Winter Winter Go Away Hearty Beef Stew

What's better during a cold Sunday than a big pot of hearty beef stew? Especially when it's braised with beer!! A steaming bowl of the stew and a few slices of good bread just say heaven to me. The outside world can sleet, pour and snow, but I'll be nice and toasty with my big spoon in one hand and a bowl of stew in the other.

Recipe
3 bottles of dark beer (such as Guinness)
2 pounds beef for stewing
1 medium onion
3 medium carrots
4 stalks of celery
5 medium waxy potatoes (such as Yukon Gold)
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
4 bay leaves
10 sprigs thyme
4 oz can of tomato paste
14 oz bag of pearl onions
1 bunch parsley
8 oz mushrooms
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
oil for pan browning the meat



First, wash the meat to get rid of any excess blood. Pat the meat dry and season liberally with salt and pepper, paprika and garlic powder. Make sure all the pieces of beef are coated with the seasoning. You don't need to marinate the meat for long. I do it right before browning the meat. It's really important to pat the meat dry to minimize the oil splatters and the beef will brown better. Preheat the oven to 350º.


Place a dutch oven on the stove and heat for around 2 minutes on medium high. Whirl 2 turns of regular canola oil onto the bottom of the pan. Brown the stew meat in batches, making sure not to crowd the pan. When there's too much meat in the pan, it traps steam so it doesn't brown as well. Don't bother the meat too often (we're not sautéing) and let it sear for at least a minute before turning. You'll know when it's ready when the meat releases from the pan easily due to the nice crust that formed on the beef. The brown bits on the bottom are where the flavor is so don't think you're burning the meat. Remove the meat into a large bowl and reserve for later.

Look at these plump pretties

So much flavor in the pan

While the meat browns, dice the onion, one carrot and the celery into large dices. I didn't have garlic in the house, but if you do, mash up a few cloves too. When you've browned all the beef pieces, turn the meat down to medium and toss in the mirepoix (that's fancy speak for the onion/celery/carrot mix). Saute until soft, around 5 minutes. As you stir (preferably with a wooden spatula), you'll notice the dark stuff on the bottom of the pan start to release into the veggie mix. That's due to the moisture released by the veggies that loosened the flavor bits. When the veggies are soft, turn up the heat to medium high, empty the can of tomato paste into the mix and saute for a minute or two, just so we get some caramelization from the tomato paste. Deglaze the pan with all three beers, making sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to release the flavor bits. Oh, and I just looked it up -- apparently, the French term for our "flavor bits" is sucs...who knew? 

Adds great flavor to any stew

Use a wooden spoon to scrap the "sucs"

Once the beer mixture starts to bubble, but not boil, burn off the stove top. Dump the browned beef (and any juices released while it sat in the bowl), the bay leaves, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce and the leaves of the thyme sprigs into the pot. Stir to combine, making sure that all the beef pieces are submerged. Put on the lid and pop into the oven for 1 1/2 hours.

Ready for the oven

While the meat braises, cut the potatoes and the rest of the carrots into large chunks. Empty the pearl onions into a colander to drain any excess liquid. I didn't put them in right away with the meat because I didn't want them to get too mushy. Take the pot out of the oven and add the potatoes, carrots, pearl onions and mushrooms. Stir to combine. Pop it back in the oven for another 1 1/2 hours.

Large chunks for a hearty stew

Back in the oven you go

To finish, chop up the curly parsley leaves and sprinkle over the stew. The salt level should be good, but add more salt if you think appropriate. Also add a few turns from the pepper grinder. Stir to mix and you're done! The parsley adds some freshness to the heavy stew and brightens up the flavors. Serve with a few thick slices of warm crusty bread and you'll feel like you're back in your mother's bosom! You can also serve it over some egg noodles, or even eat it straight up. The next time I make it, I'm going to experiment by making spätzle to go with it. Can't wait!!

Oh my... Where's my big spoon?!

Reflections
One of the reasons that I do look forward to the winter is to make these these hearty stews. I even wish for pouring rain outside while I am eating my bowl of goodness. The Guinness adds a bit of bitter, almost coffee/chocolate flavor to the dish. If you don't like that, try using a dry red wine, and even better, add some whiskey into the mix. The best part about the stew is that the next day, it even tastes better because the beef soaks up more flavor. Hope this stew keeps you warm through the winter months.