St. Patrick's Day: Blog Crawl and Irish Stew

Hello Friends. 

I'm excited to be joining Cuisine Kathleen for her annual St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl.  I hope you will join me as we celebrate this fun holiday with fellow bloggers. 

Today I am sharing my recipe for Irish Stew.  The original recipe came from Jeff Smith aka the Frugal Gourmet.  However, I have changed the recipe so much that I now call it mine.

 Irish Stew
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Bay Leaves
2 Pounds Beef Stew Meat, cut into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces
1 Large Onion, peeled and sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped
1 Teaspoon Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon Dried Rosemary
6 Tablespoons Flour
2 Cups Beef Stock
1 Bottle Beer
1/2 Pound Carrots, chopped
2 Potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 1/2-2 inch pieces
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 Tablespoon Flat Parsley, chopped

Heat 6-quart casserole or pot  and add oil and bay leaves.  Cook the bay leaves for a moment and the add the beef.  Brown the beef , on high, thoroughly.  Add the sliced onion and cook until translucent.  Reduce the heat and add the garlic, thyme, rosemary, and flour.  Stir until smooth.  Cook for a few moments to allow the flour to cook. 

Add the beer and beef stock.  Simmer while stirring until the stew thickens.  Add the remaining ingredients except parsley.  Stir, cover, and place in the oven preheated to 275* for two hours, stirring occasionally.

Before serving, add the parsley and check to see if it needs more salt or pepper.  I like to serve this with Irish Soda Bread.  I will be sharing Ina Garten's recipe tomorrow.  

MAKE IT A GREAT DAY!