Super Bowls on the Way

IRELAND HOPPING | By Margaret M. Johnson

When Super Bowl LI kicks off in Houston on Feb. 5, the culinary bowls of choice for fans in living rooms and bars around the country will undoubtedly contain chili — firecracker hot with beef and kidney beans, chicken with white beans, even vegetarian varieties with beans, beans, and more beans. I’m not certain when the Tex-Mex influence took over America’s Super Bowl menu, or when Buffalo wings entered the picture, but — call me crazy — I’m going to suggest a few bowls with some Irish flavor that can stand up to slow-cookers and casseroles and make easy-to-serve and easy-to-eat football fare.

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BEEF AND GUINNESS

SERVES 6

Beef stew laced with stout is a true Irish classic. An easy make-ahead dish, it’s a perfect halftime offering.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 pounds lean beef, cut into 1-inchcubes

3 large onions, peeled and sliced

4 tablespoons flour

4 stalks celery, thickly sliced

8 cups canned low-sodium beef broth

1 cup Guinness Stout

1 teaspoon caraway seeds

1 tablespoon raisins

1 tablespoon tomato purée

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

8 carrots, peeled and thickly sliced

2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley

Boiled potatoes for serving


  1. In stockpot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, heat oil. Add meat and cook, stirring constantly, for 5 to 6 minutes, or until browned on all sides. With slotted spoon, remove meat and set aside.

  2. Reduce heat to medium, add onions, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until soft but not browned. Add flour and stir to coat onions. Return meat to pot and add celery, stock or broth, Guinness, caraway seeds, raisins, tomato purée, salt, and pepper.

  3. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 hours, or until meat is nearly tender. Add carrots and cook for 30 to 40 minutes longer, or until meat and carrots are tender when pierced with a fork. To serve, ladle stew into shallow bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with boiled potatoes.


SMITHWICK’S FRIED MUSHROOMS

SERVES 4

Move over blue cheese and celery! Beer-battered fried mushrooms are the perfect alternative to spicy chicken wings. They’re offered as a starter or snack food in many Irish pubs and are often made with Kilkenny-brewed Smithwick’s, Ireland’s oldest beer brand. Try them with Buttermilk-Herb Dipping Sauce, best made a few hours in advance.

For the buttermilk dipping sauce

2 tablespoons buttermilk


1⁄2 cup mayonnaise


1 teaspoon Dijon mustard


1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice


1⁄4 teaspoon Tabasco sauce


Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste


1 tablespoon each chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, dill, or chives

Matt the Miller's pub in Kilkenny shows

its allegiance to locally-brewed Smithwick's.

For the mushrooms


  • 1 pound white button mushrooms

  • 1 cups flour, sifted


  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder


  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

    • 1 teaspoons salt



  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper

  • 1 cup Smithwick’s

  • Canola oil, for frying



  1. Make sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk all the ingredients together. Cover and refrigerate.

  2. Make mushrooms. With a paper towel, wipe mushrooms clean (do not wash) and trim ends of stems. In a large bowl, combine flour, garlic powder, cayenne, salt, and pepper. Add Smithwick’s and whisk until smooth; let batter rest about 10 minutes.

  3. In a deep fryer or large heavy pot, add oil to a depth of 4 inches; attach a deep-fry thermometer to side of pan. Heat oil to a temperature of 340º to 350º F.

  4. Working in batches, dip 8 to 10 mushrooms at a time into batter to coat; allow excess batter to drip back into bowl. Drop into hot oil and fry for about 4 minutes per batch.

  5. With a slotted spoon, remove mushrooms and drain on paper towels. Repeat with remaining mushrooms. Transfer to serving platter or bowl and serve hot with dipping sauce alongside.


IRISH STEW

SERVES 4 to 6

Lamb is the meat of choice in Ireland’s national dish and the recipe has spawned interesting variations that use lamb shanks instead of lamb cubes, turnips instead of carrots, and stout instead of stock. I love this version.

2 tablespoons canola oil

2 1/4 pounds boneless lamb, cut into 1/2-inch pieces

2 large onions, sliced

2 to 3 large carrots, sliced

2 to 3 stalks celery, sliced

1 small turnip, cut into 1-inch pieces (optional)

2 to 3 large baking potatoes, peeled and thickly sliced

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1 1/2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth


  1. Preheat oven to 300°F.

  2. In a Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat, heat oil. Working in batches, cook lamb for about 5 minutes, or until all meat is browned.

  3. In a flameproof casserole, alternate layers of meat, onions, carrots, celery, turnip (if using), and potatoes, ending with potatoes. Sprinkle each layer with salt, pepper, thyme, and some parsley.

  4. Add stock or broth and cover tightly with a lid. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, or until meat and vegetables are tender and stock has thickened. (Check dish occasionally and add more stock or broth if necessary).

  5. To serve, ladle stew into shallow bowls and sprinkle with remaining parsley.


 

Margaret Johnson’s “Recipes” page expands this year to “Ireland Hopping: Adventures in Food, Drink, and Travel.” For further details on her work, or to order her cookbooks, visit www.irishcook.com.

 

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