Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Showing posts sorted by date for query lamb. Sort by relevance Show all posts
Easy traditional Irish Champ is the perfect recipe to enjoy during the month of March when we will be celebrating the wearing of the green, Saint Patrick's Day! The Irish love their potatoes and there is no end to the ways they love to enjoy them.
Champ and Colcannon are two of the most favourite ways and are both very similar. Champ is a potato/spring onion dish, whereas Colcannon has cooked cabbage in it as well as the onions. I love, LOVE them both!
I have seen Champ done with sauteed leeks and spring onions, but this version of Champ I am sharing today uses only spring onions (scallions.) It is delicious either way.
Oddly enough, in the old days, champ used to be made with stinging nettles. They were a plant which grew abundantly in most places and which was free for the picking. Make sure you wear gloves if you do try to pick and use them because they do sting and will blister your skin and hands.
Normally Dock leaves grown near nettles, so you can swipe one of those over the sting to take it away. Interestingly enough when nettles are cooked, this removes the sting, so there is no worry with eating them.
This begs an answer to the question . . . Just who was it that decided that something which stung the skin could be safely eaten??? Yes . . . I do have a curious mind.
Over the years, Spring Onions, or scallions as they are also known, have become the standard to use in the making of champ. I just think it is a fabulously tasty dish. We really do love it!
Everyone in my immediate family has had our DNA done now and we have discovered a healthy amount of Irish DNA in our family tree (with the exception of our dad who is 91% French). This gives us all the more reason to celebrate our Irish roots this year!
Mashed potatoes with warm milk, spring onions and butter beaten into
them. It's so tasty. The Irish know how to do potatoes and do them
well!
You can use leftover boiled potatoes to make this quite easily. Just reheat the potatoes in an amount of whole milk. Once heated through, mash and add the remaining ingredients. Easy Peasy.
Today I started from scratch.
For this you will want to use a floury type of potato, like a Russet or Maris Piper, King Edward. You do NOT want a new potato or waxy potato. They do NOT mash well. Trust me on this.
Once you have the right kind of potato, everything else is a doddle. Simply peel the potatoes, cut into chunks, and cook them in some lightly salted boiling water.
You will need to cook them until they are fork tender, but not falling apart in the water. Take care not to overcook them. It should take roughly 15 - 20 minutes depending on the size of your potato chunks.
Once they are cooked you will need to drain them very well and then return them to the pot. I like to let them sit in the heat of the pot over the residual heat of the burner to finish drying them out, with a clean tea towel thrown over top of the pan.
This allows the steam to be released without it being dropped back into the pan, whilst still keeping he potatoes heated.
I always warm the milk when I am doing mash of any kind. It doesn't take long to do it in the microwave. Just heat it on high for about a minute. I add the spring onions to the milk before heating it.
This helps to take any sharp flavour away from the onion and makes them just right for stirring into the mashed potatoes. It also helps to infuse the flavor of the onion into the milk beautifully. A quantity of butter is also stirred in, plus some salt and pepper. You can use white or black pepper.
The Irish used to serve this in a big bowl, hot from the stove.
A big knob of
butter would be melting into the middle of it so that the family could dip their
pieces of bread into the butter and scoop up some potatoes to eat with
it at the same time.
It sounds all warm and cosy to me, although nowadays with Covid, perhaps not a wise thing to do.
I tend to serve it as a side dish these days. It goes with just about everything. Lamb is especially nice. Grilled Chops, or some roasted lamb would be lovely.
Today we had it with grilled and glazed bangers/sausages. If you can get real Irish ones so much the better!!
In working with the green theme, I served some steamed green beans on the side. It was a really lovely meal. Really lovely.
I will always regret that during my stay in the UK, I never did get to visit Ireland, and it was so close too. I have heard that it is a beautiful country with too many shades of green in its landscape to count.
The closest I ever got was enjoying the company of a few Irishmen on the train back from London one time. Those Irish sure have the gift of the gab, especially when they've been enjoying a Guinness or two or three. Very pleasant folk to be sure!
Irish Champ
Yield: 4
prep time: 5 Mincook time: 25 Mintotal time: 30 Min
An old Irish Dish, consisting of fluffy white mashed potatoes infused with plenty of butter, milk and spring onions.
Ingredients
- 1 kg (2 1/4 pounds) floury potatoes, peeled and halved
- 225ml whole milk (1 cup)
- 1 bunch spring onions, thinly sliced (6 to 8 scallions)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 50g (2 ounces) butter
- a knob of butter to serve
Instructions
- Place the potatoes into a large pot and fill with enough cold water to cover. Lightly salt the water, bring to the boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes.
- Drain the tender potatoes well. Return them to the pot and shake over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out. Place a clean tea towel over top to absorbe any access moisture.
- Place the milk into a large glass measuring cup along with the spring onions. Heat gently in the microwave for about 1 minute.
- Mash the potatoes well with the butter until smooth. Stir in the milk and spring onions to combine well together. Season with salt and white pepper.
- Pile into a bowl and top with a knob of butter. Serve immediately.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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Lately we have all had a hankering for a Irish Lamb Stew. There is someting about the winter months that makes us long for comfort foods and you can't really cook anything much more comforting than a delicious Lamb Stew.
There is also something quite evocatively comforting about the idea of a bowl of Irish Stew. I never did get to Ireland when I was in the UK, but it was on my list of places I really wanted to go, and we had really planned to go last year, but Covid you know and then everything else happened.
Life has a way of surprising us with its twists and turns.
For all that I have heard and read about it, Ireland is a beautiful country. They say there are more shades of green in Ireland than the imagination can conjure up and I know personally that the people are quite simply wonderful.
Humble and sincere, open and friendly people. Much like the people of Nova Scotia I would say. I have heard it said that if you meet an Irishman in a pub, next thing you know he will be inviting you over to his for supper and to meet the family.
You'd probably be taken home to a humble abode, perhaps even a thatch roofed stone cottage. Cosy and quaint with an open fire on the hearth
Chances are you would be lucky enough to be served a fine hot bowl of this simple, yet very delicious Irish Stew. Filled with chunks of tender meat, rich gravy and some humble, yet perfectly cooked root vegetables.
Oh but I am waxing poetically now am I not? Oh well . . . we do tend to think romantically of Ireland and the Irish. I blame that old black and white movie, The Quiet Man.
It is one of my favourite old films. I just love it. I loved every film Maureen O'Hara was ever in. She was one of the best actresses of that era. My ex MIL looked very much like her, except she was blonde. What a beauty.
Lamb was not something we ate a lot of when I was growing up. In fact, I can only remember mom serving it to us once. Lamb Chops. They smelt like mittens burning in the skillet.
None of us would eat them. I rather suspect they were very old lamb chops or even mutton which had a very distinct strong flavour in comparison to lamb.
My great Grandfather raised lamb on his farm up in Inglisville on the North Mountain. He had quite a large farm, with milk cows, sheep, chickens, vegetables, etc. The old house and some out buildings are still there, very much run down. I believe it is owned by one of my mother's cousin's family now.
Mom was born in one of the bedrooms of that house and always spoke of sitting on the porch as a child with her older sister Thelma, scraping the flesh from a raw turnip with a spoon and eating it.
My sister and I have always said that if we won the lottery we would try to buy up the old property and return it to its former state. What a dream that would be.
Mom loved lamb and often spoke about a delicious lamb stew she had been served in the hospital when she was in there having given birth to my brother. That would be almost 61 years ago now as my brother will be 61 at the beginning of March.
My father has always said he doesn't like lamb, however he has eaten it without knowing it was lamb in a shepherd's pie according to my sister. Ignorance is bliss they say.
Often what you don't know can't hurt. I had a moose steak once and didn't know it. Best steak I had ever eaten. However had I known it was moose I would have been a bit queasy about trying it.
There is nothing fabulously outrageous ingredient-wise about this stew. Simple ingredients put together in a very simple way.
Stewing Lamb, potatoes, carrots, onions, celery. Thyme, stock and seasoning. A bit of oil for browning the meat.
The meat is browned first. Much of the favour for a stew comes from the sticky juices that are left in the bottom of a pan after you have browned the meat.
I put the
lamb on to brown while I am prepping the vegetables. That way I tend
to forget about it, which means it gets nicely browned without me
worrying it every few minutes and stirring it about. (One of the secrets
to any good stew made with red meat, is in a good and proper browning.
The meat won't brown nicely if you keep moving it about.)
The vegetables in this stew are also semi softened in pan . You will need a good stove top to oven casserole dish.
Something with handles that can easily go into the oven. I use my enamel cast iron casserole dish, which is perfect for this sort of thing.
You also need some stock. Lamb stock is what is preferred for its subtle
flavours, but you can also use beef or chicken or a combination of the
two.
Aside from lamb stock, I have to say my preference is chicken stock as it has a much milder flavour than beef.
Altogether this is a fabulous stew that is comforting and pleasing. You have wonderfully tender meat and vegetables as well as a lovely broth.
I confess I enjoy mashing my potatoes into the broth and dotting them with butter. There is nothing more delicious on this earth. I quite simply adore simple meals like this. All you need on the side is some crusty bread.
Irish Lamb Stew
Yield: 4
prep time: 25 Mincook time: 2 Hourtotal time: 2 H & 25 M
Rich and delicious with fork tender chunks of lamb, a rich gravy and plenty of simple vegetables. Comfort food at its best. This is quite simply delicious.
Ingredients
- 1 pound lamb stewing meat, cut into cubes
- 2 TBS light olive oil
- 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 sticks celery, peeled and chopped
- 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
- 2 sprigs of thyme
- salt and black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and sliced into wedges or rounds
- 2 1/2 cups (600ml) lamb stock (can use beef or chicken, or a combination)
- 1 knob of butter
- chopped parsley to garnish if desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 165*C/325*F/gas mark 3.
- Heat a medium, heavy bottomed flame proof casserole (with a lid) over medium heat. Add half of the oil and heat. Once the oil is heated, add the lamb and brown, over medium heat until well browned. Working in batches if necessary.
- Remove the lamb from the casserole and set aside.
- Add the vegetables and the remaining oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, over medium low heat, until they have begun to soften a bit.
- Return the lamb to the pot along with any juices. Season with salt and pepper. Add the sprigs of thyme.
- Pour in the lamb stock.
- Lay the potatoes on top covering and pushing them down a bit into the stock. Dot with butter.
- Cover tightly. Bake in the heated oven for 2 hours, until the meat is beautifully tender and all of the vegetables are cooked, uncovering the casserole for the last fifteen minutes to lightly brown the potatoes.
- Spoon out into heated bowls to serve. Sprinkle with parsley if desired. Crusty bread goes well.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
There is no more comforting a supper on a cold winter's than a traditional cottage pie. I wanted to share this cottage pie recipe with you today that I have downsized from my original recipe for a simple cottage pie which serves 4-6 people. This version is half that size.
This English classic need not be reserved just for the large family. Why should the smaller family suffer for lack of numbers? I am here to say that you can eat just as well when you are only one or two as you can when you are more.
You can make it with either leftover roast beef, as I have here today, or fresh ground beef, which is also the custom in many homes. It is very similar to its close cousin, the Shepherd's Pie.
You may find yourself asking the question, what is the difference between a cottage pie and a shepherd's pie? Great question.
They are very similar casseroles, but in a cottage pie beef is traditionally used as the meat and in a shepherd's pie the meat is usually lamb. You can use either leftover meat from your Sunday roast or fresh meat, depending on what you have in your kitchen.
This is one of the things I like to make whenever I have leftover roast beef in my refrigerator. It makes a great change from making hash or a pot pie, which are my usual go-to's.
You don't even need to have leftover gravy to make it. I tell you how to make a delicious beef sauce without any gravy, By all means, however, do use gravy if you are lucky enough to have some!
Not only is it very easy to make, but it is also incredibly economical. Something we are all aware of these days.
We all want the food we eat to fit within our budgets. That is especially important when you are a smaller family.
You might think that it is much cheaper for two people to eat than it is for four. Simply not true. In fact in many cases it may even cost more, especially if you tend to buy smaller packages of things.
Typically smaller packages cost more than the larger sized versions of the same per ounce/gram. I am not sure why that is.
A good steward of the family budget needs to be able to make wise choices when it comes to the purchase of food. I have found that it is much more budget-savvy to buy the larger sizes, break them down and freeze the excess for a later date.
Being budget-savvy also means making the best use of what you have. Our fore-bearers knew exactly how to do that and dishes like Cottage Pie helped them to do just that.
As I said, you can use either cooked leftover roast in this or fresh hamburger. If you are using fresh minced beef you need to brown it. I find it is easiest to do this when you are sautéing the onions and other aromatics.
An aromatic is a vegetable used in cooking that develop deep and well rounded flavors to a dish when chopped or crushed and then heated and cooked. Aromatics most commonly used tend to be onions, carrots and celery.
Typically these are added at the beginning when you are cooking a dish. This helps them to add as much flavor and aroma as possible.
These are the things which bring others into the kitchen begging and answer to the question, "What's cooking?" These things typically set our tastebuds to tingling in overtime!
For this recipe I have minced leftover cooked roast beef and added it to onions, carrots, swede/rutabaga and celery. This is browned gently in butter, which adds much to the flavors.
Once browned a quantity of flour is added which will thicken the gravy. Make sure you cook it for a few minutes to cook out the flavor of the flour. This is a really important step to take as there is nothing worse than the flavor of raw flour in a sauce.
Once that is done a bit of beef stock is added along with some tomato paste, brown/HP sauce and herbs. You don't need to add the brown sauce, but I find it really adds a special something to the depth of flavor in this gravy.
You can add Worcestershire sauce in its place if that is all you have. It also works beautifully here.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish as well. Not a lot, only a dab. You want just the merest hint of it. Horseradish goes very well with beef.
Meat sauce made, it goes into the bottom of the dish and a layer of vegetables go on top. Typically I use frozen peas and I add them frozen, which not only helps to preserve the color of them somewhat, but also helps to keep them fresher tasting during the longer bake time.
You don't have to use peas. Some people use corn. Some people use both. Some people use a frozen mix of vegetables such as peas, corn, beans, etc. All work well.
The star of the show is the potato thatch which blankets the top of the dish. Creamy, fluffy and delicious, it seals in all the goodness of that rich and meaty base perfectly.
Our typical vision of the ideal English Cottage is one which is covered with a thatched roof of straw. That is why this covering of mashed potatoes is called the "thatch." I love the quaint reasoning behind these English recipes, along with their simplicity.
I like to score a pattern in the thatch which adds to the attractiveness I think. Its not really necessary. You can just pile it on and swirl it, or not. Just make sure it covers the filling all the way to the edges. Typically some of the juices will bubble up through anyways.
I cannot tell a lie, those rich corners where the juices of the gravy bubble through are my favorite bits. I love all of this comfort food casserole really. That rich and meaty filling, the crisp buttery potato thatch, those meaty juiced edges.
Its all pretty good if you ask me! Somehow, no matter what your day has handed you, even the worst day gets tangibly better when a Cottage Pie is on the menu! Today I served it with some coleslaw, but any salad will do, or even a simple slice of buttered brown bread. Enjoy!!
Cottage Pie for Two
Yield: 2
prep time: 15 Mincook time: 45 Mininactive time: 15 Mintotal time: 1 H & 15 M
Simple, delicious, and a family pleasing comfort food. Downsized for two people.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups (200g) leftover roast beef, roughly chopped, or browned ground beef
- 1/2 TBS butter
- 1 small onion, peeled and chopped
- 1/2 stick celery, trimmed and chopped
- 1/2 small carrot, peeled and grated
- a 2-inch cube of swede (rutabaga) peeled and grated
- 1/2 TBS tomato paste ( tomato puree)
- 1/2 TBS plain flour
- 1 tsp brown sauce (HP sauce)
- 3/4 cup (200ml) well flavoured beef stock
- 1/4 tsp summer savoury
- salt and black pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup (50g) frozen peas
For the potato thatch:
- 3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
- warm milk
- a knob of butter
- salt and pepper
- 1 TBS grated cheese (Parmesan or cheddar)
- melted butter to brush (optional
Instructions
- First make the potatoes for the thatch topping.
- Put the potatoes in a pot of lightly salted water and
- bring to the boil. Boil for 10 to 15 minutes until soft. Drain well
- and then return the potatoes to the pan. Shake the pan over the residual heat of the burner to dry them out a bit and then mash the potatoes well until smooth with some warm milk, and a knob of butter. Season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in the cheese. Set aside and keep warm.
- To make the filling, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the
- onion, celery, carrot and sweet. Cook, stirring frequently over medium low heat until softened and the onion is translucent. Stir in the flour. Slowly stir in the beef stock and bring to the boil.
- Cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens. Stir in the tomato puree, brown sauce, and summer savoury. Season to taste with salt and black pepper and then stir in the chopped beef.
- Pour this mixture into the bottom of a buttered 1/2 litre (3 cup) shallow baking dish. Sprinkle the frozen peas over top evenly.
- Spread the mashed potatoes on top tocover. Rough up the potato a bit with a fork. Brush with melted butter.
- Preheat the oven to 200*C/400*F/ gas mark 6. Bake the casserole in the heated oven for 45 minutes until the potatoes are golden brown and the filling is bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes prior to serving. Serve hot with your favourite sides.
notes:
If you are using ground beef brown it in the skillet along with the onion, carrot, celery and swede. Proceed with the remaining recipe as directed.
I sometimes like to add a bit of creamed horseradish to either the topping or the filling depending on how I feel.
This content (written and photography) is the sole property of The English Kitchen. Any reposting or misuse is not permitted. If you are reading this elsewhere, please know that it is stolen content and you may report it to me at: mariealicejoan at aol dot com Thanks so much for visiting. Do come again!
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