BONNIE ESTABROOK’S BEEF IN BEER

It’s definitely soup and stew weather with bone-chilling temperatures outside, so I decided to try a recipe that’s been in my files for so long, I can’t remember when or where it came from.  My guess is Woman’s Day or Better Homes and Gardens.  Bonnie Estabrook, from Andover, Massachusetts, is the author of this recipe, and it sounded good to me, even though I wasn’t sure how much of it I would eat.   I try to limit my beef consumption, and my hubby is a carnivore.   So this one was for him.  I found a can of Yuengling’s Lager in the fridge, brought over by one of the Sunday afternoon armchair quarterbacks, and thought that would go well with the beef.
I didn’t change much.  I thickened the stew with white whole wheat flour instead of all-purpose.  Guy likes peas in his stew, so I added a package of frozen peas at the end of the cooking time.  I oven roasted some fingerlings and carrots and added them to the stew, also at the end of cooking time, and I sprinkled extra parsley on top of the stew.  Guy gave it two thumbs up, and I thought it was quite tasty.

Bonnie Estabrook’s Beef in Beer, adapted Rating:  8 out of 10 Click for PRINTABLE PAGE

INGREDIENTS: 1-1/2 Tbsp. olive oil 1 Tbsp. butter or Smart Balance buttery spread 1-1/2 lbs. lean chuck, trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1” cubes (I started with 3 lbs, and total weight after trimming was 1-1/2 lbs.) 1 tsp. fine sea salt 1/2 tsp. black pepper 2 cups sliced onions 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour  6 oz. low-sodium beef or chicken broth 6 oz. beer or lager 1 Tbsp. brown sugar 3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped + extra for sprinkling on top of stew 1 bay leaf 3 fresh thyme sprigs 2 garlic cloves, peeled,  on wooden picks 1 package (10 oz.) frozen peas In a large, heavy ovenproof pot, heat oil and butter over medium heat.   Brown meat in batches to avoid overcrowding.  Transfer meat to a bowl, using a slotted spoon.  Season with salt and pepper.  When all meat is browned, add onions to drippings in the pot; cook, stirring to scrape up browned bits, 3 to 5 minutes, or till onions begin to soften.  Heat oven to 350F.  Return beef and any collected juices to  pot.  Sprinkle  with flour and stir to mix well.  Stir in broth, beer, sugar, 3 Tbsp. parsley, bay leaf, thyme sprigs and garlic.  Cover pot; bring to a boil; transfer pot to oven.  Bake about 2 hours, stirring once or twice, until meat is tender and sauce is thickened.  If desired, stir in 1 (10-oz.) package of frozen peas when stew is about done cooking.  Discard garlic and bay leaf.  Sprinkle with more chopped parsley.  Serve stew over boiled noodles or with boiled or oven-roasted potatoes and carrots.  Crusty French bread is a nice accompaniment.  Yield:  4 servings

COMFORT FOOD: BEEF STEW

Guy is a meat and potatoes man. OK, I confess....I love beef, too. My fondest memories of our early years together include Friday nights at Maruca's in Trenton, NJ, with Delmonico steak sandwiches and French fries. Maruca's Delmonico steaks were about 1/2" thick, tender as butter, and the meat was well aged with fantastic flavor (not to mention the steak was on the best roll in the world -- Italian People's Bakery roll). In the southeast, there is great pork, but they don't age their beef and the flavor just isn't there. And who can get a steak sandwich with 1/2" thick steak any more? Fudd Rucker's used to have it, but they cut back and now their steak sandwiches are awful. We ate those steak sandwiches every Friday night with no guilt added. It's a different story now. As I cut the beef for this stew and saw the nice marbling that was going to make the meat tender, I envisioned all that fat clinging to my arteries. Needless to say, I had a light portion and doubled up on salad.

About stew meat: chuck is your best cut if you want tender stew. My recipe has a little kick to it because that's what we like. Coffee and wine enhance flavors, and the paprika and chipotle chile powder give a little kick. For us, this is 6-7 servings, but we're small eaters. Although I will say when it comes to beef stew, we both tend to eat more than we would normally.

Beef Stew
Source: Judy's Kitchen
INGREDIENTS: 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. sea salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. chipotle chile pepper
1 tsp. paprika
2.5 lbs. beef chuck, cut into bite-sized pieces, excess fat removed
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped onions (about 1 large)
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh garlic
1 cup coarsely chopped celery
1 cup dry red wine, drinking quality (I used Firenze 2006 Chianti)
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp. instant coffee powder
1 cup coarsely chopped parsley
2 large baking potatoes, peeled, cut in large pieces
2 carrots, peeled, cut in chunks
1/2 cup coarsely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Mix flour and seasonings in gallon size resealable plastic bag. Add beef, seal bag and shake to distribute flour evenly over beef. Heat oil in large skillet. Add beef with any excess flour, onions, garlic, and celery. Saute' over medium heat till beef is lightly browned and vegetables start to cook, about 5-10 minutes. Turn heat up to high and pour wine over skillet. Let it bubble up for a minute or two and scrape up any residue on the bottom of the pan; then add the tomatoes, water, coffee powder and parsley. After the mixture comes to a boil, spoon or pour it into a 9x12 baking dish and bake it in the oven, covered, for 2-3 hours. Remove cover, add potatoes, carrots and parsley and cook, uncovered for 1 hour.