Hot and hearty traditional Irish lamb stew will warm your soul
We are now into November and the cooling temperatures tell us that it's just a matter of time before the landscape turns a soft shade of white. This week, we are offering a recipe that will add warmth to the coldest autumn day.
We begin with the star of the show: beautiful Ontario lamb. (In my opinion, Ontario lamb takes its proper place right along side the Australian product, perhaps the best lamb on the planet.) You can simply use pre-cut cubes of lamb or butcher your own from a leg of lamb.
Season 2.5 kilograms of lamb with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large pot, sauté three cloves of minced garlic and a large, diced onion until translucent-you are not looking for colour so you don't want them to start caramelizing.
Meanwhile, peel and chop 500g of carrots, 500g of parsnips and 300g of turnips. Add them to the pot along with the meat and about a kilogram of halved, small potatoes-washed, not peeled.
Finally, add four whole braches of thyme-you can pull them out when it's cooked-and enough veal or chicken stock to cover everything. (If you want the real thing, we always have house-made frozen stocks on hand at the store.)
Let this simmer for about 90 minutes or until tender. Add a loaf of fresh bread and a nice bottle of pinot noir or red burgundy, and the nasty weather will be but a distant memory.
Amitiée gourmandeChef Marc
