I know it may not seem this way at times. At least not from the vast amounts of debauchery I seem to partake in (and post about) on an (almost) daily basis.
But I’m not really a big drinker.
Which is shocking. On a number of levels.
The first being. That I am a medical student. And from what I can tell. Medical students like to drink. Copiously.
We have a test on Friday that ends at noon? They are in the bars by 1:15 (the lag time is for showering. We may be alcoholics. But at least we have good hygiene.)
We don’t have to be in class until 9:30 on Wednesday? Why not have a keg party on Tuesday night. (Gotta use that student government money for something.)
Needless to say. There is no way I can keep up. I have the tolerance of (approximately) a ten year old. So one beer for them. Is like three for me. Going shot for shot is a recipe for disaster.
The second being. That I come from a long line of drinkers. My parents are firm believers in the idea that having a bottle of wine with dinner every night is good for their heart. I have tried to explain to them that the actual recommendation is a glass. Not a bottle. A glass. But then they went out and bought bigger glasses.
Where there’s a will…
Anyway. The point is. That I don’t drink. Much.
So while some of us may have found use for the five bottles of Guinness that were left over from the Irish Car Bomb Cupcakes (aka – heaven) of January. Others of us discovered them hiding under the kitchen table. About a week ago.
Now. I may not LOVE beer. And I definitely do not LOVE Guinness. But I am not a waster. Everything in my kitchen gets used. In some way or another. (Except for ketchup. And mayo. I have no use for either of those things.)
Solution? Guinness stew.
Not only did this solve the Guinness dilemma of 2010. But it also gave me something to serve to my parents when I invited them over to dinner on Saturday. As much as it killed me not to try to stuff them with winter squash and sweet potatoes, I thought it would be best to give them what they wanted. Which is always meat and potatoes. (Plus dulling their senses and taste buds with the vast quantities of alcohol in the recipe didn’t hurt either. At the least. It sedated them. Score. Double score.)
And I have to say. That the meat. And potatoes. And Guinness notwithstanding. This was amazing. The best stew I have ever had. The leftovers are even better. The day after the day after leftovers are. The. Best. And I imagine that the third day would have trumped all. But just try getting it to last that long. Impossible, I tell you. Im. Possible.
Only four bottles to go…
I am submitting this to myself for Regional Recipes: Ireland! If you have an Irish recipe that you’ve posted or will pot before the 31st, then send it to me over at [email protected]! Just include a name, link to your post, and a photo. And please be sure mention in your post that you are submitting it to Regional Recipes which will be hosted here!
I am also sending this over to The Daily Spud for the Paddy’s Day Food Parade!
And to Deb for Souper Sundays!
I would also like to proclaim the winner of BSI: Carrots as…Azita of Turmeric and Saffron! Her Persian Carrot Jam just seemed so unique and outside-the-box to me that I couldn’t help but choose her as the winner. So congrats to Azita and thanks so much for all of your entries – they were fantastic!
Irish Beef Stew
Serves 6, adapted from Simply Recipes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 lb chuck roast, cut into small-ish pieces
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 cups beef broth
1 cup Guinness
1 cup red wine
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp dried thyme
1 tbsp worcestershire sauce
2 bay leaves
2 tbsp butter
3 lb potatoes (I used Yukon Golds), diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 cups chopped carrots
salt and pepper
NOTE – I peeled neither the carrots nor the potatoes. So feel free to peel or not at your own discretion.
1. Heat the olive oil in a large pot. Add the beef chunks, salt, and cook until browned on all sides (about five minutes). Add garlic and saute for 1 minute. Add the broth, Guinness, red wine, tomato paste, sugar, thyme, worcestershire sauce, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.
2. Meanwhile, chop all of the veggies. Heat the 2 tbsp of butter in a non-stick skillet. Add the potatoes, onion, and carrots and cook until golden – about 20 minutes. Set aside until the beef has simmered for an hour.
3. Add the veggies to the stew and simmer, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. The beef will be fall-apart tender at this point. Salt and pepper to taste. Discard the bay leaves. And serve.
I’m glad you wouldn’t have to be just Irish to eat that meal….because I would have to fake it…looks wonderful! Nice Joanne!
xoxo
This is my first visit to your blog, Joanne but I guarantee it won’t be my last! You are a delightfully clever writer & that stew looks awesome! I promise to try your recipe & I thank you for sharing it.
This looks excellent! I, too, am not a big drinker but would buy some for this. Thanks!
I’ve been trying not to give into guiness stew (since I can’t take Guinness AND beef (religious reasons)) So, this awesome looking pot of happiness is just driving me mad. Excuse me while I wallow in self pity and ogle at your stew.
I love Guiness Beef Stew… it’s so delicious! I’m like you, low tolerance. Alcohol lingers too long with me and I just don’t feel right for days. I’d rather consume it like this!
Oh My dear u dont jus how excited u got me…our whole was wafting with this Irish stew,i had jus finished taking pics of the glowing setting sun and hooped online right here in my kitchen coz there’s still time for the Irish bread i had planned for and u and Faith posted the same recipe……i think Guinness stew is high on the list for sure and bioy all between my giggles being tickled pink will have to scroll back up and read ur recipe and post:-)))))
Nice close-up of the spuds.
This is a dish worthy of the day Joanne. I was disappointed at the liquor store that I had to buy a 6-pack of Guinness and could not get just one bottle. So there will be Guinness recipes coming I am sure since beer is not something I drink.
Lovely stew and I will be sending an entry for your event. Congrats to Azita on winning this month’s BSI challenge.
Your Irish stew sounds delicious!!!
If there’s a good use for Guinness (other than au naturel in a pint glass, of course) then it has to be as part of a beef & guinness stew. Just about perfect for Paddy’s Day, I’d say!
I am not a beer/ale lover, but I do like to make my stew with it…looks delish…Happy St. Patrick’s Day to you!
Guiness and red wine in one stew? I bet it tasted good! I am bookmarking this (I have an Irish neighbor who comes over to eat a lot and she would love this)
You made me laugh with the story about your parents who bought bigger glasses! Hilarious!
this looks like it freezes well… so i hope my plate is in the freezer for when i come to visit.
I just discovered your wonderful blog, and I’m so glad I did – your witty writing completely made my day! 🙂 I loved your musings on med students and drinking – my fiance’s in medical school, and there’s no way I could keep up with him, drink for drink, ever! I’ve tried once… Never again. 🙂
However, I’m sooooo excited about this gorgeous Guinness stew recipe! This is my kind of Guinness, indeed! 🙂
I am not a huge drinker by an means. I will enjoy a glass of wine once a month. I do enjoy cooking with it thought. I have made some mean risotto dishes with some great white wine.
I have a really bad memory with Guiness. Long story for a St. Patty’s day of long ago.
This has been on my to make list for a while and hearing you rave about it tempts me to put it on next week’s menu. It looks so good that I wish I could reach right into my screen and grab a bite of tender beef. I don’t drink either so I’ll have to go out and buy a bottle of guiness beer just for this stew but it looks so good that it should be worth it!
Okay Joanne, this looks really really good.
I’m not much of a meat eater, but my mom did certainly make a killer Irish stew when I was a kid. I might have to try making this for my once-or-twice a month meat night.
Of course, I’d have to go buy guiness. Or use another kind of beer.
I also have to admire you for knowing your limits and not being a drinker. I find myself having to explain to my mother that the correct amount of wine for a day for a woman is one glass. Not a bottle.
And I love wine…but I have to be careful to stick to a glass a day myself.
Oh, I remember the young-and-stupid days of drinking too much. Those were long ago. I catch crap from younger folks occasionally (or even people my age), but my 4 year old is gonna wake me up at 6:30 am, and he doesn’t care if I drank too much last night. The hangover isn’t worth it.
Happy St Patrick’s Day from N Ireland.
I LOVE Beef & Guinness, but can’t drink the “black stuff” at all!
Looks yummy…I’ve never had a Guiness stew.
Blessings!
Gail
Nicely done! We used to drink quite a bit, but at some point after last summer, we stopped for the most part (except the occasional glass of wine).While I’m not a huge Guinness fan (Adam is) I really like cooking with it!
that looks delicious, TFS.
The stew looks so rich and flavorful; I bet it was delicious!
I like your parents a lot… Moved into a furnished condo, but the wine galsses are too small. makes me feel like a lush… MUST ORDER BIGGER GLASSES Like Joanne’s family.
Yum. That stew is a thing of beauty!
It’s funny. I have a whole cabinet full of hard alcohol. When people come here they think I am a drinker but most of the bottles are a couple of decades old and they were bought for a recipe.
I remember when I was a lightweight. Heh, that was a long time ago. The stew looks awesome, love Guinness in beef stew.
I don’t drink at all, but it’s only because I don’t like the taste of most alcohol – I find it bitter. However, I am more than willing to put a little rum in cake, wine in creamy pasta, and certainly beer in a beef stew.
And ya, one glass of wine would render my small frame unconscious within 30 minutes. Not exactly the life of the party!
It looks hearty and delicious! My husband would really dig the Guinness in the stew.
You surely know that we ALL are gonna be wanting to make this delicious looking and sounding Irish stew. Wish I had a big bowl of it right now…to go along with my Irish coffee..ummm
There’s a really great level of body that beer adds to food. Although Guinness is a little too heavy for drinking, it’s great for recipes!
Yummy! I must remember to get my Regional Recipe posted this evening! Thanks for the reminder. Cheers! 🙂
Mmm, perfect use for your Guinness! It is also wonderful for batter for fish and onion rings. 🙂
Beef stew with Guinness sounds so good! I need to make that tomorrow since as I suspect the terrine will be all gone by then.
What a lovely stew and what a lovely way to use Guinness. This looks hearty and delicious
What an absolutely gorgeous stew, Joanne! And I love your sense of humor (I was literally laughing out loud at that bit about the lag time for showering). The red wine sounds like a really delicious addition here!
I love Irish stew and wanted to make a version just like yours BUT…I had major issues trying to find Guinness, which was very disappointing. Yours stew looks delicious. So nice that you had your parents over for dinner.
You are a Guinness Genius!
OMG 1 Month ago, I would have been ALL over this dish! It looks amazing.
I was gonna buy some Guiness for chocolate cupcakes but didn’t know what to do with the extra b/c I’m not a drinker of any beer, much less Guiness (bleck!). Now I have an idea–this stew sounds and looks AMAZING. Congrats to Azita–I had a feeling that Carrot Jam might win–it definitely caught my eye since it’s so unique and unusual!
There’s a pub in the next town to mine and they serve Beef and Guinness stew. I always wanted the recipe so thanks for posting it.
Happy St Patrick’s Day!
I don’t drink either. That’s good. I don’t expect (nor want) a bottle of wine when I come over for dinner! lol.
But if you use that precious alcohol into this amazing stew…ooh I’m gonna lap it up like a famished dog! 😀
Yay congrats to the BSI winner! The jam seriously is so creative! And Joanne! You read my mind when you picked Natasha as the next host!! Woo hoo!!
i got mine in 7th grade! WOOHOOOO! never looked back. =D
you drink fresca? it’s like TWINS WITH THIS SODA!!!
Joanne, Thank you so very much! I’m truly delighted and very honored! That’s a great stew, delicious!
Oh yeah, this is the good stuff. I made a recipe just like this a while back and I am still wanting more. This looks fabulous. I’m with you, I CAN”T drink much otherwise I am asleep on the floor after 1 beer. I’m a serious lightweight.
That is one fine looking stew! Happy early St Patrick’s Day to you! Don’t forget to wear your green tomorrow!! 😀
Stew looks super delicious Joanne, considering that I am a veggie 😉
Hmmm..May be I can cook a pie and send it for the Irish specials..
Hope you didnt party too much!
I think my slow cooker stew called for too much Guinness. This looks amazing and delicious. Thanks for submitting it to Souper Sundays! 😉
I have never had a stew made with beer. It looks delicious!
Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
I am not a drinker either but I love cooking with drinks especially wine. Perhaps it is the fact that all the alcohol is evaporated and what’s left is the sweetness of the drink. This looks and I am sure is delicious.
Great minds eat alike! 🙂 I love this version! Happy St Paddy’s Day, Joanne! Cheers!
Secretly, my mom also cooked pot roast til it dried up and disintegrated. Along with steak, pork chops, poultry, burgers, hot dogs…you may not think that last one was possible, but trust me. But she reads me and I didn’t want to hurt her feelings! Plus she’d yell at me…
A very timely and delicious looking recipe for St. Paddy’s Day. I’m not a big Guinness fan either, but I do think it works really well in recipes. Well done!
Your parents sound hilarious! I am not a big drinker either, and this sounds like a great way to use up some leftover beer. I definitely need to start cooking with alcohol more often.
This is one of my favorite stews! I have only made it once before but a neighbor of mine makes it often enough that I get to indulge in hers. i came to check out your blog since I have been asked to do week 73 for BSI. I will be back to your blog again and again. I love it! ~LeslieMichele
Wanna trade parents? I have a 2 for 1 special!
Mouth watering stew, lovely dark color and rich. Delicious!
I’ll send you my Parade greens if I can’t do something new by the due date. Either way expect my entry… GREG
I’m right there with you. Crazy-low tolerance and not a fan of beer. I have it on hand, but only for cooking and guests. I made a great cheese spread recipe last week (post coming next week), that would be a good way to use up a little bit of your leftover Guinness. Nigella has a few Guinness recipes too – cake! The stew looks fab!
love this irish stew.. perfect entry for the regional recipes! the persian carrot jam sounds so delicious too, i plan to try it sometime.
Wonderful stew and a great use for that left over Guiness!! I am always looking for a new stew recipe and this looks fabulous. Thanks so much and Happy St. Paddy’s Day!
xoxo
Jane
Wow your Guinness and Beef stew looks so great too! I love an excuse to make Irish stews!
How funny we both made them so close together.
Happy St. Patrick’s day !! That sure is a festive meal 🙂
I used to make beef in guiness quite often but haven’t done so in years.
I actually considered using guiness in the brisket I made today being that it’s St. Patrick’s day, but I didn’t have any…
your photographs are stunning…never seen a stew look so good. Pictures of stew usually leave me cold.
oo yum…my hubs love this dish, so rich and flavourful!
My husband and I no longer drink alcohol, but it is so funny ’cause just yesterday he mentioned I should do some slow cooking with Guiness!! I love that you posted this recipe, just in time for his craving.
ha. i’m a light-weight too–one stiff drink and i’m done. 🙂
this is an excellent use for leftover foulness…i mean beer. happy st pat’s!
Great use of your Guinness. Happy St. Patrick’s Day!
What a hearty and delicious bowl of stew! I bet your parents loved it. And don’t feel bad I’m a light weight too – one beer is more than enough for me. I get real loopy and then have to go to bed.
I love beer but am not a big Guinness fan! This seems the perfect way to use it though 🙂 The stew looks delicious!
Haha! I don’t know too many medical students, but from the ones that I DO know … they study hard and they party hard. I’m not much of a drinker, either, but your stew looks like a good way to get a little Guinness in. 🙂
So Grey’s Anatomy is factual in that sense — they all binge drink despite being educated medical professionals? 😉
The stew looks delicious…of course!
Happy St. Patty’s Day!
Your folks must have loved it. Glad to know you cant booze much. Live long and prosper!
Joanne, this looks delish! Happy St. Paddy’s.
This looks absolutely delectable!
Happy St.Paddys day to you. I was debating making this for Regional, and now I see a bazillion versions of it flying around the blog world. Good. In a way, I’m still scarred with my encounter with Stout many years ago.
Happy St. Patty’s Day! I’m not much of a drinker and while in school I never had the extra money. Althought come to think of it, I did meet my husband because of a martini!
lovely clicks joanne..
Also not a big drinker, but stew with Guinness sounds gooooooooooooooood! Besides, all the alcohol cooks off. 😉
LMAO @ bigger glasses! Thats my kind of thinking…haha.
Your stew is making my stomach growl…I can almost smell it (or maybe aromas from the office kitchen are making their way down the halls…it is lunch tima after all)
Mmmm, your stew looks yummy. And nice to see that you’re still using those carrots 🙂
I so much prefer this to corned beef and cabbage 🙂
Hey Joanne! I have an award I want to share with you. Stop by my blog when you get a chance!
This would have me River Dancing in no time!
Glad you didn’t waste a drop of Guinness 🙂 It looks like such a flavorful stew – my hubby is all about meat and potatoes and love it like your parents!
yum it looks great! I prepare guinness stew sometimes, and cook it in poof pastry, then serve it with potatoes and a pint of Guinness (of course)!
This looks so yummy, but I’ll have to try it with seitan. I’m also an infrequent drinker but I finally found a beer I liked (Killian’s Red).
I am submitting this recipe!
http://preventionrd.com/2010/03/17/luck-of-the-irish/
I’m so hungry and I’ve just eaten… looks absolutely delicious!!
This was absolutely fantastic!! I was looking for something to whip up for the Saint Patrick’s Day celebration at our home and found your recipe. I didn’t have a full cup of red wine (I didn’t think the blackberry wine would be a good substitute), so I used the meager 1/4 cup of the red I had in the fridge and added a 1/2 c. of the Guinness extra stout.
Served with Irish Soda Bread and a side of Roasted Cabbage with lemon & pepper for the hubby who can’t have bread. –Oh, don’t forget the extra bottle of stout that was left!
Thanks for the fantastic meal!
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