Guinness Irish Stew

In honor of St Patrick’s Day and the fact that winter seems to finally be leaving, I made my version of Irish or Guinness Stew. This is a traditional stew except for the addition of sweet potatoes. It is a subtle change, adds a little sweetness to the dish and a few more vitamins. If you want to serve this on St Patrick’s Day you could use the crock pot version at the end of this blog.

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I also have created an appetizer and dessert for you to make for your family on St. Patrick’s Day.

I hope you enjoy and please follow my blog at www.dadwhats4dinner.com

“Reuben Meatballs” St. Patrick’s Day Appetizer

Irish Coffee Blondies with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

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Here is a bit of history:

Irish stew: (Irish: stobhach / Stobhach Gaelach)is any variety of meat-and-root vegetables stew native to Ireland. As in all traditional folk dishes, the exact recipe is not consistent from time or place to place. Common ingredients include lamb, or mutton (mutton is used as it comes from less tender sheep over a year old, is fattier, and has a stronger flavour, and was generally more common in less-affluent times) as well as potatoes, onions, and parsley. It may sometimes also include carrots. Irish stew is also made with kid goat. —Wikipedia.com

The original staple for Irish stew was potatoes which was easy to obtain. If the household was lucky enough to have a little meat, then adding to a stew was the best way to stretch the meat out to feed the family. Beef was available, but only affordable to British landowners. Your typical Irish cook would use lamb meat or mutton rather than sacrifice their only dairy cow. The addition of the neck bones or shanks also provided more flavoring to the stew. Each region of Ireland will also have their different version of stew. Southern Ireland will add barley which is an affordable and nutritious filler. Other regions may cap their stew with a crust of mashed potatoes making more of a shepherd’s pie.

Irish-American immigrants started replacing lamb with beef in their stews since that was easier to find in the markets. The strong flavor of the stout beer pairs well with beef or mutton. When Guinness stout beer cooks down, in particular, it adds a nice roasted caramel and chocolately flavor to the stew.

History of Guinness:

It all starts with just one man, but it’s not down to a single ‘eureka’ moment. The history of GUINNESS® beer, draught, or stout is a stirring tale of inspiration, dedication, ingenuity and effort. It’s over two centuries of sublime brewing craft, a remarkable knack for spreading the word and more than a few leaps of faith. It’s the story of how a unique Irish stout became, with a little magic, one of the World’s best-loved beers.

Ireland is famous for it’s black stout Guinness beer which has been brewed in Dublin since 1759. Poor Irish workers and farmers lived for their pint of stout beer and considered it part of their diet. A pint of stout was known as “liquid food”. Guinness or other stout beers have been used as part of modern Irish cooking to help tenderize meat in stews and casseroles. You’ll even find Guinness used in chocolate cake recipes!

—www.Guinness.com

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Guinness Irish Beef Stew

Total Time: 3 hours         Prep Time: 30 min        Cook Time: about 3 hours

Servings: 10-12

Ingredients:

2-3 pounds boneless beef meat (bottom round, rump roast, chuck roast), trimmed of excess fat and cut into 1-inch cubes.  I used chuck roast. You can buy the packages of stew meat from the butcher if you do not want to cut yourself.

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tbsp olive oil, divided

1/2 cup all-purpose flour, divided

1 large onion, chopped

1 (12-ounce) bottle Guinness stout beer, divided*

2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced

1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste

1 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp dried thyme

1 tsp white pepper

3 dried bay leaves

1 (32-ounce) container of beef broth

4 to 5 large russett potatoes (or Yukon Gold), sliced into 1-inch cubes

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1 inch cubes

2 cups carrots, peeled, sliced diagonally into 1 inch chunks

3 celery stalks, diced

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh or 1 tablespoon dried parsley

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Directions:

In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and heat.

While the olive oil is heating, pat the beef cubes dry with paper towels, (moist meat does not brown). Season the dried beef cubes with salt and pepper. Place the beef and 1/4 cup flour inside a medium bowl, or gallon size ziplock bag, stir together until the meat is coated with flour.

Working in small batches, so the beef is not overcrowded in the pan, add the prepared beef cubes to the soup pot or Dutch oven and brown on all sides. Set aside.

Add the remaining olive oil to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Pour in 1/2 bottle of Guinness beer and combine with onions; bring to a boil and, use a spatula to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scrape up and loosen any browned bits from the bottom for added flavor.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, white pepper, and bay leaves; stir together to combine and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer approximately 5 minutes.

Turn heat back up to medium-high. Add the remaining beef, remaining bottle of Guinness beer, beef stock, and beef broth or stock until meat is covered, stir until combined. Bring just to a boil again and then reduce heat to medium-low, and cover with lid. Let simmer for 45 minutes, stirring occasionally and skimming off the fat from the top.

Turn heat back up to medium-high, stir in the potatoes, sweet potatoes and carrots. Bring just to a boil, reduce heat back down to medium-low and let simmer approximately 1 hour  or until beef and vegetables are tender. Skim off any remaining fat from the top and then add salt and pepper to taste.

If stew needs to be thickened, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cold water until the mixture is a smooth paste. Slowly stir in a little of the flour paste into the stew, a little at a time, until the stew reaches your desired thickness. Remove and discard the bay leaves.

Serve in soup bowls and sprinkle with parsley for garnish.

Enjoy and Happy St. Patrick’s Day!!

 

Crock Pot Preparation:

Preheat Crock Pot.

Working in small batches, so the beef is not overcrowded in the pan, add the prepared beef cubes to the soup pot or Dutch oven and brown on all sides. Place in crock pot.

Add the remaining olive oil to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and saute for 5 minutes or until translucent. Pour in 1/2 bottle of Guinness beer and combine with onions; bring to a boil and, use a spatula to deglaze the bottom of the pot, scrape up and loosen any browned bits from the bottom for added flavor.

Add the tomato paste, garlic, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, thyme, white pepper, and bay leaves; stir together to combine and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and let simmer approximately 5 minutes.

Add to crock pot: onion mixture, potatoes, carrots, celery, leeks, remaining Guinness beer, beef stock, and water, make sure all ingredients are barely covered. Stir and cover with lid. Cook on low heat approximately 8 hours or high heat for 4 to 5 hours until the meat and vegetables are tender.

Skim off any fat from the top and then add salt and pepper to taste.

If stew needs to be thickened, in a small bowl, stir together the remaining 1/4 cup flour and 1/4 cold water until the mixture is a smooth paste. Slowly stir in a little of the flour paste into the stew, a little at a time, until the stew reaches your desired thickness. Remove and discard the bay leaves.