An Irish stew is wholesome, warming and full of flavour. Jamie Oliver’s take on the wintery recipe contains an extra ode to the Emerald Isle with a generous splash of Guinness.
The meat Jamie uses is very nutritious and several health benefits. On his official website, Jamie said: “The benefit of skirt steak is that it’s leaner than many other cuts of beef, plus it’s high in the mineral zinc, which we need to keep our hair, skin and nails nice and healthy – triple win!”
The recipe serves six people so is perfect for a family dinner at home. Feel free to amend quantities though depending on the size of your party.
According to Jamie, the recipe is “not too tricky” to make, so even budding chefs can take on this cooking task.
However, the dish does require some patience as it takes two and a half hours to put on the table.
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas four.
2. Transfer the pearl barley to a large pan and add plenty of cold water. Leave to soak.
3. Place a large casserole pan on a medium-high heat with one tablespoon of oil and the whole pickled onions. Peel the regular onion and cut it into quarters, then pull the quarters into petals and add them to the pan. Stir often.
4. Wash the carrots and trim the ends off, and wash the celery. Slice both ½cm thick at an angle. Add them to the pan and stir. Add the thyme leaves.
5. Cook and stir for 10 minutes, while you peel the swede and chop it into 3cm chunks, and finely chop the dried porcini. Stir both into the pan, then slice the beef 3cm thick and add that, too.
6. After a few of minutes, carefully pour in the stock and Guinness. Bring to a simmer and cover with a scrunched sheet of wet greaseproof paper, and cook in the oven for 1 hour.
7. Take the paper off, then cook the stew for another hour – the meat should be tender.
8. Drain the pearl barley and cover again with boiling water, then cook according to the packet instructions.
9. Go through the greens and get rid of any tough stalks. The remaining ones, steam in a colander or sieve above the pearl barley for the final 10 minutes.
10. Drain the pearl barley but reserve a little cooking water. Add it back to the pan and then grate over the cheese. Dollop in the English mustard and a little of the reserved water. Mix together well.
11. Season to taste, then plate up. Serve with the mustard pearl barley and the steamed greens. Other complementary sides could be mashed potatoes, a crusty baguette, cornbread or salad.
