Irish Lamb Stew With Roasted Root Veg Food

LAMB STEW WITH SPRING VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium (10- to 11-inch) ovenproof pot or Dutch oven, such as Le Creuset, over medium heat. Add the bacon and cook for 5 minutes, until browned. Transfer the bacon to a large plate, leaving the fat in the pan. Dry the lamb with paper towels and toss it in a bowl first with 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and then with the 1/4 cup of flour. Raise the heat to medium high and cook half the lamb in the bacon fat for 5 minutes, turning occasionally, until browned. Add the lamb to the plate with the bacon and brown the second batch, also transferring it to the plate. Add the garlic to the pot and cook for one minute.
• Pour the lamb and bacon, along with any juices that collect, back into the pot. Add the beef stock, wine, tomatoes (including the juice), thyme, rosemary, 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper and bring to a boil, scraping up the brown bits in the pot. Simmer for 5 minutes, cover and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Add the carrots, potatoes, onions and turnips, cover and return to the oven for 1 hour, until all the vegetables are tender.
• Mash the 2 tablespoons of flour with the butter in a small bowl. Stir the mixture into the stew and simmer on top of the stove for 3 minutes. Off the heat, stir in the peas and parsley, season to taste and serve hot in large shallow bowls.

IRISH LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Cut lamb into cubes.
• Peel and roughly chop the shallots, and slice and rinse the leek.
• Peel and dice the potatoes, carrots and rutabaga.
• Heat oil in a heavy saucepan, add lamb and cook until lightly browned, remove from pan.
• Add shallots, leeks and garlic to the pan and cook for a few minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the shallots and stir until mixture browns.
• Gradually add stock while stirring.
• Return meat to saucepan.
• Add salt, pepper, rosemary and bay leaves.
• Cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 30 minutes.
• Add the carrots and turnips, and cook for 10 minutes.
• Add the potatoes and cook for 20 minutes longer.
• About 10 minutes before you are ready to serve the stew, add the peas and simmer for 5 to 10 minutes.
• If you are expecting to have leftovers, it's best to divide the stew beforehand and add the peas (in proportion) only to the part being served. Reheat the remaining stew and add the remaining peas just before serving.

IRISH LAMB STEW

Steps:

• Place bacon in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain, crumble, and set aside.
• Put lamb, salt, pepper, and flour in large mixing bowl. Toss to coat meat evenly. Brown meat in frying pan with bacon fat.
• Place meat into stock pot (leave 1/4 cup of fat in frying pan). Add the garlic and yellow onion and saute till onion begins to become golden. Deglaze frying pan with 1/2 cup water and add the garlic-onion mixture to the stock pot with bacon pieces, beef stock, and sugar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
• Add carrots, onions, potatoes, thyme, bay leaves, and wine to pot. Reduce heat, and simmer covered for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.

VEGETARIAN IRISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large, lightly oiled pot steam fry the onion until it begins to soften [that means cook it in a bit of water] Add flour and stir around completely.
• Add the remaining ingredients, mix well, bring to boil. Cover and simmer on low for 30 minutes or until vegetables are done.
• Taste and season.
• Note: The turnips should be large dice. The carrots round sliced. You may use other yeast extract than marmite.
• Also look in speciality or finer food stores for the Marmite. It is a British product. I find mine in Wegmans in PA/NY.