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Stobhach Gaelach & and Cál Ceannann with Ryan & Chad 

Ryan learned to make both of these dishes from his great-grandmother, who grew up in Ireland. While most of the ingredients are easy for him to find today in Colorado Springs, for Ryan’s great-grandmother these were special occasion foods, treats made of ingredients that were not always so easy to come by. Because of that, Ryan associates these foods with family reunions and St. Patrick's Day. He cooked for us the day after the holiday! The cál ceannann recipe requires fewer ingredients and he describes it as “one of the most common dishes in Ireland” made of “stuff that’s really easily accessible… so it has kind of been around forever.”

Ryan has been cooking since he was a little kid. In his family growing up he was “in the kitchen constantly.” It was a place for bonding and learning, and his parents were “adamant that we would be able to cook on our own eventually and wouldn’t have to depend on someone else to do it.” Cooking was a “fundamental part of our family,” Ryan says, and something he loved doing. Now these dishes help him stay connected not only to his immediate family, but also to his extended family in Ireland whom he sees less often.

The recipes have changed over time, and Ryan has made his own modifications. He added soy sauce and Guinness to the stew, and though he says his mom makes an amazing cál ceannan, he likes his version the best. He explains that the recipes are “not secret” and are meant to evolve. Overall it is more important to him to share his general knowledge of cooking with his friends, partner Chad, and the youth he works with than to specifically pass down these Irish recipes. 


Stobhach Gaelach (Irish Stew) Recipe

Servings: 6-8
Time: 60-90 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 2 medium potatoes
  • 3 carrots
  • 1 yellow onion
  • ½ a bundle parsley
  • ½ a bundle of sage
  • ½ a bundle of rosemary
  • ½ a bundle thyme
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 lb of diced beef
  • 1 box of beef broth
  • 2 cans Guinness (24oz)
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)


Instructions:

  • Begin by peeling the potatoes and carrots.
  • Once peeled, chop the carrots, potatoes, and onions into ½ inch pieces and place off to the side.
  • Remove the stems from all of the herbs. Rough chop the parsley, rosemary and thyme and place off to the side.
  • Grab a skillet and allow it to heat up. To the heated skillets add the diced beef chunks and sear the beef to brown it. Season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
  • To a soup pot add beef broth, carrots, potatoes, onions and herbs. Once the beef is seared add it to the pot as well. Top the stew off with Guinness and season with salt and pepper.
  • Allow to cook on high heat for at least 30 minutes.
  • Serve hot with bread or cál ceannann.




Cál Ceannann Recipe

Servings: 6-8
Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

  • 7 medium potatoes
  • ½ head of cabbage
  • 1 bundle of kale
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • ½ cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1 bundle of green onions
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

  • Begin by placing a pot of water on the stove to boil.
  • Peel and cut potatoes and place them to the side until the water is boiling. Once the water is boiling add potatoes and boil until tender.
  • While waiting for the potatoes to boil, cut the kale and cabbage into ½ inch slices. Slice green onions at an angle to make a diamond shape and place off to the side for the very end.
  • To a skillet add butter and cabbage. Let the cabbage cook until it feels al dente or is half way cooked and add the kale. (note: it is important not to over cook the kale or it will make the dish bitter).
  • Once the cabbage mixture is cooked, place off to the side and wait for the potatoes to finish boiling.
  • Now it’s time to mix them all together. Add the cabbage/kale mixture and heavy whipping cream to the potatoes. Mash until incorporated. Season with salt and pepper to taste and garnish with green