Guinness Irish Lamb Stew & Irish Brown Soda Bread

I seriously doubt that there's any Irish D.N.A. on my German-Mexican family tree.  However, my trip to Ireland (much too long ago) remains one of my most memorable trips.  I fell in-love with the beauty of the Emerald Isle, the friendliness of the people-- and, of course, the food. For that reason, I'm happy to celebrate St. Patrick's Day by making some of my favorite recipes of either Shepherd's Pie or Corned Beef and Cabbage. 

My son and I love lamb, and I am slowing converting my husband's lackluster opinion of it over to our side.  This St. Patrick's Day, on the Monterey Peninsula, brought us a long overdue rainstorm with intermittent hail showers.  We were having friends over for dinner, and a hearty stew seemed the perfect dish.  One of our family recipes is my Beef Stew recipe, but I wanted to keep with the Irish theme.   The Whole Foods meat counter was busy packaging corned beef, but I asked for a boneless lamb shoulder roast.

$24.00 might seem a little pricey, but this is New Zealand lamb and my friends are worth it. I didn't have a recipe to work from, so I decided to adapt a little from my beef stew and pot roast recipe.  Instead of using red wine, I opted to use Guinness beer-- of course!

While listening to an audio book, I patted the lamb dry and then patiently cut the roast into bite-sized pieces--then seasoned it with salt & pepper.  

I added about 1/4 cup of flour and dredged the meat well until evenly coated with the flour.  Using a very light coating of olive oil, I heated my trusty Dutch Oven to very high heat and added just enough lamb pieces so as not to crowed them.

Seared meat is a beautiful sight, don't you think? That beautiful golden crust is going to give my sauce  a lot of flavor.

It took three batches of about 8-10 minutes, each, to create this lovely pile of lamb.  

A stew needs vegeables, of course.  I love potatoes, so I peeled four Russett potatoes, washed four carrots and peeled four yellow onions, and cut them in half.  I'm not a fan of cooked celery, but I set aside (and didn't photograph) 4 stalks of celery with their leafy greens still attached. I prefer to add the celery, whole, to flavor the broth and then I toss it aside.

For years, I used to toss my vegetables into my stews "raw".  I've had a change of heart, by taking a little extra time to caramelize the vegetables in a little of the fat or olive oil.  I think it adds more flavor.

It takes about 3-5 minutes to caramelize the vegetables on medium-high heat, then remove them.  Now that the pan is empty, and full of that dark crust, it's time to deglaze the pan with liquid-- in this case, I used a 14 oz. can of Guinness Stout beer on very high heat. Scrape all the flavor off!

I find that tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce adds so much flavor to stews.  This prep time has taken about an hour, but the rest of the cooking will happen on it's own.  Now, for the final steps:

Add the cooked vegetables and seared lamb back into the pot.  I made my own beef stock, a few days ago (will post that recipe soon) so that's why it's light in color and looks like chicken stock.  Boxed beef stock will do, too.  Add 6 cups of beef stock (or enough to just cover the meat and vegetables). Bring the stew to a boil, covered. Then reduce to a low simmer, and let is cook for about 3 hours.  Yes, you can finish this off in a slow cooker or even pressure cook it for about 45 minutes.  On a rainy day, though, I love the smell of dinner wafting throughout the kitchen.

I read, somewhere, that authentic Irish Stew has barley in it.  While the stew was simmering, I cooked 1 cup of pearl barley to a half and half blend of 3 cups water and chicken stock.  

My company arrived, and so I didn't take photos of the stew just as it finished it's 3 hours on the stove.  I did, however, taste the stew and then added salt until it had just the right seasoning. NOTE: When I make chicken or beef stock, I don't add salt.   

 

Finishing the stew:  I like a thick gravy-like consistency to my stews.  To accomplish this, I take about 4 tablespoons cornstarch and whisk in 4 Tablespoons of water until smooth and lump-free.  On medium-high heat, I carefully add about half of that mixture and wait for a minute or two.  I add more cornstarch mixture until the thickness I want is achieved.

For the optional barley:  I debated if potatoes and barley made sense-- two starches together?  So, I poured half the stew into a smaller pot and added the barley.  I loved it, and the barley thickens the stew-- so I'm glad that I didn't too much cornstarch mixture. NOTE: I only used about 2 cups of cook barley, so the rest will become a barley salad.

Guinness Irish Lamb Stew and...

Slightly sweet, delicious and warm, Irish Soda Bread...

(not pictured) A glass of cold Irish Harp Beer.  Happy St. Patrick's Day!

TASTING NOTES:  For those of you who aren't fond of lamb, because it tastes very strong-- believe me, the lamb was not only buttery tender, but mild.  I only wish I had invested in a couple more pounds of meat, because I loved it.  My husband has been won over by this dish.  Everyone had second helpings.  I'm a convert to using Guinness in recipes, as it doesn't leave a "beer" taste.  Instead, it adds a depth of flavor that is subtle, yet flavorful.  This recipe makes a lot, and I'm so glad. This morning, it's raining and hailing and I plan to have it for lunch...again.   You don't have to wait for the luck o' the Irish to make this.  Keeper recipe, if I do say so myself-- and one of my own creation. Yay!

 

                       

                       

                       

                       
  
  

Guinness Glazed Pork Chops with Irish Colcannon

So many food bloggers have already jumped on the bandwagon with St. Patrick's Day recipes-- and I have to say that I've been busy pinning them on Pinterest.  One of my most trusted source of tried-and-true recipes is from Cathy of Wives With Knives.  Cathy shared her recipe for Colcannon, which is  different version of what I've made in the past.  If you've never had Colcannon, it's simply mashed potatoes with either cooked cabbage or green kale mixed in.  My version has always used kale, but Cathy's recipe uses cabbage, green onion and bacon.

It's a very simple recipe to make, and I didn't need to follow her recipe with measurements. I just sliced bacon and cooked it until golden, added green onion, then thinly sliced green cabbage-- while I made my version of mashed potatoes.

Then, I simply added the cooked cabbage mixture to the potatoes and...

delicious Colcannon.  You can view Cathy's recipe on her blog here.

I wasn't exactly sure what I would make to go with the Colcannon.  Yesterday morning, as I turned on my computer at work, my Google Browser displayed the Epicurious Recipe of the Day (which also inspired me to make the Peach Glazed Brisket).  Today's recipe was for Guinness Glazed Lamb Chops.  I'm not a fan of dark beer, but since Guinness is made in Dublin, and St. Patrick's Day is just around the corner-- it seemed a perfect choice for me to experiment with.   I was intrigued about using Guinness to make a glaze.  I had whole coriander and black pepper at home, so I thought I'd give it a go. 

As soon as I arrived home, from work, I popped a can of Guinness, crushed some coriander and pepper and added that to 1/2 cup of brown sugar.

Per the recipe, I let this simmer for about 20 minutes, which gave me time to prepare the Colcannon.

I like to mark a wooden spoon, with a rubberband, so show where the liquid started. As you can see, the beer did reduce to about half, in 20 minutes.

The liquid did reduce to almost a syrup, and was strained.

I felt that the glaze wasn't quite thick enough, to my liking, so I return it to a boil-- for about five minutes.

There we are!  A thick syrup, which I divided into two separate bowls.

No, these aren't lamb chops.  My husband doesn't love lamb as much as I do.  So, I settled for bone-in pork chops, seasoned with salt & pepper.  The syrup really thickened as it cooled, so be forewarned to keep it slightly warm-- if you can.  I broiled these about 6" below the broiler for about 5 minutes each- to about 140F, which is perfect for us.

Ah, yes, an Irish-Themed Dinner, if I do say so myself. Unfortunately, I didn't have time to "food-style" with Green or decorations. After all, this is  a work  night for me!  I did, however, drizzle the extra glaze over the chops. 

TASTING NOTES:  The flavor of the glaze was surprisingly good.  The brown sugar gave a slight sweetness to the glaze-- but not over-the--top, and the Guinness imparted a bit of a molasses flavor.  Craig and I really liked the glaze-- a lot.  I would definitely make this again, and I'd love to try this on some rib lamb chops.  

I still have one more recipe I hope to make for St. Patrick's Day. Only, this one does have lamb in it and I am sure my husband will love it.  You'll just have to wait and see.

A printable recipe card is at the end of this post, or you can view it on Key Ingredient here.

                       
       

Ina Garten's Braised 4-Hour Lamb & Provencal French Beans

I have stubbornly held on to Summer, even though Labor Day has come and gone. I still have summer tomatoes to pick, and I'm still wearing shorts and flip-flops on the weekends!  Just last weekend, we grilled Rib-Eye steaks and were sipping cold beer, while watching the Salinas Air Show from the top of our neighborhood hill. Finally, I surrendered my grocery budget to a beautiful display of pears, apples, squash and root vegetables at Whole Foods.  With that said, today we are waiting for our first rain shower and I have a log in the fireplace, waiting to be lit for a cozy night at home.  Yes, I'm beginning to let go of  summer melons and iced teas-- slowly, but surely.

Hello, Fall!  Welcome.  I really mean it. My pressure cooker and slow cooker are ready for soups and stews.  Bring on the root vegetables, squash and bread baking! So with that said, I present to you my first offering of a delicious way to prepare lamb.   I know, I know.... some of you don't like lamb.  Neither does my husband.  Stick with me, and I will show you how my husband changed his mind.

I caught this episode on the Ina Garten's Barefoot Contessa show.   This recipe was adapted by Ina Garten from a traditional French 7-Hour Lamb.   However, Ina says that she tested the recipe a few times and found that 4-hours was the perfect time to braise a leg of lamb in white wine, lots of garlic and herbs-- the end result being tender meat that can literally be removed with a spoon.  I was drooling while watching Ina spooning mounds of Provencal French Beans around the finished lamb.   That was it!  I was inspired to make this. The very next day, I bought a leg of lamb at Whole Foods--

 

The  butcher was kind enough to cut a leg of lamb to 3 pounds.  This is New Zealand Lamb... grass fed.  $21.00 might seem pricey, but this will feed at least 8 people. Here we go:

Season the lamb with coarse salt & fresh cracked pepper.  Now for lots of fresh garlic, thyme and rosemary...

After reading the reviews from folks who made this, some said that "it lacked flavor".  I used a LOT of garlic, and then I decided to add one onion to flavor the braising liquid. Think that will work?

Sear the lamb, on really high heat with olive oil. Set the lamb aside.

Add white wine to deglaze all that tasty brown stuff.  Ina adds water, but I added homemade chicken stock,  into the Dutch oven.. Now, add the herbs, garlic and onion...add the lamb and cover. Place into a 300F oven and let it cook for 3 hours.  Next, make the beans (which I soaked the night before):

Rinse Northern White Beans and prepare a mire poix (chopped carrots, onion and celery).  Next, I add fresh parsley, thyme, garlic and rosemary.  I added more chicken stock and simmered the beans for more than Ina says she did-- like over an hour.  How's the lamb doing?

Oooh... falling off the bone!

Remove the lamb, the herbs and drain the liquid...

Push the garlic through a sieve, for more flavor. Discard everything else. Reduce the liquid until thick-- about 15 minutes. Time to serve! Add the sauce over the lamb, and serve with the beans.

Did four hours do the trick?

You bet!  Tender!  No, that's not a spoon.  But that would have worked, too.

VERDICT:  The lamb was tender and flavorful.  The braising liquid had plenty of flavor, just the right notes of garlic, without being overpowering.  I'm glad that I added an onion, because the broth had plenty of flavor. The beans..oh, the beans!  This is French comfort food that served 8 people.  Um, only we are only three in the family.  Suffice it to say that this was delicious the next day. I had to fight over it with my boys, who loved it.

The printable recipe is at the bottom of this post.  Thanks Ina Garten!

Feta-Stuffed Fig-Glazed Grilled Lamb Burgers with Red Onion Jam -- OhMy!

I have two food blogger buddies who love figs as much as I do-- Marie, from Proud Italian Cook and Stacey of Stacey Snacks.  I have several of their recipes bookmarked, just as soon as I can find fresh figs.  I also have a love affair with fig jam.  This week, I was smitten with a recipe for Fig Glazed Burgers with Red Onion Jam that was posted on "The Bitten Word".   The recipe originally comes from Southern Living Recipes, and uses ground beef and Muenster Cheese. When I think of fig jam, I tend to think of pork... or even lamb. So, I started thinking of Greek inspired ingredients, and an idea was born. I adore lamb, but my husband is so-so about it.  I bought one pound of ground lamb and 1/2 pound of ground veal. I figured the mix of meats would tone down the sometimes "stronger" flavor of lamb.  I didn't want to add too many seasonings, since I wanted the fig jam to be the star...

I added fresh oregano & parsley, from our garden. The seasoning I chose was Montreal Steak Seasoning.  It's a Rachael Ray staple, but I have to say that it's perfect for seasoning burgers.  Done.  I made four patties.  I decided to add slices of feta cheese.  I stacked one patty on top of the feta topped patty...

This feta cheese had sun-dried tomatoes and basil.  It was really tasty, and will end up in a salad very soon. 

I carefully sealed the patties together. Now, that's a patty!

The red onion jam has simple pantry ingredients.  I love my mandoline, because you'll want the slices to be rather thin. This is about four cups.  I also need fresh thyme, red wine vinegar and sugar.   In a little bit of olive oil, the onion is cooked until very tender-- about 10 minutes.

Next, 1/4 cup of sugar and 1/4 cup of the red wine vinegar is added, the the fresh thyme. The recipe says 3/4 of a teaspoon. I added more. I think that's more for dried thyme, but add what you like.  Cover the onions and cook on low-- keep warm.  Fire up the grill...

Typically, I like to make my own hamburger buns. These are Honey Wheat Hamburger Buns from Trader Joe's.  I like their ingredients, so I take a shortcut today.  Fresh spinach ties in the Greek ingredients just fine, don't you think?

 The burgers are on standby...

I'm calculating one tablespoon of fig jam per person-- and a little extra... here we go!

Though we love our Weber, we fire up the gas grill and preheat it nice and hot.  The burgers are cooked about 6 minutes, covered (they are pretty thick)... and then flipped over...

Once the  burgers are flipped, we let them cook for about 4 minutes. Craig is adding the fig jam, now. He closes the cover and let's the burgers grill over direct heat.

Doesn't this glaze look amazing?  I was licking my chops.  We cooked these until an instant read thermometer registered at 145F.  The total cooking time was about 16-18 minutes.  My husband is wary of lamb that isn't cooked past medium rare, so cook according to your liking.

We let these rest for a few minutes.  In the meantime, I crack open a cold imported beer.

Let's build a burger.   I'm questioning how important the red onion jam will be, but I add that on top of this.

Carl's Junior has nothing on this.  It's big, I'm hungry and I'm going in!

I'm happy to see that the feta cheese melted perfectly...

Can you see how moist the burger is?  It's perfectly cooked.  So, what did I think?

VERDICT: Fig jam is the perfect glaze for grilling burgers. I am so going to use this more often... I'm thinking grilled chicken burgers, grilled turkey burgers, grilled anything burgers!  My husband liked the burger, and didn't think the lamb was overpowering at all. Whew! The red onion jam is very good.  I could go with or without it, because the fig jam is what intrigued me the most.   I'm a jam maker, so I expected more of chutney or thick jam consistency with the red onion.  I am very tempted to use brown sugar, instead of white sugar next time.    As far as the burger seasonings-- I might be tempted to add some garlic to this... maybe shallots. Heck, that's the fun of making burgers! You can go wild with different ingredients.

Whatever you do, don't leave out the fig jam.  That's the cherry on the sundae. Or, in this case, it's the star of this burger.  You hear that Marie and Stacey?! 

I am sending this post off to Deb at Kahakai's Kitchen. Each Sunday, Deb posts a healthy and tempting soup and includes posts from other food bloggers for Souper Sundays. Come check it out!

As always, a printable recipe is at the very bottom of this post.

Happy Grilling!