Categories

Content Type

Sources

Stew and stout for St. Pat's Day

By Susan Selasky, Detroit Free Press, Source: MCT News Service

On March 17, the Irish celebrate St. Patrick's Day, a national holiday in Ireland, and a day when everyone feels Irish.

It's a good day to eat some Irish grub and down a few pints of Irish beer. There will be no shortage of corned beef and cabbage, corned beef sandwiches and Irish stew at area pubs and restaurants.

Several years ago, on the final leg of a European trip, I found myself in Dublin on St. Patrick's Day. It was one huge party with plenty of food and, of course, plenty of drink.

	 I was reminded of that trip while watching the Food Network's Bobby Flay

and his Tasting Ireland show. Flay, who is of Irish descent, traveled to the emerald isle for the first time to discover its rich history and all its wonderful flavors. One highlight of the show was when Flay learned the proper way to pour a pint of Guinness, the famed Irish stout that's been brewed since 1759.

For this holiday dish, we pair a rich Irish stew with Guinness, which cooks into a nice syrupy glaze. The recipe is adapted from the original by famed chef and cookbook author Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork, Ireland.

The trick in this stew, which actually tastes better the next day, is to brown the meat first, so it gets a nice and even crusty coating, and to use Guinness extra stout.

The extra stout, available in bottles, is used because it is milder than Guinness draught.

Once the beef (or chunks of lamb if you prefer) is well browned, remove from the pot and saute the other ingredients. When the liquid is added and brought to a boil, scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, because that will add flavor to the stew while it simmers.

___

IRISH STEW

Serves: 8 / Preparation time: 20 minutes

Total time: 3 hours (not all active time)

It's just as easy _ and less expensive _ to buy a beef chuck roast and cut it into cubes as it is to buy already cut stew meat.

3 tablespoons oil, divided

2 1/2 pounds lean stewing beef or chunks of lamb

1/4 cup flour

Salt and freshly ground pepper

3 medium onions, peeled, coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1 1/4 cups Guinness extra stout

1 1/2 cups beef broth

2 cups carrots, peeled, cut into 2-inch pieces

10 small potatoes, cut in half

1 sprig of thyme

2 bay leaves

1 cup pitted prunes

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

In a large ovenproof pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat.

Trim the beef of any fat, cut into 2-inch cubes and toss in a bowl with the remaining 1 tablespoon oil. Season the flour with salt and freshly ground pepper; sprinkle the meat with the flour and toss to coat.

Add the meat to the pot and brown on all sides. Using a slotted spoon, remove the meat as it browns. Add the onions, crushed garlic and tomato paste to the pot. Saute until onions are tender, about 5 minutes. Add the Guinness and beef broth and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook about 10 minutes or until slightly thickened. Return the browned beef cubes to the pot; add the carrots, potatoes, thyme and bay leaves. Cover and place in the oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours (or simmer on the stovetop over low heat). Add the prunes and continue baking another 30 minutes or until the meat is fork tender and the juices are thickened.

Remove from the oven and discard the bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper if needed. Serve with a sprinkling of fresh chopped parsley.

Adapted from Ballymaloe Cookery School and www.startcooking.com.

Tested by Susan Selasky for the Free Press Test Kitchen.

491 calories (28% from fat ), 16 grams fat (4 grams sat. fat ), 56 grams carbohydrates, 32 grams protein, 263 mg sodium, 88 mg cholesterol, 55 mg calcium, 6 grams fiber.

___

(c) 2010, Detroit Free Press.

Visit the Freep, the World Wide Web site of the Detroit Free Press, at http://www.freep.com.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

_____