Guinness Stew

One of my favorite Dutch oven recipes is Guinness Stew, I love beef stews and adding Guinness really adds a flavor that no other ingredient can duplicate. I've made this stew a few times now and recently made it for our True Blood party and everyone loved it, so I thought I'd share this delicious recipe.

Beef & Guinness Stew

Ingredients:

• 2 lb lean stewing beef 
• 3 tablespoons oil 
• 2 tablespoons flour 
• salt and freshly ground pepper and a pinch of cayenne 
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 large clove garlic, crushed
• 1 small can fire roasted green chilies
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree, dissolved in 4 tablespoons water 
• 1 1/2 cups Guinness
• 1 cup carrots, cut into chunks 
• 1 cup potatoes, cut into chunks 
• sprig of thyme

Directions:

Trim the meat of any fat or gristle, cut into cubes of 2 inches (5cm) and toss them in a bowl with 1 tablespoon oil. Season the flour with salt, freshly ground pepper and a pinch or two of cayenne. Toss the meat in the mixture. Heat the remaining oil in a Dutch oven over a med/high heat. Brown the meat on all sides. Add the onions, green chilies, crushed garlic and tomato puree to the pot, cover and cook gently for about 5 minutes. Add the Guinness and bring to a boil. Add the carrots, potatoes and the thyme. Stir, taste, and add a little more salt if necessary. Cover with the lid and simmer very gently until the meat is tender - 2 to 3 hours. Taste and correct the seasoning. You can serve it just like that or you can place stew in a greased casserole dish and add a flaky biscuit topping like I did.