Irish Beef Stew

There is nothing like going into a liquor store when you are about to have a baby any day. People will look at you funny. Even if you are with your husband. Even if you don't carry a thing.  

Along with our fudgy Irish Cream Brownies we made Irish Beef Stew for dinner as our tribute to all things Irish in honor of St. Patrick's Day.  

Mr. J wanted to be authentic so out we went to get some Guinness. Now I am not drinking but even if I did I would never ever want a full bottle of Guinness. Our goal was simple, find one bottle of Guinness for the stew and no more. I don't know about where you live but around Connecticut many of the liquor stores sell single bottle of beer. You can buy one or mix and match your own four or six pack. The key is finding the beer you want. Well luck was on our side because the first stop had one bottle of Guinness Original Stout waiting for us. 

A dinner like this takes some time and effort. Lots of chopping and time to simmer.  In the end though it is completely worth the wait.  The stew was full of rich taste and was enough to feed an army. We had some bread for dipping as well. Although I will never understand the infatuation with drinking Guinness, I will say those Irish know a thing or two about their beef stew.

Irish Beef Stew

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 25 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour and 45 minutes

Keywords: soup/stew St. Patrick's Day

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Ingredients (serves 6-8)

• 1 1/4 pounds well-marbled chuck beef stew meat, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
• 3 teaspoons of salt (more to taste)
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 6 large garlic cloves, minced
• 4 cups beef stock or broth
• 1 cup of Guinness extra stout
• 1 cup of hearty red wine
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 5 cups)
• 1 large onion, chopped (1 1/2 to 2 cups)
• 2 cups 1/2-inch pieces peeled carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

Sprinkle about a teaspoon of salt over the beef pieces. Heat the olive oil in a large (6 to 8 quart), thick-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Pat dry the beef with paper towels and working in batches, add the beef and cook, without stirring, until nicely browned on one side, then use tongs to turn the pieces over and brown on another side.

Add garlic to the pot with the beef and sauté 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the beef stock, water, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Stir to combine. Bring mixture to a simmer and then reduce heat to the lowest setting, then cover and cook at a bare simmer for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

While the pot of meat and stock is simmering, melt the butter in another pot over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Sauté the onions and carrots until the onions are golden, about 15 minutes. Set aside until the beef stew in step 2 has simmered for one hour.

Add the onions, carrots, and the potatoes to the beef stew. Add black pepper and salt to taste. Simmer uncovered until vegetables and beef are very tender, about 40 minutes. 

Before serving discard the bay leaves and tilt pan and spoon off any excess fat. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.

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Fudgy Irish Cream Brownies

I am not Irish and St. Patrick's Day has never really thrilled me. It seems like it is a time for people to drink a ton, watch parades and dye things green.  I just don't understand.  

However, I am not opposed to making some boozed up desserts. My parents and brother all enjoy Irish Cream. Somehow a bottle ended up in my fridge. It seems fitting to crack it up in honor of St. Patrick's Day and fit it into some wonderful fudge brownies. 

These brownies are intense. They are incredibly rich and chocolaty.  The Irish Cream not only adds the unique Irish Cream flavor but also adds moisture to the brownies making them dense and fudgy. 

I used an 8x8 pan and they ended up being about an 1 inch thick. I cut them into 16 squares. Mr. J could eat a whole one but I ended up cutting them in half again. If you wanted more reasonable brownies you could try a 9x13 pan.  (Sometimes brownies are meant to be unreasonable!!)  I also drizzled about 1 tablespoon of Irish Cream on top of the warm brownies for some extra flavor. 

Even if you aren't Irish these brownies should be a must in your future plans. 

Fudgy Irish Cream Brownies

by Emily Morris

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Keywords: bake dessert chocolate brownies

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Ingredients (serves 16)

• 2½ cups all purpose flour
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp baking powder
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 2 large eggs
• ½ cup Irish cream liqueur

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Line an 8x8 baking pan with foil or parchment paper.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking powder. Set aside.

In a microwave-proof bowl, combine the chocolate chips and butter. Microwave in 30-second intervals until melted and thoroughly combined, stirring after each one. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, eggs, and ½ cup Irish Cream liqueur. Stir in the melted chocolate-butter mix until combined.

Stir in the flour mix until just combined. Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 40-45 minutes or until cracked on top and a toothpick inserted comes out almost clean.

Remove brownies from the oven. Allow to cool completely before cutting and serving.

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