Guinness Beef Stew

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cubed
6 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch lengths
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon browning sauce, optional
Minced fresh thyme, optional

Directions

1. Layer the potatoes, carrots, onion and celery in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Place flour in a large shallow dish. Add stew meat; turn to coat evenly. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches. Place over vegetables.

In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, broth, mustard, salt, pepper, thyme and, if desired, browning sauce. Pour over beef. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours, or until the meat and vegetables are tender. If desired, sprinkle with fresh thyme before serving.

Irish Beef Stew

Ingredients

8 bacon strips, diced
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound whole fresh mushrooms, quartered
3 medium leeks (white portion only), chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1/4 cup chopped celery
1 tablespoon canola oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1 cup dark stout beer or additional reduced-sodium beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold water
1 cup frozen peas

Directions

In a stockpot, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels. In a large shallow dish, combine flour, salt and pepper. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat. Brown beef in the bacon drippings. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, saute the mushrooms, leeks, carrots and celery in oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in tomato paste until blended. Add the broth, beer, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and rosemary. Return beef and bacon to pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 2 hours.
Add potatoes. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour longer. Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Add peas; heat through. Discard bay leaves

Cowboy Stew

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
4 cans (16 ounces each) baked beans
8 hot dogs, sliced
1/2 cup barbecue sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

In a Dutch oven, cook beef over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 4-6 minutes or until flavors are blended.

Kielbasa Cabbage Stew

Ingredients

1/2 pound smoked turkey kielbasa or Polish sausage, sliced
1 pound potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups shredded cabbage
1 large onion, chopped
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 can (16 ounces) kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Directions

In a large saucepan or nonstick skillet, brown sausage over medium heat. Add the potatoes, cabbage, onion, broth, 1/2 cup water, sugar, caraway seeds and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 15-18 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.

2.Add beans and cider vinegar; cover and simmer 5-10 minutes longer. Combine flour and remaining water until smooth; stir into stew. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

Red Flannel Stew

Ingredients

2 whole fresh beets, washed, trimmed and halved
6 cups water, divided
1 pound corned beef brisket, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
4 small carrots, sliced
1 large potato, cubed
1 small turnip, peeled and cubed
1 small onion, chopped
1 teaspoon each dried parsley flakes, basil and thyme
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

Directions

In a large saucepan, bring beets and 4 cups water to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until tender, 20-25 minutes. Drain, reserving 2 cups cooking liquid. Peel and dice beets; set aside.
In the same pan, combine the corned beef, carrots, potato, turnip, onion, seasonings, remaining water and reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Stir in diced beets; heat through.

Traditional Lamb Stew

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds lamb stew meat
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
3 large onions, quartered
3 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 small potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) beef broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1-1/2 teaspoons minced fresh parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons minced chives
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh thyme

Directions

In a Dutch oven, brown meat in 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat until meat is no longer pink. Remove with a slotted spoon; set aside. Add the onions, carrots and remaining oil to pan. Cook for 5 minutes or until onions are tender, stirring occasionally. Add the potatoes, broth, salt, pepper and lamb; bring to a boil.
Remove from the heat. Cover and bake at 350° for 50-60 minutes or until meat and vegetables are tender.
With a slotted spoon, remove meat and vegetables to a large bowl; set aside and keep warm. Pour pan juices into another bowl; set aside.
In the Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in pan juices. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in the parsley, chives, thyme, and meat and vegetables; heat through.

Fragrant lamb with prunes and almonds

Although lamb shanks have become chic and expensive, you could easily make this tagine with boneless lamb shoulder cut into chunks to keep the cost low. It’s just as delicious.

Serves 6

2.5kg of lamb shanks, or 1.8kg of boneless lamb shoulder, trimmed of fat
2 tbsp butter
2 medium onions, thickly sliced
Pinch of saffron threads
6 garlic cloves, chopped
A thumb-size piece of ginger, peeled and slivered
1 small cinnamon stick
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp ground cayenne pepper
150g golden raisins
300g pitted prunes
750ml chicken broth or water
300g chopped tomatoes
Salt and black pepper

For the garnish
1 tbsp butter
200g blanched whole almonds
Large pinch of salt
Small pinch of sugar

1 Preheat the oven to 160C/325F/gas mark 3. Season the lamb generously with salt and pepper, then set aside.

2 Melt the butter in a large frying pan. Add the onions, sprinkle with a little salt and crumble the saffron on top. Sweat the onions gently for about 5 minutes or until slightly softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the garlic, fresh ginger, cinnamon stick, coriander and cumin seeds, powdered ginger and cayenne pepper. Add the raisins and half the prunes.

3 Put the lamb in a deep casserole and spread the onion mixture over the meat. Add the broth or water and tomatoes, and cover the pot with foil and a tight-fitting lid. Bake for about 2 hours or until the meat is tender.

4 Take the dish from the oven and remove the foil and lid. Add the rest of the prunes and submerge them in the liquid. Raise the heat to 200C/400F/gas mark 6 and return the lamb to the oven, uncovered, for about 15 minutes to let the meat brown a bit. Remove the pot from the oven and let it rest for 10 minutes or so.

5 Skim off any fat from the surface of the tagine. Reduce the sauce if it seems thin. The tagine is ready to serve but will reheat perfectly, so you can make it today to serve the next day: the sauce will mature beautifully in the refrigerator overnight.

6 Just before you serve the tagine, heat the butter in a small frying pan over a medium heat and gently fry the almonds, stirring occasionally. When they turn golden, dry them on a paper towel and sprinkle with salt and sugar.

7 To serve, transfer the stew to a large platter and scatter the fried almonds over the lamb.

Daube de boeuf provencale

There must be scores of recipes similar to this one in Provence alone, not to mention all of those that have been borrowed by other regions, for a daube of beef is essentially a country housewife’s dish. In some daubes the meat is cut up, in others it is cooked in one piece; what goes in and the way it is served is largely a question of local taste.

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
170g unsmoked streaky bacon or salt pork, cubed
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
2 onions, peeled and sliced
2 tomatoes, skinned and sliced
90g fresh pork rinds, cut into small squares
900g top rump beef, cut into 9cm squares, 1cm thick
2 garlic cloves
Bouquet of thyme
A strip of orange peel
1 bay leaf
1 glass of red wine
Salt and black pepper

For the garnish
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
Fresh parsley, chopped
1 anchovy (optional)
A few capers (optional)

1 Add the olive oil, bacon, vegetables and half the pork rinds to a large casserole. Arrange the beef carefully on top, so the slices are overlapping each other.

2 Flatten the garlic cloves and bury them beneath the meat. Insert the orange peel and bay leaf into the centre of the thyme bouquet and place beneath the meat. Season and arrange the rest of the pork rinds over the top.

3 With the pan uncovered on top of the stove, start cooking on a moderate heat.

4 Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1.

5 After about 10 minutes, put the wine into another saucepan, bring it to a fast boil, set light to the vapours and rotate the pan so that the flames spread. When they have died down, pour the bubbling wine over the meat.

6 Cover the pot with greaseproof paper or foil and a well-fitting lid. Transfer to the oven and leave for 2½ hours.

7 Arrange the meat on a hot dish, pour off some of the fat from the sauce, extract the bouquet and pour the sauce around the meat.

8 A garnish of finely chopped garlic and parsley, with perhaps an anchovy and a few capers, can be sprinkled over the top.

Hungarian Goulash

Ingredients

3 medium onions, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 medium green peppers, chopped
3 pounds beef stew meat
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
3/4 teaspoon pepper, divided
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-1/2 cups reduced-sodium beef broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
Dash sugar
12 cups uncooked whole wheat egg noodles
1 cup reduced-fat sour cream

Directions

1. Place the onions, carrots and green peppers in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Sprinkle meat with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. In a large skillet, brown meat in oil in batches. Transfer to slow cooker.

Add broth to skillet, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Combine the flour, paprika, tomato paste, caraway seeds, garlic, sugar and remaining salt and pepper; stir into skillet. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Pour over meat. Cover and cook on low for 7-9 hours or until meat is tender.
Cook noodles according to package directions. Stir sour cream into slow cooker. Drain noodles; serve with goulash.

Ham and Bean Stew

Ingredients

2 cans (16 ounces each) baked beans
2 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 celery rib, chopped
1/2 cup water

Directions

In a 3-qt. slow cooker, combine all ingredients; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 7 hours or until the potatoes are tender.

Ancient Grain Beef Stew

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
4 celery ribs with leaves, chopped
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1-1/2 cups dried lentils, rinsed
1/2 cup red quinoa, rinsed
5 large bay leaves
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 cartons (32 ounces each) beef stock

Directions

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add beef; brown on all sides. Transfer meat and drippings to a 5- or 6-qt. slow cooker. Stir in the remaining ingredients. Cook, covered, on low for 6-8 hours, until meat is tender. Discard bay leaves.

Slow-Simmered Burgundy Beef Stew

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat (1-1/4-inch pieces)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon salt
2 to 4 teaspoons canola oil, divided
2 teaspoons beef bouillon granules
2 teaspoons dried parsley flakes
1-1/2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
2 cups water
1 cup Burgundy wine or beef stock
3 medium potatoes (about 1-1/3 pounds), peeled and quartered
1 cup fresh mushrooms, halved
1 medium onion, cut into 8 wedges
2 medium carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Additional water, optional

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Toss beef with flour and salt to coat lightly; shake off excess. In an ovenproof Dutch oven, heat 2 teaspoons oil over medium heat. Brown beef in batches, adding additional oil as needed. Remove from pan.

Add bouillon, parsley, seasoning, 2 cups water and wine to same pan; bring to a boil, stirring to loosen browned bits from pan. Add beef; return to a boil. Transfer to oven; bake, covered, 1 hour.
Stir in vegetables and, if desired, thin with additional water. Bake, covered, until beef and vegetables are tender, 45-60 minutes.

Weekday Beef Stew

Ingredients

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, thawed
1 package (15 ounces) refrigerated beef roast au jus
2 cans (14-1/2 ounces each) diced tomatoes, undrained
1 package (16 ounces) frozen vegetables for stew
3/4 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/4 cups water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°. Unfold puff pastry. Using a 4-in. round cookie cutter, cut out 4 circles. Place 2 in. apart on a greased baking sheet. Bake until golden brown, 14-16 minutes.

Meanwhile, shred beef with 2 forks; transfer to a large saucepan. Add tomatoes, vegetables and pepper; bring to a boil. In a small bowl, mix cornstarch and water until smooth; stir into beef mixture. Return to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, 1-2 minutes.
Ladle stew into 4 bowls; top each serving with a pastry round.

Beef Bourguignon

Ingredients

4 bacon strips, chopped
1-1/2 pounds beef stew meat
1 large onion, sliced
1/2 cup sliced fresh carrot
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1-1/4 cups dry red wine
1 cup beef broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon tomato paste
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/8 teaspoon pepper
12 fresh pearl onions, trimmed
1/2 pound small fresh mushrooms, halved
1 ounce bittersweet chocolate
Mashed potatoes

Directions

1. In a Dutch oven, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels with a slotted spoon; drain, reserving drippings. Brown stew meat in drippings in batches. Remove and keep warm.

In the same pan, saute onion and carrot until crisp-tender. Stir in flour until blended. Gradually add wine and broth; stir in bay leaves, tomato paste, thyme, pepper, bacon and beef. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 2 hours.
In a large saucepan, bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add pearl onions; boil for 3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water; peel and set aside. Stir into stew; cook 30 minutes longer.
Add mushrooms; cook 30-40 minutes or until beef is tender. Skim fat and discard bay leaves. Stir in chocolate until melted. Serve with mashed potatoes.

Fiesta-Twisted Brunswick Stew

Ingredients

1/2 pound uncooked chorizo or bulk spicy pork sausage
1 large potato, cubed
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green pepper, chopped
3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 jar (26 ounces) marinara sauce
1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
1 tablespoon Cajun seasoning
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
2 pounds bone-in chicken breast halves, skin removed
1 cup cut fresh green beans
2 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro
Shredded Asiago cheese

Directions

1. Crumble chorizo into a small skillet; cook over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until fully cooked. Drain. Transfer to a 6-qt. slow cooker. Add the potato, onion, green pepper, jalapenos, tomatoes, marinara sauce, corn, Cajun seasoning, garlic, sugar, pepper and salt.

In a small bowl, combine flour and broth until smooth; stir into slow cooker. Add the chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken and vegetables are tender, adding green beans and cilantro during the last 2 hours of cooking.
Remove chicken from slow cooker. When cool enough to handle, remove meat from bones; discard bones. Cut meat into bite-sized pieces and return to slow cooker; heat through. Sprinkle servings with cheese.