Irish Guinness Beef Stew

"Irish Stew may well be the mother of all stews. I mean, you know that anything simmered for hours is going to be a good thing. But this is the stew of your dreams. Guinness gives the sauce an incredible rich, deep flavor, and the beef is fall-apart tender. Arguably the most deeply flavorful sauce of all stews, with a rich dark brown flavor, this is the best of the best."

"Cook this thick and hearty stew recipe on a cold winter day and you will have one delicious dinner. Guinness and wine at a lot of depth of flavor to this stew. The stew cooks to a nice thick gravy and we loved the process of cooking the potatoes, carrots, and onions. Make sure to have some nice, crusty bread on hand to serve too."

"2 tablespoons olive oil 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat (get the butcher to cut into bite-size pieces) 2 or 3 tablespoons plain flour 4 cloves garlic (minced) 4 cups beef stock 2 cups Guinness + 1/2 cup of any red wine (We used a Merlot for this stew) 3 tablespoons tomato paste 1 tablespoon dried thyme 1 teaspoon sugar to sweeten tomato paste 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce 2 bay leaves salt and cracked black pepper"

Guinness and red wine enrich the sauce with deep, dark brown flavor while beef stew meat braises to fall-apart tenderness. Beef pieces are lightly floured, browned in olive oil, then simmered with beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, bay leaves, and a touch of sugar for two hours. Potatoes, carrots, and onions cook in butter until tender and contribute to a thick, hearty gravy. The stew develops a rich, savory profile ideal for cold winter evenings. Serve with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes for a comforting, substantial dinner.

Read at Alternative Medicine Magazine