Dinner for a Cold , Wet Dog of a Night

Ok , so it's not a Sunday.
I thought about making dinner on Sunday but we had dinner reservations at Agraria that night with some friends. Yes , a real dinner date sans bebe Bug. It was nice.
We had a great Chardonnay - Hartford Vineyard 2004 - which has singlehandedly , for me ( the- not- so- fondest of Chardonnays to begin with) put Chard on the map again. Subtle oak , never cloying , dry finish , lovely buttery roundness on the tongue- simply gorgeous wine. Agraria is a family farm- owned co-op ( done up like it's Big City cousin in Urban Lounge meets Ted Turner's Lodge decor) restaurant that features Organic produce supplied by small family farms around the country. The menu is seasonal and changes often to reflect what is freshest and most spectacular at the time. Everything form the dinner rolls to the after dinner coffee is amazing.

That all said , i did make dinner last night. I chose some cold weather comfort food. I had a nice boneless leg of lamb in the freezer so i decided to make a winter lamb stew with root vegetables and an Irish Soda bread to go with it.
While i thawed out the lamb i made the bread dough in my Kitchenaid mixer , totally unnecessary but quick and efficient. A proper mixing bowl works just as well , just takes more elbow grease.

While i cooked the stew on the stovetop , i baked the bread and both were ready to serve in approximately an hour. The smell wafting through the house was heavenly. The recipe for the stew is my own , the Irish Soda Bread is adapted from a recipe from Cook's Illustrated.Irish Lamb Stew

1 boneless leg of lamb ( cubed)or lamb stew meat
4 good sized potatoes
6 carrots
2 parsnips
2 onions
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon butter
4 cups chicken stock
1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves
3 bay leaves
1 tsp. worchestershire sauce
salt & pepper

1. Dust Lamb pieces in flour , salt & pepper and sear in a heavy pan. Remove to a plate.
2. Saute vegetables in butter until translucent in dutch oven add flour an lamb pieces, stir to form a roux and add herbs and worchestershire sauce.
3. Add chicken stock to cover and simmer to a boil then turn down heat.
4. Simmer & stir occasionally until thickened and vegetables are fork tender.
5. Cover and continue to simmer until serving - about one hour total.


American-Style Soda Bread with Raisins and Caraway

Yields 1 loaf

3 1/2 cups unbleached flour plus more for work surface 1 cup cake flour 1/4 cup granulated sugar 1 1/2 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda teaspoons baking powder 1 1/2 teaspoons cream 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 5 tablespoons unsalted butter (4 tablespoons softened + 1 tablespoon melted) 1 1/4 cups buttermilk 1 egg lightly beaten 1 cup raisins 1 tablespoon caraway seed

1. Adjust oven rack to upper-middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Whisk flours, sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt in large bowl. Work softened butter into dry ingredients with fork or fingertips until texture resembles coarse crumbs. 2. Add buttermilk, egg, raisins, and optional caraway seed and stir with a fork just until dough begins to come together. Turn out onto flour-coated work surface; knead until dough just becomes cohesive and bumpy, 12 to 14 turns. (Do not knead until dough is smooth, or bread will be tough.) 3. Pat dough into a round about 6 inches in diameter and 2 inches high; place in greased cast-iron pan. Baste top with cream and sprinkle sugar on top, cut an x-mark ( cross to ward off the Devil ! )across the top. 4. Bake until golden brown and a skewer inserted into center of loaf comes out clean or internal temperature reaches 170 degrees, 50 to 55 minutes, covering bread with aluminum foil if it is browning too much. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature, 30 to 40 minutes. Irish Soda bread is wonderful the next day with a cup of tea . Enjoy !