Vegan Irish Stew with Colcannon

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