BEEF & DARK BEER STEW, easy, wallet-friendly

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THE DELICIOUS DARK SIDE OF BEEF & BEER...

Slow cooked for hours till thick, melting & unctuous

This is one of 67goingon50's signature dishes and it is absolutely stunning.    

It's based on the Beef & Guinness Stew the Blogger first had shortly after arriving in London.  I fell in culinary love with its deep, dark colour, its intense flavour and its rich thick gravy.  The meat was so tender it could be cut with a spoon and the vegetables had wonderful texture.  

67 has made the stew hundreds of times since and each time diners have been blown away. 

Initially, cooking the stew in a low oven for 9-10 hours was the way to go but now 67 relies on a slow cooker.  (see Making the Most of Slow Cookers) There's little chance of overcooking; the stew just gets more rich and deeply flavoured. 

If you like beef - which has fallen out of favour recently -  prices are pretty good right now.  Watch for bargain prices at M&S, Waitrose & Sainsbury's.  

The stew is an indulgence worth every penny and was perfect for St Patrick's Day lunch.  It's wallet-friendly, not frugal and it is slightly higher in fat than usual 67 recipes.  

But it does feed a lot of people, especially if you add a few thickly chopped parsnips or swede in the early stages, and in the last hour of cooking, a tin of drained, rinsed white haricot beans. 

If there are weight or other health issues, restrict the amount of beef in a portion and load up on veg.  Leftovers freeze well and can be transformed into thick soup.  

Serves: 6-8
Cost:  £7'ish

Ingredients:

500g/18 oz stewing beef
56 gm/2 oz flour

       2 large onions, peeled, halved and thinly sliced 

6 carrots. in thick chunks 
1-2 cups/250-500 ml Guinness or porter (67 used 500ml) (Sorry, there is no halal equivalent but the alcohol will be cooked out by serving time)
1-2 cups/250-500 ml beef or other stock (67 used 250ml)

zest of one orange, coarsely grated 

 

1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce 
1/2 tsp dried thyme

1 1/2 oz butter 

150gm/6 oz thickly sliced mushrooms
pepper & salt
1/2 tsp dried thyme

Method:

1. Place flour in a plastic bag; season with 1/2 tsp each salt & pepper.  Add meat and toss until the meat is coated.  Save the flour which, with the butter, will thicken the stew later. (The lazy/busy can eliminate steps 2&3)
2. Brown the meat in a heavy-bottomed pan over med-high heat in a tablespoon of olive oil; set aside.
3. Spray the same pan with olive oil; sauté onions until soft and translucent, about 15 mins.  Add sliced carrots (and other root veg if using); cook a further 5 minutes.  Return meat to pan with any juices.
4. (If not browning meat & veg, place in a good-sized pan)
5. Add grated orange peel, the porter and stock (67 used 250ml stock), enough to cover the meat mixture, then Worcestershire sauce & thyme  
6. Bring to the boil, let bubble 5 mins, transfer to  slow cooker; cook on low 7-8 hours.  Check at the 6-hour mark; the meat should hold its shape and not fall apart.
7. If cooking in oven, put all the veg & meat but not the butter, mushrooms and final dash of Worcestershire in a large casserole dish with lid, with a good amount liquid to cover.  See fuller instructions in tips, below.
8. Mushrooms: In a separate small pan, cook the mushrooms in a little olive oil.  When the liquid is gone, add thyme; set aside.  30 mins before serving, stir mushrooms into the pot 
9. When stew is fully cooked, mash butter into reserved flour; add to stew with a final dash of Worcestershire sauce; if thicker mix is preferred, add another tablespoon flour mixed with butter. 
10. Serve with mashed potatoes, rice or pasta

Comments:
'The orange flavour is great and just in the right amount.  The mushrooms have retained their flavour and the beef melts perfectly, not like bullets in other stews.  I love a stew that is not too runny and this has great consistency, helped by the Guinness.  It certainly attracts me to getting a Slow Cooker if food tastes this good.' Middle Aged food lover 
'The Guinness adds a little extra kick and the meat is very tender.  It's a great winter warmer.' 20+ designer

Tips:

• It's now pretty easy to find single bottles of Guinness or Stout; M&S does a 500mg specialty stout for £2.40; Waitrose's 500mg bottle of classic Guinness costs £1.60 
• Cooking in the oven: 130c,250f,gas mark 1/2 in tightly sealed pot for up to 10 hours.  
• Often seen as a guy's dish, the stew provides plenty of iron 

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This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission.