‘This Is Actually a Perfect Recipe'
I could happily make a meal of warm bread and good butter, but I realize that some people like to tackle more than one food group at a time. In such cases, David Tanis's Irish stew would do wonderfully.
His minimalist take on the classic recipe relies on nothing more than nuggets of lamb with carrots, onions, potatoes and a single sprig of thyme, simmered in broth until everything but the thyme becomes meltingly tender. An uncluttered ingredient list shows each one at its best without distractions.
Featured Recipe
View Recipe →
As David writes, you can leave the broth thin and souplike (perfect for mopping up with bread, soda or otherwise), or thicken the sauce by adding a flour slurry or some barley, or by mashing up some of the potatoes already in the pot. Add roasted cabbage with lemon on the side, a slice of Yossy Arefi's new fudgy chocolate Irish cream cake for dessert, a dram of Irish whiskey and sláinte! A bona fide St. Paddy's Day dinner, no dyed beer or bagels needed.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Tom's Guide
3 days ago
- Tom's Guide
Why did nobody tell me it was this easy to make butter from scratch? All you need is 7 minutes and a stand mixer
I take butter very seriously. It's the one kitchen staple I refuse to compromise on. But butter is expensive, and if you use it in cooking or baking, you can go through it fast. I have a lifelong commitment to Kerrygold that I sustained even throughout my broke student years, and this affinity comes from my Irish grandparents. But when they were growing up, they made their own butter using fresh cream from the dairy, and it was a labor of love that involved a lot of armwork. My arm muscles are probably not up to the task of churning, but thankfully, I have a stand mixer that can do all that for me. I recently made a large stick (more of a log) of butter using nothing but a carton of cream and my Ooni Halo Pro stand mixer. The process only took seven minutes, and it left me with outrageously tasty butter that made me feel like a pro chef, with literally none of the skill. Here's how. You only need one ingredient to make your butter from scratch, and it's heavy cream. I used the cheapest I could find from the grocery store, and my butter still came out great. I started with 20fl oz. / 600ml of cream and added it to the base of my Halo Pro mixer. The mixer has an immense capacity, and could happily have tackled double or even triple the quantity, but it's definitely not good for me to have that much butter in the fridge. Once I'd fitted my whisk attachment I simply lowered the tilt-head of my mixer and set its timer for 10 minutes, which is how long the recipe I found on Google told me it would take. I then ramped up the speed slowly as my cream turned to soft peaks, to hard peaks, and then began to form a questionably lumpy texture that would usually tell me my buttercream has gone too far. But the goal is to power through this texture, which is when the fat will start to separate from the liquids of your cream. Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips. At around the six-minute mark, things were pretty splashy. I was glad to have a splatter guard over my bowl, or I'd have been stood there like a chicken filet tenderizing in a wash of buttermilk. Happy with the firmness of the butter and the volume of liquid pooling at the base of the bowl, I stopped mixing at the seven minute mark. If you're using a less powerful mixer (and almost every stand mixer is less powerful than the Ooni Halo Pro, which is designed to knead large volumes of bread dough) you might need to push on for longer. Available to U.S. buyers for $799 and U.K. buyers for £699, the Halo Pro mixer is designed to crate stronger gluten networks than the average stand mixer. I then had to separate my buttermilk (I'm saving this to make some Irish soda bread, like my forebears would have) and my butter solids, which then had to be rinsed under cold running water. This was the most hands-on part of the process, and it helps to have some cheesecloth handy to really squeeze out all that excess water and any remnants of buttermilk. If you don't get rid of it all, it'll start to go bad much sooner. Once clean and dry, I folded in some flaky salt and rolled my butter in some parchment paper. After a few minutes in the fridge, I was left with a rustic yet tasty homemade butter, and nobody to brag to. To console myself, I smothered it far too liberally on some toast Is it cost-effective to make your own butter? Let me put it a different way, it's not not cost-effective. I live in the U.K., where I paid around £3 / $4 for my cream, and was left with 300g / 10.5oz of butter. Where I live, and my American colleagues tell me this applies to the U.S. market too, my butter cost about as much to make as it would've cost to buy in the store. But mine was super tasty, and comes with the added smugness of knowing I made it from scratch with every single slice of toast. Now that's priceless.
New York Times
7 days ago
- New York Times
Timely Manner
A recent story in The Times, by Emily Laber-Warren, describes the ways we relate to time, dividing us into two groups. Monochronic people 'tend to live by the clock and are primed, at least during work hours, to prioritize obligations over relationships.' Polychronic people, on the other hand, 'tend to give primacy to experiences and relationships that don't always fit neatly into prearranged schedules.' If you prefer to work on one thing at a time, emphasizing deadlines and seeing interruptions as irritating, you're monochronic. Those who are good at multitasking, who comfortably allow shifts in their schedules if, for example, a friend comes to town and wants to go for a hike — those people are probably polychronic. The article insists there are downsides with each time personality. Monochronic people can be rigid, missing out on serendipity. Polychronic people can be easily distracted and can have difficulty finishing what they start. But I found myself thinking, as I often do when I read about socially scientific binaries — Type A vs. Type B, maximizers vs. satisficers — that it's secretly better to be the more laid-back type, that life is richer and more fulfilling if you're less rigid and don't, say, view a deadline the way a beast of burden does a plowman's whip. Despite my efforts to be loose and breezy with time, I'm pretty regimented. Calling myself 'monochronic' allows me to justify what I have always characterized as an undesirable uptightness. While I want to be productive, I want so much more to prioritize relationships over industry, to say 'this can wait' when I'm fast at work and someone calls with last-minute theater tickets. We're obsessed with our attention these days, how it's been captured by our screens, attenuated by too-busy schedules and the impossible pace of modern life. Monotasking is seen as an advantageous skill, deep work and flow states the antidotes to cognitive fatigue. But as we try to marshal our attention, it seems possible we will be tempted to overcorrect. My monochronic preference for uninterrupted stretches of time in which to work — oh, the exquisite relief of turning on 'Do Not Disturb' on my laptop and knowing that it will also silence my phone, my iPad, the text alerts and weather alerts and news alerts and calendar alerts! — often keeps me from engaging with things that would bring me pleasure. I've missed perfect 75-degree days because I need to finish chores before I relax. I tell myself that nothing will feel as good as getting things done, but then I think of the cliché about people on their deathbeds never saying they wish they'd spent more time working. There's hope: Time personalities are preferences, not traits, so we can shift them. The aim, as in all things, is balance, being nimble enough to shift from one style to another as the situation prescribes. 'Is your goal here relationship building? Then go polychronic,' one expert in the article advised. 'If your goal is to complete a task, then we need to be monochronic for a window of time and shut out all distractions.' While switching gears may feel uncomfortable for those of us conditioned to do the thing until the thing is done, this framing highlights the stakes. Completing the task feels good, but — here comes the deathbed again — the accomplishment is hollow without some flexibility, without letting in the possibility for surprise, serendipity and delight. AMERICA AND THE WORLD President Trump will meet with Vladimir Putin in Alaska next week to talk about ending the war in Ukraine. Putin hasn't been face-to-face with an American president since 2021. President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine rejected President Trump's proposal of a peace deal that could mean ceding land to Russia. At the White House yesterday, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan said they would end their long and bloody conflict. Trump directed the military to target Latin American drug cartels, a role previously carried out by law enforcement. But Mexico's president said U.S. forces are unwelcome in her country. 'We cooperate, we collaborate, but there is not going to be an invasion,' she said. TRUMP ADMINISTRATION Trump is removing the head of the I.R.S., two months after he was confirmed. For now, the Treasury secretary will run the agency, which has seen six different leaders this year. An appeals court said Judge James Boasberg could not investigate Trump officials for criminal contempt after they sent migrants abroad despite his order not to. Trump doesn't seem to mind that his health secretary, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., is undoing his vaccine legacy. Trump wants U.C.L.A. to pay $1 billion to restore its research funding, far more than other universities have agreed to. REDISTRICTING The Texas attorney general moved to oust 13 Democrats from the Legislature. They left the state to block a new map of congressional districts that favors Republicans. Is that allowed? 'It's never been done before,' the attorney general conceded. Our reporters explain the law. INTERNATIONAL Colombia and Peru are fighting a war of words over who owns a tiny island in the Amazon River that is home to 3,000 people. Israel says it is preparing to take control of Gaza City. What does that mean? How do Times journalists report on the aid crisis in Gaza? Using interviews, data, witness footage, satellite imagery, photography and more. They explain here. OTHER BIG STORIES An Army veteran wanted for the killing of four people at a Montana bar was captured after an eight-day manhunt. James A. Lovell Jr., commander of the near-catastrophic Apollo 13 mission, died at 97. He was etched in cinema history when Tom Hanks, playing him in a 1995 movie, uttered the line, 'Houston, we have a problem.' A gunman fired at the headquarters of the C.D.C. in Atlanta, killing one police officer before being fatally shot. An official said the man was fixated on the Covid vaccine, which he believed had made him ill. Film and TV For some millennials, Lindsay Lohan and Jamie Lee Curtis's return in 'Freakier Friday,' a sequel to the 2003 movie, will provide a surge of nostalgia. Our critic says the movie works best 'if you're there for the memories.' Curtis, Lohan and their two new co-stars sat down with The Times to discuss the sequel — and what's changed in the 22 years since the first. Read the interview here. Speaking of 2000s nostalgia: Photos of 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' being filmed on the streets of New York are everywhere. Esther Zuckerman explores what that means in an era of anti-spoiler culture. Zach Cregger, director of the 2022 horror movie 'Barbarian,' is back with 'Weapons.' Both films show his skill at melding laughs and screams, our critic writes. Music 'Fleetwood Mac,' the 1975 album that turned the band into superstars, is getting a 50th anniversary rerelease. After half a century, the music still gleams, Jon Pareles writes. A new book, 'The Gods of New York,' traces four transformative years in the city, 1986 to 1990. Jonathan Mahler, the book's author and a Times reporter, offers a playlist of early rap that captures the turmoil of that era. More Culture For the last two years, the Delacorte Theater — home of Free Shakespeare in the Park — has been closed for an update. Here's a look at the $85 million renovation. London is a global capital for Indian restaurants. Some of the city's most beloved eateries, including the chain Dishoom, are making their way to the U.S. The teen jewelry chain Claire's has filed for bankruptcy for a second time. By Desiree Ibekwe 🎸 Ethel Cain, 'Willoughby Tucker, I'll Always Love You' (Out now): On a summer's day about two years ago, standing in a field in West London, I fell in love with the music of Ethel Cain, the southern gothic persona of the singer Hayden Anhedönia. It happened during her performance of 'A House in Nebraska,' a cinematic, nearly eight-minute track about regret and lost love. There was more where that came from — much of the rest of her 2022 debut album, 'Preacher's Daughter,' was just as rich and just as evocative. This new album is supposed to be second in a trilogy of albums from Ethel's perspective — I'm looking forward to entering her cinematic universe once more. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
New York Times
07-08-2025
- New York Times
Oh, Do You Have Some Zucchini?
As a longtime apartment dweller, I've dabbled in the requisite windowsill herb garden, and I did once get reprimanded by my super for keeping a planter of sprouting radishes on my fire escape. But I have never known the true pleasures of tending a garden. Oh, have I heard about the pitfalls, though. Over the years of writing this newsletter, I have received from readers multiple versions of the following: too much zucchini so much zucchini the zucchini is taking over who will save us! Zucchini plants are, in a word, prolific. You've already made enough zucchini loaves and cakes to supply a bakery and have given enough away to curry favor with all of your neighbors. Now, Zucchini Bingo is the answer. Zucchini Pancakes | Summer Vegetable Skewers | Orzo Salad With Lentils and Zucchini | Smashed Zucchini With Chickpeas and Peanuts | Chilled Zucchini Soup With Lemon and Basil | Crispy Zucchini Hero | Summer Pasta With Zucchini, Ricotta and Basil | Sheet-Pan Zucchini, Tomatoes and Feta | Zucchini Salad With Bread Crumbs Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
