Irish Guinness Beef Stew

Serves 6, 30 minutes preparation, 1 hour cooking (or longer if preferred)

Happy St Patrick’s Day! Or, as the Irish say, Lá Fhéile Pádraig! To celebrate cook up a storm with an Irish Guinness Beef Stew. Whether you’re enjoying the St Patrick’s Day festivities, or fancy a Stout twist on an old favourite, with one taste you’ll be dancing the Irish jig with happiness!

Ingredients:

For The Guinness Stew:

• 450g Fillet Beef Steak, cubed
• Salt and Pepper seasoning to taste
• 4 large Potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
• 6 Carrots, peeled and chopped
• 12 medium-sized Mushrooms, sliced
• 1 large Onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 litre Beef stock
• 350ml Guinness
• 2 litres/3 pints of boiling Water (dependent on stew pot size)
• Herbs (Rosemary) to taste
• Drizzle of oil, for frying

For the Soda Bread:

• 450g plain  flour
• 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
• Pinch of salt and sugar
• 300ml milk
• Surface flour for dough rolling

Method:

1. To prepare the Guinness Beef Stew, cube the Beef, removing any unwanted fat. Season and fry in a large frying pan with a drizzle of cooking oil to seal the meat.
2. Pour on 70ml of the Guinness to flavour the meat.
3. Whilst the beef is browning, place the Beef Stock in large stewing pot and dissolve in the boiling water.
4. Prepare and chop the Potatoes and Carrots, and place into the pot with the dissolved stock. Then peel and chop the Onion and Mushrooms.
5. Once the meat is sealed, transfer the meat to the stewing pot. Fry the onions and mushrooms in the frying pan to absorb the beef juices.
6. Once these are golden add these to the stewing pot, and add the Herbs and season to your taste (more can be added later if required). Add the remaining Guinness and stir.
7. Place a lid on the pot and leave to simmer on the hob for up to 1 hour until the potatoes and carrots are soft, or longer if you wish for more tender meat.
8. Stir occasionally whilst cooking, and continue to season to taste.
9. Meanwhile, to make the Soda Bread, heat the oven to 180C/350F/Gas 4
10. In a large bowl sieve in the flour and add the bicarbonate of soda, a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar.
11. Slowly pour in the milk a little at a time, stirring well until it forms a sticky dough.
12. Remove from the bowl and on a lightly floured surface knead the dough until it forms a ball.
13. Lightly flour a baking tray and place the dough in the middle. Score the top of the dough 2-3 times with a knife to make several shallow cuts along the surface.
14. Place in the oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the bread has turned golden brown.
15. When the meal has stewed to your satisfaction and the bread is cooked, serve the Guinness Stew immediately with a side of the freshly-baked buttered Soda bread.