Sarah's Irish Stew & Soda Bread Scones Cooking Class

Irish Beef Stew

1. In a bowl, combine flour, pepper, salt and stew beef and toss to coat beef.
2. In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, heat olive oil then add floured beef and diced onions. Stir the beef and onions until beef is almost fully cooked.
3. Add red wine or beer (if using), vegetable broth, tomato paste, and 3 cups water to the pan and scrape the bottom of the pan to incorporate the flavorful browned seasoned layer into the broth.
4. Add parsnip, carrots, potatoes, celery, rosemary, sage and garlic. Reduce heat to low and simmer stew for 30-45 minutes or until beef is tender and roots are softened.
5. Once the stew is fully cooked, you can thicken it by creating a slurry of equal parts cornstarch and cold water. In a measuring cup, add cornstarch to water and stir until cloudy. Add the slurry to the stew.
   1. *TIP: Make sure you premix the cornstarch and cold water in a separate bowl otherwise the cornstarch will clump up and be hard to mix into the stew.
6. Serve & enjoy!

Irish Soda Bread Scones

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine all dry ingredients into a large bowl including raisins and caraway seeds.
3. Grate frozen butter and add to the dry mix.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk egg and buttermilk and add to the dry mix. Fold the mixture together until it forms a shaggy lump, don't overmix.
5. Lightly flour a surface and shape into a circle. Use a sharp knife to cut into 8 scones. Place the scones on a baking sheet with parchment paper and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden on top.