Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Ballymaloe or Irish Lamb Stew

I never know what to do with lamb blade chops.  They have that bone down the middle, and are awkward to eat.  So the other day, I roasted six of them in the oven on 350 F for about twenty minutes, flipping them over midway.  These chops were heavily seasoned with steak seasoning.  I pulled what meat I could off the bones, diced it, and put it and the bones into my big stock pot.  I added water to the pan I roasted in, and scraped all the browned bits up to add into the stock pot with the meat and bones.  I added a couple sprigs of fresh rosemary, and filled the pot two thirds of the way full of water, knowing that I would reduce this volume by at least half before I was done. A big handful of barley went in to help thicken the broth (old Irish trick), and it vigorously boiled for about an hour.  I then fished the bones out of the stock with some tongs, and used the lamb stock and meat to make Ballymaloe.  Here is the recipe:

Ballymaloe
5-6 red potatoes scrubbed and diced
1 whole onion diced
1 C celery diced
4-5 carrots peeled and diced
1 tsp thyme
3 T Worcestershire Sauce
Add these ingredients to the meat and broth above.  Cook on meduim heat uncovered until the carrots and potatoes test done (slip easily from a fork).  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
You can also add a small can of tomato paste, or a good cup of red wine if you like, or both.   

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