Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

With St. Patrick's Day coming up in less than a week, I thought I would take a second to share the recipe for our favorite Irish Beef Stew.

Irish Beef and Guinness Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat
• 3 tbs vegetable oil, divided
• 2 tbs all-purpose flour
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 large onions, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tbs tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups Guinness stout beer (or other Irish Stout)
• 2 cups carrot, cut into chunks
  
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 tbs fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

Trim the meat of any fat, cut into 2 inch cubes, and toss them in a bowl with 1 tbs of the vegetable oil. In a small bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and a pinch of cayenne. Toss the meat in the mixture to coat.

Heat the remaining oil in a deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions and crushed garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water (to dilute); pour into the pan, stir to blend, cover and cook gently (reduce heat if necessary) for about 5 minutes.

Pour 1/2 cup of the beer into the pan, and as it begins to boil, scrape any bits of food from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. This adds a lot of flavor to the broth. Pour in the rest of the beer, and add the carrots and thyme. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning before serving. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Yields: Six to Eight Servings

Beannachtaí na Féile Pádraig oraibh!

St. Patrick's Day Blessing Upon You!