Irish Stew?.....No...Give me 'Derry Stew'!

Stew is synonymous with Ireland and when most foreigners think of Irish food, stew is the one dish they seem most familiar with.

Irish Stew is traditionally made from the tougher cuts of lamb that require lengthy cooking but alternative recipes exist all over the country and no two recipes will be the same!

Unique to the north of Ireland though, and particularly to the border areas of Donegal/Derry, stew is made with minced meat, usually beef. 

In the city of Derry where I grew up, stew is made with 'Doherty's special mince'. This minced beef, made under a secret recipe probably going back a hundred years, gives a delightful spiciness to a stew, impossible to replicate so it has to be Doherty's mince!

Stew is the working mans food. Made with the cheapest vegetables you could buy, or grow yourself at home, those being onions, carrots and turnips, the cheapest cuts of meat were used and even then there wouldn't be much meat in it! The stew was cooked long and slow for a couple of hours to tenderize what meat there was, then potatoes would be added to bulk it out.

Stew is still one of the cheapest and indeed one of the easiest and most nutritious meals you could make for a family. It not only contains all the essential food groups of proteins, fats and carbohydrates, it is the ultimate Irish comfort food and in the winter there's nothing like coming in from a chilly walk or an afternoons snowball fight and sitting down to a big bowl of yer mammies stew.......with lashings of brown sauce!

When making this you need to choose beef mince with around 15% fat content, minced beef that is too lean has a habit of falling apart in the pot......or you could use minced pork if you like, I would recommend minced pork shoulder or pork butt.

Traditionally stock was not used in the making of a stew as there was no money for such luxuries, instead water was added, but the long slow cooking involved produces such lovely flavors stock is not really necessary.

For a good pot of 'Derry' mince stew you will need.....to feed 4 people with second helpings!

a non stick frying pan & a deep soup pot or casserole pot

500 g minced beef ( Doherty's mince if you can get it!)

1 table spoon olive oil ...not extra virgin 

1 large white onion

400 g carrot

200 g turnip or swede

150 g celery 

100 g leek

1 clove garlic

1 litre water or beef stock

How to:

• peel and dice the onion and set aside
• clean and peel the carrot and celery and cut into even sized chunks or dice, you can slice the carrots and celery if you like then set these aside
• peel and dice the turnip and set aside
• peel the potatoes, cut into even sized pieces and place in cold water
• roll the minced beef into small meatballs, about two bites per meatball is a good size
• in the frying pan, heat the oil and brown the meatballs on all sides
• add the diced onions and fry for a few moments until the onions begin to brown
• add the carrots and celery and continue to fry browning them a little too
• turn off the heat under your fry pan and add about 1 pint of the water/stock to help get all those tasty brown bits from the bottom....this is called deglazing
• place the turnip in your deep pot and pour the meatballs and vegetables over the top 
• add the remainder of the liquid and give it all a good stir
• grate in the clove of garlic
• cover with a lid and bring to the boil then turn down to a nice simmer
• cook for approx 15 minutes until the vegetables are almost tender but still firm 
  
• drain the potatoes and add to the pot
• continue cooking at a simmer until the potatoes are cooked and beginning to break down into the liquid........if you don't want your potatoes too soft then finish the cooking before they begin to break!
• If you like a bit of gravy in your stew you can add some gravy thickener or gravy granules at the end to thicken an loose liquid......just use your favourite granules by shaking them into the pot and giving it a good stir.

Serve your stew up in big bowls and be careful, stew is famous for scalding the roof of your mouth! it will hold it's heat so be warned.

Some people say stew gives them indigestion, however that depends on the person and the amount of acid in the onions!
It is nice to have a cold glass of milk or buttermilk with your stew if you want to be really traditional, and this can help combat the acidic effect of onions!
It's also delicious served with a big wedge of soda bread straight from the oven......yum....now will you eat the meatballs first or save them till last?
 Ta ocras orm anois!