Did you know that the original St. Patrick’s Day celebrations were feast days? For Catholics, St. Patrick’s Day provides a break during lent to eat meat and that’s why Corned Beef and Irish Stew with Beef have become such popular dishes on the holiday. While corned beef is probably the most commonly thought of Irish meal, the plant-based meals I ate in Ireland had a major impact on my plant-based eating journey.
I visited in December, and due to the winter season and that I didn’t know much about Irish cuisine, I didn’t expect to find many vegan or even vegetarian options. I was new to experimenting with plant-based eating and traveling was still challenging when it came to finding vegan options. More than any other country I visited during this particular trip, Ireland’s plant-based options exceeded all my expectations. The unique salads, the farm-to-table food, even the take-away had many more plant-based ingredients and menu items than I expected. My absolute favorite thing to eat in Ireland was hearty vegetable stew.
I recreated the stew and it seems fitting that I share it in March. The recipe calls for Guinness, which is a stout and my personal favorite type of beer. Stouts are kind of like red wine. They have a good amount of antioxidants in them, so it may be beneficial to your health to indulge in one now and then. The flavor of the beer does come through slightly in this stew, so if you’re not a beer fan the stew may come across a little bitter. If you expect this, I recommend adding the optional maple syrup to help balance that flavor.
Yield: 6 servings
Cooking time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
2 tsp olive oil
1 whole yellow onion, peeled and finely diced
3 stalks celery, thick ends removed and chopped
2 tsp salt, plus more to taste
2 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
2 tsp pepper
2 tsp thyme
2 tsp fresh rosemary (or 1 and ½ tsp dried rosemary), leaves removed from the stem and chopped
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds and half moons (I like a combination of both)
2 cups red skinned, purple or fingerling potatoes, skin on and cut into ½ inch pieces
6 oz tomato paste
2 cups mushroom broth or vegetable broth if you cannot find mushroom broth
15 oz Guinness beer. You can substitute for another stout beer, including a GF stout, if desired.
8-10 cremini or button mushrooms (see note below about the difference, if you’re interested*)
¼ cup cornstarch
½ cup warm water
¼-½ cup maple syrup, optional based on your flavor preference. See note above regarding the flavor of the beer in the stew.
Your favorite bread. Optional to serve on the side.
Preparation
Step 1: Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the olive oil and let heat. Add the diced onion, celery and a generous pinch of salt and cook for 3 minutes. Add the garlic, remaining salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary. Stir and let cook for 2 minutes. Add more oil if the mixture starts to stick. Add the carrots, potatoes and tomato paste and cook for 5-7 minutes.
Step 2: Add the mushroom broth, beer and mushrooms. Bring the broth to a boil, turn to low, cover and let simmer for 30 minutes until the vegetables are fork tender.
Step 3: Combine the cornstarch and warm water in a small bowl and stir until the cornstarch dissolves. Slowly pour the mixture into the stew, stirring as you pour. The broth should start to thicken. Taste the stew and add more salt one pinch at a time and maple syrup (to sweeten the soup if you prefer it sweeter) based on your taste preferences.
Serve with your favorite sliced bread.
The stew makes for great leftovers. It keeps well in the refrigerator for up to 5 days and the freezer for up to 3 months.
*Cremini and button mushrooms are essentially the same. The cremini mushrooms are just slightly more mature, which is why they have a more developed and darker color. You can typically use them interchangeably.
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