Guinness Stew
1 pound round steak
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 onions, sliced
3 carrots, sliced
3 stalks of chopped celery
5 medium potatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons flour
1 pint Guinness
bouquet garni
salt and pepper
parsley, chopped
Cut meat into small cubes. Heat oil in oven proof dish. Fry meat until browned. Remove from pan and set aside. Place vegetables in pan and fry lightly. Return meat to pan. Add flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Add Guinness gradually. Boil, adding seasonings and bouquet garni. Cover and cook in oven (400°F) for 2 hours. Serve hot, sprinkled with parsley.
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Irish Soda Bread
(This one is a bit richer than the traditional bread. It comes from the innkeepers at Will O’ Glenn Irish Bed & Breakfast in Glenn, Michigan.)
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 ½ cup currants or raisins
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon double acting baking powder
5 tablespoons sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
1 cup buttermilk
In a small bowl, pour boiling water over raisins, let stand 5 minutes. In large bowl, sift flour, soda, baking powder and sugar. Cut in butter until mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Drain raisins, stir into flour mixture. Add buttermilk all at once. Stir vigorously with fork.
Shape into a ball. Place on greased eight-inch pie plate. (It’s traditional to cut a cross in the top before putting it into the oven.) Bake 15 minutes at 400°, lower heat to 375° and bake for 30 more minutes, or until knife comes out clean.
Remove from pie plate. Cool 1 hour. Cut into wedges or slice.