{Guinness + Beef}
Beef stew. My guess is most people think comfort food when they hear beef stew. Not me. I think of the first book I ever read on my own titled Beef Stew. Sure, I read Green Eggs and Ham, The Cat and the Hat and all the classics. However, I clearly remember grabbing that book when I was little and reading each word on my own. What an interesting title… I really wonder what the author was thinking when the book idea came to mind. Maybe she was eating beef stew? Had a few too many drinks? No idea. All I know is that I loved this book and probably still do if I read it today.
I make beef stew about once a year and I’m not sure why I don’t make it more often. It is so easy and the smell when you come home from work – yum. The crock pot is one of the greatest inventions in the cooking world. I love being able to put something together in the morning and come home from work to dinner. This is definitely one piece of equipment in my kitchen that gets its use.
I knew it was time to break out my classic beef stew recipe with the cold weather well underway. However, I decided to add a twist to my original recipe. I wanted something with a deeper flavor and unique. My original recipe uses red wine as the base of the sauce. For this recipe, I decided to use a bold and hearty beer – Guinness. My secret piece of this recipe – 1 oz. of bittersweet chocolate. It gives the recipe that little something that causes people to think “Hmm what is in here?”
I prepared the beef stew this morning and was happy to come home to smell my masterpiece. I cooked it on low for 10 hours and the beef became so tender soaking in the liquid all day. Preparation for the stew was so easy and it was a two thumbs up meal at my dinner table. I definitely will make this version of my beef stew again. It was very delicious and the flavors were so unique. I hope you enjoy.
