Classic Irish Stew Food

TRADITIONAL IRISH GUINNESS STEW

Steps:

• In a large glass bowl, combine Guinness, mustard, rosemary, and bay leaves.
• Add the beef cubes, stir in, cover, leave to marinate in the fridge overnight.
• Preheat oven to 325°F or 160°C.
• Drain the meat and keep the marinate to one side for later.
• On a plate or chopping board, sprinkle the flour and season to your tastes. I recommend just a bit of salt and pepper and a touch of rosemary.
• Cover the beef cubes in the flour and set aside.
• In a large skillet, melt butter and brown the meat 3-5 minutes each side. Transfer this to a casserole dish and do not clean the skillet (this retains flavours released by the beef).
• Add the remaining butter to the skillet, when foamy add the onions and cook until brown and/or tender. Add these to the casserole dish.
• Repeat this step for all other vegetables, only adding butter when necessary. Each vegetable should be cooked until tender. This will take a maximum of 5 minutes.
• Add the vegetables to the casserole dish followed by the marinate and beef stock.
• Cook for 1.5-2 hours or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally. The Guinness will reduce a lot, but if it looks too dehydrated you can add more.
• Taste occasionally, and if it is too sharp you can add sugar to cut the taste.

IRISH STEW

Steps:

• In a large Dutch oven combine the lamb, beef broth, onions, salt, pepper, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 45 minutes.
• Skim off the fat. Add the potatoes, carrots, thyme, and basil. Cover and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes more or until the vegetables are tender. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
• Combine the cold water and the flour. Stir into the stew. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Cook and stir 1 minute more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Sprinkle each serving with snipped parsley.

TRADITIONAL IRISH BEEF AND GUINNESS STEW

Steps:

• Cut the beef across the grain into into 1-inch pieces. Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and the flour and toss to coat the pieces. Set aside.
• Fry the bacon in a Dutch oven or heavy pot until done then remove it with a slotted spoon, leaving the bacon drippings in the pan.
• Working in batches and being careful not to overcrowd the pieces, generously brown the beef on all sides. Transfer the beef to a plate and repeat until all the beef is browned.
• Add the onions and fry them, adding more oil if necessary, until lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the vegetables and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the Guinness and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pot (scraping up the browned bits on the bottom). Boil for 2 minutes. Return the beef and bacon to the pot along with the remaining ingredients and stir to combine. (**At this point you can transfer everything to a slow cooker if you prefer. Follow the remaining steps and then cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or on HIGH for 3-4 hours.)Bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 2 hours. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve with some crusty country bread or Irish soda bread. This soup is even better the next day.

TRADITIONAL IRISH STEW

Steps:

• Add the cabbage (if using), replace the lid, and cook for another hour. Check from time to time to make sure the stock hasn't reduced too much. If it has, add a little boiling water. The meat and vegetables should always be covered in liquid. If the sauce is too runny at the end, you can always cook the stew a little longer with the lid removed.

TRADITIONAL IRISH STEW

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add beef; cook until evenly browned, 3 to 5 minutes per side.
• Place potatoes, carrots, onion, and garlic in a slow cooker; top with browned beef.
• Pour 1/4 cup beer into the same skillet and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of beef off of the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon. Stir in tomato paste; cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Pour beer mixture into slow cooker.
• Pour beef broth, remaining beer, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and pepper into slow cooker.
• Cook on Low for 8 hours.