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A SERENDIPITOUS APPEARANCE IN THE FRIDGE
OUR FRIDGE JUST happened to contain a bottle of Scottish ale, some sausage, and veggies including Brussels sprouts. A perfect time for making stew.
SCOTTISH ALE STEW
2 Tbs butter
1 onion, chopped
2 white potatoes, cubed
3 carrots, sliced
12 oz sausage, sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
14 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved
1 pint Scottish ale
1 Tbs, Dijon mustard
salt and pepper, to taste
Putting The Stew Together. Melt the butter in a dutch oven or similar stew pot.
The basic veggies.
Add the onion, potatoes, carrots, sausage, garlic, and Brussels sprouts successively as you perform each chopping, cubing, slicing, etc.
The sausage and Brussels sprouts too.
Saute for a few minutes. Scrape any crispy bits off the bottom. Cooking becomes folksy with a wooden spoon.
Stir in the ale and mustard. (The Scots always got along well with the French.) Add water if needed to submerge most of the ingredients. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover, and simmer for about 20 minutes, with occasional stirs if you’re the curious type.
Bubble, bubble, (little) toil, and (no) trouble.
The stew is done when the Brussels sprouts are tender to your liking. Thus, the occasional tasting, along with a small glass of ale withheld from the pot.
Serve hot with crusty bread.
Cook’s Notes. Being as I am, a vegetarian of sorts, except for sausage, I eschew traditional stew meats in this recipe. If you prefer them, begin by lightly browning cubed bits of meat. The rest is essentially the same.
I’ve also made similar stews with Belgian beer, German Weissbier, or domestic counterparts. It was serendipitous that I had this Scottish Traquair House Ale in the fridge. It’s a great ale, by the way.
Robert McGregor Innes Ireland, 1930-1993. Image, circa mid-1980s, by Dorothy Clendenin.
To quote a Scotsman: Innes Ireland taught me “Slange-e-va!” to which one responds, ”Slange-e-vor.”. And bon appétit! ds
© Dennis Simanaitis, SimanaitisSays.com, 2019
Good idea :)~ looks tasty on a rainy winter day!
PS, have you tried any of the vegetarian sausages?
I love tofu and have sampled veggie meatballs, but not faux sausage.
How funny a Scotsman was named Ireland. I believe the word “raconteur” was made for him. One of the best dinner companions I ever had the pleasure to share a meal with.
Thank you for the recipie. I was missing some key ingredients like Brussel Sprouts and carrots, substituted Sam Adams Winter for a Scottish ale, and I only had one potato, but was happy with the result nonetheless!