Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today is St. Patrick's Day and we are going to celebrate it sharing with you two tasty recipes!

Irish Stew

Ingredients:

- 1tbsp sunflower oil.

- 200g smoked streaky bacon, preferably in one piece, skinned and cut into chunks.

- 900g stewing lamb, cut into large chunks.

- 5 medium onions, sliced.

- 5 carrots, sliced into chunks.

- 3 bay leaves.

- Small bunch thyme.

- 100g pearl barley.

- 850ml lamb stock.

- 6 medium potatoes, cut into chunks.

- Small knob of butter.

- 3 spring onions, finely sliced.

Method:

1- Heat the oven to 160C/fan. Heat the oil in a flameproof casserole. Sizzle the bacon for 4 minutes until crips. Turn up the heat, then cook the lamb for 6 minutes until brown. Remove the meats with a slotted spoon. Add the onions, carrots and herbs to the pan, then cook for about 5 minutes until softened. Return the meat to the pan, stir in the pearl barley, pour over the stock, then bring to a simmer.

2- Sit the chunks of a potato on top of the stew, cover, then braise in the oven, undisturbed, for about 1½ hrs until the potatoes are soft and the meat is tender. The stew can now be chilled and kept in the fridge for 2 days, then reheated it a low oven or on top of the stove. Remove from the oven, dot the potatoes with butter, scatter with the spring onions and serve scooped straight from the dish.

Guinness chocolate puddings

Ingredients:

- 150g unsalted butter, plus extra for the ramekins.

- 200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), roughly chopped.

- 90g golden caster sugar.

- 3 large eggs.

- 90ml Guinness or other stout.

- Clotted cream or thick double cream, to serve (optional).

Method:

1- Butter four 9 x 5cm ramekins and set aside. Tip the butter, chocolate and a generous pinch of salt into a heatproof bowl. Set over a small pan of just-simmering water and stir until melted, the remove from the heat and leave to cool a little.

2- Put the sugar and eggs in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk until pale, almost doubled in volume and thick enough to leave a trail when the beaters are lifted up. Gently fold in the melted chocolate and the Guinness. Spoon the mixture into the ramekins, then chill in the fridge for 1 hour. Heat oven to 200C/180C and put a baking tray on the top shelf to heat up.

3- Place the ramekins on the hot baking tray and bake for 18 minutes. Remove from the oven and leave to stand for a minute, then serve with a dollop of cream, if you like.

See you in the next update! Enjoy cooking!