Around the World in 12 Dishes – Ireland

Here we go again. We are launching season 2 of Around the World in 12 Dishes. This season we will again be travelling to 12 different countries and exploring the culture through food. Here is a list of the countries we will be going to…

February ~ Canada

Looking at that list I am so excited about what the year ahead holds. As with last year, we will be posting a placemat for each country and this season we will have a 4 page passport for each country. We have a few more exciting things that are getting ready to launch…more news to follow. For now, let’s see what we discovered about Ireland and Irish food.

Well, I cannot tell a lie, when I knew we were heading to Ireland I had a feeling we would end up cooking with beer and potatoes. Yep, we did. The reality is that a lot of “Irish” food is very similar to food that I consider to be Canadian food. During the great potato famine of the 1840′s many Irish families emigrated to Canada…and they brought along their food. When I think of my favourite comfort foods, inevitably I think of stews and potato dishes. So, we decided to try our hand at making a Guinness beef stew with mashed potatoes.

Guinness Beef Stew with Mashed Potatoes

1 1/2 pound Yukon gold potatoes
2 tbsp unsalted butter
4 tbsp milk
1 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
salt and pepper

2 lbs stewing beef
1/4 cup flour
2 tbsp olive oil
2 shallots
2 carrots, chopped
2 portobello mushrooms (2 cups)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 parsnips, chopped
1 can tomatoes
1 can Guinness
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp chopped thyme

Mashed Potatoes
1. Chop and boil potatoes until they are soft.
2. While the potatoes drain in a collander, warm the milk and butter in the pot the potatoes were in.
3. Return the potatoes to the pot, mash with potato masher, add the thyme, salt and pepper.
4. Set aside.

Guinness Beef Stew
1. To brown the beef, heat the oil in a large heavy bottom pot. Dredge the stewing beef in the flour and add the beef to the heated oil.
2. Rotate and brown the beef on all sides and then place in a bowl.

3. Once all the beef has been browned pour 1//4 cup of the beer into the pot…scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pan.
4. Add the onion, carrots, celery, parsnips and mushrooms to the pot…cook over medium heat until softened…about 5 minutes.

5. Once the veggies are soft, add the rest of the Guinness, can of tomatoes and the herbs…bring to a boil and then drop to a simmer.

6. Simmer for 2 hours…until the liquid has thickened and darkened.

Puff Pastry Topper
1. Roll out puff pastry and cut out circles using a cup as a cutter…Place in a 375F oven for 12-15 minutes…until golden brown.
2. Add to the top of the stew.

We enjoyed this meal with friends and their children. Everyone cleaned their plates. Not too bad. I guess the Irish were on to something. The beer added a real depth of flavour and a real richness to the stew…perfect for a cold March night.

Okay, now for all the fun stuff. Time to print off your very own Ireland placemat and Ireland passport package. Don’t forget to check out the Around the World in 12 Dishes Facebook page. Take a look around at the other co-host blogs to see what Irish dishes they have been cooking.

If you have written a post about Ireland, please feel free to link your post below. We hope you will follow our journey this season and get cooking French food for April’s trip to France.