Fit for St. Patty: Irish Lamb Stew with Irish Soda Bread

by Valorie Delp | More from this Blogger

10 Mar 2008 04:35 AM

It is said that this stew will cure whatever ails you. I don't know if that's true but with richly seasoned carrots, potatoes and tender lamb meat--you can't go wrong. St. Patrick's day is next Monday but with the onslaught of cold, wet weather and high winds begs for a good stew! And of course what goes better with stew than Irish soda bread?

Typically in a stew, the meat is browned first and that makes it extra tender but for some reason the Irish don't see it that way. This stew goes in the crock pot and so the meat is guaranteed to come out tender. What's better is that since the stew is done in the crock pot--it makes it an ideal week night treat!

You will need:

2 pounds boneless leg of lamb, trimmed of fat and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 3/4 pounds white potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces

3 stalks celery, thinly sliced

3 large leeks, white part only, halved, washed and thinly sliced

1 14-ounce can reduced-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup packed parsley leaves, chopped

Directions:

Combine lamb, potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, broth, thyme, salt and pepper in a 6-quart slow cooker; stir to combine. Put the lid on and cook on low until the lamb is fork-tender, about 8 hours. Stir in parsley before serving.

Traditional Irish Soda Bread

You will need:

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup currants

2 teaspoons caraway seeds

3/4 cup buttermilk, plus additional for brushing

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a pie pan with cooking spray.

Whisk whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, sugar, baking soda and salt in a large bowl. Stir in currants and caraway seeds. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Gradually pour in the buttermilk, stirring with a fork until just combined. Make sure you're careful not to overmix.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead several times. Form into a ball, flatten slightly and place in the prepared pie pan. Brush the top with buttermilk and dust with flour. With a sharp knife, cut a 1/2-inch-deep X into the top of the loaf.

Bake the loaf until it is brown on top and sounds hollow when tapped on the bottom, 30 to 40 minutes. Let cool slightly before slicing.

Valorie Delp shares recipes and kitchen tips in the food blog, solves breastfeeding problems, shares parenting tips, and current research in the baby blog, and insight, resources and ideas as a regular guest blogger in the homeschooling blog. To read more articles by Valorie Delp, click here.

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Learn more about Valorie Delp

Hello everybody! My name is Valorie and I am one busy lady! When I'm not writing or editing for families, I am busy trying to get my brood of 5 in line.

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