Prepare the Stew
- Preheat a stock pot with some canola oil and butter
- Season the meat with salt & pepper
- When oil is hot, carefully add meat to the pot in a single layer and brown on all sides, 5-7 minutes. If the bottom of the pan gets brown, it's OK -- this is called "fond" and will add flavor
- Keep flame on high but keep an eye on the meat to sure it doesn't burn
- Add 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- Remove pot from heat and gradually sprinkle in 2/3 cup of flour, about 3 tbsp at a time and stir to coat meat, return to heat and cook flour for 1 minute
- Add shallots, garlic and canola oil and scrape the bottom of the pot to release the fond
- Add diced onions, carrots, turnips, potatoes and celery, stir to coat with oil and cook vegetables for about 1-1/2 minutes
- Add beef stock, scrape fond off the bottom of pot and cook for 4 minutes
- Taste and add salt & pepper if necessary
- Add potatoes (and potato water if needed for moisture) and simmer for 30-35 minutes on medium-low heat
- Add beer and cook for 5 minutes to burn off alcohol, then continue to simmer for another 15-20 minutes
- Check to be sure stew is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, add fresh rosemary, thyme and sage to taste and simmer at medium-low heat for another 30-35 minutes
Grill the Bread
- Split a baguette lengthwise
- Brush with canola oil
- Add salt, pepper and fresh parsley
- Grill for about 1 minute until crusty or broil for about 30 seconds (keep and eye on it so it doesn't burn)
Serve the Stout Beef Stew
- Ladle a heaping portion into a large bowl
- Top with chopped fresh parsley and chives
- Add the grilled bread
Comments (8)
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My boyfriend made this the other night and it's delicious! He cooked it a crock pot over night and the meat came out so tender and delicious! (Feb 16, 2009 4:32:13 PM)
I made this stew for my husband on his birthday and he loved it!! The meat came out nice and tender. It was my first time making it and it was super easy and delicious... take a look! (Oct 17, 2008 5:40:43 PM)
This is a very good beef stew recipe although the only stout beer I had was Guinness stout. It did add a nice flavor, however, it made the stew a little bitter. I added a little sugar and salt to counter-act the bitterness and it did help, but perhaps I could have done more. All and all, this is a keeper recipe for sure. (Nov 3, 2009 2:38:12 PM)
I made this over the weekend. It was great! I didn't have rutabaga or turnips in the house so I used more carrots, celery and potatoes. Came out nice. Also - the bottle of stout I had was 16oz. instead of 12oz. but a little more alcohol never hurts. :) (Dec 17, 2008 9:43:13 AM)
In response to jlmoriarty's comment: There are a lot of great chicken broths you can buy in your local supermarket that will suffice and there are also many salt-free or reduced-salt products available. (Dec 9, 2008 5:32:26 PM)
Ya' know what drives me nuts about recipes like this? The chef at some point will say "put in the stock", beef, veal whatever. If you don't have stock handy just go to your butcher and get some bones. Sure. Anybody live near a butcher any more? And if you should be so lucky, then plan on a good half day to make it. He mentions bullion. Never use bullion. it's salt. I don't know A chef who would ever use bullion. So yeah, just go buy some, or better yet make it. Right. (Dec 9, 2008 5:23:19 PM)
Terry - that's a great idea! I had never thought of using pancake mix instead of flour. I'm going to have to try that. This dish is pretty tasty - I'm excited to make it during the winter after being out in the snow all day - will warm you right up! (Oct 15, 2008 6:21:59 AM)
I made this with friends last night at their kitchen. Halfway through preparation we realized that there was no flour in the kitchen! This was at about midnight, and Stop & Shop was closed. So what we did was we used TRADER JOE'S BUTTERMILK PANCAKE MIX, and ended up using about double the amount the recipe calls for. The stew ended up being much lighter in hue, and just a tad gooey, but it worked, and it was absolutely delicious. I wish I could remember what kind of beer we used. It was an oatmeal stout. Very tasty. (Oct 11, 2008 12:54:00 PM)