Cold, rainy weather and nice
hot stew pretty much belong together. While the sun is shining today, it was
cold, wet, and dreary yesterday when Mike asked for my Beef Stew. I grew up
eating beef stew in the fall and winter. Several years ago, Mike and I spent 11
wonderful days in Ireland. Those of you who are allergic to dairy know that
eating while traveling can be a real pain in the behind. I was fortunate enough
to find a place that served several dishes that where dairy free. My favorite
was their Murphy’s Beef Stew. Now, I’m not a big fan of beer. I don’t care for
the taste and it triggers migraines, but
using it in something that has been cooked doesn't seem to bother me. Their stew was perfect and even better is I didn’t
have to make it. After begrudgingly returning home, I set out to try and
recreate that wonderful stew. I tried using Murphy’s beer, but it tasted bitter
and a bit off to me. Mike said that the Murphy’s and Guinness that you get here
do not even come close to what he had in Ireland. Maybe that was it, but all I
know is that I didn’t like my version. So, I leave out the beer.
The following is my Irish
Beef Stew recipe. If you want to be authentic then substitute lamb for the
beef. I prefer using whole carrots, peeling and slicing them, but if you are
strapped for time, the small pre-peeled “baby” carrots in a bag will work. This
seems like a lot of work but it really is worth it in the end. I highly
recommend that you follow the first method at least once. You end up with
amazing layers of flavors, but it is still good if you follow the shorter
method.
Serve with a crusty loaf of
bread.
3 lbs cubed beef
6-8 russet potatoes cut into
chunks
1 onion, finely chopped
1 bag frozen pearl onions
4-5 cups (2lbs) carrots
sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
Flour mixture: (reserve ½ cup
after you are done browning the meat)
1
cup all-purpose flour
1
tbsp dried parsley
1
tsp dried thyme
½
tsp garlic powder
½
tsp onion powder
½
tsp salt
½
tsp black pepper
¼
tsp paprika
1/16 tsp cayenne pepper
6 cups water, divided
2 tbsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
1 tsp Salt
½ tsp Pepper
⅛ tsp Cayenne Pepper
Olive oil
1.
Put the finely
chopped onion and peeled and sliced carrots in a bowl.
2.
Peel and cut the
russet potatoes into large chunks.
3.
Turn your
crockpot on low heat and cover.
4.
In a large
(1gallon) zip top bag, combine and mix the 1cup flour through the cayenne
pepper.
5.
Add stew meat to
the back press some of the air out (not all) and close.
6.
Shake the bag
around making sure all the pieces of meat are coated in the flour mixture on
all sides.
7.
Heat a large
skillet or pot with about 1 tbsp of olive oil at medium high.
8.
Once the skillet
and oil are hot, add the meat one piece at a time until the pan is full. Do NOT
pack the pan tightly with the meat. You will have to do several batches.
9.
Reduce heat to
medium and brown meat on all sides.
10.
Remove meat to a
plate/bowl
11.
With each new
batch add 1-2 tsp of olive oil.
12.
After all the
meat has been browned, put it and any juices from the plate into the crockpot.
13.
*Pour 2 cups of
water into the pan and loosen any and all bits on the bottom (medium heat).
14.
Strain the liquid
and set the strained liquid aside.
15.
Dump the pearl
onions, chopped onion, and sliced carrots into the pan. Cover and stir
occasionally for about 5 minutes (medium heat).
16.
Put the onions
and carrots into the crockpot.
17.
Heat the potatoes
for about 5-7 minutes on medium heat.
18.
Spread potatoes
over the onions and carrots.
19.
Pour the strained
liquid back into the pan.
20.
Add 1 tsp salt, ½
tsp black pepper, ⅛ tsp
cayenne pepper and the tomato paste and bring to a boil.
21.
While whisking
constantly, very slowly add the reserved seasoned flour.
22.
Once all the
flour has been added, slowly whisk in 1½ cups of water.
23.
Pour the liquid
into the crockpot.
24.
Swirl ½ cup of
water in the pan and pour into crockpot.
25.
Add 3-5 stalks of
fresh thyme (depending on size) and 2 bay leaves to the crockpot.
26.
Add water until
the stew is cover.
27.
If you start this
in the morning, keep the heat on low, but if you only have about 4 hours, you
can turn the heat to high.
28.
Before serving,
taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
29.
Serve with fresh
crusty bread.
*Note: You can skip steps
13-23 if you are really strapped for time. Though, I highly recommend following
the method above if possible.
· Add the vegetables to the crockpot after the meat.
· Add the thyme, bay leaves, salt and pepper.
· In a small bowl, whisk 2 cups of water with the tomato
paste, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, and ⅛ tsp cayenne pepper and pour over the meat and
vegetables.
· Add water until the meat and vegetables are covered.
· At the very end of cooking the stew, combing 1 tbsp of
cornstarch with 1 tbsp very cold water.
· The stew should be boiling.
· Slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture until desired
thickness is reached. It’s okay if you don’t use all of the cornstarch mixture
or if you have to add more.
· Taste and add salt and pepper if needed.
(Since several people
were asking for the recipe, I wanted to get this posted right away. I will add
pictures after I get them uploaded)
