Guinness adds depth to hearty beef stew for St. Patrick’s Day
I’m always up for a celebration. So, when St. Patrick’s Day arrives, I love to serve a dish that pays homage to Irish history. Some of my discoveries have included soda bread, different preparations of corned beef and, my favorite, the delicious combination of chocolate and stout. This year, I will be enjoying this warming beef vegetable stew.
The braised beef takes an Irish turn with the inclusion of slightly bitter Guinness stout. It is tempered with a touch of brown sugar.
You can decide what veggies you want to include. In this rendition, you’ll find sweet orange squash, potatoes and vibrant green peas.
Here’s a tip on simplifying the browning process: Place the wellmarbled chuck on a parchment-lined sheet pan.
VEGETABLE BEEF STEW
Season it with salt and pepper and add a sprinkling of Wondra flour, a type of quick-dissolving flour, to thicken the sauce, then put it in a hot oven. That way, you avoid the sauteing and extra oil. Everything else is cooked together and the browned beef is added before a long simmer on low heat.
I have found that the
Makes: 6 servings
3 pounds chuck, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Wondra flour
¾ pound baby potatoes (1 ½ inches in diameter)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
¼ cup tomato paste
2 cups beef stock
1 (11.2-ounce) bottle Guinness
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar, or to taste 1 bay leaf
4 sprigs parsley
¾-pound winter squash, peeled and diced into 1 ½-inch pieces
1 bag (7 ounces) frozen pearl onions, defrosted
1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley 1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Pat the meat dry. Place the meat on a parchmentlined sheet pan. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle Wondra flour lightly on the
precut stewing beef in the meat department can become dry and stringy, which no sauce can rescue. Ask your butcher to cut the beef chuck, making sure it has some fat streaked in it. If you do this, you will have a juicy, tender stew.
Serve the stew in shallow soup bowls and accompany it with a crusty, warm sliced baguette.
meat. Roast the meat on the middle upper rack of the oven for 15 to 18 minutes or until the meat is lightly browned. Reserve.
2. While meat is browning, parboil the potatoes. Cover potatoes in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil on high heat for about 8 minutes or until potatoes are barely fork tender. Drain and reserve.
3. Add the oil to a Dutch oven on medium heat and saute the onions, carrots and celery for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally until nicely softened. Add the tomato paste and cook for a minute to slightly caramelize the mixture. Add the beef stock, Guinness, garlic, brown sugar, bay leaf and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Cover the casserole and simmer over low heat, covered, for about 1 ¾ hours to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, or until the meat is almost tender.
5. Add the reserved potatoes and squash, and simmer for about 15 minutes or until vegetables and meat are fork-tender with cover on. Uncover the casserole and add the pearl onions and peas and cook for 3 more minutes or until just cooked through. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper. Add 1 tablespoon parsley and mix to combine. Garnish with remaining parsley and serve immediately.*