Traditional Irish Stew With Pearl Barley
I got this recipe off from my friend's mum when we were in ireland last year for our summer holidays. It is different from the other recipes i have found here with the addition of pearl barley. The original recipe states to add in the meat and the vegetables all in at once but i find that the veggies get a bit mushy with the long cooking time, so i add in the vegetables during the last hour. So, you could do it either way! I usually serve it with irish soda bread. Here is ms happy farmer's recipe #228509 which we truly enjoyed!!
Steps
Start off by trimming and cutting away excess fat off the meat.
Pat the pieces dry and in a bowl toss them with flour.
In a heavy-based saucepan , over high heat , heat 2 tbsp olive oil and brown the meat pieces in small batches and then remove and set aside in a bowl.
In the same saucepan , over medium heat add in the rest of the olive oil and add in the chopped onions , garlic and bay leaves and saute till translucent , takes about 10 minutes.
Return the browned meat pieces to the pot and add in the dried thyme and give it all a good stir.
Sprinkle pearl barley on top and pour in all of the stock and season with salt and pepper.
Increase the heat and bring it to a simmering point.
Spoon off any scum that rises to the surface , then cover the pan with a well-fitting lid and leave to simmer over a low heat for an hour , stirring occasionally.
After the hour is up , spoon off scum if any and then add in the potatoes and carrots and give all a good stir and leave it cook for an.
Ingredients
lamb chops, plain flour, olive oil, onions, carrots, potatoes, pearl barley, bay leaves, dried thyme, beef stock, fresh parsley