Lea Hogg

St Patrick’s day has become very big on the island. When I first arrived here a couple of years ago, I remember my surprise one sunny day in March driving down the coast road during St Patrick’s weekend. I could not get over the crowds, different shades of green gathered for an evening of joviality. As the hype soared the traffic came to a standstill and I sat in my car absorbing the electric atmopshere, the anticipation, the excitement brought on by the sense of expectancy.

So is St Patrick’s big here because of the Catholic connection or is it simply an excuse for more merriment ? I somehow feel that the current Ambassador of Ireland and Mrs Hennessy promote Ireland exceptionally well and as the highlight of the Irish year approaches, I share my pieces with you about Irish food. The Ambassador and Mrs Hennessy are donating a generous hamper to my readers for liking and sharing the Embassy’s Facebook page.

And with pleasure, I have been doing a fair bit of traditional cooking to mark this day so special in the Irish Calendar.

After all every celebration, irrelevant of culture, revolves around food and for me it is food that makes my world go round !!

I spent Saturday with a team I work so well with. They come as a package, a small team made up of Charles the Manager, Carl the chef and Adriana and Nadia, my two very best girls EVAAAA ! …a pleasure to be with.

I will go straight into Carl’s recipe for a delicious Irish stew and I will tell you more about our assignment in the next few days to come.

You will need :

800g lamb shoulder cut into cubes
150g onions
150g leeks
150g parsnips
150g celeriac
Finely chopped parsley for garnish
2 large cans Guinness ( ours were 440ml each)
500ml stock, your preference
Rosemary
100g butter
100g flour
400g potatoes
Some oil for frying

Brown the chopped lamb in some oil

Take the lamb out of the pot and keep aside

Chop the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables in the same oil.

When they are cooking heat up the stock. Lift them out of the pan and keep aside.

Then make a roux in the same pan where you cooked the lamb and vegetables by adding some butter and mixing in the flour.

Add the stock little by little and then the meat, vegetables and potatoes. Bring to a boil, season and simmer for 45 minutes.

You should end up with soft potatoes soaking in a full bodied stew of vegetables and lamb that melts in your mouth.

And her are some more recipes with this lovely team and more