This is exactly what I wish I had in my house last weekend when we were all hibernating and hiding from that giant snowstorm Jonas – the perfect winter stew. I’ve done it so many times before I should know by now to always keep the ingredients on hand for those emergency situations. Any stew really will warm you up on a cold winter day, but this one has a depth and richness that’s hard to beat, brought on by my favorite dark brew: Guinness.
It has everything you would expect to find: carrots, celery, root vegetables, onions, braising beef, etc. and then that extra, so clever addition of smoked bacon where just a little is enough to impart a divinely smoky flavor to the whole dish (and heavenly scent in your house).
Irish food is usually celebrated around St. Patrick’s Day and this is honestly the perfect meal for that, but there’s no reason to wait until then especially with that dismal weather lingering. Chefs and dark beer amateurs like myself have been cooking with the hearty Irish stout for the great complexity and toasty malt flavor it adds to stews, soups, desserts and that amazing burger. Guinness’s bitterness is also perfect for offsetting rich meat and here it boils down to a thick and insanely flavorful gravy, enveloping the tender chunks of beef in a beautiful color too.
Up to here it’s already spectacular, but what really sealed the deal for me were the dumplings covering the top. They’re so incredibly easy to make there’s no reason I’d ever do another stew without them, plus they play a major role in the finished product.
They’re essentially drop biscuits, topped with Parmesan, that simmer on top of the stew, absorbing some of the gravy and acting as perfect vehicle to mop up all that deliciousness sitting at the bottom of your bowl. I swear after this you’ll be serving dumplings with all your casseroles.
This is about as good as it gets on a cold night (beef and beer is after all an age-old tradition for the season) and the leftovers are even superior, having sat in that magical sauce overnight. I’ll sure be ready next time Mother Nature wants to direct anger issues at the Northeast…
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 125g (4 oz) smoked bacon, diced
- 1 garlic clove, finely diced
- 1 small turnip, diced
- 1 carrot, sliced
- 2 celery sticks, diced
- 625g (1¼ lb) braising steak, cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed with 1 teaspoon dried mixed herbs
- 440ml (3/4 pint) can of Guinness
- 1 tablespoon clear honey
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Salt & pepper
- Buttered kale or Savoy cabbage, to serve
- 225g (7½ oz) self-raising flour, plus extra for dusting
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon English mustard powder
- 50g (2 oz) butter, diced, plus extra for greasing
- 125 ml (4 fl oz) milk, plus extra for glazing
- 25g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- Heat a little of the oil in a large frying pan, add the onion and bacon and cook gently for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion, bacon and garlic to a casserole, retaining the juices in the pan. Add the turnip, carrot and celery to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to the casserole.
- Toss the beef with the seasoned flour in a bowl, then shake off any excess flour. Add the beef to the frying pan, in batches, and cook until lightly browned all over, adding the remaining oil as required.
- Transfer the beef to the casserole. Stir the Guinness into the frying pan, scraping all the sediment from the base of the pan. Add the honey, bay leaf and Worcestershire sauce, then pour the contents of the pan into the casserole. Season with plenty of pepper, cover and cook in a preheated oven, 150ºC (300ºF) for 2 hours.
- Meanwhile, make the scones. Sift the flour, salt and mustard together into a bowl. Add the butter and rub in with your fingertips until you have fine breadcrumbs. Add the milk to a well in the centre of the flour and gradually mix in to form a dough. Knead on a lightly floured work surface until smooth, the roll out to 1.5cm (¾ inch) thick. Using a 5 cm (2 inch) biscuit cutter, cut out rounds and place spaced out on a lightly greased baking sheet. Leave to rest for 15 minutes.
- Remove the casserole from the oven and check the seasoning. Increase the oven temperature to 200ºC (400ºF). Brush the scones with milk, scatter with the Parmesan and arrange on top of the casserole, like cobblestones. Return the casserole to the oven and bake for 20 minutes until the scones are golden. Serve with buttered kale or Savoy cabbage.
