The Irish stew indult
An indult is granted by the Holy See to bishops and others, for doing something not permitted by the common law. Sounds very canonical, that, but according to the Catholic Encyclopaedia, the indult concept, "employed in a less restricted sense, is synonymous with privilege, grace, favour, concession..." And Rainy Day will be using that broad interpretation on this Saint Patrick's Day to take a short break from the annual alcohol-less Lenten fast. We'll be sitting down this evening to a tasty plate of Irish stew with Guinness.
Kathy Maister, who runs startcooking.com, has a splendid recipe for Guinness Stout Beef Stew, a "rich and hearty and a perfect meal to serve on a cold day. Of course, it's a must for St Patrick's Day, which here in Boston is a huge celebration!" Among the ingredients she uses are pitted prunes. "Without the prunes, the Guinness is going to make the stew taste bitter. The prunes cook down and melt into the stew," she says.
No prunes or Guinness in Richard Corrigan's gorgeous-looking Irish stew... "it's big on flavour, even bigger if you make it ahead and quite literally, let it stew." Worth noting is that Corrigan's stew is made using lamb, the Rainy Day preference, not beef. Thyme, chives and parsley augment the carrot, celery and onion. Mmmmmm! Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig ar chlann mhór dhomhanda na nGael!
