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Beef & Vegetable Stew with Beer

Published on 15 Nov 2011 |
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If you read this blog regularly, then you know that I live with two picky eaters: my son and his dad. One is 5 years old, the other 42. Call it genetics or bad luck, they can both get pretty stubborn about what they will or won’t agree to even taste.

As a foodie mom and blogger who has made it her purpose here to test recent cookbooks published by Québec chefs, I’m greeted with expressions of dismay at the dinner table on an uncomfortably regular basis. And given that my picky males “are” sorta, kinda, let’s face it, my guinea pigs, I can’t even call dibs on victim status.

How does the rock-and-a-hard-place gestalt play out, you might ask? Well, take last week. I made Mac ‘n cheese for my son. He complained that it tasted like cheese. Then I made Beef and Vegetable Stew with Beer for Monsieur. He complained when he saw me add beer.

Thing is, I had asked my men to pick whatever recipe they wanted from a new Québec cookbook I was testing, Les recettes secrètes de nos mères (Our mothers’ secret recipes) from Coup de Pouce Magazine. My son had selected the Mac. My husband specifically asked for the stew. A classic case of “damned if you do, damned if you don’t”.

Which brings me to the infamous Beef and Vegetable Stew with Beer. It’s a classic stew, long-simmered into scrumptiousness. And scrumptious it is. This recipe doesn’t reinvent anything, it just does everything right. If you’re looking for a full-bodied, complex stew that comforts your soul down to the bone, you’ve found it. Oh, Monsieur stopped griping after the first bite.

Adapted from:

 

    • Prep Time
    • Minutes
    • Cook Time
    • Minutes
    • Yield
    • 6
Beef & vegetable stew with beer

Ingredients

  • 80 ml (1/3 cup) flour
  • 15 ml (1 tbsp) chopped flat parsley
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) chopped fresh thyme
  • 5 ml (1 tsp) fresh ground black pepper
  • 750 g (1.5 lbs) blade roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
  • 1 package (284 g) peeled pearl onions*
  • 4 carrots, cut into 1-inch rounds
  • 1 package (227 g) mushrooms, cut in halves
  • 8 small Yukon Gold potatoes, cut in halves
  • 45 ml (3 tbsp) tomato paste
  • 30 ml (2 tbsp) Dijon mustard
  • 430 ml (1 3/4 cups) beef broth
  • 1 bottle (341 ml) red beer (I used Alexander Keith’s Red Amber Ale)
  • 1 bay leaf
  • salt
  • ---
  • * Peeling pearl onions can be a pain. Quick tip: Blanch the onions in boiling water for 3 minutes, then chill in a bowl of icy water. Cut off both ends of onions. The peel will slip off instantly.

Instructions

  • 1. In a large bowl, mix flour, parsley, thyme, pepper and salt. Add beef cubes and dredge very well. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Lightly shake beef cubes (reserving flour) and fry in a few batches until golden on all sides.
  • 2. Add vegetables and cook 3 minutes while stirring. Add in tomato paste, Dijon mustard and reserved flour, mixing well.
  • 3. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes or until beef is tender.

Instructions

  • 1. In a large bowl, mix flour, parsley, thyme, pepper and salt. Add beef cubes and dredge very well. In a heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Lightly shake beef cubes (reserving flour) and fry in a few batches until golden on all sides.
  • 2. Add vegetables and cook 3 minutes while stirring. Add in tomato paste, Dijon mustard and reserved flour, mixing well.
  • 3. Add remaining ingredients, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour 15 minutes or until beef is tender.
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