Here’s another savory recipe, this time for the vegetarians among us. I followed Handle the Heat‘s recipe exactly, and these muffins turned out just perfectly. They’re easy, tasty and really visually stunning!

They get a salty kick from all the chunks of feta, and the soft flavour of the roasted red peppers counteracts the saltiness. The basil is quite strong in these muffins, and so the flavour works wonderfully. The muffins themselves are moist, with just a bit of crumb. There is nothing I didn’t like about these muffins. I love savory muffins as a snack in the afternoon; I don’t often crave sweet stuff at 2pm, but I definitely crave the salty, and one of these fits the bill. They’re also great as a bread to serve alongside dinner. I froze half of them, and would pull one out every now and then to bring as part of my lunch, so they definitely freeze well.

Highly, highly recommended!

Feta, Basil, and Roasted Red Pepper Muffins
adapted from Handle the Heat
Yield: 12 muffins

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup jarred roasted red bell pepper, patted dry and chopped into 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
1 cup (8 ounces) buttermilk
1/4 cup (2 ounces) olive oil
1 large egg

1. Preheat the oven to 375°F and position an oven rack in the center. Lightly coat the muffin tin with melted butter, oil, or high-heat canola-oil spray., or line with paper muffin liners.

2. Whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the large mixing bowl. In a small bowl, stir together the feta cheese, roasted bell pepper, and chopped basil. Set aside. Pour the buttermilk into the measuring cup. Add the olive oil and the egg and whisk together until well blended.

3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well and stir gently with a spatula. Mix only until there are no more streaks of flour or pools of liquid and the batter looks fairly smooth. A few small lumps scattered throughout are fine – they will disappear during baking. Gently fold in the feta cheese mixture until evenly distributed in the batter.

4. Use the large ice cream scoop or 2 soup spoons to divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until the tops feel firm and a skewer inserted into the centers comes out clean. Transfer the muffin tin to a rack and let cool for 5 minutes.

5. Gently run a thin knife or spatula around each muffin to free it from the pan, lift out the muffins, and transfer them to a rack to finish cooling. Serve warm or store airtight at room temperature for up to 2 days or frozen for 1 month. Reheat room temperature muffins in oven at 375 for about 8 minutes or in microwave.

These aren’t the best photos I’ve taken, but this Irish lamb stew is definitely one of the best stews I’ve eaten, so I feel like I have to give it a moment of glory. You can probably tell, but we don’t cook with much meat in this house. This is particularly true of me. I think this is probably only the second stew I’ve ever made. I know though that I wouldn’t want to make any other ones though; this is truly the perfect Guinness Irish stew!

I used this recipe as the base recipe. I was drawn to it because I loved the idea of roasting all the veggies to cook them, rather than have them simmering in liquid. Roasting vegetables, especially when they’re drizzled with olive oil, sprinkled with salt and pepper and cook with lots of rosemary and garlic are always going to be better than veggies that have sat around in liquid for 2 hours. I didn’t use parsnips, but upped the amounts of the carrots and the potatoes. I added lots of onion and celery to the roux, and the most important step I believe I added was marinating the lamb for a good 30 minutes before starting to cook it. I loved its slightly sweet, slightly salty flavor, and of course, the garlic and rosemary didn’t hurt at all!
I topped my stew with a puff pastry lid, much like a chicken pot pie. The sauce is rich and buttery, and the crust is perfect for sopping all the extra juice up. With big chunks of veggies, the tender lamb and the distinctive bite of Guinness, this was one hearty, amazing dish.

Guinness Irish Stew with Lamb and Roasted Vegetables and Puff Pastry
adapted from Food Network

Marinade for lamb: olive oil, Worcestershire, soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 pounds lamb shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups onion, sliced
1 cup celery, cut into thick slices
1/2 cup flour
4 ounces unsalted butter
1 cup Guinness beer
3 cups beef stock
1 cup tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced (I used one can of San Marzano tomatoes)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
1 ½ pound russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, cut in half
3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, plus 1 tablespoon chopped
1 cup peas, shelled (I used frozen)

Puff Pastry and beaten egg for top

1. To marinate the lamb, combine a few tablespoons of olive oil with a few teaspoons on Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce in a large bowl. Chop two cloves of garlic and the leaves from one sprig of rosemary and add to the liquid. Place lamb in the liquid, toss so all pieces are covered. Refrigerate in marinade until ready to cook.

2. In a heavy-bottomed pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the lamb and brown evenly. Remove the lamb from the pot and set aside. Add the onions and the celery and saute until soft. Add the butter and melt. Add the flour to make a roux. Turn the heat down to low, and cook the roux until it is brown, about 15 minutes. Whisk in the beer and stock. Add the tomatoes and the reserved lamb, bring to a simmer, and cover. Simmer, covered, for 1 1/2 hours.

3. While the lamb mixture is simmering, combine the carrots, potatoes and garlic in a large bowl. Toss with remaining olive oil, salt and pepper and rosemary sprigs. Place the vegetables in a roasting pan and place in a 400-degree oven. Roast for 45 minutes, stirring every 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Remove the vegetables from the oven and discard the rosemary sprigs. Add the roasted vegetables and the peas to the lamb mixture. Add the chopped rosemary. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Roll out the puff pastry to fit over the stew dish. Place over dish and puncture a few slits in the top with a sharp knife. Brush top with beaten egg.

5. Place in 400-degree oven and bake for about 10-15 minutes, or until puff pastry puffs and browns. Remove, let cool a bit, and serve!