Saint Patrick is the patron saint and national apostle of Ireland. St Patrick is credited with bringing christianity to Ireland. He used the Shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the pagans. Source
Every year on March 17, the Irish and the Irish-at-heart across the globe observe St. Patrick’s Day. What began as a religious feast day for the patron Saint of Ireland has become an international festival celebrating Irish culture with parades, dancing, special foods and a whole lot of green. Source
You want to buy tender stew beef. (Ask your butcher) This stew takes less than 2 hours to cook so it's Irish easy to make. (For stews that take 3-4 hours to cook, it’s OK to use a less tender cut of beef, like beef chuck, but please not for this recipe.)
For this stout recipe, do not omit the prunes. Without the prunes, the Guinness is going to make the stew taste bitter. The prunes cook down and melt into the stew. If you don’t tell, no one will even be aware that they are in this stew. Prunes will “melt” into the stew and the gravy will develop a wonderful rich flavor and have a nice glossy finish.
Also, do not replace the “Extra Stout” with “draught” or with those bottles of Guinness with the widgets in them that make the foam. The taste will be all wrong!
Guinness Stout Beef Stew
Ingredients:
2 and 1/2 pounds of stew beef, cut into cubes
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 clove garlic, crushed
2 cups onions, chopped
1/4 cup of flour
1 and 1/2 cups beef broth
12 ounces Guinness Extra Stout
3 large carrots, sliced
2 bay leaves
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
3/4 cup prunes, pitted
2 tablespoons parsley for garnish
In a Dutch oven, on medium high, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and sauté onions for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove them from pot.
Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil to pan. Quickly sear meat on all sides in several small batches. If you overcrowd the pan the meat will get foamy and bubbly, and not develop a nice rich browned color.
Return all seared meat to pan. Reduce heat, stir in flour until all the meat is coated. Add beef broth and Guinness. The broth/Guinness should cover all the ingredients. If it does not, you may need to add a bit more broth. Stir gently.
Peel carrots and cut into chunky slices about 1/2 inch thick. Crush garlic. Add onions, garlic, carrots, bay leaves and ground pepper to pot. Stir. Simmer gently for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Cook stew uncovered so that gravy thickens.
Chop prunes and add them to pot. Continue cooking for 1/2 hour. The gravy develops a glossy finish. Remove bay leaves. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve with boiled or mashed potatoes, a dark leafy green sales and fresh baked steaming hot bread and creamy butter. Garnish with chopped parsley.
Happy St. Patrick's Day to my family and all my Irish friends and followers.