Irish Stew Pie — The Afternoon I Walked Back Into Gloria’s Kitchen

September. The semester is going. I am finishing my last UAB courses and doing fellowship research and working at the daycare. It is a full load but I carry it because I know the weight of what I am carrying and I know it is the right weight. The daycare and the research reinforce each other: the classroom makes the research more concrete, the research makes the classroom work more intentional.

Lily is three and a half now and she is in the three-year-old room and she still waves at me in the hallway. Every time. She sees me and she waves. I wave back. That is the whole story of what I do and why I do it, in two people waving at each other down a hallway.

Sunday at Gloria was inside this week. Numbers have been manageable in their area and she said: come in. I came in. The kitchen was exactly the same. The cast iron skillets hanging on the wall. The Post-its. The composition notebook on the counter where I have written so many recipes. The ceiling fan turning. James in his chair in the living room. She was at the stove when I walked in and she turned around and said: there you are. I said: here I am. We hugged for a while in the kitchen and neither of us said anything about the months of screen doors. She turned back to the stove. I washed my hands and found a spoon and started helping. That is exactly how coming back to a place you love should work.

This is what she was making when I walked in — something slow and warm and unmistakably hers, the kind of thing that takes long enough on a Sunday that you have time to talk while you work. The Irish Stew Pie felt right in a way I couldn’t have planned: layered, unhurried, built for sharing. I found the spoon, I started helping, and neither of us had to say anything about how long it had been.

Irish Stew Pie

Prep Time: 25 minutes | Cook Time: 1 hour 45 minutes | Total Time: 2 hours 10 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 lbs beef chuck or lamb shoulder, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large yellow onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
• 3 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 stalks celery, sliced
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 cups beef broth
• 1 cup dark stout beer (such as Guinness)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
• Salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 sheet refrigerated pie crust or puff pastry (about 9 oz), thawed if frozen
• 1 egg, beaten (for egg wash)

Instructions

1. Brown the meat. Pat meat dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large oven-safe Dutch oven or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, sear the meat until browned on all sides, about 3–4 minutes per batch. Transfer browned meat to a plate and set aside.
2. Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add onion and celery to the same pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Stir in tomato paste and flour, coating the vegetables evenly, and cook for 1–2 minutes.
3. Deglaze and simmer. Pour in the stout and stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, and rosemary. Return the browned meat to the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
4. Add the vegetables. Stir in the carrots and potatoes. Continue to simmer uncovered for an additional 25–30 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and the stew has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 400°F.
5. Top and bake. Transfer the stew to a deep 9-inch pie dish or 2-quart baking dish if not already oven-safe. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and drape it over the top of the dish, trimming to fit and pressing the edges to seal. Cut a few small slits in the center to allow steam to escape. Brush the top evenly with the beaten egg.
6. Finish in the oven. Bake at 400°F for 25–30 minutes, until the pastry is deep golden brown and the filling is bubbling through the slits. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 520 | Protein: 34g | Fat: 22g | Carbs: 42g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 680mg