Appetizing St. Patrick's Day Irish Stew






























Published Friday, March 12, 2021

By Melissa Pette

The greenest day of the year is just around the corner. Last week we learned how to prepare delicious cocktails. Feel free to review the St. Patrick's double punch recipe on the AM Costa Rica Food page.

For those asking about where to buy original green beer, the truth is that I did not find any in Costa Rica. The only true green color beer I've seen is the Mediterranean Olive Green Beer.
 
Here in this beautiful paradise, it is easier to make your own green beer. Just add a drop of green food-coloring. You can find it at any supermarket.

But on St. Patrick's Day a must dish is the traditional Irish Stew, also called Stobhach, which is considered a national dish of Ireland.
 
The dish preparation is really easy, this may be because the origins of Irish gastronomy have very humble roots in the lifestyle of the early population, who depended on the work of the land, farm and fishing animals.

St. Patrick's Day Irish Stew



The ingredients you need for six people are:

• 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil.

• 1 pound of mutton or lamb cutlets (no bones) cut into 2-inch (or 5 centimeter) chunks. Beefsteak can be used as a substitute for lamb.

• 2 pounds of potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters.

• 1 cup of roughly chopped onion.

• 1 cup of finely sliced leeks, clean.

• 1 cup of roughly chopped carrots.

• 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour.

• 3 cups of dark beef stock.

• 2 or 3 cabbage leaves, thinly sliced.

• Salt and pepper.



First, in a large frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil until hot but not smoking. Add half of the lamb pieces. Let them brown all over by turning the chunks in the hot oil.

Remove the lamb and place them in a large pot. Add half of the potatoes, half of the onion, half of the leeks, and half of the carrots.

Now, add the remaining oil to the same frying pan and heat. Add the remaining lamb and brown all over as previously done.

Add the lamb into the large pot and cover with the remaining potatoes, remaining onion, remaining leeks, and remaining carrots.

The sauce. Add the flour to the still-hot frying pan and stir really well to soak up any fat and juices. Cook over low heat for 3 minutes.

Slowly add the stock, one ladle at a time. Mix until you have a thick, lump-free sauce. You will not add all of the stock.

Pour this sauce over the lamb and vegetables. Add the remaining stock oven, cover with a tight-fitting lid, and cook in the preheated oven 350 degrees Fahrenheit (or 180 degrees Celsius), for 1 hour.

After that, add the cabbage and cook for another hour.

Check from time to time to make sure the stock hasn't reduced too much. If it has, add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered in liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, you can always cook the stew a little longer with the lid removed.

Season with salt and pepper. Serve hot and enjoy!

Like all stews and casseroles, this stew tastes just as good, if not better, the next day. It will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days.

Remember to celebrate only with your social-bubble. Have a great Saint Patrick's Day to all the leprechaun expats living in Costa Rica.

I would like to finish this article, as I usually do, thanking the readers and especially those who take their time to write and share their recipes. Don't forget to share your recipes and photos by emailing food@amcostarica.com.

Salud and Pura Vida!


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