Hot Comfort Food...Irish Stew...

It is so flippin cold outside at the moment, that Canadians are digging out all the recipes for hot dishes that will burn your tongue but warm your heart and thaw out the rest of you. My  husband and two of my grandkids walked into the house today covered in snow and blue around the lips. They looked like they had been frosted. So I pulled out this old stand-by. It is a very basic recipe and can be tweaked and added to as much as you like. I always add peas in the last ten minutes. They taste good with lamb.
It's a traditional and much used Irish dish. No two recipes are ever the same. It usually tastes better next day. When re-heating you may have to add more water and low heat as it may stick.

Ingredients Switch to metric

• 17.65 oz lamb (cubed)
• 8 potatoes (cut into pieces)
• 2 carrots (roughly chopped)
• 2 parsnips (roughly chopped)
• 1 large leek (roughly sliced)
• 2 onions (chopped)
• oil (for browning)
• Worcestershire sauce
• chicken broth
• mixed herbs ( like rosemary and thyme) 
• 1 pinch of salt ( I use two pinches) 
• 1 pinch of pepper
• water
• a bit of fresh mint to tear into tiny pieces to garnish    

Method

1. Brown Lamb and add onions in a large pot Stir around and add leeks leave a few mins and add about 1/2 pint water and 1 stock cube, herbs and Worcester sauce. Leave to simmer until lamb is tender.
2. Add more water as desired.
3. In another pot boil up potatoes carrot and parsnip. Leave in water until lamb is cooked.
4. When lamb is tender add cooked potatoes etc, with water Stir all around and keep heat low. The potatoes should go mushy now
5. Taste and add more stock as desired. Season to taste
6. Turn heat off and leave to absorb flavor

I always make biscuits to go with the stew because my family are dunkers and love to sop up the stew. A nice hot bowl of stew, warm slippers and a big hug and I will have these boys purring. They may even offer to do the dishes. Enjoy.