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IRISH LAMB STEW 

 4 lbs. cubed lamb                            ½ cup diced celery

 1 cup diced carrots                          1  cup pearl onions

 1 cup potato                                    1 cup tomato sauce

 1 clove garlic                                   ½ cup brown sugar

½ cup white wine                             ¼ cup olive oil

 2 oz cornstarch                                 2 oz. water

¼ tsp each parsley, chives, rosemary, thyme, pepper and coriander

Brown lamb in hot olive oil.  When lamb is half-cooked add the brown sugar and tomato sauce.  Turn the heat to medium and add the vegetables and garlic.  Simmer on low heat for 15 minutes or until vegetables soften. At this point, stir in the herbs and white wine.  Stir thoroughly.  Mix the cornstarch in the water and stir into the stew.  Remove from stove when it thickens and serve.

Serves 4

 IRISH SODA BREAD

4 cups flour                                          ¾ tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda                                 ½ cup raisins

1 ½ -2 cups buttermilk*

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a baking sheet or cake pan.  In a large bow, mix flour baking powder and baking soda.  Stir in the raisins.  Add enough buttermilk to make a soft, kneadable dough.  Place dough on a floured surface and knead it briefly.  Shape into a round loaf and place on the baking sheet.  Cut a cross in the top of the loaf with a  sharp floured knife.  Place a pat of butter in the cut.  Bake 35 to 40 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool.  If desired, drizzle melted butter on top of loaf.

*Regular milk may be combined with 2 tsps of white vinegar in place of buttermilk. Stir briefly and let sit for ½ hour.

Comment:

This arose from a discussion Karen and I had one night about Irish cuisine.  Coming from an Italian family, Karen has always been a bit, well, condescending about Irish cooking.  Still, she likes to try new things, so over the years she's made soda bread and stew and even colcannon for me; she even likes corn beef and cabbage.

So she decided the March recipe should be for Irish food to honor St. Patrick (who was Italian).  And I was stuck for a wine to go with it.  That's what led to the Irish Food and Wine Challenge on the Weekend Winery this month.

I kept thinking a medium-bodied red, maybe a Sangiovese or a Barbera, a Burgundy or a lighter Merlot.  But Karen's recipe called for a white wine, and I also thought you should match the wine in the meal to what you were drinking (to avoid too many open bottles if nothing else).

So I checked the usual sources on the Web, and a half-dozen books, and I became more confused than ever.  I could find people who thought like I did, listing everything from a Sangiovese to a Brunello di Montalcino, including Pinot Noir, Burgundy, and Merlot.  I found an article by someone whose opinion I am coming to respect (Natalie McLean of Nat Decants) who recommended a white, Sauvignon Blanc, with Irish Stew and moderate reds (Merlot and Shiraz) with other meat stews. It seemed that everyone had an opinion, but they all avoided very light flowery wines, red or white, and they avoided the powerhouse reds, like big Cabs and Barolos.

In the end, I decided this was a meal with variety, and a variety of wines might suit it well.  Irish stew has a woven tapestry of flavors -- many people think you should make it the day before to allow them to meld together -- and the wine probably needed enough body and compexity to both stand up to and merge with the taste puzzle your tongue faces.  Too flowery -- no good.  Too much power -- no good.

So I went down to our cellar (a glorious word for the wine racks under the stairs) and looked to see what we had.  Since Weekend Winery focuses on American wines, I skipped over the foreign bottles (although there was a Di Majo Norante Sangiovese down there, one of the great red wine bargains) and concentrated on Americans.  That yielded several candidates.  

I've decided.  I'll have to arrange to have a little white wine left over from the night before to pour into Karen's stew, and maybe a glass or so each for before dinner.  A Sauvignon Blanc might be good.  But for the meal itself I think I'll try a Chambourcin, a red wine varietal we've found in the Delaware Valley and up into New York.  Unionville Vineyards in New Jersey has the best one we've tasted, but Clover Hill Vineyards and Winery in Pennsylvania has one we've consumed with pleasure.

What would you choose?  Take the Challenge and let us know what you think.

 Last modified: August 07, 2007