Irish Stew is a rightly celebrated dish way beyond the shores of the Emerald Isle. Like many great dishes, its apparent simplicity can still attract endless debate about its origins and ingredients. The only rule everyone seems to agree is that authentic Irish stew should be a thick stew rather than runny.
I had my first authentic Irish Stew - eaten in Ireland - in the legendary Crown Liquor Saloon in Belfast. The pub is said to be the most beautiful bar in the world. It was in the early 1990s and the 'Troubles' still raged. Only weeks earlier the windows of the pub had been blown in by a bomb.
It was said the Crown's superbly painted ceiling had been lifted up by the force of the explosion yet miraculously dropped back exactly into position! It may have been a tall story, they are not unknown in Ireland, but the incident, and bombs going off in the city on the night of my visit certainly added an element of drama to the meal.
The Crown features a series of private cubicles and it was in one of these 'rooms' that our party enjoyed a splendid evening. I've tried many an Irish Stew recipe since then and eaten traditional Irish stew in pubs across Ireland, but somehow, they haven't quite matched that Irish Stew in Belfast's finest.
Traditional Irish Stew
There are plenty of Irish Stew recipe variations to be found in cookbooks. I've come across recipes for Irish beef stew, an Irish stew crockpot recipe, traditional Irish lamb stew recipes and even a recipe for vegetarian Irish Stew.
The Oxford Companion to Food, compiled by the great late Alan Davidson, says that purists maintain only neck mutton chops or kid, potatoes, onions and water should make up the authentic Irish Stew. Others argue for added carrots, turnips and pearl barley. Most do agree, however, that the ingredients are boiled and then simmered for up to two hours.
Mutton is now relatively rare and lamb is usually the choice today, Hogget, year old sheep, are ideal. As well as using carrots, some modern chefs even add green vegetables, a horrific concept for traditional Irish Stew exponents. Parsley is also often now added, as is thyme.
The traditional Irish Stew dish has been around for over 200 years and was normally cooked over an open fire. The thickness of an authentic Irish Stew was referred to in an English ballad of around 1800: "Then hurrah for an Irish Stew...That will stick to your belly like glue."
Irish Stew recipes
Mutton was the meat of choice in the traditional Irish Stew because sheep were kept for their wool and the slaughter of young animals was avoided. It's only been common to cook using Irish lamb stew recipes for a generation.
The slow cooking, as with so many traditional Irish Stew dishes, was vital with the tougher, older meat used to make authentic Irish Stew. It still seems to matter with Irish lamb stew recipes, and helps give the flavour and texture such a simple dish needs .
The variety of potato is rarely specified. Ireland, famously, has a huge appetite for potatoes. It's a staggering statistic that in the early 1800s, the average consumption per head was over six pounds, or 3kg. Little else was consumed in rural parts of Ireland, but this was still an amazing amount making the Irish, calorie-wise, then the largest eaters in the world. Today, King Edward, Anna and Record are all popular potato varieties and seem to work well in an Irish Stew.
Authentic Irish Stew recipe
To make a traditional Irish Stew for four people, pre-heat the oven to 300F or 150C. Peel and slice 2lb (1kg) of potatoes; 1lb (500g) of onions; remove excess fat and bones from around 3lb (1.5kg) of mutton or lamb cutlets.
Layer potatoes and meat alternatively in a casserole dish and season each layer with salt, pepper, parsley and thyme before finishing with a layer of potatoes.
Pour 500ml of beef stock over the dish, cover and cook for 2 hours in the oven. Check occasionally and, if it's a little dry add some more stock or water. It should be good and thick for serving.
Whether the resulting Irish Stew will be as good as a dish from the Crown Liquor Saloon probably depends on how romantic you are about food. Whatever the answer, a well made traditional Irish Stew is deservedly one of the great dishes of the world.
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bob's traditional irish stew recipe to make an authentic irish stew
Copyright © November, 2008 Leftover Recipes Bob Cartwright - Cheshire, UK
