Steak and Guinness Stew.

Here is a simple but delicious recipe that is perfect for a cold, rainy evening. 

The finished stew.

The ingredients you will need are:

-1kg of good quality beef brisket, cubed. 

- 2 large red onions, diced.

- 4 carrots, chopped.

- 2 sticks of celery, chopped.

- 3 garlic cloves, diced.

- 440ml Guinness

- 2 heaped tablespoons of plain flour

- ground pepper

- sea salt

- olive oil

- a few sprigs of fresh rosemary, chopped. 

You could also add:

- 4 field mushrooms, chopped.

- 75g grated cheddar cheese

Method:

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 190ºC/375ºF/Gas 5. Dice the onions and garlic and chop the carrots and celery, then cut the beef into about 2cm cubes.


Step 2: Then in a large ovenproof, heat a glug of olive oil on a low heat. Add the onions and fry gently to soften for about 10 minutes but try not to colour the onions too much.

Step 3: Turn up the heat and add the garlic, carrots and celery (if you wanted to add mushrooms you should add them now). Mix everything together and then add the beef, rosemary, a pinch of sea salt and around a teaspoon of ground pepper.

Step 4: Fast fry this for about 3 to 4 minutes, then pour in the Guinness, stir in the flour and add just enough water to cover. Bring to a simmer, then cover with the lid and place in the preheated oven for around 1 hour 30 minutes.

















Step 5: Remove the pan from the oven, give it a stir and put it back into the oven and continue to cook it for another hour, or until the meat is tender and the stew is rich, dark and thick. If the filling is still liquidy, put the pan on the hob and reduce the stew. (If you wanted to add cheese remove the pan from the heat and stir in the cheese here).


The stew is now complete and yummy. You can then turn the stew into a tasty pie if you wish, by adding a puff pastry lid or even a suet crust; you could also add suet dumplings or just leave the stew as it is and finish with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. 

Original recipe by Jamie Oliver
(www.jamieoliver.com)