Guinness and Beef Skillet Stew (From Ellie Krieger’s Weeknight Wonders Cookbook)

My husband has pretty traditional “manly” tastes when it comes to food. Feed him meat, potatoes, gravy, and a good beer—preferably Guinness—and he is totally content. In this dish, I pull all his favorites together in one hearty and healthy skillet dinner. It is not a true stew, but rather a quick sauté with an easy pan gravy and simmered potatoes, peas, and carrots that captures the essence of a stew. The beer gives the gravy a wonderful depth of flavor, and most of the alcohol burns off with cooking so it is still family friendly. Serve it with some crusty bread so you can sop up every last drop.

By Ellie Krieger

Makes 4 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound sirloin steak, trimmed of all visible fat
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil
• 2 large carrots
• ¾ pound new (baby) potatoes (about 10)
• One 12-ounce bottle stout beer, such as Guinness
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup frozen pearl onions
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas

Directions:

1. Cut the meat into 1-inch cubes and season it with ¼ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper.
2. Heat the oil in a large, deep skillet with a cover over medium-high heat.
3. Add the meat and cook, turning once until browned, about 2 minutes per side.
4. Transfer the meat to a place.
5. Meanwhile, peel the carrots and cut them into ¼-inch-thick rounds, and quarter the potatoes.
6. Add the beer and tomato paste to the skillet, raise the heat to high, and bring to a boil, scraping to help dissolve any browned bits. Boil until the beer is reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
7. In a medium bowl, whisk together the broth and flour until the flour is dissolved.
8. Add the broth-flour mixture to the skillet, stirring constantly until it comes to a boil.
9. Add the carrots, potatoes, and onions, return to a boil, and then lower the heat to medium, cover, and simmer vigorously until the carrots and potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 minutes.
10. Return the meat with any accumulated juices to the pan along with the peas, and the remaining ¼ teaspoon each salt and pepper.
11. Cover and simmer until the peas are tender but still bright green and the meat is cooked to desired doneness, 2 to 3 minutes more for medium-rare to medium.

SERVING SIZE 1 ½ cups
CALORIES 430; Total Fat 16g (Sat Fat 4.5g, Mono Fat 8.6g, Poly Fat 2.3g); Protein 32g; Carb 34g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 65mg; Sodium 570mg
EXCELLENT SOURCE Fiber, Iron, Niacin, Phosphorus, Potassium, Protein, Riboflavin, Selenium, Thiamin, Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Zinc
GOOD SOURCE OF Copper, Folate, Magnesium, Manganese

(Indoor) Grilled Lamb Shoulder Chops (October 3 2013)

So this recipe was adapted from the following Martha Stewart recipe. When it comes to straight up cooking, I really don’t measure things other than just eye-balling the ingredients. When it comes to baking…oh I measure. Enjoy!

(NOTE– I did NOT make the aioli but it does sound delicious)

http://http://www.marthastewart.com/316435/grilled-lamb-shoulder-chops-with-herb-ai