Beef and Onions in Beer

Inspired by the Good Food Magazine. This is a yummy stew.

Serves 6
Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 2 hours 15 mins

small knob of butter
1 - 2 tbsp olive oil
12 baby onions, peeled and left whole
1 tsp soft brown sugar
1.5kg shin of beef (or blade / rib steak) trimmed and cut into cubes
2 tbsp plain flour
500ml bottle of beer ( I used Weiss as that is what I had in the fridge)
500ml beef stock
1 bouquet garni, made from thyme, parsley and rosemary
potatoes and savoy cabbage to serve (I used sweet potatoes)

1. Heat oven to 150oC/130oC Fan/Gas 2. Heat the butter and 1 tbsp of oil in a large flameproof casserole dish with a lid. Add the onions and brown all over - approx 5 mins. Sprinkle over the brown sugar and continue to cook the onions over a low heat for another 5 minutes.
2. Remove the onions, but keep the dish on the heat and start to brown the meat in batches. You will probably need to add more olive oil.
3. Once the meat is browned, out the onions back in the dish with the meat. Sprinkle over flour and stir well. Add the beer and enough stock to cover the meat. Pop the bouquet garni into the pan and season (salt & pepper).

4. Bring to a simmer ontop of the stove then cover and put in the oven for 2 hours, Serve with potatoes and cabbage, if you like, or try sweet potatoes.

Beef & Guinness Stew

My other St. Patricks Day Meal. adapted this recipe from Donal Skehan's Beef and Guinness Pie.


Ingredients

• 
  
• 1–2 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1kg (2lb 3oz) beef shoulder, cut into 2.5cm (1in) chunks

• 1 onion, peeled and chopped

• 2 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped

• 2 celery stalks, trimmed and roughly chopped

• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely sliced

• 150ml (5fl oz) beef stock

• 500ml (18fl oz) Guinness

• 1 bay leaf

• sea salt and ground black pepper

Method

Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large cooking pot and brown the meat in two batches, being careful not to overcrowd the pan. Remove and set aside on a plate.

Add another tablespoon of oil if you need it and fry the onion, carrots and celery for 6 minutes, until the onion is soft. Return the meat to the pot, along with the garlic. Pour in the stock and Guinness, add the bay leaf and season with sea salt and black pepper to taste. Simmer gently for about 1 1⁄2 hours until the liquid has reduced, stirring occasionally to make sure that it doesn’t stick. If not thick enough you can strain the liquid and add 1 tsp of flour to water to make a paste and add to the liquid and heat till thickened then return the meat. 

I served this with baked potato and green beans with toasted pine nuts and shaved parmesan.