“Lá Fhéile Pádraig Sona Daoibh”
Have a Happy St Patricks weekend by cooking a very Irish meal for your family and friends. Guinness stew or beef stew has been cooked in nearly every Irish household for years. I like to think since 1759. And if not, it is certainly familiar to all Irish people, the world over. With the addition of the Tri-colour mash this meal is a sure way to stir those nostalgic feelings of home.

The Ingredients:

2 rib steaks
1 can Guinness
2 carrots
2 sticks celery
1 white onion
1 leek
2 shallots
3 garlic cloves
Chicken and Beef stock cubes
Plain flour
Chestnut mushrooms
Button mushrooms
Fresh thyme
Bay leaves
10 Black peppercorns
Worcestershire sauce
Salt and pepper for seasoning
Oil
Shamrock for garnish

For the Tri-colour mash:
Curly Kale
Potatoes
Carrots
Turnip
Double cream
Butter
Garlic
Salt and pepper
White pepper
Sugar

The Make:
Finely chop carrot, celery, onion, shallots and leek. Making sure to wash your leek thoroughly. Cut steak into large pieces. In a large bowl put 1 cup of flour seasoned with some salt and pepper. Place steak into bowl and toss in the flour. In a large casserole pot with some oil cook off the finely chopped veg. Now add the beef and brown off gently. Pour in the Guinness and bring to a simmer making sure to stir off any crust at the bottom of the pot. Add in 3 crushed garlic cloves, bay leave, and 10 peppercorns. Make your stock with boiled water. Cover the beef with the mixture of both stocks. Stir in 1 tbsp of Worcestershire sauce. Now add in washed mushrooms and thyme. Cover and cook for 3 hours at 160C. Time the Tri-colour mash. For Kale mash bring a pot of kale to the boil. Drain water and put into a food processor with a pinch of salt, some chopped garlic, a knob of butter and 100ml of double cream. Blend until smooth. For potato mash. Boil spuds. Drain water and add some butter and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Mash all together until creamy and smooth. For carrot mash. Boil some carrots and turnip. Drain water. Place into a clean food processor the carrot, turnip, a pinch of white pepper and a pinch of sugar. Blend until smooth.
Serve up your Green, White, and Gold mash with the braised beef. Be sure to garnish with fresh shamrock.
Enjoy.

If you still haven’t wet your shamrock,try this on for size. My motorcycle road trip is sorted for 2014.
http://www.ireland.com/en-au/what-is-available/natural-landscapes-and-sights/articles/wild-atlantic-way#