Food testing

Vegatarian Irish Stew?

Has the world gone mad? We were making a traditional Irish Stew, Brown Butter Irish Soda bread and got some nice Irish Cheddar. Then we came across the interesting challenge. My dear brother and his friends don't eat red meat! And they were staying at my house! What do you do in that situation? Concentrate on your vegetables. And have a secret ingredient.

I like to use a pressure cooker when I am making stew the same day that I am eating it. It makes everything nice and falling apart, as all good stews should be like. My first step was to prep all the veggies. I had 5 lbs of potatoes. I used three different potatoes because that is what I had: Russets, red and yukon gold. I chopped up one onion and one half leek. I thinly sliced 4 garlic cloves using a truffle slicer. (Remember that scene from Goodfellas where they are all in prison so they had extra time to use a razor blade to slice the garlic? yeah, I got a truffle slicer.) Grab a two pound bag of baby carrots (or slice them your self) and a few pub style cans of Stout. My secret ingredient was a pinch of black salt. I used it because I was looking to add a bit umami flavor to the stew, as there was no meat in it. I guess someone could use mushrooms, but I don't use them, so I didn't know how to sub them for meat.

Putting it all together.

In the bottom of the pressure cooker, put two tablespoons of butter and a little oil. When the butter is melted, add the garlic. Watch the garlic carefully, because the thin pieces will burn if you are not careful. After the garlic becomes golden, add the onion and saute. Add the pinch of black salt here. After the onions soften, add the potatoes, carrots, and leeks. Then add the Stout. Add enough so the veggies are just covered with the stout. Bring to a simmer. Then follow the directions on your pressure cooker. I claim no responsibility for you and your pressure cooker. Pressure cook for about half an hour. We start the time after the pressure indicator is going. After the time is up, safely de pressurize and enjoy!

posted by watterflower @ 8:41 AM