Guinness Stew
From Liam Neeson - Glens of Antrim Irish Stew
1 oz. butter
2 pounds lamb or beef, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 Tablespoon flour
8 ounces beef stock
2 Tablespoons tomato paste
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
2 potatoes, cubed
1 bottle Guinness
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 - 3/4 teaspoons thyme1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper to taste1/2 cup frozen peas, optional
Melt butter in a large pan and fry the meat until browned on all sides. Do not crowd pan; brown the meat in two or three batches if necessary. Remove meat from the pan, add the onion and carrots and cook until slightly softened; add garlic.
Return the meat to the pan, add the flour, stock, tomato paste and sugar. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer and add the potatoes, Guinness, thyme, parsley, bay leaf and salt and pepper.
Cover and cook over low heat for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the meat is tender. Just before serving, stir in the peas if using and serve over mashed potatoes.
I also frequently make this in the crockpot !!
Hargadon's Brown Soda Bread
From the Irish Pub Cookbook by Margaret M. Johnson
Makes 1 loaf
3 cups coarse whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tablespoon salt
2 large eggs
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Coat a 9x5x3 inch bread pan with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, stir together the dry ingredients. Make a well in the center. In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs and buttermilk. With a wooden spoon, stir the egg mixture into the dry ingredients. Spoon the dough into the prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula that has been dipped in water or buttermilk.
Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean and the bread sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom. Remove from the oven and let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Turn the bread out onto the rack and let cool, right side up, for about 1 hour to make slicing easier.