A Great Cold-Weather Recipe

I know that I am long overdue for posting a recipe. So here is one that Scooter and I used to make dinner for us last night (and leftovers for a few days). It's perfect for the dip in the weather we had last week. The original recipe comes from a cookbook titled Cooking With Beer; the recipes do a good job of proving that beer is good for more than just drinking. If you're in the mood for warm food for cold weather, try this Irish Lamb Stew.

What you'll need:
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
3 lbs. of boneless lamb stew meat OR 3 1/2 to 4 lbs. small chunks of lamb meat, bone-in
3 Tbs. vegetable oil (I prefer olive oil)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 15-oz. can stout (we used Guinness, which worked perfectly)
1 Tbs. brown sugar
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 Tbs. Worcester sauce
1 lb. small new potatoes, washed and quartered
1 lb. carrots (a 1 lb. bag of baby carrots already peeled and washed saves time)
1/2 c. water
1 c. frozen peas
1/4 c. chopped fresh Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

What you'll need to do:
1. Wash the lamb and pat dry. In a medium mixing bowl, add the flour, 1 tsp of salt, and 1/4 tsp of pepper. Quickly mix together; dredge each piece of lamb in the flour mixture and shake off any excess flour.
2. In a medium dutch oven, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat. Brown the pieces of lamb on all sides; work in batches so as to not crowd the meat. Set browned meat aside.
3. Add 1/4 to 1/2 c of the stout and the chopped onions to the dutch oven to de-glaze the bottom. Scrape up any browned bits and let cook for about 10 minutes until onions are well-softened. Add the lamb back to the dutch oven, as well as the remaining stout, brown sugar, thyme, Worcester sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. If necessary. add enough water to just cover the lamb. Bring the liquid to a steady simmer, then cover and let cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Lamb should be tender.
4. Add the potatoes and carrots and the 1/2 c of water. Again, bring the liquid to simmering and let cook for about 30 minutes until carrots and potatoes are tender.
5. Add the frozen peas and parsley, and stir everything together. Let cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. Serve hot with a fresh loaf of rustic bread and a full-bodied red wine.

To me, this is comfort food. A nice hot stew on a cold day tastes incredible. I don't know how the temperature can affect flavor, but I swear that it does. And I'm not kidding about the bread and wine. A thick slice of bread can help soak up the last bit of juices from the stew, and the wine will compliment the flavor of the lamb nicely. (Listen to me sounding like I actually know something about wine! I don't know much, but I'm starting to learn what flavors go well together.) I hope you get the chance to enjoy this recipe sometime this winter--maybe with a hot apple pie for dessert!