Tag: Easy
Irish Stew with Dumplings

Irish Stew with Dumplings

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One day I’ll stop doing a themed dish for every post, but today’s not that day. Apparently it’s St Patrick’s day on Saturday so it’s time to start digging out the shamrocks and leprechauns to celebrate. Alongside that a good lamb and potato stew should definitely be on the menu. This one is full of nourishing veg and tender lamb shoulder, which goes really well with the light herby dumplings and warming broth to make a hearty meal all in one pot!

Stews also always taste better a few days after they’re made, so you can make this up to two days in advance without the dumplings, leave it in the fridge and then carry on the recipe from step 7 when you need it.

Recipe

Serves 6

Time: 30 minutes prep, 2 hours cooking

Ingredients

For the Stew

  • 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
  • 1 White onion, roughly chopped
  • 450g Lamb shoulder pieces
  • 2 Large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
  • 1 Leek, Finely sliced
  • 2 Large carrots, peeled an roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp Plain flour
  • 750ml Beef stock
  • Salt and pepper to season

For the Dumplings

  • 150g Butter
  • 250g Self-raising flour
  • 2 tbsp Chopped mixed herbs

Method

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
  2. Put the oil into a large frying pan and put over a medium heat. Add the chopped onion and fry gently until it starts to caramelise. Tip this into an oven-proof casserole dish.
  3. Add the lamb pieces to the pan you cooked the onions in and fry until the pieces have browned all over. Season the meat and then add the lamb to the dish with the onions.
  4. Cover the lamb and onions with the chopped potatoes, leeks and carrots, and then mix it all together.
  5. Add the flour to the pan you cooked the lamb in and cook it on a gentle heat for about 3 minutes so it soaks up all the juices. Then slowly add the beef stock whilst stirring until you have a smooth, lump-free sauce.
  6. Pour this sauce over the meat and vegetables. Cover the casserole with a lid and then put it into the oven to cook for 90 minutes. Check on this several times to make sure the sauce hasn’t reduced too much, if the meat or vegetables are exposed cover with more water.
  7. Now make the dumplings. Put the butter and flour into a large bowl. Using a knife cut the butter into little pieces in the flour, and then go in with you fingers and rub the butter into the flours to make a mixture like breadcrumbs.
  8. Stir in the herbs, salt and pepper to season. Pour in 150ml water and stir with a round bladed knife to form a dough. Flour your hands and roll the dough into small balls.
  9. Put the dumplings around the edge of the stew and put back into the oven uncovered to bake for another 25-30 minutes.
  10. Serve!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x
Easy Sausage and Mushroom Pasta

Easy Sausage and Mushroom Pasta

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I’m waiting another year before heading off to Uni, but with most of my friends flying the nest I thought it was about time that I made a comforting, easy main course for all the first years out there. This one is simple to make, won’t break the bank and is really tasty, which I think is the basic criteria for most student cooking. Plus it’s relatively healthy, so you can be confident that this one will override weeks of Pizza and beer, and pump some nutrients into your body.

It may not be the most pretty dish in the world, but it’s a really good one to make when you’re tired, busy,  hungover or all three at once. If you want make it even healthier you can add fresh tomatoes, peppers or any other veg that takes your fancy, but I’ve stuck with what we’ve got here to keep it simple. The quantities for this serves two, so it’s kind of obvious, but if you’re only cooking for one you can either half the quantities, or put the rest in the fridge for a later date.

I’m going to leave the writing there for this one, as a simple recipe only needs a simple intro!

Recipe

Serves 2

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 Sausages
  • 100g Pasta
  • 1 White onion
  • 1 Garlic clove
  • 1 tbsp Sunflower oil
  • 75g Mushrooms
  • 200g Chopped tomatoes (can or carton)
  • 100g Cheddar cheese (optional)
  • Fresh basil to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Pre-heat a grill on full heat. Put the sausages onto a grill pan and pierce slightly with a knife so that the skin is punctured. Put under the grill and leave to cook. Once they’ve browned on one side turn them over so that they cook evenly. This should take 5-10 minutes. (If you don’t have a grill, put 1tsp vegetable oil into a pan and gently fry the sausages until cooked).
  2. Fill a pan with water and bring to the boil. When boiling add the pasta, stir once to break the pasta up and then leave to boil according to packet instructions.
  3. Meanwhile, take the onion and garlic, remove the skins and then finely chop.
  4. Put the oil into a large pan and heat gently. Add the chopped onion and garlic and cook until just beginning to caramelise.
  5. Add the mushrooms and continue to fry until they begin to soften and the onions are caramelised. Pour in the chopped tomatoes and leave on a gentle simmer.
  6. Once the sausages are done (they won’t be pink in the middle anymore), remove them from the grill pan (or frying pan) and slice each one into four.
  7. Once the pasta is done, sieve to remove the water and then add the drained pasta to the tomato mixture.
  8. Add the chopped sausages and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  9. Spoon into bowls, grate some cheese over and serve with fresh basil. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Look out for my next post on Wednesday – it’s going to be some good old comfort food.

Emma x