Irishish Stew (Chow)

Sometimes it is nice to be able to cook good something with a trivial amount of effort. We were visiting my parents this weekend, and while cooking for the primary meal we took a few minutes to throw something together for lunch the next day.

1. Sear your meat before stewing it for additional flavor and texture.
• Lightly brown some fresh minced garlic in about 3T oil.
• Add your trimmed and cubed lamb stew meat. You can also use beef (as we did this weekend) if lamb is hard to find, although I personally prefer the lamb. ½# if pseudo-vegetarians are going to be picking through the dish, up to 2#.
• Sear the meat, seasoning with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Finish with a splash of red wine.
  


2. Throw everything into a crock pot on its lowest setting. You don't even have to throw everything in at the same time, as long as there is enough liquid at any given stage and there's still a decent amount of stewing time left before you're going to eat.
• Seared stew meat: ½-2#.
• Carrots, in ¾" sections: 1c.
• Potatoes, in ¾-1" cubes: 2.
• Parsnip, in ½" cubes: 1c.
• Rutabaga, in ½" cubes: 1c.
  
• Barley: 1c.
• Crushed tomatoes: ½c.
• Beef broth: 1Q. You can use vegetable broth instead.
  
• Guiness: 12oz.
• Basil: 1½T.
• Bay leaves: 3.
  
• Oregano: 2t.
  
• Thyme: 1½T.
• Additional salt and pepper to taste.


3. This needs to be cooked for at least 12 to 18 hours in a slow cooker; we generally prepare it a full day in advance. Remember to check it every few hours (if you are awake) to make sure there is sufficient liquid; you can always add more Guiness! If you are in a hurry you could do this on a stovetop in maybe 6 hours.
   

Obviously, the root vegetables can be edited and rearranged in any fashion you like. Don't be afraid of the parsnip and rutabaga; with enough time to cook down they are quite nice and give additional interesting texture and flavor to the stew. I like very large pieces of the root vegetables so they don't start disintegrating into the stew due to the long cooking time.

Don't forget to bake fresh bread when you make this!