Irish Beef Stew
This week over at the Back Burner is all about recipes that are inspired by Ireland. I had all intentions of sharing some of my favorite corned beef recipes, but they all require a couple weeks to prepare the meaty goodness. Instead, I decided to share a favorite comfort food that just happens to be a wee-bit Irish.
We had some friends over for an evening of Irish fun last weekend, and we served our favorite Irish stew recipe. Besides being a crowd pleaser, I think stews are one of the most comforting recipes to share with your loved ones. Not only comforting to enjoy each but comforting to make.
My recipe for Irish beef stew starts the day before you plan to serve it. The process may be long, but the result is a rich beef stew with slightly crisp vegetables. Not a typical water-downed stew with mushy carrots and overcooked potatoes. I start by browning the meat and then slowly braising it with beef stock and Irish stout. After simmering for 5 hours, I let the stew cool and then put it into the refrigerator until the next day. The flavors just play with each other over night creating a rich base.
The next day before serving I lightly cook my vegetables in a little olive oil. Then I gently reheat the stew and stir the vegetables into the rich base. Cooking the vegetables beforehand keeps them slightly crispy and full of color. The great thing about this recipe besides the hearty flavor is each fork tender bite. All that is left is some buttery biscuits and a few hefty pints of stout.
Denise Woodward believes anything can be made at home as long as you have a little patience, and time. All of her recipes are made using fresh and seasonal ingredients. Her recipes have been featured on Eat Boutique, the Mushroom Channel, Saveur.com, Foodies of the World, PBS and Fine Cooking.
Denise also creates the recipes on the popular food blog Chez Us. Saveur has featured Chez Us as one of 50 Food Blogs You Should Be Reading as well as one of the Sites They Love. Be sure to read more about what they are cooking up over at Chez Us.
