The Irish expression for “welcome”, céad mile fáilte, translates as “a hundred thousand welcomes”, and as anyone who has visited the island will testify, the vast majority of those hundred thousand will involve offers of something to eat – whether you're actually hungry is beside the point.
Sharing a meal in Ireland is as much about the enjoyment of people as it is the actual food, says James Kelly, head chef of The Terrace on Holland Street, in Kensington, whose grandmother was from Kilkenny. “The Irish tradition of cooking to me has always been about the family and being part of your community; eating, drinking, socialising together, talking about a myriad things,” he says. “My granny was a great cook. She lived for it, and used to make her treacle soda bread - which I now make in the restaurant - for the whole community.”
The root of good Irish recipes is simplicity, James says. “Having worked on the west coast of Ireland, I was blown away by the quality of the fresh produce available. There is always excellent fish, shellfish, organic vegetables and grass-fed beef and lamb. When working with this superb seasonal produce the key is to let the ingredients speak for themselves.”
James’s grandmother’s stew recipe does just that, and is the ultimate comfort meal for St Patrick’s Day, on Monday. The drop scones, or “boxty”, are perfect with the stew, “or served on their own as an afternoon treat with lashings of butter and a cup of strong tea.”
theterraceonhollandstreet.co.uk
A traditional Irish stew
This is very easy to make and has an amazing flavour. The one item of equipment you need is a good 2ltr casserole dish – a traditional cast iron one is perfect. This recipe is for four to six people.
1kg neck of lamb in chunks
2 white onions sliced
6 carrots roughly chopped
100g pearl barley
6 whole potatoes peeled (medium size)
Fresh thyme (1tsp)
A glass of red wine
1l of lamb stock
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Parsley for garnish (1tbsp)
Spring onions for garnish (2tbsps)
50g of butter with a little extra melted to brush the potatoes
Preheat oven to 300F/150C/Gas 2.
Season the lamb pieces with salt and pepper.
On a hob, melt some butter in an ovenproof casserole and brown off the lamb pieces in it.
Once nicely brown, set the lamb pieces aside; then in the same dish sweat the vegetables until tender (about five minutes) and add a pinch of salt.
Once the vegetables are tender add the lamb back into the casserole and then add the glass of red wine to deglaze the pan. Take care to add the wine on a low heat so that you don’t set the alcohol alight.
Add the stock, the pearl barley and the thyme to the casserole. Top this off with the peeled potatoes.
Once the potatoes are in place brush them with the melted butter.
Once the mixture is gently bubbling away, place the lid on the casserole and put it in the oven and cook the dish for 1.5 to 2 hours. For the second 45 mins/hour leave the lid off. The dish is ready when the meat is tender and falls away from a fork when prodded.
Finish the dish by chopping the parsley and spring onions and placing them on top before serving.
Potato drop scones
These tasty potato scones go perfectly with the Irish stew. This recipe makes about 20.
200g of raw grated potato
200g of cooked mashed potato
200g of plain flour
1 egg, beaten
500ml milk
Salt and pepper to season
Nutmeg
50g of butter for the pan and a little extra melted
Grate the raw potato and squeeze any excess liquid out by squeezing them in a clean kitchen tea towel.
In a bowl, mix the grated potato, the mashed potato, the flour and the egg. Gradually add the milk to this mixture until you have a smooth, thick batter.
Season the batter with salt, pepper and grated nutmeg.
Melt some butter in a non-stick frying pan. Using a ladle,drop some batter into thepan, enough to make a scone the size of a small saucer, and cook for three to five minutes on each side, until a nice golden colour.
As you go along, remove each scone to a plate and place in the bottom of a warmed oven to keep them hotwhile you cook the others.
Once ready, just brush the scones with a little butter before serving
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