Novel Baking: Irish Stew with Soda Bread

Irish Beef Stew with Irish Whiskey Soda Bread! A delicious stick-to-your-ribs Irish Stew and soda bread recipe with currants and caraway seed soaked in Irish Whiskey. Perfect for St. Patrick’s Day or cold weather comfort food!

I’m joining The Novel Bakers with

Home Made Winter.

(County Kerry, Ireland, photo by Oof Verschuren, Home Made Winter)

Yvette van Bovan’s Home Made Winter is full of comforting winter food, including inspiration from Ireland where she spent her childhood.

Irish Stew with Soda Bread sounded like the perfect recipe with our unusually cold winter weather. . .hearty, comforting and a celebration in a bowl in advance of St. Patrick’s Day!

Yvette von Boven’s recipe for Irish Stew calls for lamb. I substituted beef, using a 1 1/2 pound chuck roast. I also added some additional parsnips and carrots in place of the rutabaga in the recipe. This is a delicious stick-to-your-ribs Irish Stew!

Irish Beef Stew, adapted from Homemade Winter

2 – 3 tablespoons olive oil

1 1/2 pound chuck roast, cut into 1” pieces

1 large onion, diced

1- 2 tablespoons tomato paste (my addition for depth of flavor with the beef)

3 ribs celery, chopped

2 leeks, white and light green parts, washed well and sliced into rounds

3 parsnips, peeled and cubed

3 carrots, peeled and cubed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

6 – 8 cups low sodium beef stock or a combination of beef & chicken stock

fresh thyme sprigs

2 bay leaves

2 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I used the equivalent of baby Yukon golds quartered or cut in thirds depending on size, no peeling required)

½ cup barley

1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Add olive oil to a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add beef in batches to pot in one layer, without overcrowding. Brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Add additional oil if needed to the pan, then add the onion, celery, leeks, parsnip, carrots, and saute for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Add the beef back to the pot and enough broth to cover everything generously, then add the thyme and bay leaves.

Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover, simmering for an hour, or until the beef is tender. The cooking time will depend on the quality of the meat.

Add the potatoes and the barley, cook 30 minutes or until tender. Sprinkle the stew generously with parsley and serve with a nice piece of soda bread. It tastes even better the next day.

Print Recipe

Irish Beef Stew

 Cold weather comfort food and a delicious stick-to-your-ribs Irish Beef Stew, perfect for St. Patrick’s Day!

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time1 hour hr 53 minutes mins

Course: Main Course, Soup, Stew

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: barley, beef stew, potatoes, St. Patrick's Day

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pound chuck roast trimmed of any fat and cut into 1” pieces
• 1 large onion diced
• 1- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 ribs celery chopped
• 2 leeks white and light green parts, washed well and sliced into rounds
• 3 parsnips peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots peeled and cubed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 6 – 8 cups low sodium beef stock or a combination of beef & chicken stock
• fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 potatoes peeled and cubed
• ½ cup barley
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

• 2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 1/2 pound chuck roast, trimmed of any fat and cut into 1” pieces
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 ribs celery, chopped
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts, washed well and sliced into rounds
• 3 parsnips, peeled and cubed
• 3 carrots, peeled and cubed
• salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 6 – 8 cups low sodium beef stock (or a combination of beef & chicken stock)
• fresh thyme sprigs
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 potatoes, peeled and cubed
• ½ cup barley
• 1 small bunch fresh parsley, chopped
• Directions
• Add olive oil to a large dutch oven over medium-high heat.
• Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add beef in batches to pot in one layer, without overcrowding. Brown on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove beef from pot and transfer to a plate.
• Add additional oil if needed to the pan, then add the onion, celery, leeks, parsnip, carrots, and sauté for about 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the beef back to the pot and enough broth to cover everything generously, then add the thyme and bay leaves.
• Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and cover, simmering for an hour, or until the beef is tender. The cooking time will depend on the quality of the meat.
• Add the potatoes and the barley, cook 30 minutes or until tender.
• Sprinkle the stew generously with parsley and serve with a nice piece of soda bread. It tastes even better the next day.

Notes

Substitute the equivalent amount of baby Yukon Gold potatoes, quartered or cut in thirds depending on size, no peeling required.

Sink your teeth in Irish Whiskey Soda Bread!

Home Made Winter’s recipe called for 8 cups of flour, but I only had a little over 4 cups after round two of my Cardamom Pear Cake. I loved the addition of raisins/currants and caraway seed soaked in Irish whiskey in the soda bread so I looked for another recipe I could adapt with Home Made Winter flavor.

Irish Whiskey Soda Bread,

adapted from Allrecipes & Home Made Winter

Ingredients

1 cup raisins or currants

1 1 /2 teaspoon caraway seed

4 tablespoon Irish whiskey

4 cups all-purpose flour

4 tablespoons white sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup butter, softened

1 cup buttermilk

1 egg

1/4 cup butter, melted (or less)

1/4 cup buttermilk

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment. Mix the raisins/currants with the caraway seeds and whiskey and let soak for 15 minutes.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Work in butter until it resembles coarse meal. Spoon the raisin-whiskey mixture through the flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.

Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet. In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.

Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes. Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

Print Recipe

Irish Whiskey Soda Bread

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with Irish Whiskey Soda Bread. Currants and caraway seed are soaked in Irish Whiskey for a soda bread you’ll want to sink your teeth into.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Course: bread

Cuisine: Irish

Keyword: caraway seed, currants, Irish Whiskey, soda bread, St. Patrick's Day

Servings: 1 loaf

Ingredients

• 1 cup raisins or currants
• 1 1 /2 teaspoon caraway seed
• 4 tablespoon Irish whiskey
• 4 cups all-purpose flour
• 4 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup butter melted (or less)
• 1/4 cup buttermilk

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet or line with parchment.
• Mix the raisins/currants with the caraway seeds and whiskey and let soak for 15 minutes.
• In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt. Work in butter until it resembles coarse meal.
• Spoon the raisin-whiskey mixture through the flour mixture. Stir in 1 cup of buttermilk and egg.
• Turn dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form dough into a round and place on prepared baking sheet.
• In a small bowl, combine melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk; brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an ‘X’ into the top of the loaf.
• Bake in preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
• Check for doneness after 30 minutes. You may continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.

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