Roast Pork Loin with Apricot and Walnut Sauce

By on March 14, 2012

Another wonderful recipe from Ireland which is elegant enough for a special occasion, yet simple enough for your weeknight dinner. The apricot and walnut sauce is superb!

Roast Pork Loin with Apricot and Walnut Sauce
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Recipe type: Main
Author: Adapted from Irish Country House Cooking by Georgina Chapman
Ingredients
  • 3lb loin of pork
  • olive oil
  • salt
  • 3/4 cup dried apricots, cut in half
  • 1 1/3 cups dry white wine
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 1/2 sticks cold butter, diced
  • 1/3 cup walnuts, roughly chopped
  • parsley to garnish
Instructions
  1. Soak the apricots in the white wine for at least 4 hours or overnight.
  2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
  3. Place the pork in a roasting pan. Rub skin with olive oil and salt and lay on top of joint.
  4. Roast for about 2 hours, removing skin after 1 1/2 hours. If skin is not crisp, continue roasting, separate from the joint. Pork is done when juices run clear.
  5. Drain the apricots and set aside, reserving the wine.
  6. Place wine along with onion in a pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until liquid is reduced to 2 tablespoons.
  7. In small increments, beat in cold butter.
  8. Add the apricots and walnuts, mixing well.
  9. Keep sauce warm until ready to serve.
  10. To Serve: Carve two good slices of pork per person, adding pieces of pork crackling and a spoonful of sauce over each serving. Lightly sprinkle with chopped parsley.

 

As mentioned in this week’s previous posts related to St. Patrick’s Day, I have been recommending Irish Country House Cooking which may be found online at Amazon here. It is my favorite Irish cookbook and, if you enjoy the above recipe, you’re sure to love the book which is chock-full of tasty, accessible recipes sourced from all over Ireland.

 

The Irish…
Be they kings, or poets, or farmers
They’re a people of great worth
They keep company with the angels
And bring a bit of Heaven here to Earth.

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The Best Irish Stew I’ve Ever Had

By on March 12, 2012

The history of Irish stew may be disputed, but it is an evolved dish which the people added to as ingredients became available. Sometime around 1800 (and over 200 years after the introduction of the potato to Ireland), certain ingredients became common and the contents of Irish stew became more consistent. Traditionally, you would have found the stew to contain mutton, onions, potatoes, and water. Adding barley, carrots, or turnips was also popular.

Today Irish stew is no longer a peasant dish of leftovers, but rather a hearty and satisfying meal eaten all over the world. Although there is something completely fitting about wandering into a pub for a steaming bowl of stew during a rainy day in Ireland, I have found that this recipe rivals anything I had while visiting the country.

On average, I probably test drive 3-4 new recipes per week, sourced from cookbooks (the older, the better!), magazines, blogs, and online. It is rare I happen across a real gem that I plan on making my “go to” recipe for any particular item. When I say this Irish stew is the best I’ve had, I don’t say that lightly.

I paired it with my favorite soda bread recipe and ended the meal with a chocolate mousse recipe from Rosleague Manor.

The recipe below was found at a wonderful blog called Simply Recipes. The story included along with the recipe was that a friend brought back this recipe from a recent trip  to Italy. So, the best Irish stew I’ve ever tasted was tweaked by an Italian. Go figure!

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did! Please don’t forget to leave feedback for others (star system and comment section) if you try it out. Thanks!

 

The Best Irish Stew I’ve Ever Had
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Recipe type: Main
Author: Adapted from “Irish Beef Stew” at www.simplyrecipes.com
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1.5lbs well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, 1-inch pieces (I used grass-fed angus)
  • 6 large garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 cups beef stock or beef broth
  • 1 cup Guinness beer
  • 1 cup of fine red wine
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (I used Bourbon Barrel Foods)
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 2 tablespoons butter (I used Irish Kerrygold)
  • 3lbs russet potatoes, cut into 1/2inch pieces, about 7 cups
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cups of 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots
  • salt and pepper
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley to garnish
Instructions
  1. Heat olive oil in heavy, large pot over medium-high heat. Lightly salt stew meat and place in pan to brown. Turn as necessary until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute. Add beef stock, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir all ingredients until combined. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
  2. While the main pot is simmering, melt butter in another large pot over medium heat. Add potatoes, onions, and carrots and saute vegetables until golden, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  3. After the main pot has simmered for an hour, add vegetables to the beef mixture. Simmer uncovered until vegetables are tender, about 40 minutes.
  4. Discard bay leaves.
  5. Skim surface to remove any excess fat.
  6. Salt and pepper to taste.
  7. Sprinkle with the fresh chopped parsley and serve.
Notes

Reheats wonderfully.

 

 

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Irish Soda Bread

By on March 12, 2012

In Ireland, it is traditional to cut a large cross atop your soda bread before baking to “let the fairies out.” Otherwise they may end up jinxing your bread!

Nothing goes better with a hearty stew than Irish soda bread and this is my favorite recipe from Ireland’s celebrity chef Darina Allen. Her famous Ballymaloe Cookery School is located in County Cork and is surrounded by its own 100 acres of organic gardens. For a glimpse of the cooking instruction offered at Ballymaloe and a large selection of free recipes, visit www.cookingisfun.ie .

Irish Soda Bread
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Recipe type: Bread
Author: Adapted from Irish Country House Cooking by Georgina Campbell
Serves: 8
This recipe is from Irish celebrity chef Darina Allen and is my favorite version of soda bread. I make it with and without the rosemary, depending on which main dish it will accompany.
Ingredients
  • 4 cups firmly packed all-purpose flour, unbleached
  • 1 level teaspoon salt
  • 1 level teaspoon baking soda
  • generous 1/2 cup raisins
  • 2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 3/4 cups buttermilk
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
  2. In a large bowl, sieve the flour, salt, and baking soda. Add raisins and rosemary.
  3. Make a well in the center and add buttermilk all at once.
  4. Using one hand, mix in flour from the sides of the bowl.
  5. Dough should be soft and you may need to add more buttermilk, depending on flour used.
  6. When it comes together, place onto floured surface area.
  7. Just tidy up the shape, then turn over.
  8. Pat into a 1.5 inch circle.
  9. Cut a large X across the top to help the loaf cook evenly.
  10. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce temperature to 400 degrees and continue baking for another 20-30 minutes, or until done. (If in doubt to doneness, tap the bottom of the bread – finished product will sound hollow).
Notes

It is an Irish tradition to score the soda bread with a large X to “let the fairies out” so they won’t jinx your bread while it’s baking. Children are especially eager to follow this direction. :)

 

To celebrate the week before St. Patrick’s Day, this is another recipe adapted from Georgina Campbell’s Irish Country House Cooking. Seriously, have you bought this book yet? Find it at Amazon online here.

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