St. Patrick’s Day is just a week away and I have nothing to
report that is either green or Guinness-y. That just leaves me the perfect
opportunity to give some love to this Beef and Guinness Stew that I tend to
serve every year.
In the past, I’ve presented this as a pot pie because I
served it in individual stew bowls with a puff pastry lid. You wouldn’t have to
do that. Well, you wouldn’t have to, but I highly recommend it. In fact, you
could do that with just about any thick stew. Just give it a pastry covering of
some kind and you have pot pie.
This is just such a good stew/pot pie, however, that I don’t
want you to miss out on it’s fabulous beefy and peppery flavors just because
you don’t have pastry skills or some kind of frozen or refrigerated pastry on
hand. It’s usually pretty easy for me to pass up a beef dish, but when that
beef is flavorfully slow-cooked, I’m in trouble. It’s also easy for me to pass
up a bottle of beer, but when you give the dark, rich flavor of Guinness to a
slow cooked beef stew, we’re talking about something different entirely.
Something so good it’s worthy of a celebration.
Don’t let the brined green peppercorns in the ingredient list
scare you. They’re just black peppercorns in a younger stage bottled in brine.
They’re delicious and if you haven’t tried them, I’d recommend getting your
hands on a bottle to use in this stew. In fact, I can’t think of any other
recipe I use them in and I still find them to be worth the purchase. You can
find them near the capers (and pickles, etc.) in supermarkets.
And – trust me – it’s worth saving out one bottle of
Guinness just to make this stew. Celebrate responsibly!
Beef and Guinness Stew
or Pot Pie
Modified from Gourmet magazine
Making this stew into a pot pie is optional, but really good.
2 lb boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet) (or more if needed), thawed
1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels if it is damp on the surface. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cubed beef and toss to coat with the flour mixture.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the beef in one layer and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef from the pot and place in a clean bowl or on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more of the oil as needed.
Modified from Gourmet magazine
Making this stew into a pot pie is optional, but really good.
2 lb boneless beef chuck
2 Tbs all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
½ tsp black pepper
2 Tbs canola or vegetable oil, divided
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 ½ Tbs tomato paste
1 ½ cups beef broth
1 (11.2 ounce) bottle Guinness or other Irish stout
1 Tbs Worcestershire sauce
2 tsp drained brined green peppercorns, coarsely chopped
2 fresh thyme sprigs or ½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 pound peeled potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
½ (17.3 ounce) package puff pastry (1 sheet) (or more if needed), thawed
1. Pat the beef dry with paper towels if it is damp on the surface. Cut the beef into 1-2 inch cubes. Combine the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cubed beef and toss to coat with the flour mixture.
2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot, such as a Dutch oven, over medium heat. Add the beef in one layer and cook, turning to brown on all sides. Remove the browned beef from the pot and place in a clean bowl or on a clean plate. Repeat with the remaining beef, adding more of the oil as needed.
3. When all the beef has been
browned, add the onion to the pan. Cook over medium heat 3 minutes. Add garlic
and ½ cup beef broth. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the beef and any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, brined green peppercorns and thyme.
5. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Simmer about 1 hour more or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if desired. Remove the stems from the thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme. The stew can be made ahead of time or served without a pastry covering at this point.
4. Stir in the tomato paste and cook 1 minute. Add the beef and any juices that may have accumulated in the bowl. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, Guinness, Worcestershire sauce, brined green peppercorns and thyme.
5. Bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 1 hour. Add the potatoes. Simmer about 1 hour more or until the beef is very tender. Remove the lid for the last 30 minutes to thicken the stew if desired. Remove the stems from the thyme sprigs if you used fresh thyme. The stew can be made ahead of time or served without a pastry covering at this point.
6. Preheat the oven to 450 F.
Spoon stew into 4 oven-proof single-serving crocks or soup bowls. Cut the puff
pastry sheet into 4 squares. (You can cut it smaller or larger, or use more
than one sheet, depending on the size of the bowls you are using.) Place 1
sheet of puff pastry on top of each filled bowl. Gently press to adhere to the
sides of the bowl. Cut 2 to 3 slits in the top of the pastry to allow steam to
escape as it bakes.
7. Place the pot pies on a baking sheet for
easy transfer to the oven. Bake at 450 F 10-15 minutes or until the puff pastry
is well browned. Remove from the oven and let stand 5-10 minutes. The stew
under the pastry will be very hot.
Makes about 4 servings
Other recipes like this one: Beef Stew with Red Wine and Mushrooms,
Beef stew with Tomatillos and Poblano Chiles, Beer Cheese Soup with Bratwurst
One year ago: Orange Butter Cookies
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