Hello Reader,
How are you today? I hope you’ve enjoyed your week since I last wrote here.
I’ve been busy with work and trying to cope with all the pollen in the air. Everywhere I look, I see yellow wattle flowers. I’ve been sneezing and coughing, and my throat has felt irritated.
I’ve also been listening to audiobooks in my spare time, especially when out walking. I’ve been listening to some J. K. Rowling and Lee Child books. I read the hard copy Harry Potter books soon after they were released. Listening to them read by Stephen Fry has been enjoyable. Lee Child’s series about Jack Reacher has provided some escapist relief.
The other week I watched the movie adaptation of The Guns of Navarone, written by Alistair MacLean. I downloaded the audiobook and listened to it to understand how the movie adaptation varied from the book. The book and movie are very different. I prefer the book.
Tonight, I’m cooking an Irish stew. I’m not sure if there is an authentic approach to an Irish stew. As far as I know, it needs root vegetables and lamb or mutton. It’s an excellent way to avoid wasting some vegetables in the refrigerator.
Recipe
Equipment
- Skillet
- Pressure cooker
- Saucepan
Ingredients
- Lamb forequarter chops
- Potato
- Carrot
- Onion
- Celery
- Daikon
- Parsley
- Spring onions
- Fennel
- Wombok
- Plain flour
- Butter
- Worcestershire sauce[1-3]
- Vegetable stock
- Red wine
Instructions
Stew
- Caramelise the lamb in a hot skillet and set aside while cutting the vegetables.
- Cut the potato, carrot, onion, celery, daikon, fennel, and Wombok into chunks. Tear apart the parsley and spring onions.
- Pour the vegetable stock, red wine, and Worcestershire sauce into the pressure cooker.
- Add the vegetables and then the lamb.
- Cook under pressure for 45 minutes.
- Strain the solids with a colander and pour the eluted cooking liquor into a jug.
- Make a roux with the flour and butter. Slowly add the cooking liquor and make gravy.
- Season the gravy with salt and pepper to your liking.
Plating up
- Spoon into a large bowl some of the meat and vegetables.
- Ladle over the meat and vegetables the gravy.
- Thanks to the Lord for the food, wages to buy food, and the skills to cook the food.
- Eat with a fork and spoon.
Thoughts on the meal
I wasn’t quite sure what to cook today. When I got to the supermarket and saw the lamb forequarter chops, the idea of a stew started to form in my mind.
At one stage, I considered using a stick blender, processing the vegetables, and making soup. Having some chunky appealed more to me tonight.
This is a functional meal; it was filling and tasted good.
Final thoughts
- Do you like Irish stew?
- What books have you recently read/listened to?
- If a movie is made from a book, do you usually prefer the movie or the book?
Photographs
This is a gallery of pictures.
This photo is my lunch. I mixed some celery, spring onions, tomato, and red onion with cheese and had it with corn chips.
References
1. Murphy, K.J., Worcestershire sauce and the kidney. Med J Aust, 1971. 1(21): p. 1119-21.
2. Murphy, K.J., Bilateral renal calculi and aminoaciduria after excessive intake of Worcestershire sauce.Lancet, 1967. 2(7512): p. 401-3.
3. Holmes, G., Worcestershire sauce and the kidneys. Br Med J, 1971. 3(5768): p. 252.
Good amounts of vegetables in there Gary. I do love the Wattle but very much feel for people like you with allergies.
I don’t think I’ve ever had Irish stew. I do love lamb, and veg, so it sounds good.
Thanks, Jeff. If you try it, let me know what you think.
Gary this stew looks perfect! We’ve been having some chilly weather and I would very much like a bowl of this. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten Irish stew which seems crazy. I always prefer the book to the movie!
Thanks, Lorraine. What made a difference was straining the cooking liquor and then thickening it into a gravy with roux. At added a really nice texture.
Your stew is scrumptious looking!!!! Cannot wait for it to get chilly so they can be made again. Stew in triple digits is too much heat. Books, books, books!!!!!! Finally got the original Chitty Chitty Bang Bang audio book. We’ve had it on cassette and the replacement one accidentally ordered was a BBC abridged broadcast. Finally got the right one. :o) Have always been partial to books over a movie and audio books are more fun for car rides than anywhere else. The Potter books are read VERY well by Fry. Some readers aren’t quite as good as others. It is a good idea to research and listen, if you can, to a reader before snagging the audio book. And then making the choice for yourself, reviews can be a bit more one sided than useful! Like the one the movie Ford vs Farrari is based on. The book is more technical and less dramatic (imagine watching race cars is more interesting than reading a race!), but my automotive inclined spouse liked them both a great deal. Although, he said, which surprised the heck out of me, that the book was a bit better. Did get an audio book for me written by Wodehouse. He just cracks me up in regular book, so thought I’d try audio! (had to get the book when the audible subscription was started. Don’t really use it, so may cancel.)
Hi Kris, this is very good advice. I rarely listen to the sample audio. I enjoyed the Ford vs Ferrari movie. I didn’t think to check for an audio book. Now I must listen 😊
Corn chips look good Gary. I love them with beans and avocado I must say.
Thanks, Sue. Do you enjoy them with vegan cheese too? Does vegan cheese melt like regular dairy cheese?
I do like Irish stew! I haven’t had it in a while, and your version looks great. Right now, I’m reading a novella in the horror genre, and it’s pretty good. When movies are made from books, I often like the book better.
I’m finding audiobooks the perfect medium to assess a movie and book.
Very appealing. I bet it tasted wonderful. 😋🌿
The leftover stew had taken on extra flavour. It was delicious.
That is the best thing about leftovers. The flavor intensifies. 👏
I like Irish Stew. One of my recipe books included a small amount of cut chilli pepper and it really improved the dish, just gave it a bit of oomph. Dave and I are off to see “See how they run” in the Cinema today.
I hope you enjoy the movie. I’m not sure if it’s been released in Australia yet.
Chilli can add a wonderful hit of heat. 😊