Food with passion Beef & Guinness Stew

John Paul Kennedy is a self-taught cook and an avid fan of collecting cookery books with a passion for good old-fashioned home cooking.

His passion for proper family cooking stems from his TWO Grandmothers, who were both excellent cooks, one of whom was a trained chef.

JP promises to bring us plenty of family-inspired recipes and tasty treats while showing us how to get the basics right.

I’ve made many versions of Irish stew over the years but I believe I’ve mastered it with this delicious version which is made using Guinness as one of the main ingredients!

Served with these champ mash or potato croquettes and some crusty bread you are on to a winner.

I love this stew as it’s one pot cooking; perfect comfort food that requires little preparation then all you need do is bung it into the oven to cook low and slow after which you are left with most tender fall apart beef that is mouth wateringly good.

With the winter months upon us now is the perfect time to start perfecting a good old traditional Irish Stew.

Ingredients: (Serves 4- 6)

• 1 large piece of Beef Brisket about €12 in monies worth- Best to source this from your local butcher and ask them to trim it and cut into four separate chunks, that way it cooks quicker! Or you can use if you cannot get Brisket 2lbs of stewing beef pieces.
• 2 tablespoons of rapeseed oil
• 2 Carrots roughly chopped
• 1 small parsnip chopped
• 8-10 whole shallots
• 100g smoked bacon lardons
• 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme
• Sprig of fresh rosemary
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 400ml of beef stock
• 500ml Guinness
• 6 bay leaves
• 3 heaped tablespoons of beef gravy granules ( at the end to thicken if needed / desired)
• Sea salt and cracked black pepper for seasoning

Method:

1. Preheat your oven to 150 degrees/ Gas Mark 2.
2. In a large casserole dish heat half the oil over a medium heat, then add the beef and cook for about 5 minutes turning to ensure evenly golden brown. Remove the beef from the casserole dish and place onto a plate. Then fry off the bacon lardons until nice and crisp.
3. Add the remaining oil, onion, carrots, celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes until softened.
4. Then add the beef stock and Guinness; cook for another 5 minutes then add the bay leaves and fresh thyme. Season with salt and pepper and stir to combine.
5. Return the beef back into the pot and bring to a simmer.
6. Cover with a lid and pop into the preheated oven, turning the beef half way through cooking for 3.5 – 4 hours until the meat is lovely and tender.
7. Remove the beef from your casserole dish and using two forks pull the meat apart and pop back into the casserole dish. (If using stewing beef pieces you won’t need to complete this step. Add the beef gravy granules to thicken the sauce stir (if required)and return to the oven for 10 -15 minutes.
8. Before serving remove the bay leaves and serve with creamy mash potatoes / potato croquettes and some crusty bread for dipping into the gravy if you fancy it!

I can’t think of a more comforting and inviting bowl of food on a cold autumn / winter evening other than a bowl of Irish Stew!

Like any recipes this can be adapted to your own taste and preferences.

The key is to use good quality beef and ensure you cook it low and slow.

Sometimes to get ahead I will make this on a Sunday evening for Monday’s supper.

I will slow cook it for 2.5 hours on the Sunday and cook for an additional 1.5 hours the following afternoon and supper is ready as soon as I finish work!

The longer a stew has to cook the better the flavour and this recipe I believe is one of the best!