Irish stew

Ingredients (serves 6):
1 kg lamb, cubed (neck chops or boneless lamb leg)
2 tbsp olive oil
25g butter
2 large onions, quartered
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 carrots, cut into chunky rounds
1 stick of celery, cut into 5cm pieces
350g new potatoes
225g mashed potatoes
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
500ml chicken stock

Method:
1. Season lamb cubes with salt and pepper. Leave for at least 30 minutes.
2. In a heavy casserole dish, brown meat in olive oil, then remove from pot.
3. Scrape all meat from the bottom with a wooden spoon, add butter and saute onions and garlic until soft.
4. Add carrots, celery, browned lamb and chicken stock and bring to a boil.
5. Simmer for an hour before adding new potatoes.
6. Simmer for another 45 minutes until lamb is tender and potatoes cooked.
7. To thicken stew, add mashed potato and stir until well combined. Simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve hot with crusty bread.

Tips:
Brown the lamb, saute the onions and garlic and then combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker. Leave to cook for about 8 hours while you get on with other things.

Recipe source: Simply Her magazine (Dec 2006)

Beef stew

Ingredients (serves 4):
300g Banksia beef cubes, for stewing (available at Fairprice)
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 stalks celery, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
Potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-sized pieces
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 cup beef stock (use beef stock cubes)
1/2 tbsp thyme
Salt and pepper, to taste
Italian parsley, for garnishing (optional)

Method:
1. Season beef with salt and pepper for 1 hour.
2. Heat oil in a pan over high heat and fry beef cubes for about 4 to 5 minutes until browned.
3. Add onion, carrot and celery, and fry for 2 to 3 minutes. Add potatoes and mix well.
4. Stir in tomato paste and Worcestershire sauce.
5. Pour in beef stock and stir well. Bring to a boil, and season with thyme, and more salt and pepper if required.
6. Simmer over low heat for about 1 to 2 hours until cooked. If the gravy is too thick, adjust the consistency with more stock. Garnish with parsley and serve hot.

Tips:
Serve with rice, bread, pasta or mashed potatoes.

Recipe source: Today newspaper

Seafood casserole

Perfect dish for Christmas.

Ingredients (serves 2 to 3):
200g Prantalay Seafood Mix (from NTUC, to thaw, follow instructions on the packet)
125g parmesan or cheddar cheese, grated
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, peeled and diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
2 tbsp breadcrumbs
500ml milk
4 tbsp plain flour
2 tsp butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Method:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan. Fry onions until lightly browned. Add celery and carrots and fry for about 3 to 4 minutes. Add seafood mix and fry for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Heat milk in a saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the flour and butter with a whisk until well blended. Gradually blend the cheese into the mixture. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Place celery, carrots and seafood into a medium baking dish. Spoon the cheese sauce into the dish and toss with the rest of the seafood mixture. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over.
4. Without covering the dish, bake it in a preheated oven for 20 minutes or grill under medium heat until the surface is brown. Serve hot with bread.

Recipe source: Today newspaper