Christmas Irish Soup
This hearty Irish recipe goes down a treat on a chilly evening.PREP: 15 mins
Cook: 2 hrs
SERVES: 4
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp butter
- 700 g boneless lamb chump chops, trimmed and cut into small cubes
- 2 small onions, sliced
- 2 leeks, thickly sliced and washed thoroughly
- 2 large potatoes
- 1 carrot, thickly sliced
- ½ small swede, cut into bite size chunks
- Good sprig of fresh thyme, plus extra to garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
Method
- Heat the oil and half the butter in a large saucepan over a medium-high heat. Add the cubes of lamb, in batches, and cook, turning occasionally, for 4 to 5 minutes, until well browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Add the onions to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until browned. Return the lamb to the pan and add the leeks. Pour in 1 liter water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer gently for about 1 hour, stirring now and then.
- Add the potatoes, carrot, swede and thyme, and continue cooking for a further 40 minutes, until the lamb is very tender. Remove from the heat and leave to stand for 5 minutes to allow the fat to settle on the surface of the soup.
- Use a large spoon or ladle to skim off and discard the fat. Carefully pour off the stock from the soup into a clean saucepan. Whisk in the remaining butter. Stir in the parsley and season well with salt and pepper, then pour the liquid back over the lamb and vegetables.
- To serve, ladle the soup into 4 warmed bowls and garnish with sprigs of fresh thyme. Eat with slices of Irish soda bread or brown bread.
