Brooklyn: Mutton Stew
It’s good to see that not everybody’s put off their dinner by the weather forecast. It’s supposed to be a rough one tonight, so none of the other passengers are eating. A few spoonfuls of soup, maybe, but not the mutton stew.
WAITER, BROOKLYN, 2015
Screenshot from the film, Brooklyn
Brooklyn: Mutton Stew
One of the most memorable scenes from Brooklyn is in the beginning of the film when Eilis decides to have the mutton stew in the ship’s dining room. She picks around the bowl which contains a few pieces of gristle, carrots, and barley. She discreetly spits the piece of meat out into a napkin as the waiter comes in to take her plate away. She later realizes why everyone avoided the stew as she desperately looks for a toilet to relieve herself. Eilis sadly ends up relieving herself in a bucket she found in the corridor.
Brooklyn: Mutton Stew
Ingredients
- 300 g / 10oz / 2 cups - 1" cubed lamb shoulder or beef
- 3 tbsp - vegetable oil
- 3 strips - bacon diced
- 1/2 - onion small diced
- 2 - garlic cloves smashed
- 2 - sprigs of thyme
- 2 tbsp - all purpose flour
- 5 cups - beef broth
- 4, approx. 1 1/2 cup - carrots 1" dice
- 3 - medium russet potatoes peeled and cut into 1" pieces
- 75 g / 2.75oz / 1/2 cup - pearl barley quick cooking
Instructions
- Heat a dutch oven over high heat with 3 tbsp of oil. Once hot, sear the meat until golden on both sides. Take the meat out and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium and add the bacon. Cook just until it's lightly golden and add the diced onions, thyme, and garlic. Cook for 5 minutes or until the onions are soft and transparent.
- Add the flour and stir until combined. Add the meat and the stock and bring the mixture to a boil. Turn it down to a simmer and let it simmer for about an hour or until tender. Check the water levels to see if you need to add more stock.
- In the last 15-20 minutes of cooking, add the carrots, potatoes, and barley. Cook until the vegetables are tender.
