Happy Stew Year

I like to open a new year with a note of optimism in the hope of catching a little grace. In recent years, we’ve taken to marking the occasion at the table to make the point that we do these things as a family.

This year, both Dolly and Buddy eagerly came home for the holiday season (which we hope continues as long as possible). They brought their usual recipe requests for what they’ve missed or can’t get at school, which we happily obliged.

The occasion of New Year’s called for something different. Something out of the usual, and memorable, so they could carry it as part of the reasons to be glad they made the trips home.

A deceptively tall order.

As I poked around about how to make our first 2024 family meal happen, I realized that I’ve somehow managed to obtain half a dozen paper and digital Irish pub cookbooks.

The more I flipped through their delightfully tempting recipes, the better the idea came into focus—a pub-style, comfort dish that we could put together easily, not have to follow too specifically, and make in quantity, should do nicely.

The subtle nod towards our heritage couldn’t hurt, either.

So I settled on Irish Stew, which all of the books had. They all differed slightly, which I learned on a well-past trip to Ireland, can lead to interesting variations. “There is a certain amount of argument about what constitutes an authentic Irish stew—and who really knows anyway?” wrote Darina Allen, founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School and author of one of my selections, The Complete Book of Irish Country Cooking.

Sounded good to me. Always love to improvise if it makes things easier.

The version I decided on came from The Complete Irish Pub Cookbook from Parragon Books. For the time and availability of the ingredients, it seemed the best option while still being totally authentic.

(Incidentally, both of these are terrific books, full of great ideas, background, and photos that made it quite difficult to choose where to begin. Highly recommend both.)

For the most part, I was able to prepare as intended, flouring the lamb for the casserole dish and adding onions, carrots, and stock. My kids, however, are bonkers about mashed potatoes, so I made a big pot of them instead of chunking them in the stew. Instant upgrade, as far as they were concerned.

It was easy to assemble, and soon curious noses caught up to what I was doing. They set some kind of record for how many times they could ask “Is it done yet?!” It turned out to be a huge score. We went through the entire batch, including five pounds of potatoes, in one and a half sittings.

New Year special accomplished. I further expect this will make someone’s again for the next time everyone is home. No problems there.

What’s making it better is that part of me felt that I should keep looking, and learn more about this part of us through this cuisine. Food is a huge cultural touchpoint and is one of the best ways to connect with those who came before us. Without the chance to get to know most of our families who have passed on, this could be a way for us to keep those links a little more alive for our kids.

That must be one of the unconscious reasons I came to own so many versions of these particular cookbooks. As I get back to this blog a little more seriously, I expect time, experimenting, and healthy doses of mashed potatoes will reveal more.