Submitted by Rachael, Ancesister @Ancestreats.

During the month of March many Irish Americans reconnect with their family heritage. According to the Ellis Island Foundation, more than 4 million people left Ireland from 1820 to 1920 and headed to the Port of New York. You can visit  The The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation, Inc. ( http://www.ellisisland.org ) for more about the immigrant experiences of those who stopped at the Statue of Liberty on their way to pursuing the American dream.

It is inspiring to learn that the very first passenger to register at the immigration station was a 14-year old Irish girl named Annie Moore. Aboard the S.S. Nevada, in steerage, she made a twelve day journey across the ocean, accompanied by two younger brothers. They arrived in the night of December 31, and were processed on New Year’s Day, which happened also to be Annie’s 15th birthday. A statue of Annie is placed both at her point of departure in Ireland, and at her arrival at Ellis Island.

Irish Stew has been documented as early as the 1800s, not much earlier than Annie Moore’s birthday. The key ingredient: mutton was significant. Local economies in Ireland relied on sheep to provide wool and milk. Only an old or non-viable animal ended up in the cooking pot. This explains why hours of slow boiling were needed to render the meat tender.

When I prepared this recipe for my kids, one effused, “This makes the potatoes taste like they were juiced, and out came butter.”

Now you can get on with your Erin go Bragh and rejoice over some Irish stew.

Irish Stew (4-6 servings)

High Altitude Pressure Cooking directions appear in {brackets}

Ingredients

• 2 TB olive oil or unsalted butter
• 2 medium onions, peeled and chopped
• 2-3 lbs boneless lamb stew meat (1 inch cubes)
• 1 T fresh thyme leaves or 2 tsp dried, crushed
• Salt and ground pepper to taste
• 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 cups chicken stock, or water
• 1/8 cup Worcestershire sauce
• 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes, scrubbed and halved
• 8 medium carrots, scrubbed and sliced diagonally into ½” pieces
• One fistful of pearl barley (approx ¼- ½ cup)
• ¼ to ½ cup heavy cream
• Handful of fresh parsley

Preparation

At sea level, make this in a Dutch oven. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. If you are at high altitude, add 15% cooking time, OR use your 7liter + stovetop pressure cooker and follow the directions in {brackets}.

Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in the Dutch oven {or the pressure cooker}. Add the onions and cook until softened. Add the lamb cubes, thyme, salt and pepper and stir until evenly dispersed. Then add the diced potatoes, stir, and then add the water or stock. Drop in the halved potatoes then pour in the Worcester sauce. Cover tightly and bake in oven for 1 hour.

{In pressure cooker, add carrots and barley and turn heat up. Once boiling, lock the lid in place and reach high pressure: according to your manufacturer’s directions. Keep at high pressure for 35 minutes.}

Remove Dutch oven from the cooking oven, add the carrots, barley and cream, replace lid and return to the oven to bake for 1 hour. Barley should be soft, meat should be fork tender.

{Force the pressure down without waiting for natural release. Open the lid, stir contents and pour in the cream. Stir again. If meat it not fork tender, recover the lid, add pressure and give it another 5-10 minutes.}

Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve with a sprig of chopped parsley as a bright little garnish; or chop up the leaves and scatter over the top.

March is Irish-American Heritage Month.

Regions: Europe and Americas