Irish Stew … at this time of the year?
 
Seems like an autumnal type of meal…but then again, with the weather we have been having, I think it is very fitting at this time.
 
Colcannon, is my favourite mash potato dish. The savoury fried onions, the nice green cabbage all mixed into the mash potato. This is almost a meal on its own, but with the stew, the combination seems just right.
 
Irish Stew, I have never made before because it is commonly made with meat, but of course I have made a few deep savoury stews in my time. I was asked to make something fitting for St. Patrick’s Day and it was suggested that Irish Stew is very popular. I replaced the meat with some tasty mushrooms, added Guinness to the broth and it seems to work alright. A few butter beans were dropped in because I love beans in a stew…
 
 
Vegan Irish Stew
 
INGREDIENTS

• 250 g of shitake mushrooms – quartered, stems removed
• 20g dried porcini mushrooms - soaked
• ½ tin or approx. 200g of jackfruit ( optional )
• ½ tin or approx.. 200g of butter beans
• 3 or 4 garlic cloves - sliced
• 3 cups  porcini mushroom stock, from soaking the dried porcini
• 1/2 cup Guinness extra stout
• 1 cup of red wine
• 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
• ½  tablespoon of dried thyme
• ½  tablespoon of tamari soya sauce
• 3 big potatoes - peeled and cut into chunks
• 1 large onion - coarsely chopped
• 2 to 3 carrots - cut into pieces
• A little extra virgin olive oil for frying the shitake
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ tsp of smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• A few tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 ½  teaspoons salt, or to taste

 
 
METHOD

1. Soak the porcini in 3 cups of water for half an hour, keep the water for the broth.
2. Drain the jackfruit and flatten each piece with a fork.
3. In a frying pan, gently fry the shitake about 5 minutes, then add the soaked poricini, the jackfruit, the smoked paprika, the garlic, the tamari sauce and the tomato paste and cook gently for another 10 minutes.
4. Add the porcini broth, the Guinness, the wine, the bay leaf, the thyme and the black pepper and simmer for 30 minutes.
5. In a separate pan fry the onions in a drop of oil along with the carrots until the onion is golden and soft. Add these to the mushrooms along with the potatoes and gently simmer until the potatoes are cooked.
6. Add the butter beans.
7. Remove the bay leaf and taste the stew, add enough salt to your taste.
8. Just before serving sprinkle the fresh parsley on top.

 
Colcannon
 
INGREDIENTS

• 4 medium potatoes – cubed for easy cooking – I always leave the skins on, just wash them well.
• 2 onions – sliced into strips
• 7 to 10 savoy cabbage leaves (dark green ), sliced, stalks cut out.
• ½ cup of oat milk
• A drop of olive to fry the onion
• A good pinch of salt

 
METHOD

1. Fry the onion until almost caramelized, set aside
2. Cook the cabbage in a little water or steam them.
3. Boil the potatoes in little water until just cooked, drain and reserve the water
4. Mash the potato adding the oat milk and the salt and taste it in case it needs more salt.
5. Incorporate the onions and cabbage and re-heat all together, if a little thick added a little of the potato water.

  
Serve in a wide bowl with 1/3 colcannon and a nice ladle of stew.
 
Bon appétit !
 
Jacques
 
@HungrySoulVegan  - Changing the Culture
 

This is the latest recommendation that I am currently attempting to give my attention to! It is no wonder it is a best seller because we can all relate to the subject matter. Why we are loosing our ability to pay attention! By the time you read this I may have finished the book and found some answers to how to improve our focus but for now I am certainly enjoying learning more about how our poor brains have been bombarded with encouraging us to “engage” more with meaningless content online. Extracting ourselves out of this intricate web in order to maintain some semblance of sanity and realism and improve our health is a key dilemma we no doubt all have.

For now both myself and daughter of 15 are reading it in the vain hope that she can understand something about the world she lives in and how to navigate it. Not sure if it will provide many answers but I do note she accepts the down time away from her phone more readily and she suggested a walk in the woods yesterday with me. Maybe there is hope! 

Anne Maher

I am looking at the title in front of me thinking about the potential topic and my brain brings me to the reality of where we are. Fake Food for Existing. It is a common theme we refer to with new customers who are trying to find answers for their health problems. Here is the typical scenario.

I get a call from a staff member to meet a new customer who has visited for the first time because they have heard we do something or have some thing that will help them. They tell me about a symptom that bothers them sufficiently they are willing to look at the food route. They are tired of medication and side effects and have reached a crossroads of nothing to loose now.

Its no magic bullet, but with a little engagement and introduction to real foods invariably the person realises themselves that they actually haven’t been nourishing themselves. It is no wonder that they feel ill! I witness the realisation of dawning that Coke zero, red bull, monster, biscuits, cake, sweets are only fueling their own deterioration. When you are surrounded by poison you will consume it whether you want to or not. Our environment makes it so difficult to maintain a decent standard of nourishment. It is easier to heap the guilt of poor choices on the individual. As if we hadn’t enough to carry!!

But when you provide a supportive environment that makes it easier to obtain and use it is quite amazing to witness the transformation that can happen. Healing begins with a supportive environment. We can help each other to achieve it.

Anne Maher

There is no mistaking the impact of Irish Mammies… behind every great revolution you will find them. When their name is Fitzpatrick, you have to smile! They get around.
​
The last few weeks have seen a major change to Dutch parliament as the BBB Farmer- Citizen Movement have gained the vote of the people to represent their voices. #Nofarmersnofood has translated into a political voice as farmers have joined forces to protest at the political decisions to reduce the nitrogen emissions directives from the EU. The forced shut down of 3000 farms labelled peak polluters has raised the ire of the masses and they have come out to support the farmers at the ballot box. This party was set up in 2019. In 4 short years they have a strong voice that will no doubt influence policy there and here.  Caroline Van Der Plas leads the BBB. Nuala Fitzpatrick is her Irish Mammy. Don’t mess with them…!

Anne Maher

Preserved lemons are one of my favourites, so I got myself one of the beautiful preserve jars in The Urban Co-op and made my own.  They are fantastic, delicious and I am taking to preserving and fermenting other foods.  I have less waste and more gut-friendly food.  Chopped a quarter of the preserved lemon and cook with your rice, add to roast chicken, salads, eggs etc. Enjoy!

Please send me your upcycling or zero waste ideas.
[email protected]   Geraldine