true Irish stew

Gazette, The (Colorado Springs), Mar 17, 2004 by TERESA J. FARNEY Photo by BRYAN OLLER THE GAZETTE

When Joan Marriage-Fischer starts planning her St. Patrick's Day meal, one thing is certain: The main course will not be corned beef and cabbage.

"I'll make Irish stew, of course," says the 70-plus Marriage- Fischer, who came to the United States in 1946 from County Wexford, Ireland, as a war bride.

She's not the only true-blue Irishwoman who will choose an Irish stew over the omnipresent St. Paddy's meal of corned beef and cabbage. As Emerald Isle purists contend, the CB&C combo is about as Irish as sushi.

"Corned beef and cabbage on St. Patrick's Day is an American idea," says Marriage-Fischer, a Colorado Springs resident. "I grew up on a farm where we raised sheep, and we made stew with the lamb. I'm more familiar with cooking lamb. And I like to cook it in a crockpot."

Chris Adrian will be doing the same thing, only with a little kick added. "I make my Guinness Irish Stew," says the chef, who's of Irish descent.

It's essentially the same recipe as Marriage-Fishcher's -- cubed lamb, potatoes, carrots, onions and celery -- with the addition of a bottle of stout.

Cookbook author Darina Allen, who owns Ballymaloe Cookery School near Cork, does a similar version of Irish stew with Guinness, but she uses beef instead of lamb.

"Sheep was not as plentiful in Ireland years ago," Allen says via e-mail. "The stew has evolved from using meat scraps and trimmings. Though I like lamb very much, if you're not used to the flavor it may taste too strong. I often use very lean beef for a milder flavor."

Mari Younkin, who operates The Colorado Cook, harks back to the days of yore for her Irish stew. It's a recipe handed down by her Irish relatives, and pre-dates the use of lamb.

"I use spareribs because that's what was used long before mutton was ever used in the dish," she says. "It's only been the past 30 or so years that lamb has become popular to use in the stew."

No matter what meat goes into the dish, a true Irish stew -- also known as "ballymaloe" (a byword for good food) or "stobhach gaelach" in Gaelic -- will be thick and hearty.

Another commonality among all versions of Irish stew is the flavorful gravy that bathes the vegetables. It's a gravy that demands being soaked up with a wedge of hot Irish soda bread.

"It's essentially a big biscuit," Younkin says.

The "soda" in the name refers to "bread soda" -- what we know as baking soda. Early Irish cooks bypassed yeast and used bread soda for their leavening agent because it was cheaper and more readily available.

What you end up with is a doughy loaf with a chewy texture, surrounded by a spiky, rough crust.

Younkin offers two recipes: her traditional one and one she has simplified. An unusual element in her Irish soda bread is the addition of dried fruits. They easily could be left out if a less- sweet bread is desired.

For dessert, Marriage-Fischer will serve her dense, crunchy oatmeal cookies.

"They taste good and are good for the gut," she says.

With just four ingredients -- oatmeal, butter, brown sugar and salt -- there couldn't be an easier recipe. Once baked, they are only slightly sweet and could double as a breakfast bar.

If your inner Irishman is looking for a more ambitious dessert experience, Carol Willis, former pastry chef at 3 Doors Down restaurant, suggests the Guinness Cake handed down from her Irish- born grandmother.

"It's an old-fashioned favorite, very dark and heavy and intensely flavored, and rich with raisins and walnuts -- one of my personal favorites," she says.

Pick the recipes that fit your style of cooking, and maybe throw in some cold Irish beer (skip the green food coloring -- that's another Americanism), and you'll have a St. Patrick's Day meal any leprechaun would feel lucky to devour.

CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0271 or tfarney@gazette.com

GUINNESS CAKE Yield: 20 servings

1 1/4 cups Guinness Stout, divided

1 cup each dark and golden raisins

1 cup unsalted butter

1 cup dark brown sugar

4 eggs

1 lemon, peel grated and juice reserved

3/4 cup chopped walnuts

2 3/4 cups flour

2 teaspoons allspice

Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Cook's note: This cake needs little embellishment, but you can turn it right-side up on a platter after soaking and put a paper doily on top, then sift a little powdered sugar over it. Carefully remove the doily to leave a sort of "Irish lace" design on top.

Procedure:

1. Beginning the night before baking day, soak raisins in 1 cup Guinness overnight. Drain and measure the liquid, adding the extra 1/ 4 cup or more of Guinness to equal 1 cup. Set raisins and liquid aside separately.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 7-inch springform pan

3. Cream butter with sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. When smooth, beat in 1/4 cup of the reserved Guinness, along with raisins, lemon peel and juice and nuts.

4. Sift flour and allspice; gradually beat into egg mixture. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 1 hour, reduce heat to 300 degrees and bake another hour, or until cake tests done.