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Family Recipe Friday - Irish Stew

I was not blessed with any handed down recipes from my Irish ancestors. However, I recently stumbled across this recipe for Irish Stew so I thought I would share. What makes this recipe unique is that it comes from  a 1946 Edition of the Joy of Cooking, by Irma S. Rombauer.

I inherited this book from an estate sale and according to the inside cover, the previous owner was Agnes Turner of the Bronx, New York, she dated it 1944. Interesting enough I believe she dated in wrong.

The 1943 Edition was the war-time addition with a section on rationing. This book was later reprinted in 1946 and the chapter on rationing removed. My book has no such chapter, it does have a preface from the 1943 edition, and list all editions printed with 1946 being the last one. So my sound investigative genealogy skills can conclude that dear Agnes, dated her book wrong, sometime later, and got her dates mixed up. It was more likely 1946. Regardless,  I keep this book on display in my kitchen and often ponder how far this book has traveled from Agnes' kitchen to mine and imagine her cooking from it. She even marked a few favourites in the pages.

So in honour of my Irish ancestors here is Irish Stew by Irma S. Rambauer from the Joy of Cooking, 1946. However, if you have an Irish Stew Recipe handed down from an ancestor I would love to see your recipe.

Irish Stew
4-6 Servings

Wipe with a damp cloth, then cut into 11/2 inch cubes               
1 1/2 lbs of beef
Season it lightly with:
Salt
Paprika
Dredge it with:
Flour
Heat in a pot:
3 tablespoons of fat
Brown the meat in this, then reomive it from the pot. Add to the fat and brown
1/4 cup sliced onions
Add the meat and cover it with:
Boiling water
Cover the pot closely, reduce the heat and simmer the meat for 1 1/2 hours.
Parboil for 5 minutes:
11/2 cups diced potatoes
Drain them, Add to the stew:
1/4 cups diced carrots
1/3 cup diced turnips
Simmer the stew for 10 minutes. Add the drained potatoes and simmer it for 20 minutes.
Dissolve:
2 tablespoons of flour
in: 1/2 cup cold stock or stock subsititute
Stir it into the stew and bring the gravy to the boiling point. Serve the stew with
Dumplings
Biscuits

Other Recipes from Family Historians to wet your appetite