Boston Lager Beef Stew

The Ingredients

Sirloin Steaks (2)
Carrots (4)
New Potatoes (4)
Medium Yellow Onion (1)
Baby Bella Mushrooms (8)
Olive Oil
Salted Butter
Garlic (3 Cloves)
Sam Adams Boston Lager (1 Bottle)
Beef Broth (4 Cups)
Worcestershire Sauce
Tomato Paste (1 Can)
Paprika
Sugar
Celtic Sea Salt
Coarse Black Pepper
All Purpose Flour
Fresh Parsley (Minced)

The Recipe

Before I begin, you should know a few things about the way that I cook.

First, I rarely (ever) measure out my spices. I always season to taste. I am a firm believer that preparing a bland recipe constitutes an unspeakable travesty.

Second, I believe that food connects people. My kitchen, by Kate’s intentional design, is set up for people to gather and visit while the meal is being prepared. As a result, I nearly always add an appetizer for people to snack on while I’m getting the meal ready. Appetizers and cocktails while cooking comprise much of our decompression time at the end of any given day. Kate and I look forward to that time daily and the community that is created as a result of it.

Third, and finally…my dogs eat cheese. All the cheese. When I go to the store daily (which I’m prone to do) I buy Gus and Abby organic Parmesan cheese which they snack on while we’re having appetizers.

They love it. Don’t judge me.

This recipe is a favorite of mine. I began a few years ago with a basic beef stew recipe and have added to it and modified it over time. The result is something that we absolutely love on a cool Autumn evening.

I always serve this together with a a house-made crostini. I’ll post the recipe for that later. The combination of stew and crusty bread is fabulous.

Here we go….

Mince the garlic and dice the onion. Quarter the potatoes and chop the carrots into bite-sized pieces about 1 inch long.

Chop the steak into 1 inch pieces and place in a cast iron stew pot with an entire stick of butter and a generous pour of olive oil (I prefer Moroccan olive oil for this). Cook on medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the steak to a plate and set aside for now leaving the juices in the pot.

Reduce the heat to medium and add the onion and garlic. Saute until they turn a light brown. About 5 minutes.

Reduce the heat to a high simmer. Return the steak to the stew pot. Add the beer, beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, tomato paste, paprika, celtic sea salt, and coarse black pepper (all to taste). Add a pinch of parsley and simmer for 90 minutes. Stir occasionally.

With 30 minutes remaining, add the carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes.

With 10 minutes remaining Take 2 cups of the broth and remove to a bowl. Add about 3 tablespoons of flour and whisk into the broth in the bowl. Return the broth to the stew pot and whisk to thicken the stew.

Serve with Garlic & Herb Ciabatta Toast.