People Korps's Recession Rations Recipe No. 1 Authentic Irish Stew

The people at TOK have kindly given me a food column the first recipe is below...more at
People Korps's Recession Rations


Recipe No. 1
Authentic Irish Stew


There are many different alleged “authentic” Irish Stews.


Visitors to Dublin’s puke strewn Temple Bar area will find a famous restaurant that often serves a version which is beef based. Nein, this is wrong...

Irish stew is a mutton or lamb dish. It is a cheaply made meal that utilises the cheapest cut of the lamb or sheep, the neck. White pepper and pearl barley are essential ingredients.

The neck of lamb or sheep is fatty and bony and these two combine to give real Irish stew its flavour.

Hint: Neck of lamb is available at all good butchers. Ask in a few butchers what the price is as butchers are great scam artists and will smell a Jamie Oliver wannabe a mile off and charge accordingly!!!
Supermarkets do sell cheap fatty cuts of lamb and these may be substituted where the need arises. However , neck is best.

Hint 2: The longer you cook it the first day the better eg 3-4 hours but slowly and do not let bottom burn (too much ).

Hint 3 Bayleaves may be sourced fresh and free outside may stores/cafe/ resturants in towns and cities growing as decoration in pots outside. Those inclined might harvest a few a clump of leaves as they pass.
They may also be found in front hedgegrows of well established subrban gardens. Wash well before use.

The philosophy behind this stew is that it could be kept going for days and added to. As the barley solidifies and the potatoes disintegrate more may be added with water and further seasoning on successive days. Having perfected the basic methods other ingredients may be included such as celery and leaks. You may find that the barley and potatoes absorb all the moisture after a day or two, just add some cold water and reheat gently. It tastes better day three. If neck of lamb is cheap buy loads and keep stew on the go for days.

Ingredients
1 kg neck of lamb or mutton
2-3 onions
3 good sized carrots
3 peeled potatoes (for first cooking add more as needed see cooking instructions below)Note add more if you want a thicker stew , water may be added later.
A few celery stalks
Pearl barley
Drop of olive oil/butter or dripping
Boiling water
Seasoning
Salt
White pepper
Ground black pepper
Fresh parsley
Bay leaves

Implements
One very large saucepan that can accommodate 3 litres of liquid.
chopping board,
chopping knife.

Optional: vegetable peeler as knife can do same task.

Method
Halve the onions and crop into medium sized slices
Heat pan and add the olive oil/or/butter /or/or dripping,
Add onions and bronze, add neck of lamb and braise.

When meat is lightly browned add 2 litres of boiling water from kettle.
Add chopped carrots, celery add 3 large peeled and halved potatoes

Add bay leaves, chopped parsley, 2 teaspoons of finely ground white pepper, several twists of black pepper from a mill, one teaspoon full of salt and 50 g of barley.

Bring to the boil and boil vigorously for ten minutes, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and then slow simmer for at least one and a half hours. Stir every twenty minutes making sure that the potatoes and the barley don’t stick to the bottom. If there is sticking stir it off and mix with stew.

At this point you turn the stew off and leave rest for the night (recommended) the following day remove fat that has crusted on the surface, add more water , pepper if necessary, add 3 more peeled halved potatoes and 50 g. of barley. The barley and potatoes from the earlier cooking should have dissolved to create the thick stock.

Cook for one further hour, stirring occasionally.

Serve in deep plates with fresh parsley garnish.

Irish stew can be cooked in volume and frozen.

All quantities can be expanded or reduced depending on number of servings. The number of potatoes added at the last re.heating should reflect the number eating. Serve stew when the potatoes are cooked and the second addition of pearl barley is firm. Add further sessioning ie white pepper and salt, as required before serving.

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At Home with People Korps

People Korps often adds the barley at different points to ensure textured barley at the end. Potatoes of the first cooking must disolve if you need to serve on the same day add potatoes again one hour before serving!!!