Vegan Friendly Irish Stew

Cook time: Approx 1 hour

About 8 servings

Wait Rick, don’t run! I know I said the ‘V’ word but it’s good I promise. Plus! You can always add meat if you’re not worried about the vegan part, that’s the glory of a good stew – you throw stuff in a pot and 85% of the time it’s delicious. 

Tools:

Dutch oven (6 quart/5.7 litres)

Heat safe spoon for stirring

Knife and cutting board 

At home prep tip! Chop up your veggies and optional proteins (store separately) before you leave and have them ready to go! 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp neutral oil

9 oz portobello mushrooms, roughly chopped into chunks OR chopped steak (can also make this stew without either of these)

1 large white or yellow onion, diced

3 large carrots, peeled and cut into ½ inch chunks

2 ribs celery, cut into chunks

2-5 cloves garlic, minced

4 tbsp all-purpose flour OR cornstarch (note that you will have to mix cornstarch with some cold water before adding to avoid lumps)

330 mls (11 oz bottle or can) Guinness beer, or dark stout

1 medium turnip, cut into chunks (optional: you can supplement with more potatoes)

4 large (about 650 g/23 oz) red potatoes, cut into chunks

¼ head green cabbage, shredded

4 cups vegetable stock

¼ cup soy sauce or tamari

1-2 tsp salt (to taste)

1-2 tsp black pepper (to taste)

½-1 tbsp white sugar

2-4 large bay leaves

1 tsp dried thyme (can also use fresh)

1 ½ tsp dried rosemary (can also use fresh, finely minced) 

Directions:

  1. In your Dutch oven add the oil and place over heat
  2. When hot add your (optional) beef or portobello mushrooms and sear until gold on all sides. Remove from the pot and set aside. Crucial! Don’t clean the pot!
  3. In the pot add the onions, carrots, and celery. You may need to add a touch more oil here to prevent any sticking.
  4. Let them cook, stirring occasionally to prevent burning, until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery have softened. At this point add the garlic and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
  5. Add the flour (if using cornstarch wait until later) stir until everything is coated and to remove the raw flour flavour, about 3-5 minutes.
  6. Pour in the Guiness slowly, stirring as you go to deglaze the bottom of the pot. (If you are using cornstarch add your slurry mix of cornstarch and water after you’ve added the beer)
  7. Add the rest of your veggies, stock, soy sauce, salt, pepper, sugar, and herbs. If you are using beef add it back now. Stir well.
  8. Bring to a boil, stirring often to avoid anything sticking to the bottom of the pot. When it is bubbling either lower the heat (if cooking on stove) or remove from direct heat and let cook uncovered or with the lid slightly off. Stir occasionally until the broth has thickened and the potatoes are soft, about 45-50 minutes but you can leave it simmering for longer, just make sure the lid is on snugly at that point and you check and stir it regularly to prevent burning.
  9. If you are using portobello mushrooms, add them back about 10 minutes prior to serving.

Notes: The reason you want the pot lid off in step 8 is to allow steam to escape and the broth to thicken through evaporation. Leaving the lid on if you are letting the stew sit for a while will trap steam and both keep your stew hot and from reducing too much more. 

-If you find your stew has thickened too much after sitting or the next day if you’ve left it in the fridge or cooler, you can loosen it up by adding a few splashes of broth or water as it reheats. 

(Adapted from A Virtual Vegan) 

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