March brings us cold weather, soup weather and the celebration of St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

I’ve always heard and often times experienced that soups seem to be so hard to make, taking a lot of little steps to get to what seems like such a simple meal. I make vegetable stock every week and if there has been a bird on the table that week, I will make a chicken stock, too.  This is the liquid I start my soups in though many people just begin with filtered water. I chop and dice and puree and coax along the melding of all the ingredients, herbs, and spices. After a couple of hours of this work, I wolf down the first bowl within minutes and am grateful I doubled the recipe so there is soup in the fridge or the freezer for future meals.

Having once lived in Ireland, I’ve enjoyed the “simplicity” and often times low budget meals the Irish prepare that are also quite nutritious and hearty: fresh fish or shellfish recipes, hearty breakfasts of eggs, mushrooms, tomatoes, and healthy breads that are smothered in delicious sea- and salt-kissed Irish butter.

In the cold month of March, I think Irish Stew. People tend to think there is a special recipe to make traditional Irish Stew but to be honest, there is nothing special about this Irish recipe except that it tastes delicious.

And there are only four ingredients to traditional Irish stew making it a very low cost meal. With good local and organic onions, carrots, potatoes, and a local grass-fed beef or lamb, I like to keep the process super simple. And I think Irish Stew just gets better as it is re-heated.

Ingredients for cooking Traditional Irish Stew

• 2 large onions
• 4 large carrots
• 1 lb. grass-fed beef chuck roast or lamb
• 8 large potatoes
• 2 T. flour
• 2 T. olive oil or butter
• Salt and Pepper

 

Directions:
Wash and cut onions into moderate size chunks (don’t eat onions? Don’t worry, this can still be cooked using celery).
Wash carrots and cut into chunks (some prefer thicker chucks for taste).
Wash and peel the potatoes then cut each one into 2-inch cubes (same size cubes as you will cut the beef.) Add to a 2-3 quart pot of pre-made vegetable, chicken, or beef stock. Add a little salt and pepper.
Slice the meat into 2-inch cubes and dredge through flour with some salt and pepper added to flour.
Brown the meat cubes in the olive oil and or oil and butter blend and then add to the potatoes in the stockpot.
Heat the stock with potatoes and browned meat cubes until the liquid boils then add carrots and onions. Adjust the salt and pepper.
Keep on a low simmer and stir every now and then until vegetables are cooked.
Serve hot with your amazing healthy bread and butter.