrots and continue to cook for a further 10 minutes. Add the remaining potatoes and the diced celery and cook for 15-20 minutes. At this stage we do not want to purée the potatoes but just cook them until tender.
5. Taste the stew; you may need to adjust the seasoning. Now remove the bouquet garni and serve the stew in a large serving bowl and finish with the chopped parsley and serve with the warm soda bread and maybe a glass of Guinness.
Soda Bread
Baking on a griddle or bakestone over the steady glow of a peat fire is said to have given the distinctive flavour to the original soda bread. Many homes in Ireland still do some cooking this way.
No yeast is used in this bread. Instead bicarbonate of soda or cream of tartar gives the rise and flavour usually given by yeast.
Makes 1 loaf
Ingredients
Lard for greasing
9 oz/250g plain flour
1 level teaspoon of salt
1 level teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
2 teaspoons of brown sugar
8 fl. oz/225ml of buttermilk
To make the bread:
1. Heat the oven to 230C/445F.Grease a baking sheet with the lard.
2. Sift the flour, salt and soda into a mixing bowl and add the sugar.
3. Stir in the buttermilk, at first with a wooden spoon, then bringing the dough all together with your hands. It should feel soft and firm, not sticky add a little more flour if the mixture is too wet.
4. Knead the dough lightly in the bowl for about half a minute, until smooth, then shape the dough into a ball, now place it on the greased baking sheet. Slash a deep cross in the top of the loaf with a sharp knife (this will allow the bread to open out as the soda starts to work and expand the dough.)
5. Bake in the oven for about 12 minutes, then turn the oven down to 200C/400F and cook for another 15-20 minutes, until the base of the bread sounds hollow when you tap it.
6. Allow the bread to cool for 15 minutes. Then cut into thick slices and serve with the hot Irish stew.
Irish-born Benedict Kiely studied at culinary school in London and then worked in a five-star hotel in London Hyde Park. While travelling and working around Europe, he met his Canadian-born wife-to-be in Athens, Greece. Five years ago they made a visit to Vancouver and loved it so much they decided to stay. He is now the chef at Caffe de Medicci - a Derona Award restaurant.
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