In my case, there is no such thing as "morning sickness." It's more like "every second, every minute, every hour of every day sickness." I've gone from eating all organic and trying to cut out carbs to being lucky if I can keep a graham cracker down. It's a very ironic thing to be constantly hungry but not want to eat anything. So if I get a craving for something... I better jump on the opportunity. So even though it's not exactly "beef stew weather," (it's 92 degrees out right now), I really wanted beef stew. And this is my absolute favorite beef stew I have ever had. I found the original recipe here. I adjusted the portion size (since I am still cooking only for two, not an army) and added a few little tweaks. Don't be alarmed, all of the alcohol in the beer cooks out.
For instructions accompanied by witty commentary, tips, and pretty pictures, see below:
| Guinness Beef Stew: Servings: 2-4 Prep Time: min. Cook Time: hours 1 lb boneless beef chuck roast, trimmed and cut into 1-1/2-inch chunks Salt and pepper 2 tbsp olive oil 1 onion, chopped about 1 cup 1 minced garlic clove 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth 1 1/4 cups Guinness Draught 2 tsp light brown sugar 3/4 tsp dried thyme 3/4 ounce bittersweet chocolate (that's right - chocolate!) 1 bay leaf 1 beef bouillon cube 1 lb. package of baby carrots 4-5 baby red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered 1 can peas 1/4 unbleached all-purpose flour |
2. Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Cook the beef until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Transfer meat to slow cooker.
3. Add the remaining 1 tbsp. olive oil, chopped onions, minced garlic, and 1/8 tsp. salt to the skillet and cook until the onions are lightly browned, about 3 minutes.
4. Add the broth, 1 cup of the beer (save the rest for later), sugar, thyme, chocolate, and bay leaf to the skillet and bring to a boil, using a wooden spoon to scrape up and browned bits. Once chocolate is melted and broth is at a boil, stop and smell how delicious the sauce you just created is... then transfer to slow cooker.
6. After cooking, add 1 can of drained peas. Now *normally* I would whisk together the flour with the remaining 1/4 cup of beer, but since I am pregnant and I am positive the alcohol has cooked out since morning, I'm not 100% it will cook out in the next 15 minutes. So in this case, I use 1/4 cup of water instead (better safe than sorry). Whisk together your "thickening concoction" and stir into slow cooker.