Guinness Braised Beef Stew

I have to admit, I had big plans for an Easter post, it involved a really cute rabbit cookie cutter, a light Spring loaf, and all kinds of bright Eastery colors. And then…. Jimmy decided he was going to completely throw off my weekend baking plans by proposing! Which was then followed by a crazy hot air balloon ride with a bunch of our friends from San Francisco and Los Angeles and a day at the winery. Needless to say I had noooo time to get a post out. So you can all blame Jimmy for the missing Easter post 🙂

So now a week later, I’ve finally stopped staring at my hand (no I haven’t, who am I kidding) and have gotten back into the rhythm of things! It’s weird taking the ring off while cooking, but I fear that I’ll end up like a tv sitcom, ring slipping off my finger, bouncing a few times, and then inevitably falling straight down the sink; so I’ve been taking it off. But it felt even weirder keeping it on while I was patting dry raw chunks of meat and getting my hands sticky with flour. I’m sure it’ll all take some getting used to but for now, I’m ready to continue cooking through the easy gourmet! I’m not sure if I mentioned this but I ordered Stephanie Le’s (i am a food blog) cookbook and I’m obsessed with literally every single recipe in it. Every time I flipped the page, it was another recipe that tugged at every single one of my culinary heartstrings. It follows the concept that I try to push across on this blog as well, “awesome recipes anyone can cook”. I highly recommend trying out some of her recipes, and I encourage you to buy the book as well, it has some amazing photography, and a great inspirational tool for when you’re looking to try something new; it covers so many different types of food, there’s something for every mood!

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Preheat the oven to 350˚F

Pat the beef dry with a paper towel. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, salt and pepper.

Add the beef to the flour and toss to coat. Heat oil in an ovenproof pot over medium heat until oil is hot. Brown the meat deeply without overcrowding, making sure to brown all sides. Transfer to a bowl.

Over medium heat, add the onion, carrot, celery, mushrooms and garlic to the pot and cook, scraping up all of the brown bits. Stir frequently until slightly cooked, about 6-8 minutes. Add the cooked beef with juices, along with the tomato paste, stock, beer, Worcestershire sauce, capers and thyme.

Bring to a simmer, then cover and transfer to oven. Braise until beef is very tender and sauce has thickened, about 1 1/2-2 hours. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Serve warm on its own or with mashed potatoes, rice or toasted bread!

NOM!