With Saint Patrick’s Day only a few days away, it’s time for Irish beef stew. Irish stew originated in Ireland and is popular across Europe. Like most other stews, this stew consists of a variety of diced vegetables and meat simmered in a thick sauce. The sauce gets a lot of its flavor from Irish stout beer; hopefully you can find this because it will make a big difference in the taste of the stew. Apparently there is also a version of this made with lamb, but I have never tried it. This is a perfect recipe for Saint Patrick’s Day. Enjoy.
INGREDIENTS:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons flour
1lb beef stew meat or diced beef
1 small onion (chopped)
2 large potatoes (peeled and diced)
4 carrots (peeled and sliced)
2 cups fresh sliced mushrooms
6 garlic cloves (minced)
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
2 cups beef broth
1 (12 ounce) bottle Irish stout beer
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water
1/2 cup fresh parsley (minced)
METHOD:
1. In a large pot heat oil. Coat beef cubes with flour and fry in oil until browned on all sides. Remove meat from the pot and set aside. Add mushrooms and onions to the pan. Cook onions until tender.
2. Add the beef back to the pot. Stir in tomato paste, garlic, beef broth and beer. Add potatoes and carrots. Cover and simmer on low for 1 hour.
3. In a measuring cup mix together 1 table spoon of cornstarch with 1 tablespoon of water. Pour into the stew and stir. Simmer until the sauce has thickened. Sprinkle with fresh parsley.
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Baking time: 1 1/4 hours
Makes 6 Servings
