Eat: Forget shamrock-shaped cookies. Hello, Ballymaloe Irish stew and chocolate fudge pudding.
We Americans tend to think of Irish food in St. Patrick’s party terms, all corned beef, cabbage and shamrock-shaped cookies. But Ireland boasts a proud — and significantly more varied — culinary tradition and its reigning gastronomic queen, Darina Allen, makes sure of that.
The bestselling food writer and celebrity chef founded The Ballymaloe Cookery School on the grounds of an organic farm in County Cork in 1983, and her cooking classes, cookbooks and TV food series have made her a household name in Ireland. Page through her cookbooks and you’ll find everything from classics — Ballymaloe Irish stew, for example, and shepherd’s pie — to smoked duck and quinoa Buddha bowls.
That Irish lamb stew recipe hails from Allen’s “Simply Delicious, the Classic Collection” (Kyle Books, 2019), and it is indeed a classic. “The recipe varies from region to region,” Allen writes. “In Cork, carrots are a quintessential addition, not so in parts of Ulster. Pearl barley is another favorite option, originally added to bulk up the stew. You’ll need to add extra stock — 1¼ to 2½ cups — if you include it, as it guzzles liquid, but it becomes deliciously plump and flavorful.”
And her new “One Pot Feeds All” (Octopus Books, $25), which landed on bookstore shelves last month, will have you seriously reconsidering your penchant for shamrock cookies. Allen’s chocolate fudge pudding with toasted hazelnuts and Frangelico cream is more like molten chocolate cake than custard. Allen describes it as “wickedly rich with a melting texture.”
Here’s a taste:
Ballymaloe Irish Stew
Serves 4to 6
INGREDIENTS
3 pounds center-cut lamb leg steaks, no less than 1-inch thick
8 medium or 12 pearl onions, peeled
12 baby carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
1 to 2tablespoons dry pearl barley (optional)
3½ to 4¼ cups homemade lamb stock or water
8 to 12 large potatoes, peeled
1 thyme sprig
1 tablespoon roux (optional, see below)
1 tablespoon each freshly chopped parsley and chives
For the roux: ½ cup (1stick) salted butter and ¾ cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 350 degrees, if you plan to finish cooking the stew in the oven (see below).
Cut the lamb steaks in half and trim off some of the excess fat. Set aside. In a heavy skillet, render the lamb fat over gentle heat (discard the rendered-down pieces).
Toss the meat in the hot fat in the pan until it is slightly brown, then transfer to a Dutch oven. Quickly toss the onions and carrots in the fat, and the pearl barley if using.
Layer the meat, carrots and onions (plus pearl barley, if using) in the pot, carefully seasoning each layer with freshly ground pepper and salt. Deglaze the skillet with the lamb stock or water, bring to a boil and pour into the pot. Lay the potatoes on top of the stew (they will steam while the stew cooks). Season the potatoes, add the thyme, and bring to a boil on the stovetop. Cover with a wax paper lid and the pot lid. Transfer to the oven or let simmer on the stovetop until the lamb is tender, about 1½ hours.
Meanwhile, make the roux: In a saucepan, melt the butter and cook the flour in it for 2minutes over low heat, stirring occasionally. Roux can be stored and used as required or it can be prepared on the spot. It will keep for at least 2weeks in the refrigerator.
When the stew is cooked, pour off the cooking liquid, degrease it and reheat it in another saucepan. Thicken slightly by whisking in the tablespoon of roux. Check the seasoning, then add half the freshly chopped parsley and chives. Pour over the meat and vegetables. Bring the stew back up to a boil and serve from the pot or in a large ceramic dish sprinkled with the remaining chopped herbs. Serve in deep plates with lots of good Irish butter.
— From “Simply Delicious, the Classic Collection”
by Darina Allen
Chocolate Fudge Pudding with Toasted Hazelnuts and Frangelico Cream
Serves 6to 8
INGREDIENTS
2⁄3 cup unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
5½ ounces good-quality dark chocolate (Allen uses a 52% bar)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons warm water
Scant ½ cup superfine sugar
4 organic, free-range eggs
3 tablespoons self-rising flour
Powdered sugar, for serving
A few toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped, garnish
1 cup softly whipped cream or creme fraiche mixed with 1 tablespoon Frangelico hazelnut liqueur
DIRECTIONS
Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 1-quart pie dish with a little butter. Chop the chocolate into small pieces and melt with 2⁄3 cup butter in a Pyrex bowl set over a pan of hot, but not simmering, water. As soon as the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the heat and add the vanilla extract. Stir in the warm water and sugar and mix until smooth. Separate the eggs and whisk the yolks into the chocolate mixture. Then fold in the sifted flour, making sure there are no lumps.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form, then gently fold them into the chocolate mixture. Pour the chocolate mixture into the buttered dish. Put the dish in a bain-marie — a larger baking pan to hold water — and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the dish. Bake for 10minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 315 degrees and bake for 15 to 20 minutes more, or until the pudding is firm on top but still soft and fudgy underneath and saucy at the base.
Set aside to cool slightly before dusting with powdered sugar. Serve warm or cold sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts and with Frangelico cream or crème fraîche alongside.