The Gardener's Kitchen: Irish Stew

My maternal grandmother was Irish and consequently St. Patrick’s day was celebrated at home. Food played a major role and we either had corned beef and cabbage or Irish Stew. Of the two, my favourite dish was my grandmother’s Iris Stew and over the years I have modified here recipes for the slow cooker.

My grandmother always used lamb in her stew and it was delicious. However, there have been a number of times when I was unable to find lamb or the lamb that I found was too expensive so I began to sue beef. Either way, this is a great meal for your St. Patrick’s day dinner.

Slow Cooker Irish Stew

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lbs of chopped lamb or beef (cubed), I usally use beef but it is also delicious with lamb

1/4 cup of gluten-free flour

21/2 cups carrots sliced

2 celery stalk

1 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, you can adjust this adding more or less according to your taste

1 teaspoons of sea salt

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon basil

1 tablespoon parsley

1 medium onion, chopped

1 cup diced parsnip, now, not being a fan of parsnips, I have left this out.

Preparations:

1- Put meat on the bottom of a 2 quart crock pot.

2- Add enough warm water to cover the meat completely (between 2-3 cups).

3- Then add the flour mix. Stir until the mix is completely dissolved and there are no lumps.

4- Add the seasoning and vegetables. Mix well.

5- Set on high and cook a minimum of 6 hours.

When you are ready to serve and feel that the stew is too liquid, simply remove some broth. Let stew coo land then mix in 2-3 tablespoons flour mix to the broth you have drained off. Bring this to a boil until it thickens.

Add to stew and serve.

This is a fairly simple meal to make, especially using the slow cooker which allows you to prepare the ingredients before hand and then add them the next day. This way you have more time to enjoy a glass of Guinness with family and fiends and are not stuck in the kitchen preparing the meal.

You may want to get some green carnations for yoru centerpiece while the green carnation is most likely sprayed green it has come to eb a symbol of St. Patrick’s day.

Painted or not the green carnations will add to the festive atmosphere.