Beef & Guinness Stew - It's Not Just for Enjoying During the Winter!

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Beef & Guinness Stew - yum!Photo byCindy Rybaczyk / Lake County Florida - Here's What's Happening

This is usually one of our favorite meals in the wintertime, but I started craving it again just recently. My husband is by far the better cook. He has an amazing ability for looking at a recipe and knowing if it's likely to be good or not. I don't have that skill! For that reason, when I need a recipe, I always ask him to search for recipes he feels will be good. Somehow, he ended up on the Viking River Cruises' website and he found a recipe for Carbonnade a la Flamande. My guess is you have the exact same question that I had when he suggested it - what in the world is that? If I had to come up with what it is so that everyone would understand, it's basically a Beef and Guinness Stew that is absolutely wonderful! I'd say it's the perfect dinner for a cold night or in my case, when you're craving it!

A Dutch oven or a larger pot can be used for making this meal.Photo byCooker KingonUnsplash

Here's our version of this recipe. I hope you'll decide to give it a try - my guess is you'll enjoy it just as much as we did. The recipe says it serves 6-8 people. We love it with biscuits or bread - the liquid soaks in and it's a wonderful addition.

Carbonnade a la Flamande (from Viking River Cruises)

Ingredients:

• 2-pound chuck roast cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper
• 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 3 medium onions, peeled & chopped
• 4 large California carrots, peeled & cut into ½-inch slices
• 4 cups Progresso 50% less sodium beef broth
• 1 tbsp dark brown sugar, packed
• 1 tbsp Hunts tomato paste
• 3 tbsp Better Than Bouillon – Roasted Beef Base (substituted for beef demi-glace)
• 1.5 cups Guinness Extra Stout Beer (substituted for an Oud Bruin Style Beer from Belgium)
• 4 red potatoes, cut into cubes
• 8 oz. button mushrooms
• 2 tsp dry thyme (the recipe said fresh)
• 1 tbsp dry parsley (the recipe said fresh)
• 2 tsp optional cider vinegar (I didn’t use this)

Directions:

• Season beef with salt and pepper and dust it with flour. Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches: sear on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set it aside.
• Add butter and reduce heat to medium. Add onions and carrots and sauté until lightly golden, about 6-10 minutes.
• Whisk together 1 cup beef broth, brown sugar, tomato paste, and Better Than Bouillon (or demi-glace). Add to vegetables, stirring to combine. Add beer and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Return the beef to the pot along with the potatoes, mushrooms, thyme, and remaining beef broth. Cover and simmer for 2 hours until the beef is very tender. Before serving, stir in parsley and optional cider vinegar to taste.

Optional Changes and Ideas:

• Instead of putting in the potatoes, consider serving the stew over egg noodles (pictured above).
• Feel free to adjust the recipe including the liquid based on the size of your chuck roast.
• The next time I make this, l may add a few more carrots and mushrooms
• Rather than having to cut the chuck roast into 2" pieces yourself, ask your butcher at the grocery store to do it for you. Our Publix in Florida has a great butcher that is happy to help you save time by trimming off the heaviest fat and cutting up the roast for you.

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