Featured Recipe: Scots Irish Stew

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This recipe for Scots Irish Stew is from The Irish Inn in Ozark, IL.

Prep time: 3 hours
Serves: 8

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs stew beef or lamb cut into one inch cubes
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 head garlic (mince all the cloves in the head)
• 2 2/3 large onions, chopped
• 6 cups beef stock
• 1 cup dark ale
• 1 cup tomato paste
• 2 large tomatoes, chopped
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 2 bay leaves, crumpled
• 1 teaspoon basil
• 1 tablespoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce
• 3 1/2 lb red potatoes
• 1/2 stick butter
• 3 cups peeled carrots, cut in medallions
• 1 medium piece cinnamon bark (can be ground, or left whole and removed after cooking)
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch or two of pepper
• Parsley leaves and coriander for garnish

Steps:

1. Heat olive oil in very large pot over medium heat. Sauté meat until brown, then add garlic and onion. Continue to move the meat in the pot with the garlic and onion over heat for another 7 minutes, then sprinkle with sugar.
2. Add beef stock, ale, tomato paste, tomatoes, spices, and Worcestershire or soy sauce, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, and simmer for another two hours, stirring every 15-20 minutes.
3. In a deep skillet sauté the potatoes and carrots in butter or olive oil, whichever you prefer. Add to the stew pot after it has simmered for two hours.
4. Add the cinnamon bark or stick and simmer on lowest heat for another 40 minutes. Remove the bark and bay leaves. Garnish with parsley, coriander, or a combination of both.
5. Serve this Scots Irish stew with garlic bread, crusty Italian bread with creamery butter, or traditional Irish soda bread.

By Emily Starbuck Crone