Irish Stew

Window Seat

 The plague rages on here and the nearest I wish to get to the frozen outdoors today is my cozy window seat in the sitting room.

Winter no longer seems manageable when one has a cold/flu.

But enough whining (Brits would say "whinging", a word we don't use in North America, do Australians use "whinging"?) let's get on with some Irish Stew, it's nearly St. Patrick's Day after all.

I love St. Patrick's Day because I'm part Irish and I love ALL holidays (why not?) and so of course I have a Pinterest board devoted to the day.

On this board you'll find a variety of Irish dishes such as colcannon and Irish Stew, and this particular Irish Stew recipe is my favourite.

 Of course it is a meatless Irish Stew but I swear you won't miss it, especially if you use my little add-on at the finish.
The combination of the stout beer, the vegetable stock and the tomato paste makes for a really delicious broth.

 I added leeks to ours as well, I had one lying around and they're so green and Irish-like.

 Here is my nourishing little add-on finish to the stew: saute a shallot and some small green lentils in olive oil, then cover with water and cook to tender.  You don't want them mushy, you want a nice chewy bite to them.

Plop a big spoonful of the cooked lentils on top of the stew before serving, it's a terrific dinner for a chilly night.
When you might be whining/whinging about feeling under the weather!

Do you use this word, "whinging"?

A germ-free virtual hug to you,
xoxDani