Wathen's Guinness Stout Beef Stew

My good friend, Jim Wathen, shared this recipe for Guinness Beef Stew with me. Its a rich heart stew, perfect for cold winter nights. Enjoy with a cold one! Thanks, Jim! My husband loves this one!

Guinness Stout Beef Stew

Ingredients:

2 ½ pounds stew beef – cut into cubes (season with salt & pepper)
2 tablespoons of olive oil
2 cloves of garlic – crushed
2 cups of onions – chopped
¼ cup of flour
2 cans beef broth
3 (or more) large carrots – sliced (I use several carrots)
3 – 4 large potatoes – peeled & chopped
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper ( I use at least twice that)
Pinch of cayenne
Salt (to taste)
Sprig of thyme (or pinch of dried thyme)
1 – 12 ounce bottle Guinness Stout
4 tablespoons tomato puree

In a Dutch oven, on medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and sauté the onions for 3 – 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove them from the pot and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Quickly sear the meat on all sides in several small batches.

Return all the seared meat to the pan. Reduce heat, stir in the flour until all the meat is coated.

Add the beef broth, the tomato puree and the Guinness and stir until mixture comes to a simmer.

Add onions, garlic, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, thyme and pepper to the pot. Add salt to taste.

Simmer gently uncovered for 30 minutes. Gravy will thicken. Cover pot and transfer to oven. Continue cooking for 2 – 3 hours at 300 degrees. * I removed the cover of the pot for about the last 30 minutes in the oven to allow to thicken.

Remove bay leaves before serving.