Sue Zann Toh

This Irish beef stew recipe was modified from the recipe found at Elise.com’s Simply Recipes. Being a bit of a calorie counter, I couldn’t bear to use amounts such as “1/4 cup of olive oil” just to brown the beef! Just so you know, a quarter cup of olive oil has about 477 calories, or 1995 kilojoules.

So my own version of the recipe has been developed based on Elise.com’s recipe. Some other differences, other than the amount of fats used in the recipe, are that my version of the recipe has more beef and less potatoes.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 kg stew beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and pepper to taste

Gravy Ingredients:

• 6 cups (1.5L) beef stock
• 1 cup of Guinness beer
• 1 cup of red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves

Vegetables:

• 1 kg potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 cups carrots, 1/2-inch pieces peeled

Instructions

1. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large casserole/crock-pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and saute for 1 minute.
3. Add beef in 3 to 4 batches and saute until brown on all sides, about 5 minutes for each batch.
4. Add the Gravy Ingredients, ie, beef stock, Guinness beer, red wine, tomato paste, dried thyme, Worcestershire sauce and bay leaves.
5. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to boil then reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
6. While the meat and gravy stock are simmering, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in another large pot over medium heat.
7. Add Vegetables (potatoes, onion and carrots) and saute until golden, about 20 minutes.
8. Add vegetables to beef stew and simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes.
9. Discard bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.
10. Transfer stew to serving bowl, sprinkle with parsley and serve.

Suggestions

As with many stews, casseroles and curries, they taste better as left overs, so make a big pot and refrigerate the left overs for an extra tasty stew.