During our recent vacation, I was tempted on several occasions to order beef stew for dinner at a restaurant. I never did, so there was a lingering craving that I decided to indulge on our first day back home. The result was great. I read several blog posts, recipes, and how-tos and combined what I learned with the ingredients I had on hand.
Ingredients
1.5 - 2 lb beef, cubed (I used chuck eye steaks, which required no trimming)
3 cups beef stock
Guinness
A couple thyme sprigs
A bay leaf
Salt & pepper
Worcestershire sauce
Potatoes
Carrots
Canola oil
Flour
1. Cover bottom of heavy pot with oil. Sprinkle salt and pepper over beef. Brown beef over medium-high heat. Important: only turn/stir beef every 4-5 minutes. The cubes should begin to show a nice caramel color on the browned sides.
2. Add a handful of flour, stir and cook for a minute or two (about 1/4 cup).
3. Add Guinness 2-3 oz at a time, scraping beef bits from bottom of pan. Use about 8-10 oz total.
4. Add beef stock, thyme, bay leaf and 1-2 T Worcestershire.
5. Stir well, cover and simmer for 1-2 hours, until beef is nearly fork tender. Remove thyme and bay leaf.
6. Peel and slice carrots, and cut potatoes into 1 inch pieces. Add to pot, cover and continue to simmer for another 30-45 minutes, until potatoes and carrots are cooked and tender.
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