I admit I was drinking a Guinness...

I have been down in the dumps lately. I am not sure why. Perhaps it is because the brothers (and families) are both back at their respective homes. Maybe it could be because there are a lot of changes at work that are stressing my heart. Possibly I am just in a funk that I need to pull myself out of because I miss my Husband who is working a lot this week. Whatever the case may be, I find silence while cooking has been helping. I am in control of my ingredients and technique and when there is flour on my hands, there is a smile in my heart.

Another this that has helped perk me up a bit was the “rain”. We finally had a little rain (more of a sprinkle) out here in sunny downtown Burbank and bot do we need it. I have already seen a few, albeit small, wild fires springing up. This summer and fall will be a tough and dangerous one.

Yet with this rain came a “cold” snap. I know what you are thinking…”Cat, come over to NYC and you you’ll see cold!” or “Seriously, CE, look at your life. Try Chicago/Milwaukee/any place other than SoCal and then you can talk!”

You have to sympathize a little with me here. I KNOW that 50 degrees isn’t cold. It is sweater weather at most, but considering it has already slip up to the low 90s this year, the 50s does seem nice and brisk. So with this “chilly” weather,  I decided to take advantage and make something I have always enjoyed when visiting either The Field with Leah and Cindy or Dublin Square with Husband and Comic-Con Aaron: Guinness Stew.

Here is the recipe I went with for Slow Cooker Guinness Stew

INGREDIENTS

2 Tbsp butter

2 pounds well marbled chuck beef roast, cut into 2-inch pieces (I used 1 1/2 pounds angus stewing beef)

Salt and freshly ground pepper

2 cups chopped onion

2 celery stalks, chopped (I totally forgot to add these)

2 Tbsp tomato paste (I used the whole small can)

1 pint (16 ounces) Guinness (Some cooks have a strong opinion about extra stout vs draught. I used draught and it turned out great)

3 cups beef broth (I used chicken because that is what I had)

2 large carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 cup of mushrooms, stemmed and large caps cut

1 ½ pounds of potatoes peeled and cut into chunks (Or you can opt for some parsnips and/or young turnips)

2 teaspoons dried thyme ( put mine in my tea steeper and through it in the crockpot)

Salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley (optional)

METHOD

Heat the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Brown the beef in the butter, starting with the fattiest pieces of meat, fat side down in the pan. This will allow some beef fat to render out. Work in batches as to not crowd the pan.  Sprinkle salt and freshly ground pepper over the beef as it browns. Once browned on all sides, transfer the beef pieces into the slow cooker.

Add the onions and celery (If you remember) to the pan in which you just browned the beef. Sauté the onions and celery until they begin to brown at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the tomato paste and mix well. Cook for a minute or two, then add a little of the Guinness, enough to make it easier for you to scrape up any browned bits (the real flavor adders) at the bottom of the pan. Transfer the celery and onions into the slow cooker.

 Add the rest of the Guinness, the beef (or chicken) broth, carrots, mushrooms, potatoes (or other root veg), and thyme (satchel) to the slow cooker. Add two teaspoons of salt. Cover and cook on "high" for 4 hours, or, for the best results, "low" for 8 hours. When done, add more salt to taste. If you want, sprinkle with fresh parsley to serve.

This must be cooked for as long as possible. Husband and I had some after it cooked on high for 4 hours, and maybe it is my crockpot, but the taters and carrots weren’t cooked till soft and the meat was a bit tough. I then left it on low for 8 hours. I scooped the veggies and meat and such into one container and the liquid and juices into another. When dinner time rolled around, I added a ¼ cup of flour to the juices and stirring constantly with a whisk, I brought it to a simmer and allowed it to thicken and the flour to cook a bit. I then poured the liquid of the stew over the veggies and meat, served the amount Husband and I wanted to eat that night, reheated it stove top. BINGO like a Nun on a Wednesday night!

The extra time made everything soft and fall aparty. While the juices didn’t NEED to be thickened, I like a thicker stew so I went for it.Husband was thrilled, I felt like I had regained a little control on my life and I am hoping to escape this funk of the last 2 weeks soon. I feel like a rope has finally been thrown down to my little hole. See you all on the outside.

Until the next meal... 

**Today's title comes from the legendary Kinky Friedman: I admit I was drinking a Guinness... but I did not swallow.**