The Baron's Irish Sussex
Stew
The
de Braose family were Lords of Bramber in Norman times, and owned the
land on which the Adur Brewery now stands. They also had extensive
estates in Ireland, and would no doubt have sampled the local fare when
visiting their Irish manors. So this recipe is based on an authentic
Irish Stew, but has been modified to take advantage of fine Sussex
ingredients - including the stout named after Lord William de Braose.
An authentic Irish Stew uses lamb - from Blockfield Farm if you can get it
(see Local Suppliers) - but some people
may prefer to substitute beef.
Preparation Time: 15-20 minutes Cooking Time: 75-105 minutes
Ingredients:
*1 tablespoon (20ml) rapeseed oil (or olive oil, or 1oz/25g butter)
*1 lb (900g) lamb (or beef)
*1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
*1 carrot, chopped
*1 tablespoon plain flour
*1/2 pint (10 fl oz/275 ml) stock (you can use beef or vegetable stock as you prefer. We found some bouquet garni stock cubes. If you use similar stock cubes with herbs you can omit the bouquet garni from the ingredients)
2 tablespoons (40ml) tomato puree
*1 tablespoon (20ml) honey (for a medieval sweetener - or you could use 1/2 tbsp sugar)
*1 potato cut into cubes
*1 bottle (500ml) of Black William stout
1 bouquet garni (you can make your own by tying a sprig of thyme and one of parsley with a bayleaf in a small muslin bag - or skip this step by using the appropriate stock - see note on stock)
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 tablespoon (20ml) soy sauce (optional)
* To make enough for four servings just double the quantities where the symbol * appears next to them.
Method:
Bone the meat and cut off any skin or excess fat, then cut it into cubes. Put the oil (or butter) in a deep heavy pan and fry the lamb (or beef) in it until browned on all sides – you may have to do this in two or three batches so as not to overload the pan. Take the meat out of the pan, put in the onion and carrots, and cook until slightly softened.
Return all the meat to the pan, add the flour, and stir in the stock, tomato puree and honey. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Add the potato, Black William stout, bouquet garni if required, and salt and pepper to taste. (You may find there is enough salt in the stock, and soy if using. We only added pepper.)
Bring to the boil, then simmer over a low heat for about 90 minutes or until the meat is tender. Add a few drops of soy (if liked) toward the end of the cooking time.
Serve in bowls with some crusty bread - and a glass of the baron's stout!