Beef and Irish Stout Stew

This recipe is a little heavy for the warm weather we've been experiencing. But with the rain, sometimes you just need some stew! Pick up some stew meat from Renaissance Farms, West Wind Farms, or Lazy Dog Farms. Then grab a six pack of Guiness on your way home from the market, and get ready for St Patty's Day!

Beef and Irish Stout Stew

Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 pinch salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1 pinch cayenne pepper
• 2 large onions, chopped

• 1 clove garlic, crushed
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cups Irish stout beer (such as Guinness(R))
• 2 cups chopped carrot
• 1 sprig fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Directions

1. Toss the beef cubes with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper. Dredge the beef in this to coat.
2. Heat the remaining oil in a deep skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the beef, and brown on all sides. Add the onions, and garlic. Stir the tomato paste into a small amount of water to dilute; pour into the pan and stir to blend. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and cook for 5 minutes.
3. 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.

Serve with Irish Colcannon (mashed potatoes with cabbage) and soda bread.