Irish Lamb Stew

A classic stew that is sure to warm the soul on some of those long chillies of days. This Lamb Stew hails from Ireland and dates back to the early 1800 century and has become very popular dish Worldwide.

The Irish know that this type of stew always tastes much better the next day. So that is why I make a large batch so that me and my partner can enjoy it over a few days.

Allot of recipe you will find for this stew will call for flour, I prefer not to add that since the potatoes thicken the liquid up very nice, leaving enough juice to mash them in.

If you prefer a thicker stock, simply go ahead and mix 3 tbsp of flour into the beef stock before adding to the pot.

I grew up eating Irish Stew though my family is not Irish. It was always served on the table around the St.Patrick’s day holiday.

I did not ask my mom for her recipe, because I pretty much remember how it’s made and have been enjoying it myself over the years.

The key to making the best Irish Lamb Stew is simmering in for at least 2 hours on a Low -MEDIUM heat on the stovetop or for 8- 10 hours in the slow cooker. 

This really makes the stew so tender and helps to merge the flavors all together to create the most flavorful meal.

Also you don’t want to use oil you want real butter and not a whole lot, 2 tbsps will do.  Along with fresh thyme and rosemary really help to kick it up a notch.

Oh and also use beef stock instead of chicken it just tastes that much more better in the end.

Lamb Stew always tastes richer and better the next day. So whenever, I make it I will make a large batch and eat it over 3 days = sharing of course.

Also for this recipe I used bone in cubed lamb because that is what I found this week at the grocery. However, it’s best to use cubed lamb without bones if you can find.

Now let me ask you, have you ever had Irish stew? Was it as good as this one? I would love to hear what you have to say in the comments below.

Notes: This stew can keep in the fridge in a airtight container to up to 3 days. If you are cooking this in the slow cooker then add 1 cup less of beef stock or add 3 tbsp of flour to thicken it up. Otherwise cooking it on the stovetop with the lid off the last 30 minutes will reduce the stock.


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Beef Borscht

This Homemade Beef Borscht is simmered in a healthy beef bone broth and is packed full of flavor. 

HOW TO MAKE BORSCHT SOUP

Borscht can be made several different ways, so it all comes down to personal preferences. But one thing is for certain, you want to use beets. Fresh is always best, however pre frozen can work too. 

Example: Borscht Soup can be made vegetarian or not. Also it can have cabbage, red beans and potatoes in it or not.

  • Can be made VEGETARIAN, and the cabbage and beets can be shredded as with my original recipes > Ukrainian Borscht
  • Can also be made with sausage, chopped potatoes and kidney beans, see that recipe here >
  • Can be made with LARGE sliced Beets, see that recipe here > Creamy Beet Soup

And of course with it can be made with beef. As you will discover in this recipe here!! 

Feel free to make a bone broth as the base for this soup, or simply use some pre made beef stock. 

Typical bone broths take hours to prepare, however with this recipe we are skipping that and doing the long stovetop simmering part in the pressure cooker. So a quick version of bone broth!

Unless you would prefer to simmer the stock on the stovetop for 4 hours, which is another option. With the pressure cooker you can have the stock done in under 15 minutes, so i’ll leave the first and important step up to you.

Or you can be real lazy here and use a good quality pre made beef stock. This all depends on the time you have and what you prefer for your homemade borscht. 

To make this soup that faster way, you will want to have a pressure cooker and at the very minimum a food processor, which will saves you a ton of time.

Otherwise you can use a grater to get the job done as well, but be prepared to put some extra work into it.

I much prefer using the food processor as I’m able to shred most of my vegetables up very finely as opposed to chunky. After all this is a soup not a stew, right? If your looking for a more chunkier borscht soup, you can have that as well. 

After all it is all about preference.

With the beef if your using “stewing beef”, simply cut it up small enough to fit in a spoon. Sunflower oil is traditionally used also, so if you have some on hand I recommend using it.

Serve alongside some crusty bread and  a dollop of sour cream and some dill and you will be in borscht heaven!

BORSCHT HOW TO SERVE

Serve alongside some crusty bread and  a dollop of sour cream if  desired! Fresh dill also goes very well in the soup or on top of each bowl served. 

WHO INVENTED BORSCHT 

Some people think Borscht soup originated in Russia, however it’s actually from the Ukraine. When searching the web and cook books, you will find there are several ways to make borscht.

Did you know that consuming bone broth is actually good for you? Yes it’s true, bone broth has many healthy benefits such as join protection, gut health, skin, immune support and even helps to detoxifies you.

Traditionally borscht is made with beef stock and chunks of beef, and to get that bone broth beef shanks are simmered in water for most of the day. Which becomes the base for the soup, if you just want to use pre-made beef stock instead you can do that also if you like.

But don’t skip on the beef chunks/stewing beef, this is what makes the borscht beef broth after all. The bright red beets and bone broth carry so many health benefits, it’s no wonder I feel so great after eating this soup for a couple of days.

This recipe will make a large pot of soup, so if you have any any leftovers “which is highly unlikely” unless it’s just you. Then you can enjoy it over the next few days or freeze it as a meal prep option for another time if desired.

Plus the flavours in this soup develop and improve overnight, so don’t be afraid to make this large batch. There are plenty of ways to preparing borscht soup, and this is my favorite way to make the beef version.

Why? Well because one it’s simpler and two it takes less time to prepare that typical stove top borscht.

Notes: Keep in mind, as with all my recipes. If you want to make more or less of this soup, simple adjust the serving size in the ingredients section above and the servings will automatically adjust for you. And save yourself time and hassle, and let your food processor chop up your beets and cabbage up, also it gives a great consistency to the soup.

Looking for a Vegetarian Borscht recipe? Check out my other recipe here for Ukrainian Borscht

Create 4 or 5 meal preps for the week with the remaining soup 

 


 

I am so thrilled you are reading one of my recipes, if you made this recipe i’d love to hear about it! Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen. Don’t want to miss a recipe? Sign up for our NEWSLETTER delivered right to your inbox every Month