As late autumn creeps in -- the days get shorter, the weather turns cold -- I crave a hot bowl of Irish stew.
Of all the places I've been (and really, the list isn't that long), Ireland is by far my favorite. I spent a semester there in college having the most fun I ever had in my pre-wife and -mommy life. But that's a story for another day.
Justin and I also honeymooned there. We rented a car and drove the entire southern coast, beginning in Dublin.
While ultimately wonderful and unforgettable, our trip started off a little rocky. And here's why:
Did you know that when you rent a car in a foreign country, they just GIVE you a car? No written test or clean driving record required. No pamphlet on rules of the road that might be different like, oh, I don't know, everyone drives on the other side! We knew this, of course, but it still amazed me how blasé the rental car people were. You don't even have to buy insurance, for heaven's sake!
Anyway, after we rented our (clown) car, we loaded up our things and went out in search of our hotel armed with only a map of the city and our newly wedded love for each other.
Approximately 27 seconds after leaving the airport parking lot, we hit our first bump in the road. Literally. While I, personally, find roundabouts in the United States to be somewhat confusing and inconvenient, tackling one while driving on the wrong side of the road in a stick shift that is also on the wrong side, is impossible. We ran directly over said roundabout and into a ring of very perplexed, and understandably angry drivers. Cue the white knuckles and accusatory screaming.
Somehow we survived and made it to our hotel relatively unscathed. The hotel was a converted castle complete with elaborately carved antique furniture and a roaring fireplace. It was beautiful. It was romantic. It was exactly what we'd hoped it would be when we splurged and booked it.
It was also unprepared for our arrival, three hours before check-in.
Jet-lagged, starving, and cranky from our thirteen hour red-eye flight and one death defying hour in the car searching for the hotel, I went to freshen up in the bathroom. When I came back, Justin was asleep in one of the oversized lobby chairs. I looked at my beloved, finally comfortable and dozing peacefully, his face awash with calm, and jabbed him hard on the shoulder. I mumbled something very soothing like, "Hey. I'm ready. Let's go." Ah, to be young and in love.
We shoved our luggage at the mildly sympathetic desk clerk, and, lest we traumatize ourselves and the unsuspecting Irish public further, ditched the car in favor of walking.
It bears mentioning that it was cold. Very cold. See your breath, can't feel your feet, this country is stupid and I want to go home cold. In June. Thanks for that, Ireland.
After about an hour of walking around in circles trying to find some amazing four star restaurant I read about in our guidebook (I can't even remember which one now), we were hopelessly lost, starving, freezing, and seriously starting to reconsider this whole "till death do you part" thing. And then it started raining.
We ducked into the first door we found. Like a scene from a movie, it was perfect. A cozy, rustic little restaurant with one last open table.
We ordered the beef and Guinness stew: a rich, hearty, dreamy bowl of warmth that instantly made everything better. A cure-all if there ever was one, and possibly even a marriage saver.
Modified from Irish Pub Cooking
Beef in Stout with Herb Dumplings
Ingredients:
2 tbsp corn oil
2 large onions, thinly sliced
8 carrots, sliced
8 oz mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsp all-purpose flour
2 lb stew beef, cut into cubes
generous 1 3/4 cups stout
2 tsp brown sugar
2 bay leaves
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
salt and pepper
canned biscuit dough*
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- Preheat the oven to 325°. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions and carrots and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onions are soft (about 5 minutes). Meanwhile, place the flour in a plastic bag and season with salt and pepper. Add the beef to the bag and shake well to coat.
- Transfer the vegetables to a casserole dish with a slotted spoon. Add the beef to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until browned. Add the beef and any remaining flour to the vegetables. Pour in the stout and add the sugar, bay leaves, and thyme. Cover and cook in the preheated oven for 1 3/4 hours.
- Sprinkle the biscuit dough with parsley and roll into balls. Add the dough to the casserole and return to the oven. Bake, uncovered, an additional 30 minutes. Remove and discard the bay leaves and serve.
Enjoy!
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